Problems · by component

2012 Toyota Prius visibility/wiper problems

32 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Prius cite visibility/wiper, 5% of all 688 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
32
5% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the visibility/wiper

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The glass sunroof spontaneously exploded or imploded. There was a loud popping sound and I looked up at the sunroof, and it was shattered. glass started falling on me as I was driving on the highway. There have been many reported cases of this happening found online. https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/toyota-owners-should-be-aware-of-reported-exploding-sunroof-risk/ It has not been inspected yet. no warning messages.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 10, 2023Unknown or other, Visibility/wiperODI 11526364
“The front windshield wiper no longer performs on high but does perform on the lower settings. We experienced very heavy rain yesterday for the first time in a while and needed the high setting to adequately visualize the road and vehicles. It once switched to high the wipers were inoperable and had to be reduced in speed to even function. This is a significant safety concern as it drastically compromises your visibility in heavy rain conditions, such as those we experienced. Yes it is available for inspection upon request.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 1, 2022Visibility/wiperODI 11462921
“WIND SHIELD WIPER SWITCH QUIT WORKING AT 62,500 MILE.THE WIND SHIELD WIPER MOTOR IS NOW MAKING GRINDING NOISES AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED(74,000 MILES). BOTH PARTS BROKE WHEN WE WERE TRAVELING OUT OF STATE,DURING RAIN STORMS.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 12, 2015Visibility/wiperODI 10809808
“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. HOWEVER I SEE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE MENTIONED THE EXACT SAME THING ONLINE AND OUR LOCAL NEWS CHANNEL IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA KABC CHANNEL 7 HAS BEGIN A "7 ON YOUR SIDE" INVESTIGATION. PLEASE URGE TOYOTA TO RECALL THESE DANGEROUS WINDSHIELDS. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 23, 2013Visibility/wiperODI 10557011
“PRIUS IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AT NIGHT. THE WINDSHIELD DISTORTS LIGHT SOURCES AND CAUSES A GHOSTING/MULTIPLYING EFFECT. TRAFFIC SIGNALS IMAGES ARE DOUBLED, TRIPLED OR MORE - NOT SAFE AS IT IS DISTRACTING AND CONFUSING. THIS ISSUE IS VERY PROMINENT AT NIGHT. IT IS NOT JUST TRAFFIC SIGNALS BUT OTHER LIGHT SOURCES AS WELL. IN DECEMBER 2012, I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND WAS REFERRED TO DEALER. SERVICE MANAGER CONFIRMED ISSUE AND SAID THAT HE IS WAITING ON TOYOTA ON HOW TO FIX - NO RESOLUTION AFTER ONE YEAR OF WAITING. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 8, 2013Visibility/wiperODI 10555224
“I HAVE NOTICED GHOSTING OF IMAGES MOST OBVIOUS WHILE NIGHT DRIVING. PARTICULARLY NOTICEABLE IN LED LIGHTS. IT LOOKS LIKE A DUPLICATE IMAGE OF THE LIGHTS CREATED. IT CAN BE VERY GLARING AND HARD TO JUDGE DISTANCE OF OTHER VEHICLES. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 25, 2013Exterior lighting, Visibility/wiperODI 10549531

Showing 6 of 32 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.