A small chip in front windshield and develop a large crack quickly

- Santa Clara, CA, USA

Vehicle was stationary sitting in driveway. First crack started and continues to spread. Second crack started 3 weeks after the first. Windshield replacement supposedly on backorder. The car is typically parked in a parking garage during the workweek and either in my driveway or garage. The car is not even 2 years old. To replace windshield also means having to recalibrate for side and back up mirrors to function properly which is just as costly as having to pay for the windshield.

- Dallas, TX, USA

While in motion on a highway at 65 mph the driver's side front window shattered. Most of the pieces of the glass fell onto the driver's lap, but pieces also landed on the passenger's side and in the back seat behind the driver. It is unknown why the glass shattered. No object was found in the car that could have shattered it.

- Leland, MS, USA

I had very small windshield crack while I was driving on 10 frwy covina ca, I didn't notice anything hit my windshield was very hot day just heard ting and I shaw crack but within a day was very long about 2ft crack.I took longo Toyota at el-monte they said it don't cover by dealer or Toyota company so they give me $1265 est. Cost to fix it.it was my 2016 Toyota Prius miles 17K only and under factory warranty another problem with 2016 Prius is body color popup so easy it just comeup so so easy look like they just paint so easy... I have so bad experience with Prius car feel like I just wast my 30K for just piece of [xxx] parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Pomona, CA, USA

I had a very small pebble hit my windshield while driving slowly on a residential street. The initial impact caused several significant cracks running lengthwise and widthwise across my windshield instead of just staring or pitting as traditionally occurs. This is my third Prius and I have never experienced a windshield responding this way. It appears online that this has become a very common problem and it is extremely costly since they currently do not have an aftermarket available. As well as requiring $600+ recalibration. I am extremely disappointed in Toyota. I am concerned that I am going to pay $1500 to get this fixed (since my insurance uses my deductable) only for it to break again due to a minor instance (as many have complained online). My understanding is that the new windshield is thinner/ lighter for mpg. Is this not covered on some sort of warranty or recall? I'm very upset that this has occurred and have always been extremely loyal to Toyota, im at a point where I just want to drive with it cracked to avid having to fix future cracked windshields.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

I was driving to work on the highway and a small rock hit my windshield. Within minutes, a 6 inch crack had developed. By the time I arrived at work (about 15 minutes later), the crack has extended to over a foot. I called a local Toyota dealership and asked if any known defects existed. I was told no recalls exists for my windshield. Spoke with my insurance agent and referred to safelite autoglass for replacement, since it could not be repaired. The next morning, I drove car to work again and noticed crack has progress a few more inches overnight. By the time I left work, the lateral extending crack has now started extending towards the middle of the windshield, formed a jagged C-shape. Visibility was now limited from the crack and from the glare from the sunlight reflecting off the cracks. I called safelite and was told that the only replacement windshield was an Toyota oem, but that it was on backorder for another 3 weeks and at a cost of almost $800. Fearing another potentially dangerous driving condition, I did not attempt to drive my car until the windshield was replaced. Today, I was reading priuschat website and found that my case is certainly not an isolated incident. I am concerned now that since I replaced my windshield with an Toyota oem part, I am again subjected to repeat danger vehicle condition and additional high cost of replacement.

- Dallas, TX, USA

Windshield chipped easily and developed into very long crack after short period of time. Possible source of initial crack was unseen pebble/debris that hit the windshield during freeway driving. Replacement claimed through auto insurance. The rapid and great increase in length of crack is very concerning. Material durability may be in question.

- Atascadero, CA, USA

I was driving on I-40W when I got a rock chip on my wind shield. The next day while driving I noticed a crack in my windshield, not associated with the rock chip, starting on the left bottom of the windshield and curving up to the right for about 6". this crack kept progressing daily and now extends approx. 3/4 of the way across the windshield. The windshield for my car is on national backorder without any idea as to how long it will take to get it in.I went online and it appears from the number of people discussing it, it appears to be widespread and probably the reason for the back order. With the number of complaints I've breadths should be a recall. As a side note whenever my car's VIN # is run it comes up as a 2016 Toyota Prius C not a 2016 Prius four touring. The tech at the auto glass shop told me that this has been a recurring problem.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

While driving approximately 60 mph on the freeway, a very small rock hit my windshield and created a crack that was about 1 inch by 1 inch in size. Merely two days later, I woke up to find the crack had extended 3/4 of the way across my entire windshield and completely up and down the entire height of the windshield - just out of the blue, overnight. It's now difficult to properly see out of the windshield as one of the cracks runs right in my line of vision with the road. For something so minor to create such a major effect on my car that is not quite 14 months old is quite disturbing.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). In early June I walked out from a bookstore in oceanside, ca to find my windshield, on my parked/stationary Prius, had about an 8 to 10 inch crack on the passenger side. I filed an insurance claim with aaa and found that when I attempted to use two different vendors for repair as well as the carlsbad, ca dealership, each one conveyed to me that there is a national shortage on Prius windshields. The crack has expanded on its own at this time, making the car unsafe to drive. It is almost across the entire windshield. I'm renting a car, but my rental will expire on July 20th. If I renew the rental, it will be at my expense. According to the carlsbad Toyota dealership, the replacement windshield will not be available until August 8th which is nearly a month away from now. The claim was reported in early June. Due to this immense amount of inconvenience caused by this national shortage, I would appreciate it if Toyota corporation would take responsibility and pay for my rental car until this issue is resolved--starting July 21st. Finally, perhaps there needs to be a recall. You can E-mail me at [xxx] and/or [xxx]. thank you.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

2 months after getting the Prius, I was driving about 50 mph on a elevated, single-lane highway overpass with no cars in front of me when I heard a crack and noticed a chip in the windshield on the passenger side. I had it repaired that day, but it still shows up. It has not changed since then. 8 months later, I was driving at around 50 mph on a highway and saw a man in a pickup truck throw his arm out of his open window, like he was tossing something. Almost instantly I heard a crack and there was already a crack a few inches high, from the bottom of the windshield, on the lower-left of the drivers side of the windshield. I took a picture of the truck with the license plate, just in case it might help. When I had gotten to my destination, I checked the crack and where it looked like it had started, from a small chip near the bottom edge of the windshield. By now, the crack had extended several more inches. I then called my insurance to make a claim. That was 3 weeks ago and I have not been able to get a replacement as I was told that there is a national back order on Prius 2016 windshields. The first included photo was taken right after the crack appeared. The second photo, although a little out of Focus, has a small white circle, which is where it looked like the unknown object struck the windshield.

