A Brampton couple is looking for answers after the sunroof of their new 2016 Volkswagen Jetta shattered and pieces of glass rained down on their newborn baby.

Soleyman Wahidie and Shayla Lovic were driving on Highway 427 north of Dixon when the heard what sounded like a "gunshot."

Lovic, a concerned new mom, said she "started panicking" when she looked at her daughter and saw shards all over the three-month-old.

"The sunroof had just shattered in millions of tiny little pieces," she told CBC Toronto.

No one was hurt but they couldn't figure out how it happened. Shayla Lovic says this sunroof 'shattered in millions of tiny little pieces,' with her newborn daughter inside the car. (Humberview Volkswagen )

Shocked, the couple went to the Humberview Volkswagen dealership on The Queensway, where they bought the car in August 2016 before they had their new baby.

"We wanted something that's safe, reliable. We got winter tires, extended warranty. We even got tints to prevent the sun going into her eyes," Lovic said. Receipts show the car cost more than $28,000.

"One thing is being a mother and being concerned about the safety and another thing is being a car owner who's invested so much to purchase this car," she said.

We wanted something that's safe, reliable. We got winter tires, extended warranty. We even got tints to prevent the sun going into her eyes. - Shayla Lovic, new mom and VW Jetta owner

Eventually the service adviser told her the repair would cost more than $2,000 and the break was caused by a rock.

"A rock does not and should not justify a sunroof exploding to that extent, or spontaneously shattering like that," she said.

The white pen indicates the area of rock damage, according to Humberview Volkswagen. (Humberview Volkswagen)

General manager Jim Leckie wrote to the couple that "it is not a manufacturing defect," and provided photos to show where he said the damage was consistent with the impact of a rock.

"[It's] clear that it is external influence by rocks, stones, something hard by nature that has caused a significant blow to explode the roof and damage the roof and trunk," Leckie wrote.

Although not common, we have had similar occurrences in the past. - Thomas Tetzlaff, Volkswagen Canada spokesperson

He added in his 34 years in the business he hadn't seen anything like what happened to this couple on Feb. 6.

Thomas Tetzlaff, a Volkswagen Canada spokesperson, said in a statement to CBC Toronto that "although not common, we have had similar occurrences in the past."

Tetzlaff suggested the sunroof might have sustained minor damage days earlier that went unnoticed, weakening it to the point where a rock hitting it could shatter it completely.

"Please note that impact damage on glass items (like this customer's sunroof) can sometimes be so small as to be almost unnoticeable for a period of several days until changing weather and/or road conditions (like hitting a bump) results in the failure of the glass," Tetzlaff wrote.

"The safety glass in our sunroofs is designed to shatter; rather than crack, so as to eliminate the potential for injury in the event of breakage."

The VW Jetta's broken sunroof. The dealership says it's due to rock impact. (Humberview Volkswagen)

He reiterated what the general manager had already told the new parents — the cost of repair was the responsibility of the car owner as it wasn't a manufacturer's defect.

Other auto manufacturers have had to deal with defects involving sunroof breakage in the past.

Last year, Kia recalled 2011-2013 Sorento SUVs in Canada to correct a sunroof defect.

Transport Canada said that was due to "external impacts" with possible breakage "most prevalent in provinces where gravel road treatments for ice/snow and severe temperature shifts are common."

And prior to that, in 2011, Volkswagen, Subaru and Mitsubishi all issued recalls for certain models.

As for her Jetta, Lovic said after "a little bit of push and shove" the dealership covered 75 per cent of the cost as a goodwill gesture. The couple's bill was $533.36.

Shayla Lovic in her 2016 VW Jetta with the sunroof repaired. (Grant Linton/CBC)

Lovic said it's not about the money and Volkswagen Canada is still missing the point.

First of all, she "expected a little bit more empathy to the situation." But even if it's not a defect, she said, it's a "deficiency that needs to be investigated."

Lovic still doesn't understand why the sunroof exploded, whereas a windshield would crack, and she wonders why the manufacturer doesn't do something about it.

"Why is this happening? This should not be happening," she said, "They should do more research to prevent this from happening."

Lovic added that she's also "scared" to drive the car that she and her husband specifically bought to feel safe on the road.