When hail hammered her Tesla, one owner didn’t realize the worst of it until she got in. What looked like a few dings from the curb turned out to be a death sentence for her EV, and a $20,000 problem she can’t drive anymore.
A Nebraska creator (@mo_surviving_my_40s) learned the hard way that the lauded Tesla brand may not be built for the plains states. In a video that’s been viewed more than 487,000 times, she shows that the glass roof of the car has been shattered beyond any practical repair. The rest of the car body suffered damage from the hail downpour as well, but we learn that the roof was the deciding factor in her insurance company’s decision to declare it totaled.
The panoramic glass roof—one of Tesla’s signature design features—is shattered across its entire surface. “It doesn’t look that bad from the outside,” she says, “but it’s totaled.”
"At some point, the force will be great enough to shatter it..."
Tesla Total Loss: She’s Not Alone
This wasn’t the first time a Tesla’s glass roof had met its match in a hailstorm. In August 2022, a driver in Alberta, Canada, found their Model 3 catastrophically damaged after a sudden hailstorm bombarded the car with ice the size of grapefruits. Though the body panels escaped with minor dents, the panoramic glass roof and windshield shattered completely, flooding the cabin and forcing the insurer to declare it a total loss.
More recently, in Bavaria, Germany, video footage captured during a summer storm showed massive hailstones pounding a Tesla Model Y. The rear glass shattered on camera, leaving the back half of the vehicle exposed to the elements.
Tesla owners have taken to forums and Reddit to compare notes. “From experience, the glass roof can absolutely crack in a hailstorm,” one wrote. Another added, “It’s better than a metal roof for all but extreme hail... at some point, the force will be great enough to shatter it.” While Tesla’s glass design earns praise for aesthetics and safety in rollover tests, real-world weather has a way of rewriting the rules and the repair bills.
More About Tesla’s Roofs
Tesla’s laminated glass roofs are engineered for strength and rigidity, offering structural support in rollovers and enhanced cabin quietness, but they simply weren’t designed to withstand hail larger than golf balls. Unlike metal, which dents under pressure, glass resists deformation until it shatters explosively. Even if the vehicle’s steel frame remains intact, a shattered roof panel often fails inspection standards or becomes unsafe, pushing insurance companies to total the car. In many cases, replacing that one piece of glass triggers a total-loss evaluation because repair costs exceed vehicle value.
Insurance policies typically consider a vehicle totaled when repair expenses hit around 60% of the current market value. Tesla’s glass roof replacement, including parts, labor, seals, and recalibration, routinely exceeds that threshold.
What if I Want to Attempt a Repair?
Repair options vary by state and situation. Paintless dent repair might help with small body dings, but not shattered glass. Tesla’s OEM replacements are reliable but often expensive and slow to source. Aftermarket replacements can be more affordable, yet risk voiding warranties or failing future inspections. Some owners choose salvage retention, buying back their totaled Teslas to attempt DIY fixes or part out the vehicle. But this often comes with limitations: in Texas, for example, cars with salvage titles may lose access to Supercharging, software updates, and certain insurance options.
Motor1 reached out to the creator via direct message and to Tesla via email. We'll be sure to update this article if we hear back.
@mo_surviving_my_40s Replying to @Mo_Surviving_My_40s How to know when your Tesla is a total loss… 15 min of being knocked around by Mother Nature in Nebraska and she’s a goner! #t#totaledteslad#destroyedteslan#neverlikedyoub#boughtthisbeforehebecamefirstladyo#owemorethanitsworthn#nebraskahailstormh#haildamagem#mothernatured#dangerousweather ♬ original sound - Mo_Surviving_My_40s
