2016 Toyota Prius

2 MONTHS AFTER GETTING THE PRIUS, I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 50 MPH ON A ELEVATED, SINGLE-LANE HIGHWAY OVERPASS WITH NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME WHEN I HEARD A CRACK AND NOTICED A CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. I HAD IT REPAIRED THAT DAY, BUT IT STILL SHOWS UP. IT HAS NOT CHANGED SINCE THEN. 8 MONTHS LATER, I WAS DRIVING AT AROUND 50 MPH ON A HIGHWAY AND SAW A MAN IN A PICKUP TRUCK THROW HIS ARM OUT OF HIS OPEN WINDOW, LIKE HE WAS TOSSING SOMETHING. ALMOST INSTANTLY I HEARD A CRACK AND THERE WAS ALREADY A CRACK A FEW INCHES HIGH, FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD, ON THE LOWER-LEFT OF THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. I TOOK A PICTURE OF THE TRUCK WITH THE LICENSE PLATE, JUST IN CASE IT MIGHT HELP. WHEN I HAD GOTTEN TO MY DESTINATION, I CHECKED THE CRACK AND WHERE IT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD STARTED, FROM A SMALL CHIP NEAR THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD. BY NOW, THE CRACK HAD EXTENDED SEVERAL MORE INCHES. I THEN CALLED MY INSURANCE TO MAKE A CLAIM. THAT WAS 3 WEEKS AGO AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET A REPLACEMENT AS I WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS A NATIONAL BACK ORDER ON PRIUS 2016 WINDSHIELDS. THE FIRST INCLUDED PHOTO WAS TAKEN RIGHT AFTER THE CRACK APPEARED. THE SECOND PHOTO, ALTHOUGH A LITTLE OUT OF FOCUS, HAS A SMALL WHITE CIRCLE, WHICH IS WHERE IT LOOKED LIKE THE UNKNOWN OBJECT STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD.

OUR 2016 PRIUS 2 SEDAN WINDSHIELD WAS STRUCK BY A SMALL ROCK CAST LATERALLY ACROSS THE FREEWAY FROM SEVERAL LANES TO MY RIGHT, AS ONE WOULD SKIP A STONE ACROSS WATER, TRAVELING ABOUT 55MPH. UNFORESEEABLE, UNAVOIDABLE ACT OF CHANCE, KICKED UP BY ANOTHER CAR'S TIRE. INITIAL DAMAGE (SEE PHOTO SERIES) WAS TWO UNSIGHTLY BUT REPAIRABLE CRATERS IN THE OUTER LAYER OF GLASS. WITHIN MINUTES / BEFORE AN EPOXY REPAIR WAS POSSIBLE, TWO CRACKS GREW AT AN ALARMING RATE. A SMALLER CRACK WENT VERTICALLY, AND A FAST AND LARGE CRACK RAN HORIZONTALLY. WITHIN A DAY IT SPANNED THE ENTIRE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE CRACK REFLECTS AND REFRACTS LIGHT INTO THE DRIVER'S EYES, AND IS THICK ENOUGH TO OBSTRUCT VISION EVEN IN DIM LIGHT. OUR PRIMARY TRAVEL IS EAST IN THE MORNING AND WEST AT NIGHT, SO THE OBSTRUCTION OF VISION IS AN ACTIVE DANGER AS WE ARE TYPICALLY ORIENTED ON THE SUN. I WAS ADVISED BY THREE DIFFERENT GLASS SERVICES THAT NOT ONLY IS THERE NO AFTERMARKET WINDSHIELD AVAILABLE, BUT THAT THERE WAS AN UNKNOWN WAIT TIME TO RECEIVE ONE FROM THE ONLY AVAILABLE SOURCE, TOYOTA. THERE IS NO INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY AND I WAS QUOTED REPLACEMENT COSTS OF $800-$900, NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE. I HAVE REVIEWED THE FORUMS, NHTSA SITE, AND A PROMINENT COMPLAINT SITE, AND EXCESSIVE CRACKING APPEARS TO BE A FREQUENT FLAW, BOTH FROM DEBRIS IMPACTS AND WHEN OWNERS REPORT "SPONTANEOUS" CRACKING. OUR GLASS SHOPS STATED THEY SAW THIS PROBLEM MORE FREQUENTLY ON TOYOTAS THAN ON ANY OTHER CAR. GIVEN THE COST AND FREQUENCY THIS PROBLEM IS REPORTED, I AM HESITANT TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD UNTIL I GET A REASONABLE RESPONSE FROM THE DEALER, AS IT OTHERWISE SEEMS LIKELY TO RECUR. THIS IS NOT A ONE-OFF PROBLEM. DEALER WON'T RETURN CALLS. GLASS SERVICE STILL HAS NO ETA ON REPLACEMENTS. WE WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS PROBLEM IS SO COMMON. THANK YOU.

THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHIN 3 DAYS OF PURCHASING THE CAR AS BRAND NEW. I DIDN'T HEAR A ROCK HITTING IT AND I CAN'T SEE AN IMPACT PATTERN. I WOKE UP ONE MORNING AND THE CRACK WAS OVER A FOOT AND IT SPREAD FROM THERE INTO MULTIPLE CRACKS. THERE WAS NO CHANCE TO GET THE WINDSHIELD REPAIRED AT ALL AND IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BUT I DON'T HAVE THE 1300 DOLLARS THAT THE DEALER IS SAYING IT TAKES TO GET IT REPLACED AND THEY CLAIM IT WAS A ROCK AND NOT A DEFECT WHICH I'M DISPUTING.

THE CAR'S WINDSHIELD SEEMS TO BE SOFTER THAN PREVIOUS MODELS. I HAD THE WINDSHIELD COMPLETELY REPLACED A FEW MONTHS AGO, AFTER A FAILED REPAIR OF A LARGE CHIP. A CHIP REPAIR WAS DONE ON THE NEW WINDSHIELD ON APRIL 7TH. IN THE CAR WASH LAST FRIDAY, I NOTICED SEVERAL SMALL CHIPS IN THE WINDSHIELD. MY HUSBAND DRIVES A 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER. HIS WINDSHIELD WAS ALSO REPLACED EARLY THIS YEAR. HE NOW HAS A SIZEABLE CHIP IN THE NEW WINDSHIELD. IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH 2016 TOYOTA WINDSHIELDS, NOT JUST IN THE PRIUS, BUT IN OTHER MODELS AS WELL.

ON MY WAY TO WORK, WHILE SWITCHING LANES FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, MY VEHICLE WINDSHIELD WAS HIT WITH A SMALL ONCOMING PEBBLE ROCK THAT FELL FROM A SEMI-TRUCK THAT WAS APPROXIMATELY 125 FEET IN FRONT OF ME. I COULD NOT AVOID IT SINCE IT WAS A "LAST SECOND" SITUATION. MY CURRENT SPEED WAS 50 MPH IN A 70 MPH ZONE BECAUSE TRAFFIC IN THE LEFT LANE WAS MOVING SLOWER THAT IT SHOULD HENCE WHY I MOVED FROM THE LEFT TO THE RIGHT LANE. WHAT I AM TRYING TO REPORT IS THAT I BELIEVE AS WELL AS MANY OTHER 2016/2017 TOYOTA PRIUS OWNERS WHO HAVE CRACKED WINDSHIELDS, IS THAT TOYOTA IS USING WINDSHIELD GLASS THAT IS NOT UP TO CURRENT SAFETY STANDARDS. JUDGING BY THE CRACK IN MY WINDSHIELD, WHICH IS NOW WELL OVER A FOOT LONG, YOU CAN TELL HOW MUCH THINNER THE GLASS IS COMPARED TO OTHER CURRENT MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLES. I AM NOT SURE IF THIS IS DUE TO GAINING WEIGHT SAVINGS WHICH IN TURN WOULD GIVE A FEW EXTRA MPG OR NOT FOR A HYBRID VEHICLE, BUT I BELIEVE THIS NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO BECAUSE WINDSHIELDS FOR A VEHICLE LIKE THIS ARE EXTREMELY COSTLY. UPWARDS OF $690 FROM DIFFERENT VENDORS OR $1500 FROM A TOYOTA DEALER. I HAVE OWNED 5 CARS IN THE PAST, THE TOYOTA PRIUS IS NUMBER 6, AND ALL OF THE PAST 5 VEHICLES HAVE BEEN HIT EVEN HARDER WITH BIGGER ROCKS THAN THE PRIUS WAS ON THE WINDSHIELD WITH NO CRACKS OR CHIPS. I DO HOPE THIS IS LOOKED INTO BEFORE I START PAYING HIGH AMOUNTS OF MONEY FOR NEW WINDSHIELDS.

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, REAR VIEW INTERIOR MIRROR DOES NOT DIM AS TRAFFIC APPROACHES FROM REAR. WHEN TAKEN TO DEALER, TECHNICIAN SHINED LIGHT FROM IPHONE ONTO MIRROR AND IT DIMMED PROPERLY. HOWEVER, UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS IT DOES NOT! ON A RECENT 2 HOUR NIGHTTIME DRIVE, AS CAR LIGHTS APPROACHED FROM BEHIND, I ALTERNATELY TURNED THE DIMMING FEATURE ON AND THEN OFF AND NOTICED ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE. I EVEN TRIED IT WHEN STOPPED AT RED LIGHT WITH HEADLIGHTS FROM SEVERAL CARS BEHIND ME, WITH THE SAME RESULT. SINCE THERE IS NO LEVER TO USE TO DIM THE TRAFFIC AS THERE MIGHT BE WITH A NON-ELECTRONIC MIRROR, I WAS FORCED TO LOWER THE MIRROR TO AVOID BEING BLINDED BY CARS APPROACHING FROM REAR - AN OBVIOUS SAFETY SITUATION. DEALER SAYS THERE'S NO PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT TRIED IN REAL LIFE DRIVING. *TR