2017 Toyota Highlander

There is a splotchy glare that appears on my windshield that makes it EXTREMELY difficult to see out the windshield in the rain. It is not fog, I have cleaned the inside and outside of the windshield, changed the wiper blades, tried the heated windshield feature, defrost, and seriously done everything and it does not go away unless direct sunlight is on it. Forget driving in the rain at night, I was unable to see the lines in the road and it's worse when headlights are facing your direction. I ran off the road and had to park my car until the rain passed. This is absolutely dangerous. The guys at the dealership were stumped as well. It happened to be raining as I was leaving after service and I showed him and he had no idea. It is across my entire windshield. Sometimes it depends on how light is shining on it. This needs to be a recall before someone is seriously hurt.

While driving in the rain, the visibility through my windshield is reduced significantly which has caused me to have to pull over due to not being able to see other cars or lines on the roadway and gets worse if lights are shining toward me while it's raining. It almost looks like a waxy coating over the entire windshield. I took it to the dealer and they didn't know what it could be. Windshield is clean, wipers have been changed, and nothing has been applied to the car. Even passengers in the 2nd row pointed out how difficult it was to see out. This happens in all types of rain heavy or light and is not visible in dry conditions. I thought I was the only one with this problem until I was reading through the other 149 reports for a different issue and realized others are having the same issue. I hope that with multiple reports we can get the issue resolved. I am afraid to drive in the rain and do not wish to risk my safety. This isn't normal.

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND HEAR A LOUD EXPLODING SOUND FROM MY VEHICLE. I THOUGHT SOMETHING EXTREMELY HEAVY WAS THROWN OR FELL ON MY CAR. WHEN I ARRIVED HOME, I FOUND A GAPING HOLE ON MY SUNROOF. THE GLASS WAS SHATTERED BUT THE OBJECT THAT "HIT" IT WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. AFTER CLOSELY EXAMINING IT, IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE THAT AN OBJECT HIT IT BASED OFF THE ANGLE THE SUNROOF METAL. THE METAL LOOKS LIKE THE EXPLOSION CAME FROM INWARD NOT OUTWARD.

BOUGHT THIS 2017 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER NEW FROM DEALER IN DENVER. 400 MILES ON VEHICLE. THE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED SEVERELY IN THE FIRST 1000 MILES FROM MINOR STONES HITTING THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD, REQUIRING REPLACEMENT- OEM WITH CAMERA, HEAT, RADAR SENSORS FOR $1800. NOW, THAT SECOND WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED AGAIN, REQUIRING A 3RD WINDSHIELD INSTALLED AT 27,000 MILES. TOYOTA SLANTED THE ANGLE OF THE FRONT HOOD ON THIS VEHICLE TO REDUCE DRAG AND IMPROVE GAS MILEAGE. AS A RESULT, MINOR STONES ON THE ROAD ARE THROWN VIOLENTLY INTO THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD LEADING TO CRACKS WHICH START FROM THE BASE OF THE GLASS AND QUICKLY CRAWL UP AND ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD REQUIRING REPLACEMENTS. THIS IS NOT SAFE. I HAVE HAD 3 BRAND NEW HIGHLANDERS IN DENVER OVER 12 YEARS- A 2009 HIGHLANDER HYBRID LIMITED, A 2015 HIGHLANDER LIMITED AND THIS 2017 HIGHLANDER LIMITED- AND THIS IS THE FIRST VEHICLE WHERE THE WINDSHIELD BARELY LASTS A FEW THOUSAND MILES BEFORE CRACKING AND REQUIRING A NEW WINDSHIELD. THESE WINDSHIELDS ARE HEATED, WITH CAMERA AND RADAR SENSORS AND OEM ONLY SO REPLACING THESE IS NOT CHEAP- $1800 PER WINDSHIELD FROM TOYOTA. THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT IN THE VEHICLE AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. PROTECTION FOR THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD NEEDS TO BE ADDED. THE CRACKS ALWAYS HAPPEN IN THE SAME SPOT.

