Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | |||
| 02/25/2013 | 6232 | ||
| Windshield produces blurry vision or duplicated images at night. taillights and street lights are shown in multiples of two or three. extended driving beyond 20 minutes causes eye fatigue and also distorted gauge of distance. | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 100 | ||
| When driving at night i have an issue where the light source from headlights have a rainbow affect. also tail lights are seen three times for every one light. ie. center brake light is illuminated on vehicle in front of me, there is a replicated light above and below the actual light. this is also an issue with traffic lights as there are 3 distinct lights for every one light. this may also be referred to ghosting. | |||
| 03/03/2013 | 300 | ||
| New 2012 toyota prius plug-in. visibility through front windshield is blurry - particularly noticeable at night when light sources are viewed through the windshield. light sources produce multiple images (up to two additional) below the original light source. problem is also noticeable during daylight hours, particularly during cloudy conditions. ghosting effect worse at a distance, does not seem to occur when light source is very close to vehicle (for example within 10 feet). ghosting effect is quite noticeable at night. i am worried that the problem may cause headaches, visual fatigue, and accidents. | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 100 | ||
| When driving at night i have an issue where the light source from headlights have a rainbow affect. also tail lights are seen three times for every one light. ie. center brake light is illuminated on vehicle in front of me, there is a replicated light above and below the actual light. this is also an issue with traffic lights as there are 3 distinct lights for every one light. this may also be referred to ghosting. | |||
| 03/03/2013 | 300 | ||
| New 2012 toyota prius plug-in. visibility through front windshield is blurry - particularly noticeable at night when light sources are viewed through the windshield. light sources produce multiple images (up to two additional) below the original light source. problem is also noticeable during daylight hours, particularly during cloudy conditions. ghosting effect worse at a distance, does not seem to occur when light source is very close to vehicle (for example within 10 feet). ghosting effect is quite noticeable at night. i am worried that the problem may cause headaches, visual fatigue, and accidents. | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 100 | ||
| When driving at night i have an issue where the light source from headlights have a rainbow affect. also tail lights are seen three times for every one light. ie. center brake light is illuminated on vehicle in front of me, there is a replicated light above and below the actual light. this is also an issue with traffic lights as there are 3 distinct lights for every one light. this may also be referred to ghosting. | |||
| 03/03/2013 | 300 | ||
| New 2012 toyota prius plug-in. visibility through front windshield is blurry - particularly noticeable at night when light sources are viewed through the windshield. light sources produce multiple images (up to two additional) below the original light source. problem is also noticeable during daylight hours, particularly during cloudy conditions. ghosting effect worse at a distance, does not seem to occur when light source is very close to vehicle (for example within 10 feet). ghosting effect is quite noticeable at night. i am worried that the problem may cause headaches, visual fatigue, and accidents. | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 100 | ||
| When driving at night i have an issue where the light source from headlights have a rainbow affect. also tail lights are seen three times for every one light. ie. center brake light is illuminated on vehicle in front of me, there is a replicated light above and below the actual light. this is also an issue with traffic lights as there are 3 distinct lights for every one light. this may also be referred to ghosting. | |||
| 03/03/2013 | 300 | ||
| New 2012 toyota prius plug-in. visibility through front windshield is blurry - particularly noticeable at night when light sources are viewed through the windshield. light sources produce multiple images (up to two additional) below the original light source. problem is also noticeable during daylight hours, particularly during cloudy conditions. ghosting effect worse at a distance, does not seem to occur when light source is very close to vehicle (for example within 10 feet). ghosting effect is quite noticeable at night. i am worried that the problem may cause headaches, visual fatigue, and accidents. | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 100 | ||
| When driving at night i have an issue where the light source from headlights have a rainbow affect. also tail lights are seen three times for every one light. ie. center brake light is illuminated on vehicle in front of me, there is a replicated light above and below the actual light. this is also an issue with traffic lights as there are 3 distinct lights for every one light. this may also be referred to ghosting. | |||
| 03/03/2013 | 300 | ||
| New 2012 toyota prius plug-in. visibility through front windshield is blurry - particularly noticeable at night when light sources are viewed through the windshield. light sources produce multiple images (up to two additional) below the original light source. problem is also noticeable during daylight hours, particularly during cloudy conditions. ghosting effect worse at a distance, does not seem to occur when light source is very close to vehicle (for example within 10 feet). ghosting effect is quite noticeable at night. i am worried that the problem may cause headaches, visual fatigue, and accidents. | |||
| 12/03/2012 | 200 | ||
| 2012 prius has serious defect in the windshield lamination. bright light sources are tripled at night. a ghost image appears above and below the original light source. light sources may be, headlights, taillights, signal lights, and even reflected lights off certain road signs. as you approach the light source, the two ghost images will merge into the primary light source. the safety hazard are extreme eye fatigue at night, and severe visual distortion that is directly related to the brightness of the light source. | |||
| 11/30/2012 | 12400 | 1 | |
| Design of car includes a flaw causing a huge vertical blindspot on both the right and left side of the car. because there is a bar that runs vertical on both sides at the beginning of the driver and front passengers' windows, this, along with the pillar coming down the windshield contribute to an extremely large spot where objects in road cannot be seen. this is especially hazardous for pedestrian foot-traffic crossing perpendicular to the car. peds in crosswalks or in parking lots are at times, completely masked by this blind spot by the combination of the front windshield pillars and front window sub-pillars. other cars (such as honda insight) with a dramatically angled windshield avoid this by using a smaller sub-pillar on the front window, allowing for things to be seen far more easily. this issue should be addressed before it causes a pedestrian injury or death. this is not something that can be repaired. *tr | |||
| 11/30/2012 | 12400 | ||
| Design of car includes a flaw causing a huge vertical blindspot on both the right and left side of the car. because there is a bar that runs vertical on both sides at the beginning of the driver and front passengers' windows, this, along with the pillar coming down the windshield contribute to an extremely large spot where objects in road cannot be seen. this is especially hazardous for pedestrian foot-traffic crossing perpendicular to the car. peds in crosswalks or in parking lots are at times, completely masked by this blind spot by the combination of the front windshield pillars and front window sub-pillars. other cars (such as honda insight) with a dramatically angled windshield avoid this by using a smaller sub-pillar on the front window, allowing for things to be seen far more easily. this issue should be addressed before it causes a pedestrian injury or death. this is not something that can be repaired | |||
| 12/10/2012 | 1 | ||
| Brand new prius 2012 while driving at night, lights, especially red in color, when viewed from front windshield, appear as three distinct images. one dark image along with two faint image one above and one below the dark one. i got the car in nov end, reported the issue in dec 17 to toyota, then went to dealer before christmas. technician there acknowledged the issue and ordered a new glass. windshield was replaced on 11 jan but saw the same issue, technician test drove the car and acknowledged the issue is still there. toyota rep will come and look into the issue. it is a major safety issue as sometimes there are lots of red tail lights ahead. i see lot of people have reported the issue ......below are odi id number for prius 2012. seems like common problem. not sure if toyota is waiting for accidents to happen because of this issue before fixing it. odi id number : 10490622 odi id number : 10485390 odi id number : 10485239 odi id number : 10483605 odi id number : 10483561 odi id number : 10482102 odi id number : 10479684. *tr | |||
| 12/10/2012 | |||
| Brand new pruis 2012 while driving at night, lights, especially red in color, when viewed from front windshield, appear as three distinct images. one dark image along with two faint image one above and one below the dark one. i got the car in nov end, reported the issue in dec 17 to toyota, then went to dealer before christmas. technician there acknowledged the issue and ordered a new glass. windshield was replaced on 11 jan but saw the same issue, technician test drove the car and acknowledged the issue is still there. toyota rep will come and look into the issue. it is a major safety issue as sometimes there are lots of red tail lights ahead. i see lot of people have reported the issue ......below are odi id number for prius 2012. seems like common problem. not sure if toyota is waiting for accidents to happen because of this issue before fixing it. odi id number : 10490622 odi id number : 10485390 odi id number : 10485239 odi id number : 10483605 odi id number : 10483561 odi id number : 10482102 odi id number : 10479684 | |||
| 10/29/2012 | 3500 | ||
| While driving at night, all lights, especially red in color, which are viewed from front windshield, appear as three distinct images. the source light, then a distinct shadowed light above and below the source. this safety issue is extremely compounded when driving at night in high traffic situations where there are hundrends of tailights in front of me. all those lights are essentially trippled causing confusion and distraction. toyota refuses to aknowlege the issue. through research, i have found that this is a common issue with many frustrated owners just living with it because toyota wont fix it. it is a huge safety issue. please help make toyota rectify this huge safety issue before it causes preventable accidents!! | |||
