Mercedes-Benz E350 Mild Hybrid was purchased new on XXX. Vehicle had approximately 291 miles and had been owned 25 days, when incident occurred on XXX at approximately 9:30am. Incident occurred during normal interstate driving (I-10 between [XXX] and [XXX]) at approximately the posted speed limit of 60mph. Weather was partly cloudy, not raining. A sudden loud explosive sound occurred, similar to a gunshot. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the explosive sound. Neither of 2 occupants in vehicle observed an object strike the vehicle. Sunroof was completely closed at time of incident. Passenger opened inside cover of sun roof and immediately observed shattered panoramic roof glass, with almost half of the sunroof gone. Remainder of sunroof was cracked into very small fragments. Glass appeared to largely disperse outward; interior sunshade prevented glass from entering the passenger compartment, although there were shards of glass lying within the sunshade. Vehicle was safely removed from traffic. No injuries occurred. But half of glass from sunroof was scattered toward other lanes of busy interstate traffic. Passenger safety could've been compromised had the glass torn the soft fabric sunshade. Passenger safety could've been compromised if driver had been distracted by the explosive sound. Glass could've been safety hazard for other vehicles behind mine. Mercedes-Benz denied warranty coverage and refused to provide owner a written engineering explanation of the cause of the accident. Mercedes-Benz field technical rep and dealer service department reviewed the car's damages. Vehicle has since been repaired at owner's expense. Owner has photos of damaged roof prior to repair. Owner plans to sell vehicle on or about XXX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI 11750962