WHEN DRIVING IN THE RAIN WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS OPERATING, A PATTERN, FOR A LACK OF A BETTER TERM, APPEARS AS PER THE INCLUDED PHOTO TAKEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN AT THAT TIME. THIS PATTERN OR MARKINGS WHEN VISIBLE RUN VERTICALLY IN THE FORM OF WAVY LINES FROM ONE END OF THE WINDSHIELD TO THE OTHER. THIS CONDITION IS NOT THE RESULT OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, A DIRTY WINDSHIELD, INSIDE OR OUT, OR ANY SUBSTANCE OF ANY KIND INTENTIONALLY APPLIED OR NOT AND IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND APPEARS EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN IN THE RAIN. WHEN FIRST NOTICED, THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL HOURS IN HEAVY AND LIGHT RAIN AND A PERIOD OF TIME IN DAYLIGHT AND EVENING HOURS WITH THE WIPERS BEING OPERATED AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. THESE MARKINGS ARE A SUBSTANTIAL DISTRACTION ESPECIALLY IN THE EVENING WHERE ONCOMING HEADLIGHTS EXACERBATE THE CONDITION. THESE MARKINGS WHEN VISIBLE NEVER CHANGE OR STREAK AS THE WIPERS MOVE BACK AND FORTH AS IN THE CASE WHEN, FOR EXAMPLE, AN INSECT STRIKES THE WINDSHIELD. TO THIS END, AND JUST BY CHANCE ON THE DAY THE PHOTO WAS TAKEN, A STREAK IS VISIBLE AGAIN PROBABLY DUE TO AN INSECT HITTING THE WINDSHIELD OR SOME OTHER TYPE OF DEBRIS, HOWEVER, THE MARKINGS IN QUESTION CLEARLY STAND OUT FROM THE STREAK. IT IS NOTED IN THE CASE OF THE STREAK, AS WOULD BE EXPECTED, IT FOLLOWS THE MOVEMENT OF THE WIPER. THE MARKINGS WHEN APPLICABLE ARE VISIBLE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MOVING OR STATIONARY AND CAN BE CLEARLY SEEN BY THE DRIVER AND FRONT SEAT PASSENGER REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF ROADWAY. AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, THESE MARKINGS ARE NOT VISIBLE IN THE ABSENCE OF RAIN OR WATER BEING APPLIED MANUALLY FROM A GARDEN HOSE.

THIS VEHICLE HAS A DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD WASHER PUMP THAT TOYOTA REFUSES TO REPLACE. I WAS IN CHICAGO ON 12/26-31/2017 AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW 20 DEGREES. THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FROZE AND I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO GROSSINGER TOYOTA, LINCOLNWOOD, IL ON 12/27 AND 12/29. THEY DID NOTHING ON 12/27 OTHER THAN PARK THE VEHICLE INSIDE WHERE THE PUMP THAWED AND WORKED. THE NEXT TWO DAYS IT FROZE AGAIN. ON 12/29 I DROVE TO WI AND PLACED MY FAMILY IN AN UNSAFE SITUATION WITH SALT ON THE WINDSHIELD AND NO WORKING WASHER. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO GROSSINGER AND THEY CHANGED FLUID TO A COLDER TEMPERATURE AND USED AIR TO BLOW OUT THE LINES. THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS AGAIN BELOW 10 DEGREES WHEN I LEFT CHICAGO. THE WASHER AGAIN DID NOT WORK AND IT PLACED MY FAMILY IN AN UNSAFE SITUATION WITH SALT AND DIRT ON THE WINDSHIELD. IN HANNIBAL, MO I SAT IN A FAST FOOD DRIVE THRU FOR 15 MINUTES AND THE WASHER STARTED WORKING. SOON AS I WAS BACK ON THE ROAD IT AGAIN FROZE UP. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TEXAS TOYOTA, GRAPEVINE, TX ON 1/4/2018 AND THEY REFUSED TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE UNLESS THE PROBLEM COULD BE DUPLICATED. I REFUSED TO DRIVE BACK TO CHICAGO TO DUPLICATE THE FROZEN WINDSHIELD WASHER PUMP. IT IS OBVIOUS THE CULTURE OF NOT CARING ABOUT SAFETY HAZARDS ON THEIR VEHICLES CONTINUES AT TOYOTA. I BELIEVE THE DIAPHRAGM INSIDE THE WINDSHIELD WASHER PUMP IS DEFECTIVE AND FREEZES WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 20 DEGREES. TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE A DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD WASHER PUMP.

THE BULKY SIDE MIRROR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE CREATES A SAFETY HAZARD WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN BECAUSE OF A LARGE BLIND SPOT. I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THAT VERY REASON. I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. I CHECKED FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC SEVERAL TIMES AND TURNED WHEN I SAW TRAFFIC WAS CLEAR. I WAS HIT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE BECAUSE MY VISIBILITY WAS BLOCKED BY THE MIRROR AND THE ONCOMING VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN.

VEHICLE SUSTAINED A CRACK FROM TWO SMALL STONES HITTING THE WINDSHIELD WHILE TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. CRACK SPREAD SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT SITE. WEATHER DID NOT HAVE A FACTOR IN THIS AS IT WAS SUMMER. CRACK CONTINUED TO SPREAD EVEN AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A GARAGE. CRACK SPREAD WITH VERY LITTLE PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE WINDSHIELD. BELIEVE THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO SUSTAIN A LIGHT IMPACT.