2012 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

I AM BEGINNING TO NOTICE MORE AND MORE TINY SPECKS EVENLY DISTRIBUTED ON THE WINDSHIELD THAT APPEAR TO BE IN THE MATERIAL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD BECAUSE NO AMOUNT OF WINDOW CLEANING CAN MAKE THEM GO AWAY. THE SPECKS ARE VERY DISTRACTING WHEN TRAVELING INTO THE SUN AND I BELIEVE ARE A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

I HAVE NOTICED GHOSTING OF IMAGES MOST OBVIOUS WHILE NIGHT DRIVING. PARTICULARLY NOTICEABLE IN LED LIGHTS. IT LOOKS LIKE A DUPLICATE IMAGE OF THE LIGHTS CREATED. IT CAN BE VERY GLARING AND HARD TO JUDGE DISTANCE OF OTHER VEHICLES. *TR

ON OCT. 23, 2013 AT 6AM IN THE MORNING IN ABOUT 45 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, MY TOYOTA PRIUS 2012 REAR WINDOW EMITTED A LOUD PUNCHING SOUND AND THEN SHATTERED WHEN I TURNED ON THE REAR WIPER. I GOOGLED THE INCIDENT AND WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO EXPERIENCE THIS. THERE HAVE BEEN SIMILAR INCIDENTS ON OTHER PRIUS IN OTHER YEARS AS WELL. THUS, WE ARE REPORTING IT AND HOPE THIS WILL BE LOOKED INTO. OUR CAR IS BARELY A YEAR OLD AND UNDER WARRANTY BUT OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER SAID WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER THIS. THANK GOODNESS OUR AUTO POLICY WILL AND WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY A DEDUCTIBLE. *TR

I WAS IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC. I HAD ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 25 MPH WHEN I NEEDED TO SLOW DOWN, I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE AND AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD. THE CAR NOT ONLY WAS NOT BRAKING (I WAS STEPPING ON THE BRAKE AT THE TIME) BUT INDEED SEEMED TO ACCELERATE BRIEFLY BEFORE THE BRAKES RE-ENGAGED (I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE--DEPRESSING IT--THE ENTIRE TIME). THIS HAS HAPPENED FROM TIME TO TIME WITH MY VEHICLE--IT HAS HAPPENED WHEN BACKING OUT OF MY GARAGE, AND ALSO WHEN BREAKING WHILE DRIVING OVER ROAD BUMPS OR POTHOLES. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

WINDSHIELD WAS CHIPPED BY SOME DEBRIS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 55 MPH, THE SIZE WAS HALF A CENTIMETER, IF THAT. THE NEXT MORNING IT TURNED INTO A 6 INCH CRACK AND HAS GROWN EVEN BIGGER IN THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS TO WHERE IT HAS COME TO BLOCK MY VISION. OTHER CARS THAT I HAVE OWNED HAD CHIPS IN THE WINDSHIELD, BUT NEVER DEVELOPED INTO A CRACK. I AM THINKING THE WINDSHIELD IS TOO, TOO, THIN FOR IT TO BE PRACTICAL FOR A VEHICLE TRAVELING HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND HAVE READ THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AMONG OTHER OWNERS. MY BIGGEST CONCERN, IF THE DEBRIS IS A LITTLE LARGER, WILL THE WINDSHIELD PREVENT PENETRATION INTO THE DRIVER AND/OR PASSENGER COMPARTMENT SO AS NO ONE WILL BE HARMED DUE TO A THIN WINDSHIELD? *TR

UPON STARTING THE ENGINE AND ENGAGING THE AIR CONDITIONING OF MY 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH 10,000 MILES, A STRONG FOUL SMELLING AIR COMES FROM THE A/C VENTS. AT THE 10,000 MILE SERVICING, THE TOYOTA SERVICE MANAGER STATED THIS SMELL IS TYPICAL TO SOME TOYOTAS. A TOYOTA TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WAS PERFORMED. THE REPORT STATED "NO REPAIRS NEEDED AT THIS TIME VEHICLE IS OPERATING AS PER DESIGNED. I KNOW OF NO VEHICLE DESIGN THAT WOULD STREAM FOUL AIR FROM THE A/C VENTS OF A NEW CAR. MY SAFETY CONCERN IS WITH THE CONTAMINANTS CREATING THE FOUL SMELL AND HOW LONG CAN A HUMAN CONTINUE TO BREATHE THESE CONTAMINANTS BEFORE BECOMING ILL WITH RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS. *TR

THE WINDSHIELD CAUSES MOST LIGHT SOURCES, PARTICULARLY LED LIGHTS, STREET LIGHTS, AND ONCOMING HEADLIGHTS (BASICALLY ANY BRIGHT LIGHT SOURCE), TO APPEAR WITH A "GHOSTING" IMAGE. THE "GHOSTING" APPEARS IN THE WINDSHIELD VERTICALLY BELOW THE LIGHT SOURCE AS ONE, TWO, OR EVEN THREE IMAGES. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD TWICE ALREADY, BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO IMPROVEMENT. IN FACT, THE FIRST AND SECOND REPLACEMENTS ARE WORSE THAN THE ORIGINAL. I ALSO OWN A 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA, AND I DRIVE VARIOUS CHEVY EQUINOXES AND FORD ESCAPES WHERE I WORK - I DO NOT EXPERIENCE THE "GHOSTING" EFFECT IN THOSE VEHICLES. PERSONNEL FROM THE DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS REPRESENTATIVES FROM TOYOTA HAVE ALSO OBSERVED THIS PHENOMENA WITH THE WINDSHIELDS IN MY PRIUS PLUG-IN. I WAS TOLD BY A REPRESENTATIVE IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AFTER THE LAST REPLACEMENT THAT EVEN THE TOYOTA ENGINEERS WEREN'T HAPPY WITH THE REPLACEMENT. IT HAS NOW BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE THE LAST WINDSHIELD WAS INSTALLED. I NOTIFIED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT (DURING MY DRIVE HOME THAT SAME DAY) AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS UNSATISFACTORY, AND I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD NOTIFY ME WHEN TOYOTA DECIDED WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT NEXT. TO DATE NOT ONLY HAVE I HEARD NOTHING, BUT THE LAST THREE PHONE CALLS TO THE SERVICE ADVISER HAVE GONE TO VOICE MAIL, AND I RECEIVED NO REPLY. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING IN A RAIN STORM AT 17MPH, I TRIED TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES TO PREVENT FROM CRASHING INTO AN 18 WHEELER AND THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK. I REPEATEDLY TRIED TO STOP THE CAR AND THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING EVEN THOUGHT I WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES NOT THE GAS. THE CAR WOULD NOT SHUT DOWN, GO INTO PARK OR NEUTRAL. I DID CRASH INTO THE 18 WHEELER BECAUSE THE ENGINE WAS ACCELERATING AND I WANTED TO STOP.WHEN I CRASHED THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. EVEN AFTER IMPACT THE CAR WAS STILL ACCELERATING LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO PUSH THE 18 WHEELER. EVENTUALLY THE CAR POWERED DOWN AFTER REPEATEDLY PUSHING EVERY BUTTON POSSIBLE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. I PHONED YOUR HOTLINE BUT THE VIN NUMBER I GAVE HAD A NUMBER THAT WAS WRONG MY PRIOR CONFIRMATION NUMBER IS 10542285. TOYOTA IS AWARE AND I AM WAITING FOR THEM TO CALL ME BACK.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,600 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 4,900....UPDATED 11-01-13 *BF

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 17 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INJURED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT ADDITIONALLY STATED THAT ALL OF THE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH BOARD AS THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT WAS NEITHER DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,500.