Exploding sunroofs: Proposed class-action suit started against Hyundai Canada

Hyundai is the target of a proposed class-action lawsuit related to alleged issues with vehicle sunroofs, Global News has learned.

The lawsuit, which hasn’t yet been certified as a class-action lawsuit, was initiated in December of 2016 by Calgary-based law firm Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes (JSS Barristers).

According to the statement of claim filed by JSS Barristers, Hyundai started selling cars equipped with large panoramic sunroofs, which span almost the entire length of the vehicle roofs, around 2011.



But “panoramic sunroofs lack proper stability and integrity, leaving them susceptible to spontaneous shattering under everyday driving conditions,” according to allegations in the document.

Hyundai is the car brand with the highest number of reports of shattering sunroofs in Canada, Global News has previously reported based on data obtained from Transport Canada. The Hyundai Santa Fe topped the charts for being the vehicle model with the most complaints of the same kind, numbers as of Oct. 16, 2017, showed.

Hyundai is also the brand with the most such reports in the United States, according to Consumer Reports.

The proposed class-action suit focuses on the following vehicles if equipped with factory-installed or replacement panoramic sunroofs:

2013-2016 model year Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
2013-2016 model year Hyundai Santa Fe
2013-2016 model year Hyundai Elantra GT
2011-2016 model year Hyundai Sonata
2011-2016 model year Hyundai Tucson
2011-2016 model year Hyundai Veloster

Hyundai Canada said it would not comment on ongoing legal matters. The allegations made in the statement of claim have not been proven.