Wiper Problems of Toyota 4Runner - part 1

With the slanted windshield and location of the rearview mirror creates a blind spot when looking to the upper right. Both my husband and I have trouble seeing.

Windshield cracked approximately 2” from the bottom all the way across while using the defroster to clear ice from it. I was still parked at the time. I am unsure how long it will stay water tight or become worse. One concern is the crash avoidance and the automatic high beam sensor are both attached to the windshield and don’t want them to fail. I also don’t want the entire piece of glass to shatter and land in my lap while driving. The dealer refused honoring the repair under warranty. They only use one particular repair shop (which I suspect they own) and even quoted me a price for replacing the ruined glass. In addition to paying for that I would need to pay the dealer to recalibrate the crash avoidance and headlight sensor. I have yet to report the damage to my insurance. As of yet there are no warning lights showing.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Myself and my fiancee were driving to our family's home, the rear defrost was on due to foggy windows as we were driving down the road there was a loud noise from the back half of the 4 runner. I had turned and looked back behind me and the rear hatch window was completely shattered. Its still intact in the window frame but about to fall out. This happened out of nowhere no warnings or anything.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Two separate occasions while driving this car and using the wipers in rain there was been almost zero visibility to the point where we can almost not see while driving in the rain. I have owned three Toyotas and this is the first time I have ever experienced this issue. It almost as if the wipers don't move fast enough to clear the water off the windshield or the wipers aren't making contact the entire time wiping the glass. I took my car to the dealer and the wipers move the same as the exact make model and year. I feel this is a design flaw and could be responsible for a serious crash due to not being able to use this car well in the rain.

See all problems of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Rear backup camera has been failing or intermittently working, it is available for insp[ection upon request. This has created a situation upon reversing in driveway where I expect it to be on and dont see a vehicle or trailer behind me. I have hit a parked car because I was expecting it to work as I check rearview mirrors. This is now a habit and I did not realize it wasn't working at the time until I collided with the vehicle. The dealership will not confirm it or inspect it unless payment is rendered. No one has inspected it except for virginia. Which I am unsure that is even something they inspect. They may have just inspected other things that allow for use on highway. No lamps or other warnings when it began in April 2023. I have not tried to get it fixed as this is a new vehicle and I wasn't willing to pay the dealer to diagnose and most likely decline my warranty coverage.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Wiring harness to rear window defogger melted causing the rear window to crack and shatter. Safe lite replaced the window and recommended the harness not be reconnected. Told me it was not uncommon. Vehicle was not being used at the time. It was in my driveway when the window blew outward. Inspected by safe lite, reported to liberty mutual. No warning light, rear defogger was not in use, car was off.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Driving along the freeway in winter conditions I used the rear defroster for the back window, this caused the back glass to explode loudly, shattering glass onto belongings, animals and the road behind us. This caused drivers behind us to act evasively and myself as well making a winter driving condition more dangerous, not to mention the spray of glass that reached the back seats of my car with passengers. This has been well documented by other drivers and been acknowledged by Toyota in letters and technician bulletins for replacement of the windows, there are no warning lamps, it just goes from working correctly to exploding.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The rear window on my 2006 4runner suddenly shattered. I had just cleared the car of snow, put my son in the car and left the house. Less than 1/10th of a mile down the road it exploded. Glass could have gone all over the child in the backseat. There have been past issues. Toyota offered an extended warranty on the part until 2018, so they are aware of the problem. Not yet. No warnings.

Rear hatch glass broke during defroster operation. Started to smell a burning smell and then moments later the entire rear hatch glass shattered. Known issue by Toyota. They issued a brief warranty enhancement program (zg7) in March 2017 thru April 2018 but are refusing to honor current issues.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The rear window shattered while using the rear window defrost.

The rear windshield shattered suddenly without any apparent reason. At first I thought something had smashed onto our car because there was a loud smashing sound as it a sheet of ice fell on the roof of the car, but it was not a snowy or icy day and there was no rock or branch by the car. It was rainy and cold and I had the wipers and defroster on so the only thing I could think of as the problem was the temperature of the glass and defroster caused the glass to shatter. I had all three of my children in the car (all under 6 years of age) in the backseat and I was lucky none of the shattered glass projected into the air on to them. The entire windshield was shattered.

I was driving my 4runner and the rear glass exploded and shattered. This is a known issue with Toyota and documented in t-sb-0189-17 and warranty enhancement zg7. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the glass shattering. Toyota refuses to cover the repair costs and the estimate provided by the dealer is $1,200. Photos were taken in my garage when I got home immediately after the explosion occurred.

