2005 Toyota Sequoia Wipers & Visibility Problems

ONE MORNING AROUND 11/20/2018, I NOTICED MY WINDOW SHIELD WAS CRACKED IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND SIDE. PASSENGERS SIDE. IT ALSO DEVELOPED STRANGE NOISES, RATTLING, IN THE DASHBOARD. I HAD HAD THE EVAPORATOR REPLACED, SO I TOOK IT BACK TO THE MECHANIC TO CHECK THE NOISE OUT. HE ADVISED THAT AFTER INSPECTION HE NOTICED THE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED AND LOOSE. IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE EVAPORATOR INSTALLATION. SO I NOW HAVE A CRACKED AND LOOSE WINDSHIELD, WITH NO ACCIDENT OR CRASH, NO ROCK HIT MY WINSHIELD. SO I SUSPECT IT WAS A BADLY INSTALLED WINDSHIEL. I NOTICED THIS WINSHIELD ONE MORNING WHILE STILL IN THE DRIVEWAY.

THE REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER AND WINDOW OPENER/CLOSER ON MY 2005 TOYOTA SEQUOIA STOPPED WORKING SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I APPROACHED TOYOTA ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS TOLD THAT ALTHOUGH THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM (AND A SAFETY ISSUE) THEY WOULD NOT FIX IT FOR FREE. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE $500 TO INSTALL A NEW MOTOR AND SENSOR. I HAVE SINCE TALKED TO NUMEROUS TOYOTA SERVICE TECHNICIANS WHO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. *TR

I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERING SUNROOFS. I UNDERSTAND THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED IN VARIOUS VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BY DIVERSE AUTO MANUFACTURERS. LAST WEEK I WAS VISITING MY DAUGHTER IN CALIFORNIA. WE WERE TRAVELING IN A 2005 TOYOTA SEQUOIA AT 70 MILES/HR WHEN SUDDENLY THERE WAS THE SOUND OF AN EXPLOSION OVERHEAD. THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO LURCH A BIT BUT I AM NOT SURE WHETHER THIS WAS FROM THE PRESSURE CHANGES WHEN THE SUNROOF EXPLODED OR WHETHER THE DRIVER MAY HAVE TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL SLIGHTLY IN RESPONSE TO THE EXPLOSION. WE EXITED THE HIGHWAY TO INSPECT THE TOP OF THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT THE SUNROOF WAS BROKEN IN A SYMMETRICAL FASHION WITH THE CENTRAL PORTION OF IT BLOWN OUT. THERE WAS IN RETROSPECT ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF GLASS IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SLIDING ROOF PANEL AND THE BROKEN SUNROOF WHICH WOULD INDICATE THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE GLASS WAS CARRIED AWAY IN THE AIR. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT ANYTHING HAD FALLEN ON THE VEHICLE. WE WERE NOT GOING UNDER AN OVERPASS AND NOT CLOSE TO ANY VEHICLES AHEAD OF US. ON REVIEWING THE INTERNET INFORMATION ON THIS PROBLEM IT DOES SEEM THAT IT IS NOT AN INFREQUENT OCCURRENCE AND PROBABLY THEIR ARE MANY CASES THAT GO UNREPORTED. MY SON IN LAW TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TOYOTA AND THEY INDICATED THAT THIS WAS AN ACQUIRED PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE AND WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY ANY WARRANTY. I BELIEVE HE IS GOING TO TOYOTA MANAGEMENT TO EXPLORE HAVING TOYOTA FIX THIS PROBLEM. I WRITE TO SUGGEST THAT THE NTSB PLACE AN ALERT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ASKING FOR INFORMATION ON THUSFAR UNREPORTED CASES OF SPONTANEOUS SHATTERING OF SUNROOFS. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS OCCURRENCE THAT COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENTS, INJURIES AND DEATH WERE THE EVENT TO OCCUR IN AN ADVERSE SCENARIO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. *TR

REAR WINDOW/WIPER AND DEFROST NOT WORKING AND REAR DOOR UNABLE TO OPEN TOOK SEQUOIA IN TO BE REPAIRED BEFORE WARRANTY EXPIRED AND WAS TOLD THAT THE REAR WINDOW MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED(8/2006) WINDOW WORKED FOR A SHORT TIME, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THIS WAS AFTER THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. IT WASN'T UNTIL THE DOOR WAS ENABLED TO BE OPENED THAT WE TOOK THE CAR IN. I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS GOING TO NEED TO REPLACE THE WINDOW MOTOR AGAIN, REPLACE THE ECU CHIP AND ALSO REPLACE THE DOOR HANDLE(APPROX $1,000) AFTER TALKING WITH THE SERVICE REP I WAS TOLD THAT A TSB MAY HAVE BEEN ISSUED ABOUT THE ECU AFTER I HAD MY CAR SERVICED ANT THAT THEY ROUTINELY DO NOT CHECK THE ECU UNLESS THEY HAVE AN IDEA THAT IT COULD BE CAUSING A PROBLEM. WELL AFTER LOOKING AT THE TSB THAT WAS ISSUED IN JUNE OF 2006 IT STATES THAT THE ECU SHOULD BE REPLACED. THE TSB HAD BEEN ISSUED BEFORE MY WARRANTY EXPIRED!! *TR

HAD PROBLEMS WITH REAR WINDOW, REAR DEFOGGER, AND REAR WIPER. *TR