LOS ANGELES -- Federal safety regulators are investigating consumer complaints that panoramic sunroofs equipped on some 2012 Hyundai Velostermodels have spontaneously shattered or exploded.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation opened the preliminary probe on Oct. 2 after receiving 11 complaints from consumers.
In seven of the complaints, sunroofs shattered while the owner was behind the wheel, typically at highway speeds, NHTSA said. Some consumers who complained reported sustaining minor scratches from falling shards of glass.
Jim Trainor, a spokesman for Hyundai Motor America, said the company is cooperating with NHTSA and the cause of the problem is unclear.
"The evaluation is in its early stages and there is no need [for Veloster owners] to have the sunroofs inspected," Trainor said, noting that NHTSA has received only 11 complaints out of the nearly 38,000 Velosters sold since the vehicle debuted last year.
"We have to wait a little bit to see what the evaluation turns up. If we need to act on it, we will," Trainor said.
The NHTSA inquiry only covers 2012 model year Velosters. Documents posted on NHTSA's Web site said an estimated 18,361 Velosters are potentially affected by the issue.
Hyundai sold 9,284 Velosters in 2011, when the vehicle was launched, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Through the first nine months this year, Hyundai has sold 28,338 Velosters.
Trainor said about two thirds of the Velosters sold to date were equipped with panoramic sunroofs.
