247 of the
15,583 complaints filed about the Toyota Prius
are about the glass, mirrors and wipers —
2% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2016.
247
Complaints
2%
Share of all complaints
3
Crashes
1
Fires
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers complaints by model year
- Windshield washer fluid reservoir level going low. It is available for inspection. - Safety concern: No liquid to wipe off windshield particles, dirt that may hinder driver visibility. - The issue was brought up to Jaymee of South Coast Toyota, Costa Mesa CA when Prius was taken for delivery May 16,2026. Request to top off made but not performed by dealer on same date. Per Jaymee, dealer top off liquid. - Personally filled reservoir 3 times only to see fluid level to go down. No liquid noticed underneath the Prius. - Further communicated issue with Jaymee and decided to make appointment with Tustin Toyota, Tustin CA., since Prius is under warranty. - May 30, 2026 Tustin Toyota: Prius brought in to dealership to check issue. Per report none found and did stress test. Had discussion with Bobby Ramirez-service manager. Per Bobby, they could not find anything wrong ??? - Toyota headquarters in Texas has been notified and spoke to Austin. He said a case has been opened and will get back to me this week of June 8th.
NHTSA complaint #11742600 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Design of rear window, side mirrors and large rear pillar greatly reduce the visibility and checking of blind spot if you are a taller person. Blind spot electronic detection can not be trusted as it's performance is intermittent. Solution would be for Toyota of retrofit electronic mirror feature like installed in the Limited version of this car. This feature has live rear view camera enabled on the rearview mirror at all times. Prius without this feature is very dangerous to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11697031 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11656375 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I started noticing the ghosting or tripling of light issue in my windshield. I mostly noticed this during night times, I initially thought I was just tired and my eyes were tired, but I’ve been able to photograph it and verify my experience with other people. This effect is horrible for my eyesight and makes all lights at night so blurry I cannot drive safely.
NHTSA complaint #11631087 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Background: Nothing failed or malfunctioned. There is no incident. This reports describes a design defect that puts the driver at risk. The dealer has acknowledged that the cars performs this way and says it cannot be fixed. Toyota customer service says this is how the car operates and short of a recall will do nothing about it. Problem: When the headlights are turned on, the dash and screen become so dim that they are only visible at night. If it is necessary to turn the lights on during the day, the screen and dash are too dim to read. There needs to be some way to set the brightness such that it overrides the nighttime setting. Driving with the lights on all the time is considered safer (and it is the law if it is raining out). This defect means the driver has to choose between having the lights on and being able to consistently see the dash and screen.
NHTSA complaint #11622305 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This happened about 3 weeks ago. I drove to work on local roads with no incidents of debris hitting windshield - no visible cracks. After my shift I spotted about a three foot crack in the middle of windshield leading down to passenger side. No warnings or symptoms of a problem. Although car is 2019, I have less than 16000 miles on it & most of my driving is highway & local roads. I’ve read that 2016-2017 Prius had this issue with lawsuit pending which also stated safety concerns over early warning detection system failing due to windshield cracks. Toyota (on phone) said it would cost 1200 to replace. I bought the extended warranty but it doesn’t cover the windshield. No inspection done except by coworkers.
NHTSA complaint #11539346 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I reported issues with this car in 2018. Clicking sounds under the car which is still happening, peeling paint on exterior and inside door areas, substandard windshield that spread in a very unusual pattern when hit by a small rock. The NHTSA ID Number that was assigned to these complaints is [XXX] . None of these problems have been addressed. There are other owners that have experienced the same problems, apparently their issues have not been addressed. These problems should have been sent by you to the Toyota Corporation, but apparently was not. I have owned many Toyota vehicles and have not experienced these problems. I also own a 2012 Toyota Prius which I drive when I when I am traveling on the interstate, because I feel that the clicking noises on the 2016 Toyota Prius is a safety issue that seems to be coming from the steering section underneath the car. When traveling the speed limit on the on Interstate highways, what would be the outcome if the steering mechanisms underneath the car did not work properly. It is a shame that this safety issue has not been addressed by you, and it is also a shame that I have to drive my older toyota at these times to feel safer when driving. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11535013 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The glass sunroof spontaneously exploded or imploded. There was a loud popping sound and I looked up at the sunroof, and it was shattered. glass started falling on me as I was driving on the highway. There have been many reported cases of this happening found online. https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/toyota-owners-should-be-aware-of-reported-exploding-sunroof-risk/ It has not been inspected yet. no warning messages.
NHTSA complaint #11526364 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH, the front windshield became foggy while driving at night. The contact stated that the defogger was operational; however, there was an extended period before the windshield was cleared. The contact stated that the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that a dealer informed him that the windshields were made of cheap material. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
NHTSA complaint #11511560 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Started vehicle in driveway to warm up for a minute. Sitting in vehicle with front defrost turned on medium fan, 75 degrees settings. After a few minutes, while still in park, I heard the windshield crack and noticed that a 12-18 inch crack appeared from the bottom middle part of the windshield.
