2016 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

WINDSHIELD CHIPPED EASILY AND DEVELOPED INTO VERY LONG CRACK AFTER SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. POSSIBLE SOURCE OF INITIAL CRACK WAS UNSEEN PEBBLE/DEBRIS THAT HIT THE WINDSHIELD DURING FREEWAY DRIVING. REPLACEMENT CLAIMED THROUGH AUTO INSURANCE. THE RAPID AND GREAT INCREASE IN LENGTH OF CRACK IS VERY CONCERNING. MATERIAL DURABILITY MAY BE IN QUESTION.

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V672000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER ROBERTS TOYOTA (LOCATED AT 1027 NASHVILLE HWY, COLUMBIA, TN 38401; (931) 388-3006) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

I WAS DRIVING ON I-40W WHEN I GOT A ROCK CHIP ON MY WIND SHIELD. THE NEXT DAY WHILE DRIVING I NOTICED A CRACK IN MY WINDSHIELD, NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE ROCK CHIP, STARTING ON THE LEFT BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD AND CURVING UP TO THE RIGHT FOR ABOUT 6". THIS CRACK KEPT PROGRESSING DAILY AND NOW EXTENDS APPROX. 3/4 OF THE WAY ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. THE WINDSHIELD FOR MY CAR IS ON NATIONAL BACKORDER WITHOUT ANY IDEA AS TO HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO GET IT IN.I WENT ONLINE AND IT APPEARS FROM THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE DISCUSSING IT, IT APPEARS TO BE WIDESPREAD AND PROBABLY THE REASON FOR THE BACK ORDER. WITH THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS I'VE BREADTHS SHOULD BE A RECALL. AS A SIDE NOTE WHENEVER MY CAR'S VIN # IS RUN IT COMES UP AS A 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS C NOT A 2016 PRIUS FOUR TOURING. THE TECH AT THE AUTO GLASS SHOP TOLD ME THAT THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING PROBLEM.

THE CAR HAS BEEN TOWED TWICE. EVERY TIME I ATTEMPT TO TURN ON THE CAR, THERE IS NO POWER. THE DEALER SAYS IT IS THE BATTERY AND HE HAS CHANGED THE BATTERY TWICE. I AM AFRAID TO USE THE CAR AND GET STRANDED IN THE HIGHWAY.

THE OEM WINDSHIELDS THAT ARE INSTALLED ON NEW 2016 PRIUS 2 MODELS ARE CLEARLY NOT TO STANDARD. I HAVE A HUGE CRACK ACROSS MY WINDSHIELD FROM A VERY TINY PEBBLE WHILE TRAVELING AT 12 MPH. WHAT THE HECK TOYOTA??? I WAS TRAVELING ON THE 101 SOUTHBOUND IN LA IN A MERGING LANE MOVING AT A PACE THAT JOGGERS COULD KEEP UP WITH WHEN A STRAY PEBBLE CRACKED MY ENTIRE GLASS.

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ON THE FREEWAY, A VERY SMALL ROCK HIT MY WINDSHIELD AND CREATED A CRACK THAT WAS ABOUT 1 INCH BY 1 INCH IN SIZE. MERELY TWO DAYS LATER, I WOKE UP TO FIND THE CRACK HAD EXTENDED 3/4 OF THE WAY ACROSS MY ENTIRE WINDSHIELD AND COMPLETELY UP AND DOWN THE ENTIRE HEIGHT OF THE WINDSHIELD - JUST OUT OF THE BLUE, OVERNIGHT. IT'S NOW DIFFICULT TO PROPERLY SEE OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD AS ONE OF THE CRACKS RUNS RIGHT IN MY LINE OF VISION WITH THE ROAD. FOR SOMETHING SO MINOR TO CREATE SUCH A MAJOR EFFECT ON MY CAR THAT IS NOT QUITE 14 MONTHS OLD IS QUITE DISTURBING.

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). IN EARLY JUNE I WALKED OUT FROM A BOOKSTORE IN OCEANSIDE, CA TO FIND MY WINDSHIELD, ON MY PARKED/STATIONARY PRIUS, HAD ABOUT AN 8 TO 10 INCH CRACK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. I FILED AN INSURANCE CLAIM WITH AAA AND FOUND THAT WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO USE TWO DIFFERENT VENDORS FOR REPAIR AS WELL AS THE CARLSBAD, CA DEALERSHIP, EACH ONE CONVEYED TO ME THAT THERE IS A NATIONAL SHORTAGE ON PRIUS WINDSHIELDS. THE CRACK HAS EXPANDED ON ITS OWN AT THIS TIME, MAKING THE CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE. IT IS ALMOST ACROSS THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. I'M RENTING A CAR, BUT MY RENTAL WILL EXPIRE ON JULY 20TH. IF I RENEW THE RENTAL, IT WILL BE AT MY EXPENSE. ACCORDING TO THE CARLSBAD TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, THE REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL AUGUST 8TH WHICH IS NEARLY A MONTH AWAY FROM NOW. THE CLAIM WAS REPORTED IN EARLY JUNE. DUE TO THIS IMMENSE AMOUNT OF INCONVENIENCE CAUSED BY THIS NATIONAL SHORTAGE, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF TOYOTA CORPORATION WOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND PAY FOR MY RENTAL CAR UNTIL THIS ISSUE IS RESOLVED--STARTING JULY 21ST. FINALLY, PERHAPS THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. YOU CAN E-MAIL ME AT [XXX] AND/OR [XXX]. THANK YOU. *DL

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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE PLASTIC RIDGE ON THE CENTER CONSOLE CAUGHT THE DRIVER'S SHOE AND CAUSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO STICK TO THE FLOORBOARD OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO RELEASE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE CONTACT CALLED THE FITZGERALD TOYOTA DEALER IN GAITHERSBURG, MD AND WAS ADVISED TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR INVESTIGATION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,700. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED.