2011 Prius - Windshield triples light source images

I was driving a rental Sienna in Nebraska last fall and a big truck coming the other way on a two lane road thru up a huge sumthin rather and did a thumb sized ding in the otherwise flawless windshield. It was a shame to ruin that glass

Mike

 

I presume you got the 3M film on the front end? I am so paranoid of dings on my Prius that she stays hidden away in the garage more than driven

Mike

 

I didn't actually get the 3M guard, I was worries that it might cause the paint to discolor at a slower rate than the rest of the car and that I might regret it down the road... plus I am broke

 

No doubt on the funds issue. I was watching my cash on the extras. I had the front end, mirrors & door handle cups done at Rudy's. Had to go back for rework but in the end the installer got it right. Window tint is next but I will find a super high end installer for that task. That has to be flawless the first time.

Mike

 

Hi Everyone-

I am one of the folks affected by the doubling/tripling/bifocal effect noticed on the non-2010 Gen 3 windshield (starting ~2011+, including the PHV). A few of us suspect that the issue could be stemming from a particular assembly plant.

If you could be so kind as to help us by filling out a few pieces of information (non-identifying!), it would be awesome. We need both those with and without the issue, so we can see if there is a correlation. If there is such a correlation, I'd love to present it to Toyota to get them to take the issue seriously and get some action going.

The spreadsheet is located here: Google Docs

The info I'm looking for is:

Your model (Standard or PHV)
Year (2011-2013s ONLY)
Your VIN (only the first 15 characters, I don't want it all unless you want to offer it up)
Whether you have noticed the windshield issue described here: 2011 Prius - Windshield triples light source images | PriusChat
Any comments you might have

Your participation would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!

 

I've got a VIN that doesn't match these codes, mine is "3". In researching this, it may fall under Tsutsumi's plant. In that case, it might appear that cars built there may have the issue, whereas the Fujimatsu cars do not. I have created a spreadsheet looking to gather this info to see if there is a correlation here. Gen 3 Windshield Issue - Do you have it?? | PriusChat - If there is a correlation, it will help us get Toyota to take the issue seriously and get a fix going. If you have a PHV, please fill this out, even those PHV owners without the issue should provide info as it will help narrow down whats going on here.

 

Makes sense there is a separate PHV assembly line. This document I posted was created before the PHV existed. Someone posted it in a thread I have no idea where it's at anymore

Mike

 

I have a 2012 PiP, my 3d Prius, and I never noticed anything at all. No VIN handy right now... it's midnight.

 

2011 Prius 3 here, no VIN, at work and the Prius is home in the garage (wife's car).

Original windshield had no noticeable problem, had the windshield replaced because something cracked it pretty bad while on the freeway. Replacement windshield, non-OEM is fine as well.

 

I have the glare but mine is a 2010.

 

I have a slight speckling/pitting of the windshield and side glass that the dealer says is normal for the Prius... not sure yet if I buy this...

 

I know the OP is asking for 2011+ and I have a 2010 but I have to ask, are any of you wearing glasses? I have not had an issue with light source images on my windshield until I had distance vision correction for my work safety glasses. I take the glasses off and the images disappear.

 

This has already been discussed in the threads about this problem. I do not wear corrective lenses, contacts, etc and have never had an issue with my eyes. This is not a problem with our vision here and Toyota actually acknowledges the issue, yet is calling it a "characteristic" of the car.

 

2011 Prius 2 and no windshield issues (Feb build date purchased in March 2011).

 

If you see or don't see the issue and have a 2011+ Prius or PHV/PIP, could you please provide a little info for my research? I'm hoping to determine if this issue is tied to a specific plant or not.

The form to enter the info is here: Spreadsheet on Google Docs

 

2011 build date Oct. 2011, no observed issues.

 

I am planning to be a new 2012 Prius III liftback owner and I am a bit disappointed to hear of this issue!!
I did some checking....I have not signed on the dotted line yet....

The 11th digit/character on the VIN being a '1' or '5' did not make any difference. I test drove these two cars this evening and had the sales person in the car with me to VERIFY that this occurrence is indeed true. I'm seriously re-thinking my option now after doing MUCH thinking since I often keep my cars > 7 years!! Can anyone provide any input?

The triple image is very noticeable. I tried to adjust my eye level height but it does not make any difference...but I did put my head down to almost the level of the dashboard and the prism almost disappeared. Anyway that does not change the situation....can't drive like that!!!

I do agree with the person who says it's probably better to live with the problem, maybe your eyes will get use to it after a while, actually, not your eyes, your brain! Having the windshield replaced can open up a whole CAN OF WORMS!!! A bad installation can result in a slow leak and '*uck' up your electrical system under the dash. That happened to me once. I don't need to be taught that lesson again!!!

 

I had one of the first PHVs to show up in the US in Feb/March and have been dealing with this issue since delivery. I can tell you I've never gotten used to it. I get headaches if I drive at night for more than 15 minutes because of the light issue. In addition, I do not feel safe driving at night because of the possibility of not seeing something in the road because of the blur/tripling issue. In the right conditions, light can be blinding as well.

If it was me, I'd hold off on it until Toyota gets it right... but that's just me. I had a 2010 and never had the issue and it really pisses me off that something like this is occurring and we're basically back to the same level of response that we got with the braking issue on the 2010s.

 

So it looks like this issue is not plant specific, however we can now prove to Toyota that this isn't just a "characteristic". We have numerous owners with and without the issue on the exact same model of car, same year, and even almost the same vin (off by a few digits, but same plant). This in a sense, proves there is a defect in the production of the glass, as not all glass is exhibiting like behavior. Thank you to those that have provided info. If anyone else cares to provide info (to help further reinforce our point), please see the spreadsheet at the top of the thread.