2016 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

I HAVE A 2016 PRIUS WITH APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MILES THAT WAS PURSUED NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP IN NOV 2016. AT AROUND 10:30AM, I WAS TWO BLOCKS FROM HOME, DRIVING ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET (25MPH) AND DECELERATED TO APPROX 10MPH AS I APPROACHED A RED STOPLIGHT AT THE ONCOMING INTERSECTION. CROSS TRAFFIC WAS MOVING BUT THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS IN THE LANES LEFT OR RIGHT OF ME AND/OR APPROACHING MY CAR. I HEARD A VERY FAINT CLICK/POPPING SOUND COMING FROM THE UPPER RIGHT UPSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO EXAMINE THE GLASS. I FOUND A VERY SMALL STAR SHAPED DING, LESS THAN A MILLIMETRE WIDE ABOUT 3-4 INCHES FROM THE TOP RIGHT OF THE WINDSHIELD. I THEN CALLED MY INSURANCE AGENT WHO STATED A SMALL DING LIKE THAT COULD DEFINITELY BE FIXED BY A GLASS SHOP AND WOULD BE COVERED IN FULL BY ALLSTATE. I DECIDED TO JUST GO BACK HOME AND LOOK ONLINE FOR SOMEWHERE NEARBY I COULD TAKE IN MY CAR. I DROVE BACK, PARKED MY CAR BACK INTO MY UNDERGROUND TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED SPACE. I WASN'T ABLE TO GET A SAME DAY APPOINTMENT SO STAYED IN UNTIL 5:30PM WHEN I LEFT TO GO TO DINNER. I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE THAT THE SMALL DING WAS NOW A LARGE DIAGONAL CRACK FROM THE UPPER LEFT CORNER, TO JUST PAST MIDPOINT OF THE WINDSHIELD. BECAUSE OF THE CRACK, THE WINDSHIELD CAN NOT BE FIXED. I WAS TOLD THAT REPLACEMENT AND RECALIBRATION WILL COST APPROX JUST UNDER $1000, WHICH I WILL END UP PAYING OUT OF POCKET BECAUSE MY INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE IS $1000. HAS NOW BEEN 8 DAYS SINCE THE INITIAL DING AND THE CRACK HAS CONTINUED TO ELONGATE. IT IS NOW 2/3 OF THE LENGTH OF THE WINDSHIELD. I HAVE OWNED EIGHT TOYOTA VEHICLES, THREE OF WHICH HAVE BEEN NEW PRIUSES. THIS IS THE FIRST AND ONLY CAR WHERE ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED. IT APPEARS THAT MANY OTHER 2015-2016 PRIUS OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THEIR WINDSHIELDS TOO. TOYOTA MUST ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE,

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 66 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND LOST POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND THEN TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT A FUSE WAS BLOWN AND A NEW WATER PUMP NEEDED TO BE INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 223,601. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.

THE CAR'S AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM CONTINUALLY SETS ITSELF TO THE AUTO POSITION AND DISABLES ITSELF WHERE NOTHING YOU DO CAN ACTIVATE THE FAN THE AIR CONDITIONING THE HEAT ANYTING, GOING THROUGH ALL THE MENUS RESETTING EVERYTHING TURNING THE CAR OFF AND ON 50 TIMES DOES NO GOOD. THIS BEGAN HAPPENING WHEN THE CAR HAD ABOUT TEN THOUSAND MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN MORE AND MORE COMMON SINCE.

WITH NO IMPACT WHATSOEVER, AND THE CAR PARKED AND STATIONARY FOR MORE THAN 15 HOURS, I WOKE UP THIS MORNING TO FIND A CRACK IN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. THIS CRACK IS IN THE LOWER, MIDDLE SECTION OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD, GENERATING UP FROM THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD, AND VEERING TOWARDS THE LEFT. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO FEELING OF AN IMPACT (I.E. SCRATCH, DENT, PING, ETC.) ON EITHER THE OUTSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD OR THE INSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD - IT APPEARS THAT THE CRACK IS EMBEDDED IN THE GLASS ITSELF. I HAVE CONTACTED MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND WILL BE BRINGING IT IN FOR THEIR INSPECTION THIS WEEK. HOWEVER, IN MY ONLINE RESEARCH, IT SEEMS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS' THAT HAVE HAD THIS MYSTERIOUS FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACK OCCUR - ENOUGH TO MAKE ME WONDER IF THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE FACTORY-PROVIDED WINDSHIELD, AND THAT WOULD POSSIBLY WARRANT A RECALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

