Owner-reported complaints naming the visibility system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2013 Toyota Prius submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
MY SUNROOF SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODED OUTWARDS WHEN DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. NO OBJECTS HIT ME OR THE SUNROOF. THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS NEAR ME. I WAS NOT AROUND ANY OVERPASSES. THE SUNROOF JUST EXPLODED AND THE GLASS SHARDS ARE POINTING OUTWARDS TOWARDS THE SKY. *TR
THE SUNROOF SPONTANEOUSLY BROKE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. THE LOCATION OF INCIDENT WAS IN WESTERN NEVADA WHERE TERRAIN IS FLAT AND NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE IN SIGHT EITHER IN FRONT OR BEHIND.
THERE IS A SEVERE DIFFRACTION EFFECT THROUGH WINDSHIELD. BRIGHT LIGHTS ARE TRIPLED. FOR EXAMPLE ONE BELOW AND ONE ABOVE THE BRAKE LIGHT OR TRAFFIC SIGNAL LIGHT. IT IS VERY DISTRACTING, AND VERY TIRING AFTER 20-30MINS OF DRIVING ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. BUT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME (EVEN FOR ONCOMING HEADLIGHTS). *TR
I AM SEEING MULTIPLE LIGHT IMAGES ABOVE AND BELOW THE ORIGINAL LIGHT. FOR INSTANCE, IF I SEE A RED LIGHT, I SEE ONE GHOST IMAGE ABOVE, AND ONE GHOST IMAGE BELOW. AS I GET CLOSER TO THE LIGHT SOURCE, THE IMAGES CONVERGE. ANY LIGHT SOURCE AT NIGHT APPEARS TO HAVE THIS GHOSTING EFFECT AT DISTANCES 25' +. IT CAN BE VERY BLINDING WHEN SEVERAL CARS IN FRONT HIT THEIR BRAKES. IT IS ALSO BLINDING FROM THE HEADLIGHTS OF CARS TRAVELING ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I DETERMINED IT WAS THE WINDSHIELD AFTER RIDING IN ANOTHER VEHICLE AT NIGHT, AND DID NOT HAVE ANY VISION ISSUES. THE NEXT TIME I DROVE THE PRIUS AT NIGHT AND EXPERIENCED THE GHOSTING, I LOOKED AT THE SAME OBJECTS FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE, AND THEY WERE CLEAR. *TR
THERE IS A SEVERE DIFFRACTION EFFECT THROUGH THE LAMINATED WINDSHIELD. BRIGHT LIGHTS ARE TRIPLED. THIS IS LIKELY CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE PLASTIC LAYER BETWEEN THE GLASS. IT IS VERY DISTRACTING, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. *TR
WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT I NOTICE THAT ON-COMING LIGHTS (BOTH FROM ON-COMING CARS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS) ARE DISTORTED SO THAT THERE IS A TRIPLE IMAGE, WITH DUPLICATE IMAGES BOTH ABOVE AND BELOW THE ACTUAL LIGHT SOURCE. THESE DUPLICATE IMAGES GET CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE ORIGINAL LIGHT SOURCE AS THE VEHICLE GETS CLOSER TO THE LIGHT SOURCE. *TR
PURCHASED 2013 TOYOTA PRIUS NEW, WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT THERE IS A GHOST OR PRISM EFFECT THROUGH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. THIS IS ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE WITH THE HEADLIGHTS OF OTHER VEHICLES, THEY ARE DOUBLED OR TRIPLED STACKED ON TOP OF THE ONE HEADLIGHT. ALSO VERY NOTICEABLE WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC HEADLIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS. TRAFFIC SIGNALS, ESPECIALLY THE RED STOP LIGHT AND THE GREEN GO LIGHT, THERE WILL BE ONE LIGHT WITH A GHOST IMAGE ABOVE AND BELOW. THIS IS VERY DISTRACTING, CREATES HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND MAKES IT HARD TO ESTIMATE DISTANCES AND AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME (5-10 MINUTES) BECOMES A STRAIN ON THE EYES. *TR
THIS PRIUS HAS FOGGINESS IN THE WINDSHIELD WHICH APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT CAUSED DURING THE TEMPERING PROCESS OF THE GLASS. *TR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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