Owners say rear windshields suddenly exploded on their SUVs

Many owners of 2021-2025 Nissan Rogue SUVs say their rear windows suddenly shattered without warning.

Mark Leedom said his wife heard a loud bang before realizing the rear window had been blown out.

“It sounded like a loud bang, almost like a gunshot, I think it went off,” he said. “Glass exploded everywhere.”

The incident occurred on the morning of September 2, when his wife, in a panic, FaceTimed him to show him the shattered rear window of their 2023 Rogue.

“You can see the pieces are still falling. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” he said.

Ed English, owner of a 2023 Rogue in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, said he experienced the same problem while clearing snow from his vehicle last month.

“What do I think it is?” he said.

He said there was a gaping hole left where the rear window was.

“He was torn to pieces,” the British remembered

He said a repair company noticed the problem right away.

“They said, ‘Do you have a Nissan Rogue?’ he recalled.

Leedom and English are among dozens of Rogue owners across the country who have reported similar failures, often sharing photos and experiences in online forums.

Many write that they are faced with messy glass and expensive repair bills.

Consumer attorney Ben Johns of Shub Johnson Holbrook in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, said his firm filed a class-action lawsuit this month on behalf of two New York consumers.

“These vehicles are defective. That is, the rear window shatters and cracks on its own,” Johns said. “This is a critical component of the car.”

Photos sent by property owners show the extent of the damage, Johns said.

“They were driving and they made an explosion sound like a gunshot,” he said.

The lawsuit alleges that Nissan used “thin, tempered Soda-lime glass” in 2021-2025 Rogues that contains manufacturing defects and is “substandard, dangerous and inadequate.”

According to the complaint, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration received 118 complaints about shattered rear windows on 2023-2025 Rogue models.

Johns said Nissan does not take responsibility, leaving many owners to pay insurance deductibles or cover repairs themselves.

“Nissan was very aware of this and I think the volume of complaints shows that,” he said.

Leedom said his dealership ultimately covered the repair costs, but English said he paid $500 out of pocket. For him, the experience raised security concerns.

“It’s scary because we have two young children. And if this happens while our kids are in the car, it would be very, very bad,” she said.

A Nissan spokesman declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.