A small pebble must have hit my windshield. When I first noticed a spot on the windshield, I thought it was a bug, and the line from the bug, I thought was just fluid. The next day I realized that, what I thought was fluid from the bug, was actually a crack beginning. Each day, the crack has lengthened. I think this is a clear defect in the materials being used. I have been driving for 49 years, and never, ever, have I gotten a crack in a windshield. I have lived in some extreme climates; cold, wind, blowing debris, and never had a crack because a small pebble hit my windshield.

So far, Toyota is not taking responsibility. In my opinion, this is a safety hazard, and the windshields should be recalled. At this point in time, because the crack is only 3 days old, and the location is in the center of the windshield, my vision is not impaired. HOWEVER, in CA it is illegal to drive with a cracked windshield.

I will be contacting the NHTSA if Toyota Motor Sales continues to deny responsibility. Additionally, I will never buy another Toyota if this is the quality I can expect. A small pebble causes the inconvenience and financial burden of replacing the windshield on a car that has averaged 840 miles per month. PLUS this is now considered cause for a citation.

The Toyota Prius windshields are too lightweight, and don't stand up to general driving conditions (suburban expressways, no significant heavy truck traffic). Thankfully, after having to replace the first windshield after only 2 1/2 months of purchasing the new car, I changed our insurance to eliminate the $500 deductible for windshields, so I won't have to pay another $500 to replace it this time. I anticipate that when the car sits in the San Diego sun for a day, the divitt will again crack across the entire windshield. I understand Toyota purposefully made the windshield lightweight to gain higher fuel economy. They went too far.