Windshield cracking.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The rear window shattered spontaneously while the rear defroster was on. There was no impact to the window and no prior chips/scratches. The tint held the shattered window together, but without the tint glass would have gone flying inside and outside the vehicle, putting passengers and cars traveling behind at risk. No warnings or issues were present for the rear window or defroster system prior to incident. The problem has been inspected by Toyota of orlando. This problem is known to Toyota under their enhanced warranty program zg7, but they refuse to cover the repair because the date to experience the shattering rear window has passed. There are numerous other cases reported of this issue. Toyota of orlando confirmed this would fall under their zg7 program, had the window shattered and brought to a dealer prior to 4/30/2018.

Parked at a stop light and the rear windshield shattered.

The rear window shattered and is not available for inspection because it's in a million pieces. There is now broken glass all inside the vehicle and on the ground. The car was inspected at the dealership, but not insurance. There was no warning leading up to the incident. The defroster for the rear window was on due to weather. The loud bang and sound of glass falling is how I was aware of the failure.

Rear window shattered moments after using the defroster at a stop light.

Rear window breakage: a few minutes after turning on the rear window defogger while parked, a smell of hot electronics was noticed. Thinking the smell was coming from the vent/engine compartment, I turned the vehicle off and inspected under the engine hood for the source. No damage or smell was detected. I turned the vehicle back on with the defroster on, and shortly after, the entire rear window shattered. No foreign objects indicating impact damage were found in the glass wreckage.

I was driving my new car with less than 500 miles on a highway with no other cars around and nothing overhead. It sounded like a gun went off then I could hear the glass falling sliding around on the sunroof shade. The glass was blown outward proving nothing fell and broke it. A Toyota dealers is replacing the sunroof but refuse to accept responsibility and let warranty pay. My 2 year old daughter was in the cover and I’m so thankful I had the sun roof shade closed because glass would have been sprayed over all of us.

The rear window exploded on it's own with glass shattering everywhere while the defrost function was on. This is a very serious safety issue and design flaw that should be remedied before it happens. Toyota acknowledges the design flaw yet allows this dangerous occurrence to happen with consumers before doing anything about it. They say to bring it in for inspection but nothing that they can see until it has exploded. Toyota customer service representative named ryan informed me today there is nothing Toyota can do for me. They need to reimburse consumers for replacement no matter the time frame because it is a serious safety issue and it is a design flaw!.

Rear hatch glass exploded while the electric heated defrost system was activated. The electric defrost had been operating for approximately five minutes. The window was in its fully closed position. The vehicle was in motion at approximately 25 miler per hour on a city street. Ambient temperature was 39 degrees and dry.

While driving in a snowstorm on an interstate highway at night on 1/25/2021, two important safety systems failed due to ice and snow buildup on the vehicle. Failure 1: the pre collision system (pcs) warning light illuminated indicating temporary failure of the pcs system (see photo 1). This was due to ice and snow buildup on the forward sensor, located on the front grille (see photo 2). Problem could only be rectified by stopping and physically removing the ice buildup, as referenced in the Toyota owner's manual, page 252. I recommend the sensor be relocated in front of the rear view mirror high on the windshield, where windshield defrost and the angle of the glass will reduce or eliminate the buildup. In the short term, perhaps a plastic air deflector or shield can be fabricated which will keep ice from interfering with the sensor. Failure 2: headlight high beam failure. The design of the headlight cover facilitates ice buildup over the entire structure (see photo 3). Since the high beam bulb is inboard and aft of the low beam bulb, it cannot penetrate the ice buildup at all, and makes the high beams completely ineffective. Weather conditions were: outside air temp: 30 to 32 degrees; night; heavy snow; altitude: 3,000 to 6,563 feet.

2006 4runner rear glass exploded/shattered after using defrost - was denied reimbursement despite this being a known issue and faulty defrost connector. After dropping my 5 year old son off for school on 1/15/2021, I pulled up to a stop sign and heard a loud crash from the back of the car. I looked in the rear view mirror and the back glass had completely shattered and pieces were coming off into the back seat. Nothing had hit the window from the inside or outside - this happened spontaneously. Right before this happened, I had the rear defrost on for approximately 10 minutes to clear the rear glass while driving. The defrost was off when the glass exploded. I contacted my local Toyota dealership who informed me that this was a known issue but that the extended warranty coverage for this had ended on April 30, 2018. Toyota released a TSB (technical service bulletin) and offered an extended warranty and free replacement for vehicle owners who experienced this problem starting in 2017 but is since expired. The connector for the defrost located in the rear glass is found to be faulty and can short out or overheat, causing the glass to shatter. Being that this is a major safety concern and thankfully my 5 year old son wasn't in the backseat at the time, avoiding injury from the glass, I decided to contact Toyota customer experience. A case was opened, however, they wouldn't offer any compensation or assistance with getting the glass replaced. We are without a vehicle until this can be repaired and I am now forced to pay for it on my own since Toyota isn't agreeing to help at all.

