Aftermarket (Non-Factory) Installed Sunroof Safety Recall

FENTON, Mich., Jan. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Webasto Product North America, Inc. (WPNA) is conducting a voluntary safety recall on two of its non-factory (aftermarket) installed sunroof product lines. Because car dealers can retrofit a sunroof on a new or used vehicle prior to sale, vehicle owners may not know whether their sunroof was installed at the factory or if it was a non-factory installed (aftermarket) product. Therefore, Webasto is asking all consumers who have a vehicle with a sunroof to take some easy steps to determine if their vehicle's sunroof is included in the recall. Affected sunroofs will be repaired at no cost to the consumer.

What Consumers Should Do

There is an easy way to visually distinguish between the small percentage of sunroofs being affected by this recall. The most recognizable components of the sunroofs affected are the switches and presence of a Webasto logo on the sunshade handle.

• Hollandia 700 and 600 model: Consumers should look at the sunshade handle; if it says "Webasto" and the serial number is within the range of 6000000 to 6396298 it is covered under the safety recall.
• Hollandia TVS 900 models: These models have two tilt up glass panels with a black plastic bar crossing the glass side to side. If "Webasto" is embossed on the bar, it is also covered under this safety recall.

All details on how to identify the sunroofs including photos and a video are available on the dedicated website: www.sunroofcheck.com. Step by step instructions on how to arrange for repair with WPNA's authorized installers are also provided. It's important to know that car dealerships are not administering this recall.

"We recognize that asking all vehicle owners to check their sunroof may be an inconvenience, but we believe this preventive action is in the best interest of the public," said Mark Hickey, Vice President, Business Development, WPNA. "Though we are reaching out to vehicle owners in other ways, we want to take every step we can to identify all vehicles that could have an affected sunroof."

About the Recall

Webasto filed its Defect Information Report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that although rare, conditions existing with the adhesive bond between the glass and metal frame in certain Hollandia 700, 600 and TVS 900 series non-factory installed sunroofs can increase the risk that the sunroof glass panel may completely debond from its frame. Webasto reported to NHTSA that the company was unaware of any injuries on the day of filing.

The recall only involves non-factory installed sunroof glass panels and does not include the vast majority of Webasto sunroofs that are installed by auto manufacturers during vehicle assembly at the factory. This recall affects 283,996 sunroofs in the United States, which represents less than one percent of vehicles that have sunroofs. Working with NHTSA, Webasto is moving swiftly to contact affected vehicle owners and aftermarket installers.

Customers should check the dedicated website - www.sunroofcheck.com - or contact the Webasto Customer Service Center at 1.888.749.8632 to schedule a repair.

About Webasto Product North America:

Webasto Product North America, Inc. (WPNA) is a North American leader in the development, sales, and distribution of heating, cooling and ventilation systems in the automotive, commercial vehicle, marine, off-highway and military segments. Headquartered in Fenton, Mich., WPNA has about 100 employees and is part of Webasto Group, a family-run business ever since the company was founded in 1901. For more information, please visit: http://www.webasto.us.

SOURCE Webasto Group