NHTSA Complaint #10672437 — 2006 TOYOTA 4RUNNER

YESTERDAY I TOOK MY 3YR OLD TO PRE-SCHOOL, I DID LEAVE MY CAR RUNNING AS I USUALLY DO WHEN I DROP HIM OFF, MY HEATER WAS GOING AS WELL AS MY DEFROST AS IT WAS A COLD MORNING. WHEN I CAME OUT APPROXIMATELY 7-8 MINUTES LATER I SEE THAT MY BACK WINDOW IS COMPLETELY SHATTERED. I AM COMPLETELY SURPRISED AND A LITTLE FREAKED OUT SINCE MY CHILD WAS JUST SITTING IN THE BACK SEAT WHERE I ALSO FOUND GLASS. AS I AM CLEANING UP THE GLASS ON THE GROUND IN FRONT OF MY CHILD'S PRE-SCHOOL I SMELT SOMETHING BURNING IN THE REAR WINDOW IN THE INSIDE. TURNS OUT MY ELECTRICAL UNIT THAT POWERS MY DEFROSTING HEATER IN THE REAR WINDOW WAS TOTALLY BURNED UP. THE GLASS REPAIR SHOP THAT REPLACED MY WINDOW SO I COULD AT LEAST DRIVE MY CAR SAID THIS COULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY WORST AS THERE LOOKED TO BE A SMALL FIRE IN THE BACK PANELING WITHIN THOSE WIRES (THE CONNECTORS WERE FRIED). I JUST BOUGHT MY CAR IN MARCH, LESS THAN A YEAR AGO, SO THIS IS EXTREMELY IRRITATING AND SCARY. I PLAN ON TAKING IT TO TOYOTA SO THEY CAN REVIEW THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM, BUT I HAVE ALREADY BEEN TOLD BY MY EXTENDED WARRANTY PEOPLE THAT THIS MAY NOT BE A COVERED PROBLEM UNDER MY WARRANTY. WHY SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING I HAD NO CONTROL OVER?? WHAT IF I WAS DRIVING AND THIS HAPPEN, MY 3YR OLD AND MYSELF COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT AND OR SOMEONE DRIVING BEHIND US. THIS COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY BEEN A VERY SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT. I HOPE THAT TOYOTA WILL INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM FOR POSSIBLE RE-CALL AS I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS ON HERE OF THE EXACT SAME ISSUE HAPPENING. *TR