| 05/02/2012 | |||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2012 toyota prius. the contact stated that she noticed that when the lights were viewed through the windshield, there was an abnormal prism effect. the contact also stated that there was an image located above and below the actual light source that occurred with all light sources such as headlights, tail lights, street lights, traffic lights, etc. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where a technician advised that no repairs were needed and that the issue was not a defect but rather a characteristic of the vehicle. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 7,200. kmj | |||
| 10/25/2012 | 2 | ||
| Brand new 2012 prius driving out of the dealership at night, noticed a rather bothersome trait: lights viewed through the windshield have a prism effect where there is a ghost image located above and below the actual light source. i wanted to know if this was defective windshield, or just how the prius is due to the very low angle of the windshield. it is definitely a prism type effect as it differs by color, and as you approach the light source, the ghost images merge into the single image. this happens with all light sources, the sun (worst of all), headlights, tail lights,street lights, traffic lights, etc. when driving at night this ghosting of the light sources is really distracting and makes it look like you are looking at a blurred image. nothing is crisp or clear. it's bad enough that my wife and i are not driving the car at night and using another vehicle. we have had others in the car to confirm the issue. i have contacted the dealer with the issue and they have yet to reply... | |||
| 05/02/2012 | |||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2012 toyota prius. while driving at different speeds the contact stated she noticed a bothersome trait where the lights viewed through the windshield had a prism effect. the contact also stated there was a image located above and below the actual light source that occurs with all light sources such as headlights, tail lights,street lights, traffic lights, etc. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where a technician stated no repairs were needed and it was not a defect rather a characteristic of the vehicle. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 7,200. dr | |||
| 10/25/2012 | 2 | ||
| Brand new 2012 prius driving out of the dealership at night, noticed a rather bothersome trait: lights viewed through the windshield have a prism effect where there is a ghost image located above and below the actual light source. i wanted to know if this was defective windshield, or just how the prius is due to the very low angle of the windshield. it is definitely a prism type effect as it differs by color, and as you approach the light source, the ghost images merge into the single image. this happens with all light sources, the sun (worst of all), headlights, tail lights,street lights, traffic lights, etc. when driving at night this ghosting of the light sources is really distracting and makes it look like you are looking at a blurred image. nothing is crisp or clear. it's bad enough that my wife and i are not driving the car at night and using another vehicle. we have had others in the car to confirm the issue. i have contacted the dealer with the issue and they have yet to reply... | |||
| 11/01/2012 | 1 | ||
| The windshield has a serious optical illusion during night time driving. the windshield creates a ghost image of the original light source - the ghost image appears above and below the original light source. for example, at night the red traffic light will have a ghost image of the red light above and below it, ultimately showing three red lights (ghost image(1), original light(2), and another ghost image (3)). this can also be seen with the yellow and green traffic lights, oncoming car headlights, brake lights, street lights, and pedestrian walk signs. *tr | |||
| 03/08/2012 | 170 | 1 | |
| Vehicle windshield has an apparent critical defect in production. light passing through the windshield is replicated above and below the source of light. as light source becomes more distant, light is replicated 2, 3, or 4 times more than its source (as distance increases). this creates a major hazard during night driving and driving when the sun is low enough in the sky where it can be seen through the windshield. in some cases, the effect is blinding. i have found this to be a major safety hazard and one that could result in injury or fatality. more recently, after the time change, i have been leaving for work when the sun is lower in the sky and this creates a blinding effect. i have had two near misses in the past two days because of this. i am also having to drive home in the dark which is dangerous as oncoming headlights are amplified in intensity and can appear to be as if the oncoming lights are high-beams. this issue has existed since i took delivery of the new car and when talking to the selling dealer, i am continually brushed off and have yet to have it fixed or even looked at. dealership personnel admit they have heard of the issue, but cannot provide information as to the fix or how toyota is dealing with these complaints. at this point, with two near misses recently, i see the car as being unsafe for driving. i will be contacting toyota to file a complaint regarding this issue. i will also be contacting the dealership management to arrange drop off of the car until it can be made safe to drive. in my own research, i have found numerous complaints detailing the same issues online and a couple videos showing the exact same issues. one such source is: http://priuschat.com/threads/2011-prius-windshield-triples-light-source-images.100008/ and a video is available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fjsqpu1-axi. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2012 | 1 | ||
