2015 Toyota Prius Wipers & Visibility Problems

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, THE SUNROOF GLASS EXPLODED. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE NOT INJURED SINCE THE SUNROOF WAS CLOSED. I NOTED THAT THERE WERE MANY SIMILAR REPORTS. SURPRISED THIS WAS NOT A RECALL ACTION.

I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE GOING 70 MILES AN HOUR IN THE LEFT LANE. I WANTED TO CHANGE TO THE RIGHT LANE, PUT ON MY TURN SIGNAL, CHECKED BOTH MIRRORS, AND STARTED TO PULL OVER WHEN A HORN BLEW, I DID NOT SEE A CAR IN THE RIGHT LANE AS THE PRIUS HAS A TERRIBLE BLIND SPOT. THIS HAS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES. NOT GOOD I MISSED HITTING THE VEHICLE BE MERE INCHES.

TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED BETWEEN KANSAS CITY AND ST. LOUIS(55-70 MPH, HIGH WIND, 60-70 DEGREES AND RAIN, WIPERS ON CONSTANT HIGH BETWEEN ONE HOUR TO ONE AND QUARTER HOURS OF DRIVING, WIPERS STOPPED WORKING, BLADES POINTING STRAIGHT UP. CHECKED FOR OBSTRUCTION AND TRIED TO MOVE BLADE/ARMS NO CHANGE. AFTER ABOUT 15-30 MINUTES THEY STARTED WORKING AGAIN ON THERE OWN, (VERY UPSET HARD TO PINPOINT TIME). USED INTERMITTENT MOSTLY AND LOW AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE FOR NEXT THREE HOURS OF DRIVING WITH NO PROBLEM, (SWITCHED TO HIGH WIPERS ONCE OR TWICE FOR LESS THAN 30 SECONDS EACH TIME). REAR WASHER/WIPER WAS FINE AND FRONT WASHER WORKED WHEN PROBLEM WAS PRESENT. VERY SCARY DRIVING EVEN AFTER THEY STARTED WORKING NOT KNOWING IF THEY WOULD STOP AGAIN. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER TWO DAYS LATER AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE CONDITION AND RETURNED VEHICLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS DISTORTED AND MADE VISIBILITY DIFFICULT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE DISTORTION WAS CONFIRMED; HOWEVER, A TECHNICIAN FROM THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE WINDSHIELD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS; HOWEVER, ALL REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE DISTORTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000. UPDATED 10/18/16*LJ *TR

THE DRIVER CANNOT SEE ANY PART OF THE FRONT OF THE CAR. IN MOST CARS, THE DRIVER CAN SEE ENOUGH OF THE HOOD AND FRONT FENDERS TO JUDGE HOW CLOSE THE CAR IS OTHER OBJECTS (CARS, WALLS, PEDESTRIANS, ETC.), BUT IN THE PRIUS, EVEN THOUGH I AM OVER 6 FEET TALL, I CANNOT SEE ANY PART OF THE HOOD OR FRONT FENDERS. WITH THAT LACK OF PERSPECTIVE, I SCRAPED THE LEFT FENDER AGAINST A PARKING LOT WALL. BUT THAT SAME LACK OF PERSPECTIVE COULD RESULT IN HITTING A PEDESTRIAN.