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Archive articleThis article covers a real industry development from the indicated week. It was independently written and first published by Auto Glass Shop News on August 21, 2026.
Safety & RecallsArchive week: October 21, 2022 4 min read

Nissan Appeals Class Action Certification Over Panoramic Sunroofs That Allegedly Shatter Spontaneously

In late October 2022, the Ninth Circuit granted Nissan permission to appeal a July ruling that had certified driver claims from four states in a lawsuit alleging design defects in panoramic sunroof assemblies.

Illustrated portrait for Ethan
By
Ethan
ADAS & Technology Editor

The prolonged Nissan panoramic sunroof class action reached a new procedural stage in late October 2022 when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted Nissan's petition to appeal the July 2022 class certification ruling.

The original 2017 lawsuit alleged that panoramic sunroofs on a range of Nissan models—including the Maxima, Rogue, Pathfinder, Murano and Infiniti JX and QX60—had a design defect that made them prone to spontaneous shattering or fracturing under normal driving conditions. Plaintiffs and their cited technical experts argued that the sunroof's tempered glass design was inadequately robust for the structural stresses encountered in everyday driving.

California U.S. District Judge William Orrick had certified class claims from drivers in California, New York, Colorado and Florida in a July 2022 ruling. Illinois claims were rejected because that state's consumer protection statutes posed different certification hurdles. Nissan countered that its sunroofs complied with all applicable NHTSA regulatory standards and that only 0.15% of its panoramic sunroofs had experienced the problem.

The October 25 court records showed the Ninth Circuit granting Nissan's appeal petition, giving Nissan 14 days to file the formal documentation perfecting the appeal. The procedural step meant the class certification question would be relitigated at the circuit level—extending the litigation timeline significantly.

For auto glass shops, the Nissan sunroof case was a relevant point of reference for customer conversations about panoramic sunroof replacement. Drivers who had experienced spontaneous sunroof fracturing sometimes arrived at glass shops expecting repair or replacement under a different liability framework than a standard glass claim—referencing litigation, manufacturer responsibility, or warranty coverage that the shop was not in a position to evaluate. Having a clear intake process for unusual glass damage claims, including documentation of the damage pattern and customer-reported circumstances, was good practice for any shop. That record also kept the shop's installation role distinct from unresolved questions about product design, warranty responsibility and pending litigation.

Key Takeaways

  • •The Ninth Circuit granted Nissan's appeal of a class certification ruling in the panoramic sunroof lawsuit, extending litigation over alleged sunroof design defects in Maxima, Rogue and other models.
  • •Nissan argued its sunroofs meet all NHTSA regulatory standards and that the failure rate was 0.15%—figures the plaintiffs' technical experts contested.
  • •Shops receiving sunroof replacement claims citing spontaneous fracture should document the damage pattern and customer account carefully, as these jobs may later become part of recall or litigation documentation.