Table 1 shows one common visibility related problems of the 2018 Toyota Prius.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Wiper problems |
Was driving around 35 mph and my right side mirror blew up. The back blew off and the mirror was shattered and hanging. Nothing hit it. Contacted Toyota and the parts have been on a stop, but there is no recall. It has been 4 months.
My windshield has cracked twice without being struck by an object and without being near another vehicle. Both incidents occurred during normal highway driving. I was not speeding or driving recklessly. Both times required the replacement of the windshield as the crack quickly spread and affected a good portion of the windshield. I am requesting reimbursement for the cost of replacing the windshield (twice). The first incident occurred just a few days after purchase. The second incident occurred today, March 4, 2021.
The car is inadequate in the winter. When it snows I can't keep the windows clean. They changed the fittings and I can't even put winter blades on the car. Also, and this applies to almost all new cars as well, the led lights freeze over. It's a safety hazard not to have lights that work. And it's a safety hazard to have to get out of the car in dangerous conditions to try and scrape ice off the windows and lights. The front and rear lights get caked with ice and snow. This picture is of my windshield after an hour of warming up. The wipers stay caked with ice. And when I turn them on, this is what happens. They smear the windshield with ice. They smear it with water too. I can't squeegee water with ice. I'd love to trade it in, but everyone has led lights. They're a safety hazard. And these issues are keeping me from buying a new car. I would appreciate it if you addressed these issues. The car companies won't listen to me. Thank you have a great day.
While on my morning commute on the freeway the moonroof unexpectedly exploded showering fragments of glass into the vehicle. One shard actually splintered into my finger requiring medical attention I have numerous pictures on my phone.
Last year,June 2017, while the car was parked we noticed there was a hairline crack on the windshield. We received some quotes saying it would be about $900 to fix. So we decided to go with an adhesive injection and paid about $50 for someone to come fix it. However, after a month, it spread. We had no choice but to replace the windshield. Last month, same thing happened. Car was parked, nothing hit it. Same hairline crack. I haven't fixed it because of the heavy expense. But it has spread. Checked online to see if anyone else has the same issue and found there's a class action lawsuit for this but it's for 2014-2016 Toyota Prius. Apparently they have not fixed this problem for the 2017 Prius. Also, there's a recall for my car for another issue.
I owned a 2008 Prius with 273,453 miles when I traded it for a 2018 Prius on 3/15/18. My 2008 never had the windshield replaced; meanwhile, the 2018 has been replaced once and the 2nd is now cracked within 2 months of replacement. On 8/7/18 I was driving in a single lane road with no vehicles ahead or in the oncoming direction when I heard a pop. Within 5 minutes a crack began at the base of the windshield and extended about 9� upwards and towards the passenger side by the end of the day. Next morning the crack was 17� long, and by the 3rd day the crack was 26�. After that the crack seems to stabilize. On 10/9/18 I was driving on I-95n heard another pop and a 2nd crack began to form. There were no vehicles in front of me when I heard a pop. An additional crack started that curved from the driver side and extended 14� from the base of the windshield 3� from the old crack towards the driver side. The 2nd crack affected my vision so I had have it replaced immediately. On 11/2/18 I had the oem windshield replaced for $250 (deductible) plus $477 (Toyota camera recalibration). On 12/19/18 I heard a pop while at a stop sign and the new windshield developed a crack from the base of the glass extending upwards 4� then curved towards the passenger side for another 7. 5� by the end of the day. The next day the crack curved up and to the right side for another 7. 25�. By the 3rd day, it grew another 12� upwards. On 1/29/19 a second crack formed near the initial crack at 3� higher from the base. This crack extended for 12� towards the driver side. So now I am faced with replacing the windshield again; incurring the costs and inconvenience. Given the fact there were no vehicle around when the cracks have repeated appeared I feel that this is a manufacturers defect and not a factor of my driving.
While driving on the highway in the rain at 55mph a very small pebble/bug struck the lower right windshield below the wiper. It was not very loud, but did create a crack in the windshield with a few minutes. Within a few days the crack has spread across the entire windshield.
Driving 60 mph on interstate a piece of debris hit my windshield. The piece was so small I didn't even see it hit the windshield. The piece did pretty significant damage to the windshield and it spidered out in all different directions, larger than a quarter. My concern is that I have been in other vehicles and had debris hit the windshield the same situation that is larger and just barley put a nick in the windshield. Ive read on complaints about 16' and 17' models having this issue as well and it doesn't seem like Toyota is addressing the issue. I am worried about the structural integrity of my windshield.