Exploding window hatch

[JB Melbourne]

Came back to our parked Kluger yesterday to find back glass shattered and the gas struts that lift the boot in the open position. 
Glass all over road, rubber seal hanging over tow bar. 
It’s like the gas struts ‘triggered’ and tried to  open the back window but effectively blew out the window.  

Anyone ever heard of this?

Car got towed to dealer..awaiting their views. Out of warranty of course. 

[Tony Prodigy]

Wow, now that's the first I hear about this issue. I didn't even google this as yet, but I am genuinely surprised. I'm guessing you have powered struts for auto opening ? 

I can't see what would trigger them to want to open as they would work in conjunction with the lock release catch and one would need to command it via remote fob or cabin switch right ?

Please keep us posted. I'm keen to see what the geniuses at Toyota think. 

[JB Melbourne]

We don’t have powered opening so I’m guessing something happened with the gas in the struts that forced it up.  

Would love to show photos but don’t know how to use link system in forum. 

we’ll see what Toyota say. 
 

[Tony Prodigy]

7 hours ago, JB Melbourne said:

Would love to show photos but don’t know how to use link system in forum. 

There's a simpler way to upload photos Jeff. In your reply post, just drag and drop your pictures, one by one, to the bottom edge of the red border. It will pick them all up for you. You'll see a rectangular box form and this will tell you that you've hit the mark.

[JB Melbourne]

Hi, check out the photos. The spoiler has been flipped up by the force too.  

Toyota blaming the weather. 
 

 

[Tony Prodigy]

3 hours ago, JB Melbourne said:

Toyota blaming the weather.

Man, now that is priceless... The weather. Sheesh. So I'm guessing Toyota offered zero help. 

I'm not sure if this is a common occurence on those earlier Klugers but I have to think perhaps it could be a design flaw and over time it can exacerbate the issue.

Is it possible somebody tried to open the glass section by force ? I really can't see any other way. When it's latched, the struts could never have that much stored energy to be able to overpower the glass surely.

This is really a bizarre situation. Thanks for uploading the photos too.

I hope you get a positive outcome.

 

[11/16Aurion 12Kluger]

A few months late but in case anyone else has the same problem..
Safety glass does explode on it's own.  We had a safety glass shower screen do it once, it went off like a bomb and no one was near the bathroom.  The guy that replaced the glass said it happens all the time.  He always replaces them with laminated glass.
I see that the newer Klugers don't have that opening glass.
I can't see how Toyota could blame the weather as this model was made in Japan and also shipped to the USA where winters are far worse than here.
You are not alone with this...
https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/shattered-rear-window.1346921/
https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/rear-window-shatter-on-its-own.47967/
https://www.thehulltruth.com/dockside-chat/647510-rear-glass-my-car-spontaneously-exploded-any-ideas-2.html

 

 

[Tony Prodigy]

I have to say, in addition to all this, is that it was a stupid idea to use glass as an opening hatch in the first place. I don't think enough R&D went into this pre production. The amount of stress placed on the glass is substantial from when you open it to when it closes. It can also be subject to being slammed mnay times and thinking about the stresses on the hinged sections too. Boy oh Boy !

[Hiro]

On 6/19/2021 at 6:05 PM, JB Melbourne said:

Came back to our parked Kluger yesterday to find back glass shattered and the gas struts that lift the boot in the open position. 
Glass all over road, rubber seal hanging over tow bar. 
It’s like the gas struts ‘triggered’ and tried to  open the back window but effectively blew out the window.  

Anyone ever heard of this?

Car got towed to dealer..awaiting their views. Out of warranty of course. 

Bit late to the party, but gas struts don't "trigger", they are always loaded when compressed and it is the release of the latching mechanism (on the hatch itself) which will cause it to open.  Obviously in this case the failure of the glass has disconnected the latch from the struts, which then extend out easily as they have no resistance - they are sized to the weight of the complete hatch (you'll often see this on cars which have different struts depending on whether the hatch/boot has a spoiler or windscreen wiper etc so extra weight) so the lightweight spoiler on its own is relatively nothing.

 

Now, the glass could have failed _because_ the struts were putting too much stress on it, but the glass would have to have been weakened by some other factor (either a defect, weather, or some kind of damage/impact/stress) in order to fail otherwise these would have been popping left right and centre from the day of manufacture (gas struts often lose their "strength" over the years too which would impart even less force as the car gets older, which leads to them getting replaced).

[Tony Prodigy]

4 minutes ago, Hiro said:

Bit late to the party, but gas struts don't "trigger", they are always loaded when compressed and it is the release of the latching mechanism (on the hatch itself) which will cause it to open.  Obviously in this case the failure of the glass has disconnected the latch from the struts, which then extend out easily as they have no resistance - they are sized to the weight of the complete hatch (you'll often see this on cars which have different struts depending on whether the hatch/boot has a spoiler or windscreen wiper etc so extra weight) so the lightweight spoiler on its own is relatively nothing.

 

Now, the glass could have failed _because_ the struts were putting too much stress on it, but the glass would have to have been weakened by some other factor (either a defect, weather, or some kind of damage/impact/stress) in order to fail otherwise these would have been popping left right and centre from the day of manufacture (gas struts often lose their "strength" over the years too which would impart even less force as the car gets older, which leads to them getting replaced).

I concur. Given the stresses involved in holding the glass shut and the curvature of the glass I'd say that it has an inherint design flaw. Anything short of a scientific analysis we will probably never know for sure what the root cause could be. It could be come down to the quality/recepe of the glass itself perhaps.

[Hiro]

One of the problems with glass is that it is very brittle - if it is constantly under stress then one small crack or weak point can make the whole thing fail, often instantly and catastrophically (especially safety glass).  Just look at the videos of people throwing ball-bearings at windows

 

Frameless rear hatches (ie with the latch, hinges and struts bonded to the glass) have been around in various cars for decades though, so I doubt there is some fundamental design flaw with Toyota's implementation in this case.  More likely either a defect or unseen damage.

[Tony Prodigy]

We use those Aeroklass rear canopies on our dual cabs for our work fleet and have the same hinged glass door on the back. There's been a couple of them break too. Same set up as the Kluger. It's a nice aesthetic, but not as reliable as a metal framed door. I open and close mine very carefully.

[11/16Aurion 12Kluger]

I believe on the current model Klugers they no longer have a opening glass panel..  It may be for this reason here... or just cost cutting?

[Tony Prodigy]

3 hours ago, 11/16Aurion 12Kluger said:

I believe on the current model Klugers they no longer have a opening glass panel..  It may be for this reason here... or just cost cutting?

I dare say they may have learned the error of their way. One less complaint to have to deal with too. You can imagine the endless frustration the dealer has to endure because of the mistakes of the parent company.