Thank you, Jason Resinstedler, for highlighting Toyota's poor design!

Mr. Reinstedler posted the youtube video below that highlights the willingness of Toyota to ignore significant consumer safety issue.

Thank you for speaking out!

CAS Complaint: Complaint Jason Reinstedler Toyota Prius 2012

Contact Information

• Name:Jason Reinstedler
• Address:
  PO BOX 310
  Concord, CA 94522
  USA

Problem Description

• Problem Description:
  When driving this car (VIN # JTDKN3DP2C3002175), a major safety defect in the windshield is noticed when viewing lights through the windshield. Light passing through the windshield is replicated/ghosted several times above and below the source of the light, based on the distance of the light source. This defect can cause objects on the road, such as pedestrians, to be hidden from view until, in specific cases, it's too late. In instances where the light is bright (e.g. sunlight, oncoming headlights, parking lot lights, etc) the light appears to be amplified, creating a blinding effect for the driver. I can attribute at least two recent near misses with pedestrians due to this defect. This defect appears to be present in many (NOT ALL) of the 2012 Prius PHVs based on input from other drivers with the exact same model/body style. The issue with the windshield is easily noticed at night, however during the day it can be difficult to see. The issue was not of a high priority as I typically drove during daylight hours to and from work, rarely, if ever, at night. Once daylight savings time (DST) ended, this issue became more of a priority for me. Since noticing this issue, I have tried repeatedly to remedy the issue with the selling/servicing dealership with no success. At this point Toyota believes this is simply a "characteristic" of the vehicle. I have had the car in four times since delivery in March to have it looked at and at this point, I have filed for arbitration to try and return the car. Driving at night does result in headaches and I simply do not believe the car is safe to drive at this point. I have had a couple near misses because either I am blinded by oncoming headlights appearing too bright (and they were NOT high-beams or floods) or because of low, overhanging lights from buildings causing pedestrians to be hidden from view behind a copy/image of the light. There are two videos on YouTube from other Prius owners somewhat documenting the issue and I have attached a photo another person took of the problem. I haven't been able to take a picture of the issue yet as the cameras (cell phone) I have been using do not really capture the image properly. I am working to borrow a HD SLR camera to take pictures of the issue when it appears with either 2x or 3x the light effect. If I had the proper equipment, I bet I could also prove that the windshield is amplifying the light passing through the windshield as well. Headlights seen through plain glass or no glass appear less dim than when viewed through the windshield. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z3779YEVfEs#! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fJSQpu1-AxI
•  I have been trying to get everyone with this car and the issue to file a report with NHTSA to have them open a proper investigation. There is an active forum discussing the problem here: http://priuschat.com/threads/2011-prius-windshield-triples-light-source-images.100008/
• Interested in Class Action? yes

Vehicle Information

• Make: Toyota
• Model: Prius
• Year: 2012
• VIN: JTDKN3DP2C3002175
• Transmission: cvt
• Vehicle involved in:

Failures and Repairs

				Amount Manfacturer Paid	Number of Repair Attempts

Item Failed	Date of Failure	Mileage at Failure	Total Repair Cost	Amount Manfacturer Paid	Number of Repair Attempts
windshield & wipers

http://www.autosafety.org/complaint-jason-reinstedler-toyota-prius-2012