WHEN I AM IN THE PROCESS OF BRAKING AND HIT A ROUGH SPOT IN THE ROAD SUCH AS A POTHOLE, I ESSENTIALLY LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR FOR A SPLIT SECOND. IT FEELS JERKY LIKE IT LURCHES FORWARD OR SHAKES SIDE TO SIDE. ITS NOT VERY PRONOUNCED BUT ENOUGH TO MAKE ME FEEL UNSAFE. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME I AM BRAKING AND RUN OVER POTHOLES, SO ITS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT THAT ONLY HAPPENED ON ONE DAY, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW HARD I'M BRAKING OR HOW FAST I'M GOING UNLESS I'M BARELY MOVING (THEN IT DOESN'T JERK).

THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE WINDSHIELD DESIGN OF THE CAR. I HAD DEBRIS OR ROAD GRAVEL HITTING THE WINDSHIELD TWICE IN LAST 2 MONTHS AND GOT A CRACK ON WINDSHIELD IN 2 OCCASIONS. I WAS DRIVING CAR AT 65 MPH ON HIGHWAY IN BOTH INSTANCES. I ALSO REALIZE A FLAW WITH WIPER DESIGN THAT THE WIPERS DO NO CLEAR THE FULL WIND SHIELD. THIS REDUCES VISIBILITY SPECIALLY WINTER WHEN THERE IS LOT OF SALT AND SNOW ON ROADS.

SEATBELT ON DRIVERS SIDE DOES NOT RETRACT, GETS CAUGHT IN DOOR WHEN EXITING THE CAR. DEALER WON'T FIX IT. IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE IN THAT THE DRIVER WHEN EXITING HAS TO STOP DEAL WITH EXTENDED SEAT BELT CAUGHT IN DOOR, COULD BE HIT BY ANOTHER CAR IN A PARKING LOT OR THE STREET. IT'S BEEN LIKE THIS FOR MONTHS. VERY ANNOYING.A GOOGLE SEARCH SHOWS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR TOYOTA CARS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED AND TOWED TO A BODY SHOP WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CALLED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 37,000.

WHILE PARKING MY VEHICLE AND SLOWING DOWN TO ENTER A PARKING SPACE, I EASED OFF THE BRAKE TO PULL INTO THE SPACE WHEN I HEARD THE ENGINE REV LOUDLY AND THEN THE CAR ACCELERATED AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE DESPITE ATTEMPTS TO PUMP THE BRAKES, RELEASE THE BRAKES WITHOUT TOUCHING ANY PEDAL AND ALSO TRYING TO PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP AT ALL. I WAS AFRAID FOR MY LIFE AND TRIED EVERYTHING TO AVOID OTHER VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS AS THE CAR ACCELERATED GREATLY. I STEERED THE CAR TO TRY AND AVOID A SLIGHT EMBANKMENT AND CURVE BUT WITH THE RAPID SPEED OF THE CAR, IT BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER THE CAR. THE VEHICLE JUMPED THE CURB STRIKING A TREE AND THEN A CONCRETE POST. THE CAR CAME TO REST ON ITS SIDE AFTER IMPACT. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS.

I HAVE NOW HAD MY WINDSHIELD DEVELOP CRACKS TWICE. THE FIRST TIME WAS ON JANUARY 8, 2018. I WAS DRIVING BEHIND A LARGE TRUCK, AND A PEBBLE WAS KICKED UP BY THE TRUCK'S REAR TIRE THAT STRUCK THE MIDDLE OF THE BASE OF MY WINDSHIELD. A CRACK DEVELOPED THE NEXT DAY, AND STARTED SPREADING. I HAD MY WINDSHIELD REPLACED. THE SECOND WINDSHIELD CRACK OCCURRED ON 11/6/2018. MY SPOUSE AND I HAD RETURNED FROM DINNER, AND HE NOTICED A CRACK AT THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD, JUST TO THE RIGHT OF CENTER, BEFORE WE GOT OUT OF THE CAR, AFTER WE HAD PARKED IN OUR INDOOR GARAGE. THIS TIME, I DO NOT RECALL ANY OBJECTS, SUCH AS A PEBBLE, GRAVEL, OR HAIL, HITTING MY WINDSHIELD PRIOR TO THE CRACK DEVELOPING.