2012 Toyota Prius Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) Problems

“I bought a 2012 Toyota Prius plug-in. The windshield creates a ghosting effect on lights, especially at night. Lights from other cars and streetlights are glaring through the windshield with a ghosted image above and below so I see three lights. The effect is so pronounced that it is impossible to read lit highway safety signs at night because the ghosting obscures the letters completely. The lights look fine through the side glass, so it is clearly an issue just with the windshield. I contacted the dealer and they dismissed my complaint. …”

“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. …”

“On oct. 23, 2013 at 6am in the morning in about 45 degrees fahrenheit, my Toyota Prius 2012 rear window emitted a loud punching sound and then shattered when I turned on the rear wiper. I googled the incident and we're not the only ones who experience this. There have been similar incidents on other Prius in other years as well. Thus, we are reporting it and hope this will be looked into. Our car is barely a year old and under warranty but our local Toyota dealer said warranty will not cover this. Thank goodness our auto policy will and we don't have to pay a deductible.”

“Head lights from oncoming traffic at nighttime have a halo and prism appearance. Additionally, reflective road signs are also very distorted, seeing what appears to be multiple signs. Since that time eyes have been tested with no change from last exam and new glasses are now being worn. There is no difference. My wife states she sees the same distortion when driving after dark. This has been a continual problem since we purchased the vehicle. In addition, the windshield was replaced in august, 2012, as a result of hail damage. It was replaced with genuine Toyota parts. There is no difference.”

“There is a noticeable halo effect in the windshield when viewing oncoming lights. It is bothersome and irritating on the eyes especially when driving for long periods of time. I am writing Toyota directly to learn when a different windshield can be provided.”