- Missouri City, TX, USA

Our 2016 Prius 2 sedan windshield was struck by a small rock cast laterally across the freeway from several lanes to my right, as one would skip a stone across water, traveling about 55mph. Unforeseeable, unavoidable act of chance, kicked up by another car's tire. Initial damage (see photo series) was two unsightly but repairable craters in the outer layer of glass. Within minutes / before an epoxy repair was possible, two cracks grew at an alarming rate. A smaller crack went vertically, and a fast and large crack ran horizontally. Within a day it spanned the entire driver's side. The crack reflects and refracts light into the driver's eyes, and is thick enough to obstruct vision even in dim light. Our primary travel is East in the morning and West at night, so the obstruction of vision is an active danger as we are typically oriented on the sun. I was advised by three different glass services that not only is there no aftermarket windshield available, but that there was an unknown wait time to receive one from the only available source, Toyota. There is no integrated technology and I was quoted replacement costs of $800-$900, not covered by insurance. I have reviewed the forums, NHTSA site, and a prominent complaint site, and excessive cracking appears to be a frequent flaw, both from debris impacts and when owners report "spontaneous" cracking. Our glass shops stated they saw this problem more frequently on Toyota than on any other car. Given the cost and frequency this problem is reported, I am hesitant to replace the windshield until I get a reasonable response from the dealer, as it otherwise seems likely to recur. This is not a one-off problem. Dealer won't return calls. Glass service still has no eta on replacements. We would like to understand why this problem is so common. Thank you.

- Smyrna, GA, USA

The windshield cracked within 3 days of purchasing the car as brand new. I didn't hear a rock hitting it and I can't see an impact pattern. I woke up one morning and the crack was over a foot and it spread from there into multiple cracks. There was no chance to get the windshield repaired at all and it needed to be replaced but I don't have the 1300 dollars that the dealer is saying it takes to get it replaced and they claim it was a rock and not a defect which I'm disputing.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

The car's windshield seems to be softer than previous models. I had the windshield completely replaced a few months ago, after a failed repair of a large chip. A chip repair was done on the new windshield on April 7th. In the car wash last Friday, I noticed several small chips in the windshield. My husband drives a 2016 Toyota highlander. His windshield was also replaced early this year. He now has a sizeable chip in the new windshield. It seems that there is a problem with 2016 Toyota windshields, not just in the Prius, but in other models as well.

- Mechanicsville, VA, USA

I have a 3 ft. Long crack in my windshield that occurred approximately a month and a week ago. It has become a safety risk to drive as the crack reflects sunlight in my eyes when driving during the day, or at the end of the work day during sunset. Toyota is unable to provide a windshield replacement.

- San Diego, CA, USA

On my way to work, while switching lanes from left to right, my vehicle windshield was hit with a small oncoming pebble rock that fell from a semi-truck that was approximately 125 feet in front of me. I could not avoid it since it was a "last second" situation. My current speed was 50 mph in a 70 mph zone because traffic in the left lane was moving slower that it should hence why I moved from the left to the right lane. What I am trying to report is that I believe as well as many other 2016/2017 Toyota Prius owners who have cracked windshields, is that Toyota is using windshield glass that is not up to current safety standards. Judging by the crack in my windshield, which is now well over a foot long, you can tell how much thinner the glass is compared to other current make and model vehicles. I am not sure if this is due to gaining weight savings which in turn would give a few extra mpg or not for a hybrid vehicle, but I believe this needs to be looked into because windshields for a vehicle like this are extremely costly. Upwards of $690 from different vendors or $1500 from a Toyota dealer. I have owned 5 cars in the past, the Toyota Prius is number 6, and all of the past 5 vehicles have been hit even harder with bigger rocks than the Prius was on the windshield with no cracks or chips. I do hope this is looked into before I start paying high amounts of money for new windshields.

- Mabank, TX, USA

Windshield cracked 12+ inches overnight with no cause. Vehicle was parked in garage. Crack has since grown to 20+ inches

- Lawrenceville, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Prius hybrid. While driving 70 mph, the windshield trapped rain water, which made it difficult for the contact to see the road. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,800.

- Bethalto, IL, USA

While driving at night, rear view interior mirror does not dim as traffic approaches from rear. When taken to dealer, technician shined light from iphone onto mirror and it dimmed properly. However, under normal driving conditions it does not! on a recent 2 hour nighttime drive, as car lights approached from behind, I alternately turned the dimming feature on and then off and noticed absolutely no difference. I even tried it when stopped at red light with headlights from several cars behind me, with the same result. Since there is no lever to use to dim the traffic as there might be with a non-electronic mirror, I was forced to lower the mirror to avoid being blinded by cars approaching from rear - an obvious safety situation. Dealer says there's no problem but has not tried in real life driving.

- Hartford, WI, USA

My windshield randomly cracked and looking on-line this seems to be a common occurrence on the Prius 4th generation vehicles.

- Vacaville, CA, USA