Hood Latch problems of the 2002 Chevrolet Prizm

The contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet Prizm. While driving approximately 55 mph, the hood automatically detached from the latch. The hood slammed against the windshield, which shattered the inside and outside glass. There was no warning prior to the failure. The contact observed that the windshield wipers were malfunctioning after the failure. The vehicle was taken to a local independent auto shop for the windshield replacement. Recently, the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the hood latch was not malfunctioning. The failure mileage was 118,144 and current mileage was 118,244. Updated 1/9/09 updated 01/14/09.