Hyundai’s Exploding Sunroof Lawsuit Final Hearing to Be Had

A U.S. District Court of California judge has set the date for the settlement hearing for an ongoing legal battle between Billy Glenn and Hyundai. The hearing is scheduled for August 12, 2019.

The lawsuit began four years ago when Glenn filed a complaint against the auto manufacturer claiming it knowingly sold vehicles that were prone to having its sunroofs explode. According to court documents, Glenn purchased a new 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport in September 2014 with a panoramic sunroof. In February 2015, the vehicle had about 10,000 miles and Glenn was driving with his wife and daughter when his sunroof spontaneously shattered. When neither the dealership where he purchased his vehicle, nor Hyundai would cover the costs of repair Glenn filed a claim with his insurance company.

Shortly after getting his sunroof glass replaced the sunroof shattered again. Glenn filed a second claim and had to pay for the deductible, according to the court documents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received multiple complaints by Hyundai owners for spontaneous sunroof explosions and issued a recall.

Hyundai responded to Glenn’s complaint by denying defect allegations in 2016.

“Defendants [Hyundai] deny any and all allegations which assert or imply that there is any defect with the sunroofs on Hyundai vehicles, or that the sunroofs are dangerous. Defendants lack knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief about the truth of the remaining allegations set forth in Paragraph 2 and, on that basis, deny the allegations,” a portion of court documents reads.

The case became a statewide class-action lawsuit, although most of the lawsuit was dismissed in late July 2016, the presiding judge allowed the plaintiffs to move forward with claims of fraud.

According to court documents, the plaintiffs proposed three class definitions: “one for their express warranty claims, which includes those owners and lessees who have incurred repair expenses; one for their UCL, Song-Beverly, and unjust enrichment claims, which includes only purchasers and lessees of new vehicles; and one for their remaining consumer protection claims, which covers both new and used purchasers and lessees.”

Currently the settlement hearing for Hyundai’s exploding sunroof lawsuit is scheduled for August 12, 2019. Check glassBYTEs.com for continuing coverage of this suit.