| The windshield has a serious optical illusion during night time driving. the windshield creates a ghost image of the original light source - the ghost image appears above and below the original light source. for example, at night the red traffic light will have a ghost image of the red light above and below it, ultimately showing three red lights (ghost image(1), original light(2), and another ghost image (3)). this can also be seen with the yellow and green traffic lights, oncoming car headlights, brake lights, street lights, and pedestrian walk signs. *tr | |||
| 03/08/2012 | 170 | 1 | |
| Vehicle windshield has an apparent critical defect in production. light passing through the windshield is replicated above and below the source of light. as light source becomes more distant, light is replicated 2, 3, or 4 times more than its source (as distance increases). this creates a major hazard during night driving and driving when the sun is low enough in the sky where it can be seen through the windshield. in some cases, the effect is blinding. i have found this to be a major safety hazard and one that could result in injury or fatality. more recently, after the time change, i have been leaving for work when the sun is lower in the sky and this creates a blinding effect. i have had two near misses in the past two days because of this. i am also having to drive home in the dark which is dangerous as oncoming headlights are amplified in intensity and can appear to be as if the oncoming lights are high-beams. this issue has existed since i took delivery of the new car and when talking to the selling dealer, i am continually brushed off and have yet to have it fixed or even looked at. dealership personnel admit they have heard of the issue, but cannot provide information as to the fix or how toyota is dealing with these complaints. at this point, with two near misses recently, i see the car as being unsafe for driving. i will be contacting toyota to file a complaint regarding this issue. i will also be contacting the dealership management to arrange drop off of the car until it can be made safe to drive. in my own research, i have found numerous complaints detailing the same issues online and a couple videos showing the exact same issues. one such source is: http://priuschat.com/threads/2011-prius-windshield-triples-light-source-images.100008/ and a video is available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fjsqpu1-axi. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2012 | |||
| The windshield has a serious optical illusion during night time driving. the windshield creates a ghost image of the original light source - the ghost image appears above and below the original light source. for example, at night the red traffic light will have a ghost image of the red light above and below it, ultimately showing three red lights (ghost image(1), original light(2), and another ghost image (3)). this can also be seen with the yellow and green traffic lights, oncoming car headlights, brake lights, street lights, and pedestrian walk signs. | |||
| 03/08/2012 | 170 | ||
| Vehicle windshield has an apparent critical defect in production. light passing through the windshield is replicated above and below the source of light. as light source becomes more distant, light is replicated 2, 3, or 4 times more than its source (as distance increases). this creates a major hazard during night driving and driving when the sun is low enough in the sky where it can be seen through the windshield. in some cases, the effect is blinding. i have found this to be a major safety hazard and one that could result in injury or fatality. more recently, after the time change, i have been leaving for work when the sun is lower in the sky and this creates a blinding effect. i have had two near misses in the past two days because of this. i am also having to drive home in the dark which is dangerous as oncoming headlights are amplified in intensity and can appear to be as if the oncoming lights are high-beams. this issue has existed since i took delivery of the new car and when talking to the selling dealer, i am continually brushed off and have yet to have it fixed or even looked at. dealership personnel admit they have heard of the issue, but cannot provide information as to the fix or how toyota is dealing with these complaints. at this point, with two near misses recently, i see the car as being unsafe for driving. i will be contacting toyota to file a complaint regarding this issue. i will also be contacting the dealership management to arrange drop off of the car until it can be made safe to drive. in my own research, i have found numerous complaints detailing the same issues online and a couple videos showing the exact same issues. one such source is: http://priuschat.com/threads/2011-prius-windshield-triples-light-source-images.100008/ and a video is available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fjsqpu1-axi | |||
| 10/24/2012 | 1 | ||
| There is a ghosting image seen through the front windshield on my new 2012 toyota prius ii that is affecting night time driving and the visibility of lights, especially red lights. when you are operating the vehicle at night and you approach a light there is a ghost image of the light above and below the actual light source until you get within a few feet of the light source then it disappears. this is becoming a safety issue for myself as well as many other 2012 prius owners that i have talked to about this. i have 20/20 vision with no need for glasses and this is beginning to cause a strain on my vision, as i imagine for others an even greater strain. i have heard of many others even having two ghost images below and above the light source. below is how it would look. ghost image of light actual light source ghost image of light *tr | |||
| 10/24/2012 | |||
