NHTSA Complaint #11023695 — 2016 TOYOTA PRIUS

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON THE HIGHWAY AND A SMALL ROCK HIT MY WINDSHIELD. WITHIN MINUTES, A 6 INCH CRACK HAD DEVELOPED. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT WORK (ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER), THE CRACK HAS EXTENDED TO OVER A FOOT. I CALLED A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND ASKED IF ANY KNOWN DEFECTS EXISTED. I WAS TOLD NO RECALLS EXISTS FOR MY WINDSHIELD. SPOKE WITH MY INSURANCE AGENT AND REFERRED TO SAFELITE AUTOGLASS FOR REPLACEMENT, SINCE IT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. THE NEXT MORNING, I DROVE CAR TO WORK AGAIN AND NOTICED CRACK HAS PROGRESS A FEW MORE INCHES OVERNIGHT. BY THE TIME I LEFT WORK, THE LATERAL EXTENDING CRACK HAS NOW STARTED EXTENDING TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD, FORMED A JAGGED C-SHAPE. VISIBILITY WAS NOW LIMITED FROM THE CRACK AND FROM THE GLARE FROM THE SUNLIGHT REFLECTING OFF THE CRACKS. I CALLED SAFELITE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ONLY REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD WAS AN TOYOTA OEM, BUT THAT IT WAS ON BACKORDER FOR ANOTHER 3 WEEKS AND AT A COST OF ALMOST $800. FEARING ANOTHER POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION, I DID NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE MY CAR UNTIL THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED. TODAY, I WAS READING PRIUSCHAT WEBSITE AND FOUND THAT MY CASE IS CERTAINLY NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. I AM CONCERNED NOW THAT SINCE I REPLACED MY WINDSHIELD WITH AN TOYOTA OEM PART, I AM AGAIN SUBJECTED TO REPEAT DANGER VEHICLE CONDITION AND ADDITIONAL HIGH COST OF REPLACEMENT.