Moonroof won’t close... so over this

Can’t catch a break with this car. My moonroof won’t close, and I’m beyond frustrated. No way I’m spending $1k+ to fix it, and selling the car is starting to sound real tempting right now. Smh.

And people looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted an XSE with no sun/moonroof. :joy:

Nye said:
And people looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted an XSE with no sun/moonroof. :joy:

Same! My salesperson acted shocked when I said no to the moonroof upsell. Dodged a bullet there.

Nye said:
And people looked at me like I was crazy when I said I wanted an XSE with no sun/moonroof. :joy:

Yeah, this is making me seriously consider doing a sun/moonroof delete. Not worth the hassle.

@Feng
Yeah, it’s a common issue. And the worst part? If you want the premium features in the 2025 models, you’re stuck with a panoramic sunroof. Toyota won’t even let you unselect it.

Also, check if your drains are clogged. If they get blocked, water starts leaking into the cabin when it rains. Happened to a friend of mine.

@Lex
My dad actually managed to get it to close, but I think I’m done with it. Going to look into deleting it altogether. It’s nice when it works, but definitely not worth the stress when it doesn’t.

This is why I refuse to buy a car with a sunroof. Had one once, barely used it, and now I won’t bother again.

DEONTE said:
This is why I refuse to buy a car with a sunroof. Had one once, barely used it, and now I won’t bother again.

Hard to avoid in newer upper-trim Toyotas! My XSE came with one, but at least it’s covered under warranty for 36 months. Hoping I don’t have to use it. :crossed_fingers:

@Drake
My ‘19 XLE doesn’t have a moonroof, and I don’t miss it at all.

RIP to all XSE and XLE owners. Moonroofs stay failing. :man_facepalming:

Misha said:
RIP to all XSE and XLE owners. Moonroofs stay failing. :man_facepalming:

This is why I stick to the base models. No moonroof, no fancy wheels to get wrecked by potholes, no waking up to my car on blocks. Just stress-free driving.

If you can hear the motor running, it’s probably not a fuse or electrical issue. More likely a jammed track, broken cable, or stripped gear. Try some WD-40 or a silicone lubricant on the tracks before doing anything drastic.

@Fallon
Appreciate the tip! My dad actually got it closed after a master reset, but I’ll be cleaning and lubing the tracks just in case. Not opening it again anytime soon, that’s for sure. :joy:

This is exactly why I avoided a moonroof. They’re great until they aren’t.

Check your owner’s manual—it should have instructions on manually closing the moonroof. Also, here’s the Toyota manual if you need a digital version: Toyota Owners Manual

@EmilyWilson
Mine’s a 2018, and unfortunately, it can’t be closed manually. My dad ended up figuring out a reset that got it to shut. Definitely keeping it closed from now on.

Glad I got my XLE without the moonroof. Had to give up a few features, but totally worth it.

Wil said:
Glad I got my XLE without the moonroof. Had to give up a few features, but totally worth it.

Yeah, if I ever get another car, I might just skip the moonroof altogether. Looks nice, but not worth the headache.

Had this same issue on my 2020 XSE. Ended up needing a full roof replacement, and Toyota had it on backorder for three months. They never figured out what caused it, but they guessed a pebble got into the track and bent the mechanism. Thankfully, I had an extended warranty—otherwise, it would’ve cost $15,000 out of pocket.

Needless to say, I barely use my moonroof anymore. :sweat_smile:

@Sparrow
Damn, $15k?? Yeah, I’m never opening mine again. That’s more than my car is worth. Glad you had the warranty to cover it.