Windshield Replacement

I've heard this a few times on PC. But where did this information come from? I couldn't finds it in Toyota

 

I've heard the glass is thinner but I've never seen it written anywhere ?

 

Toyota Black Ops. Shhhhh!

 

I thought it was one of those urban legend thingies.

 

Best we keep it that way. You never know who reads these threads? nghh

 

My poor 2016 Prius -- just purchased in November -- has a HUGE crack across the windshield. I've been driving cars for nearly 50 years and have never seen anything like it. Cracks yes, but cracks this big and this deep, no (when I touch it inside, I feel the edges and little crumbles of glass come off on my fingers). I just called my insurance company and it's part of our Comprehensive coverage, so $500 deductible. They recommended a local glass shop that checked and they'll have to buy the glass from Toyota (thank goodness, actually), but the price is $800. So, our first claim. I also worry that it won't be put together correctly -- we've been keeping this car so pristine, and now it's SO awful. My husband said he was behind a truck on the interstate and the truck flipped up a stick -- it created a bullet-hole crack and within seconds it had spread across the whole front of the car in all directions.
is there a way to to get Toyota to address this problem with some sort of recall? Now that I see this seems to be a widespread problem, we can't afford to keep replacing these things.

UPDATE: I just called Toyota Customer Service (1-800-331-4331). They took down the information and said this is exactly how they learn about issues that may demand warranty enhancements or recalls. So I encourage everyone affected to do the same and let them know what is going on.

 

Did you have to provide photos of proof to Toyota or anything?

 

No, they didn't ask for photos, though I plan to take them tomorrow and will post. They did take my VIN number and all contact information.

UPDATE: Toyota called today and said they are investigating and wanted photos. I would suggest others that have had windshield problems should call the number above. Toyota said they need customers to help them in cases like these. They won't know unless they hear from us.

IMG_0115 by DPConno posted Mar 24, 2017 at 1:19 PM

 

I had a chip filled in on my windshield. Hoping that that is the end of that.

 

i feel your grief. was it bad luck? was it expected given the size and speed of the rock?

 

Don't know. Found it when I was washing the car.

 

Definitely road gravel of some type. Where it hit, one usually won't hear it. You only will see it as the stress fractures grow. Hopefully insurance will have some type of deductible. Mine did on my Scion XB. XB's are notorious for windshield issues.

 

I had one replaced years ago in Ohio (a Ford Fairmont, if that helps you know how long ago), one replaced here in FL which was a 2005 Prius, and another one fixed here which was our other '05 Prius. Never paid a deductible. Safelite did the Prius glass replacement in our parking lot at work and did a great job.

AFAIK, both OH and FL require the insurance to pay for the replacement/repair in full for safety reasons. They don't want people driving around with broken windshields for some reason.

 

Here in Colorado Farmers offers a "deductible buy-down" to a $100 deductible for windshield replacement, which I opted for right after the first windshield broke. My regular comp deductible is $500, so for $44 a year I save $400 on a new windshield. Got to use it a few months ago, it made the second windshield replacement a bit less painful. Seems like a great deal for me, not sure why Farmers offers it so cheap but I'm not complaining.

 

Got lucky today, a small tiny rock crack my winshield while driving off interstate highway...perhaps very thin winshield??

 

Hey Everyone! 2016 Prius Four here with Advanced Tech Package. Just had my windshield replaced after a huge crack ran through the entire windshield. Right in my line of sight of my HUD. Have Liberty Mutual insurance and got the glass replaced by Safelite. Since the car was less than as year old, they gave me the Toyota glass. And I suspect its because I had HUD too. $500 deductible later, I have a new windshield. However, just called my local dealer and they want $410 to re-calibrate my camera (lane departure, pre-collision, etc). Liberty Mutual will reimburse me of the re-calibration fees.

I feel for everyone who has to have their windshield replaced....it's not a quick fix or cheap expense.

 

Is that a typical charge, or should it be covered with the glass replacement, or does it need to be adjusted at all?

 

Some Safelite locations offer camera re-calibrations that gets billed to your insurance. Since I had a mobile windshield replacement, I could not take advantage of this service. And I am taking my car in anyways for my 10K Toyota Care, so figured the dealer could do this for me while the car was there.

I personally have not noticed any changes in the way the lane departure warning alerts have been sensing or have had to utilize the pre-collision detection. But I'd rather be safe than sorry. And Liberty Mutual ultimately is covering the cost for me, so I am just going to get it done.

 

Add me to the list of 2016 Prius owners who are less than impressed with the quality of this glass. I have driven for 25 years and yes, I've taken a few rocks to the windshield in my day, but have never seen anything like this like you'll see in the picture. From what I can tell, a very small pebble might have hit me. There is a really small point of impact(?) that I can feel with my finger on the outside top of the windshield, but the crack just grew about half an inch each day since. Safelite says the replacement would be approx. $900 and even with a $500 deductible with my insurance, I am not a fan of having to put this kind of money out on a car that I bought brand new less than a year ago especially if this is likely to happen again.

For everyone here who has had this issue, PLEASE call 1-800-331-4331. Report the issue to Toyota. I did so and was told they won't do anything for me nor do they put stock in online complaints, but if every one of you reports this issue to them via phone, maybe someone will take notice. I've been loyal to Toyota for 15 years now and this is my 4th Prius, but I'm telling you, if this issue doesn't get addressed, I'll just buy a different car next time. I may be loyal, but I'm not stupid.

 

Yikes!! Welcome to the forum, Ian. Sorry that it's with such bad news. Sounds like Toyota better start checking into this.

BTW, I found this page dealing with the variations in state laws on windshield replacements. It's copyrighted 2013 but doesn't say if it's been updated.
Free Windshield Replacement: requirements, eligibility, laws

There are lots of things I don't like about Florida, but this one helps with the sting a little. We've had one replaced and one repaired here. No charge for either.