NHTSA Complaint #10176306 — 2006 TOYOTA COROLLA

I BOUGHT A NEW 2006 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE WINDSHIELD WAS DISTORTED WITH WAVY AREAS IN THE GLASS. WHILE DRIVING, OBJECTS TRAVELING ACROSS THE FIELD OF GLASS WOULD RIPPLE. I HAD HEADACHES, EYE ACHING, AND EYE STRAIN WHEN TRACKING SIGNS AND OBJECTS THROUGH THE GLASS. A TOYOTA DEALER ADMITTED THE WINDSHIELD WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED THE GLASS. THE REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD WAS DISTORTED. TOYOTA ADMITTED THAT IT WAS DEFECTIVE AND REPLACED IT A SECOND TIME. THE SECOND REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD HAD DISTORTION. TOYOTA AGAIN SAID IT WAS DISTORTED, AND THE SERVICE DIRECTOR AT MY LOCAL DEALER HAD IT REPLACED A THIRD TIME. THE THIRD REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD HAS A DISTORTION DEFECT. SHOWING THE THIRD REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AT MY LOCAL DEALER, HE SAID THEY WOULD ORDER ME A NEW WINDSHIELD. THEN A NEW SERVICE DIRECTOR STEPPED IN AND BLOCKED THE ORDER, SAYING THE GLASS WAS NORMAL AND THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. HOW CAN A TOYOTA-TRAINED SERVICE MANAGER ADMIT THE PROBLEM AND RECOMMEND A REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD, BUT THEN THE SERVICE DIRECTOR STEPS IN TO SAY THAT THE GLASS IS NORMAL. MEANWHILE, I LOOKED AT OTHER 2006 TOYOTA COROLLAS AT 3 DIFFERENT DEALERS IN PA & NY. NEW COROLLAS AT ALL THE DEALERS HAD DISTORTED WINDSHIELDS. I WROTE DOWN VIN #S OF FOUR COROLLAS WITH WINDSHIELD DISTORTION: 2TBR32E06C70XXXX; 2T1BR30E57C71XXXX; 2T1BR32E06C55XXXX; 2T1BR32E56C55XXXX. A FRIEND STOPPED AT A TOYOTA LOT ON THE WEST COAST AND FOUND 3 COROLLAS WITH SIMILAR DISTORTIONS: VIN #S: 1NXBR30E97Z77XXXX; 1NXBR30E27Z77XXXX; AND JTDBR32E77010XXXX. THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM IN WINDSHIELDS OF 2006 COROLLAS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE INABILITY TO SEE CLEARLY THROUGH A DISTORTED WINDSHIELD PUTS DRIVERS AT RISK FOR ACCIDENT. WHO IS TESTING THE QUALITY OF TOYOTA GLASS TO ENSURE THAT IT MEETS OPTICAL SPECIFICATIONS AND VISUAL SAFETY STANDARDS? THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM THE DANGERS OF DISTORTED GLASS. *NM