A 'shattering' experience

Photo: Sarah Manchester

A Kelowna college student thought something fell from the sky when her car's sunroof suddenly shattered, Wednesday.

Sarah Manchester was driving from her home in Vernon to Okanagan College in Kelowna, when she heard a loud crash, and shattered glass fell on her and her passenger.

She described the sound as like a gunshot.

The classmates pulled over, thinking something must have fallen on the car, a compact Mazda 3, but they were on Highway 97 and nowhere near any tall buildings or structures that something could have fallen from.

They pondered whether an eagle could have dropped something or a passing truck kicked up a large rock, but they saw nothing flying at the car, and when they searched the vehicle, they found no evidence of anything falling in through the sunroof.

No one was hurt in the incident, and she was able to pull over safely and compose herself before continuing to Kelowna.

Manchester called ICBC to start an insurance claim, still unsure of what caused the shattering experience.

But, Transport Canada data shows shattering sunroofs are not that uncommon.

More than 110 incidents were reported in 2016 alone, on numerous makes and models of vehicles, domestic and import, including Mazda 3s.

While most cases have been determined to be caused by rock impacts, Transport Canada noted in a 2016 report that “a small number of sunroofs may have been manufactured incorrectly."

Defect investigations were launched into Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe that resulted in manufacturer recalls.