| There is a ghosting image seen through the front windshield on my new 2012 toyota prius ii that is affecting night time driving and the visibility of lights, especially red lights. when you are operating the vehicle at night and you approach a light there is a ghost image of the light above and below the actual light source until you get within a few feet of the light source then it disappears. this is becoming a safety issue for myself as well as many other 2012 prius owners that i have talked to about this. i have 20/20 vision with no need for glasses and this is beginning to cause a strain on my vision, as i imagine for others an even greater strain. i have heard of many others even having two ghost images below and above the light source. below is how it would look. ghost image of light actual light source ghost image of light | |||
| 08/08/2012 | 75 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2012 toyota prius. the contact stated that the dashboard reflected onto the side view mirrors, blocking the contact's visibility. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who refused to assist him since they were unable to alter the vehicle design. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 75 and the current mileage was 4,000. | |||
| 08/08/2012 | 75 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2012 toyota prius. the contact stated that the dashboard reflected onto the side view mirrors, blocking the contact's visibility. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who refused to assist him since they were unable to alter the vehicle design. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 75 and the current mileage was 4,000. kmj | |||
| 08/08/2012 | 75 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2012 toyota prius v. the contact stated that the dash board reflects onto the side view mirrors blocking his visibility. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who refuse to assist him since they were unable to alter the vehicle design. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 75 and the current mileage was 4,000. pm | |||
| 10/05/2012 | 200 | 1 | |
| There is a triple effect in visibility when a light source (eg oncoming traffic headlights) fall on the windshield. this issue is evident from all angles and both front seats. has a distracting and a straining effect on the eyes. feels like wearing bi-focal glasses. *tr | |||
| 10/05/2012 | 200 | ||
| There is a triple effect in visibility when a light source (eg oncoming traffic headlights) fall on the windshield. this issue is evident from all angles and both front seats. has a distracting and a straining effect on the eyes. feels like wearing bi-focal glasses. | |||
| 07/14/2012 | 5000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2012 toyota prius. while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed that the auto dimming rear view mirror failed to function correctly and would not dim the lights from other vehicles in the rear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the contact stated that he believed the spoiler on the hatch back would cast a shadow on the dimming sensor and prevent the mirror from dimming. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 5,000. | |||
| 07/14/2012 | 5000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2012 toyota prius. while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed that the auto dimming rear view mirror failed to function correctly and would not dim the lights from other vehicles in the rear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the contact stated that he believed the spoiler on the hatch back would cast a shadow on the dimming sensor and prevent the mirror from dimming. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 5,000. kmj | |||
| 07/14/2012 | 5000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2012 toyota prius. while driving at different speeds the contact noticed the auto dimming rear view mirror failed to function correctly and did not dim the lights from other vehicles in the rear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the contact stated he believed the spoiler on the hatch back would cast a shadow on the dimming sensor and prevent the mirror from dimming. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 5,000. da | |||
| 03/28/2012 | 1500 | 1 | |
| There are very dangerous blind spots on both rear driver and passenger sides of the toyota prius v . vehicles located near the mid to rear of the car can not be seen in mirrors or by glancing over the shoulder when changing lanes. i have had numerous near collisions due to this design defect. i have brought this to the attention of the toyota corporation and the local dealership and have had no co-operation in dealing with this safety hazard. i am a very experienced driver an never had an accident that was my fault in my 50 years of driving. any assistance you can provide for this very dangerous situation will be greatly welcomed. this condition is an accident waiting to happen! [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr | |||
| 03/28/2012 | 1500 | ||
| There are very dangerous blind spots on both rear driver and passenger sides of the toyota prius v . vehicles located near the mid to rear of the car can not be seen in mirrors or by glancing over the shoulder when changing lanes. i have had numerous near collisions due to this design defect. i have brought this to the attention of the toyota corporation and the local dealership and have had no co-operation in dealing with this safety hazard. i am a very experienced driver an never had an accident that was my fault in my 50 years of driving. any assistance you can provide for this very dangerous situation will be greatly welcomed. this condition is an accident waiting to happen! sincerely joseph r johnson | |||