On my way to the grocery store, my back window blew out while driving. It was a very loud pop! which scared the daylights out of me! I looked in the review-mirror and the back window completely shattered. There was nobody around and I was driving too slow for it to have been a rock or debris. I was driving in san antonio texas near utsa blvd. In the turning lane, was in motion at a slow speed as I was pulling up to a red light. The mechanic at safelight auto said that it had to do with the electrical and saved the piece of where there was a short causing the blast. As I walked out the door, a gentleman asked if that was my Toyota as he was there for the exact same issue for the same year make and model Toyota.

During use of my rear window defroster, the rear window popped and shattered into the interior of the car.

The sunroof glass spontaneously exploded while parked in my driveway as I was entering the vehicle. I heard a loud pop and heard glass hitting the top of the sun shade. I inspected the top of the sunroof and noticed that the glass was pushed outward, as if it exploded away from the vehicle. There was no hail and no objects above the vehicle that could have fallen. The vehicle is parked in an open driveway with no trees.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

I was sitting at a stoplight and the windshield cracked in the middle fron the bottom up nothing hit it just sitting at the stoplight and the windshield cracked.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Turned the rear defroster on and smelled something burning. Turned off the defroster and then couple minutes later, rear window exploded and totally broke. Did this leaving my neighborhood so only going about 20 mph. It was about 53 degrees and rainy.

This morning Dec-23-2019,raining 60 degree, I was driving on 91 fwy with rear defrost on for rain fog inside. About 15 min after left my home,I hear big pop noise and my rear lift gate glass shattered. I though I had a drive by gun shot,I start searching internet and found there is issue on rear defrost line glass over heat shattered glass. I visited 4 runner owner's forum and I found lot a people experience for same blown rear glass. I called dealership for this issue,and no one recognize it . Further search,,,,I found warrant enhancement program-zf7. And this program announce to dealer ship March 2017 with warranty 9 more year extend from a date of purchase?? mine is 2005 and even 9 more year warranty still not covered time of their recognition of this program. I called Toyota and they denying for expire date of it. I believe they should notify to vehicle owner to not use defrost line,,,,,,, and safety concern,they should extend warranty for glass. I feel lucky I did not have my kid on my back seat. . . .

When using the rear defroster in the cold, the rear hatch window shattered. Common issue and Toyota does know about it but only offered 1 year enhanced warranty. Warranty is now expired and Toyota will not cover this safety hazard as my car is equipped with 3rd row seating.

Tl the contact owns a 2005 Toyota 4runner. While driving 65 mph, the contact heard a crackling sound for a few seconds and the rear hatchback window exploded without warning or an impact occurring. The vehicle was taken to Toyota of cool spring (1875 w mcewen dr, franklin, TN 37067, (615) 656-3240) where the vehicle was repaired. Contact called the manufacturer, but they did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 213,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that when the defrost system was in use, the rear window exploded. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for a diagnostic test or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that an extended warranty was put out for the failure. The failure mileage was 151707. Dr.

Tl- the contact owns a 2019 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, there was an abnormal popping noise detected and then the sun roof exploded. The vehicle was taken to don mcgill Toyota 11800 katy fwy, houston, TX 77079 (281) 496-2000 and the contact was informed that an object hit the sun roof and the sun roof was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they were going by the dealer report. The failure mileage was 7,983. Dr.

Imperfections in glass (all windows) which cause visibility problems in the daytime and nighttime driving. I have reported this to Toyota customer service center. A Toyota inspector has inspected the glass and Toyota refuses to correct this problem. I have had several glass company's and auto detailers look at the glass and they have told me that it is a factory defect.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated while driving on the highway with the rear defroster was on and the back glass window exploded. The vehicle behind was showered with the glass. The contact researched the issue and found out the manufacturer issued a short extended warranty for this defective defrost system. The dealer or the manufacturer had not been contacted yet. The failure mileage was 260,000. Tf.