Ford Recalls 2014 Vehicles to Reinstall Panoramic Sunroofs

Ford is issuing a safety recall for approximately 900 2014 Ford Transit Connect vehicles to reinstall panoramic roofs, according to the automaker.

Ford says the cause of the recall is due to “ … an improper bond [which] may exist between the panoramic roof and the vehicle body, resulting in wind noise, water leaks and, in some cases, separation from the vehicle. If the entire panoramic roof separates from the vehicle while driving, it can increase the risk of crash or injury.”

Affected vehicles include certain 2014 Transit Connect vehicles built at Valencia Assembly Plant between Oct. 4, 2013 and July 14, 2014. There are approximately 2,592 vehicles affected, including 887 in the United States and 28 in Canada. The recall comes just days after a class-action lawsuit alleging defective sunroofs was filed against the company.

A complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California against Ford, Douglas Krebsbach, et al. v. Ford Motor Company, alleges that large glass panoramic sunroofs on some of the automaker’s vehicles have shattered spontaneously. The complaint alleges “at least 70 owners of vehicles with defective sunroofs … have reported to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) at that at least 80 panoramic sunroofs have shattered.”

Ford has been aware of the potential for its sunroofs to shatter for years, the plaintiffs allege in the complaint.

“NHTSA was informed of this problem in Ford vehicles as early as 2008,” attorneys say in the complaint. “At least five NHTSA complaints in 2008 were related to panoramic sunroofs shattering in the Ford Edge.”

The Ford Transit Connect, model years 2014-2106, is named in the lawsuit.

Ford has not yet responded to the filing in court.