NHTSA complaint #11505174 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
At the beginning of this week, I was checking fluid levels and upon dropping my hood, I watched a crack in the windshield extend up from the base of the windshield. Then, while I was driving, I watched the crack extend and branch into a second crack. Upon further inspection, it appears cracking started under the windshield wiper and arched downward to the base of the windshield and another a new crack extend upward. I am the only person who drives this car. I do not park under a tree or anything that might fall on the windshield. I have not experienced any rocks hitting the windshield recently. I have not driven in the rain in several weeks. The only time the windshield wipers moved recently is when I cleaned my windshield over the weekend and lifted the wipers to reach underneath. Best as I can tell, the crack started due to the windshield wiper being picked up and let back down. This concerns me a great deal considering that is not a great amount of force.
NHTSA complaint #11475445 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The front windshield wiper no longer performs on high but does perform on the lower settings. We experienced very heavy rain yesterday for the first time in a while and needed the high setting to adequately visualize the road and vehicles. It once switched to high the wipers were inoperable and had to be reduced in speed to even function. This is a significant safety concern as it drastically compromises your visibility in heavy rain conditions, such as those we experienced. Yes it is available for inspection upon request.
NHTSA complaint #11462921 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving 60mph on highway and driver's side window spontaneously shattered and covered the driver, drive seat and floor, leaving only about 10 square inches that fell secondarily. There was no projectile that penetrated into the car at all, and no glass was projected over to passenger side as would be indicated if there had been a projectile.
NHTSA complaint #11444233 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Moments ago, I entered my 2016 Toyota Prius to find that my windshield had mysteriously cracked while parked over night. The crack was not present when I last drove the car last night. Based on some online research for windshield replacement cost, I've learned that Toyota was faced with a class action lawsuit regarding 2016-17 Toyota Prius containing defective windshields; in which these windshields are known to unexpectedly crack while parked or under ordinary driving conditions. Furthermore, my Toyota Prius is equipped with safety features (such as pre-collision system, lane departure alert with steering assist, automatic high beams and full-speed dynamic radar cruise control) that require a front camera to function properly. The cracked windshield now interferes with the camera's visibility, line of sight and perceived orientation, thus causing me to feel unsafe while driving the vehicle. I am filing this compliant because I am now faced with not only an unsafe vehicle to operate, but also the cost to fix a windshield that is known to be defective from Toyota.
NHTSA complaint #11437574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Windshield cracked from bottom to top and across while sitting and there was no evidence of a rock or chip that would cause that. Air temp was about 95 degrees. No rain, no impact, car was sitting parked and not running.
NHTSA complaint #11423594 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO REASON, WHILE IT WAS PARKED. THIS IS THE SECOND CRACK I GOTTEN ON MY WINDSHIELD FROM OWNING IT FOR 2 YEARS. THIS IS HIGHLY UNUSUAL, I DON'T DRIVE MY CAR VERY FAR, AND IT HAPPENED WHILE IT WAS PARKED.
NHTSA complaint #11406529 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11399109 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2016 PRIUS SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY DURING A RELATIVELY HOT DAY (~95 F TEMPERATURE), APPEARS TO HAVE A BIG CRACK. I LOOKED IT UP AND APPARENTLY TOYOTA IS UNDERGOING A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OVER THE SAME ISSUE. NO OUTSIDE DAMAGE TO THE WINDSHIELD, THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW WAS DOWN FOR THE REASON OF THE HEAT. SHAME THAT THIS HAPPENED. HOPEFULLY SOMEONE FROM THE AUTHORITY CAN HELP WITH THIS.
NHTSA complaint #11350840 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FOR THE SECOND TIME IN MY OWNERSHIP OF THIS TOYOTA 2016 PRIUS, THE WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED CONSIDERABLY DUE TO TINY ROAD DEBRIS MAKING CONTACT WITH IT. I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE HIGHWAY WHEN A SMALL PEBBLE FROM THE ROAD MADE CONTACT WITH MY WINDSHIELD CAUSING A CRACK WHICH HAS GROWN IN SIZE AND HAS SNAKED ALONG MY WINDSHIELD CONSIDERABLY SINCE THE CRACK OCCURRED EARLIER THIS WEEK (7/13/2020). THE TOTAL REPLACEMENT OF THE WINDSHIELD ALONG WITH THE CALIBRATION OF THE EQUIPPED ADS CAMERA SYSTEM IS VERY EXPENSIVE, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THAT THIS WILL BE THE SECOND TIME THAT I MUST REPLACE AND RE-CALIBRATE. ALTHOUGH I WOULD PREFER TO USE A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO DO SO AS THE ESTIMATED COST IS OVER $1K. WITH THE CURRENT STATE OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS, NO GLASS REPAIR COMPANIES IN MY VICINITY OFFER ANY OEM WINDSHIELDS AND THEY ARE HEAVILY INUNDATED WITH CLIENTS SO THE EARLIEST THAT I COULD GET A REPLACEMENT SERVICE WOULD BE AT THE END OF THIS MONTH. I FEAR THAT THE CRACK MAY FULLY SPREAD ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD AND THAT THE INTEGRITY OF THE WINDSHIELD MAY GIVE. AS A HEALTHCARE WORKER, I CANNOT AFFORD TO NOT USE MY VEHICLE.
NHTSA complaint #11339798 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.