A pair of drivers filed a class action lawsuit against Nissan, alleging that its Rogue vehicle’s rear windshields can spontaneously explode while parked and in motion, causing shards of glass to fly through the cars. The complaint claimed that Nissan knew about the defect in 2021 to 2025 Rogue vehicles but failed to notify owners or initiate a recall.
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The lawsuit states that the rear windshields can fail before the end of the expected lifespan and within the vehicles’ three-year, 36,000-mile warranty. However, multiple drivers said Nissan refuses to cover repairs, claiming the damage results from ordinary wear and tear.
One of the two plaintiffs, Nicole Delucia-Roitman, reported that the rear windshield on her vehicle shattered while she was driving and crashed into the trunk. The other, Darren Chang, said he heard a loud sound after closing the front driver-side door and later discovered that the windshield had shattered and fell into the trunk. The vehicles had approximately 9,400 and 12,300 miles on them, respectively.
Hundreds of complaints submitted to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration also mentioned the windshields shattering unexpectedly. Reported issues included small holes with the middle caved in, glass stuck in the latch that prevents it from opening, replacement windshields breaking and the sound of the glass shattering resembling a gunshot.
The lawsuit alleged that Nissan used thin, tempered soda-lime glass, a lighter-weight glass that can reduce a vehicle’s overall weight and aid fuel efficiency, but can contain microscopic nickel sulfide inclusions. During the tempering process, these inclusions will remain in a high-temperature form before slowly returning to their low-temperature state, which can take years. Over time, the inclusions expand and disrupt the balance of the compressive stressed and tensile strength glass components, eventually causing it to shatter.
The complaint accused Nissan of failing to account for foreseeable stress in its manufacturing process. It noted that the total value of the claims exceeds $5 million and demands a trial by jury.
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