Advice for Working with Toyota when Rear View Mirror Fell Off?

While sitting in the parking lot folding the nylon sun visor and with no apparent reason for the structural failure, the center mirror on my '19 Tacoma fell off. The metal mirror mount itself is still attached to the fragments of windshield that clammed out with it. Good adhesive, bad windshield integrity. So I'm left with a structurally weakened windshield and no rear view mirror. I took it in to the dealership, who said if it had just fallen off while driving down the road they'd cover it under warranty (although the truck is at 39k miles), but because I use a sun shade when parked in the sun, the sun shade probably broke the windshield or I've abused it in some other way. Long story short, they won't cover it. The dealership referred me to Toyota corporate to submit a request for a good will repair to be covered by the company, and they came back to me to say that they would take about $700 off of the dealer quote for replacing the windshield, leaving me to pay $650 for a new windshield. They also said that Toyota will not warranty the windshield at all because it's not manufactured by them. While I appreciate that Toyota is willing to fund part of the repair, I'm a bit perplexed by their attitude that a nylon sun shade poses a clear and present danger to the structural integrity of a windshield.

Seems to be an odd situation for a truck famous for its rugged reliability and a brand famous for standing by the quality their products.

Here's my question: Does anyone who has any experience working with Toyota know of a solution where they'll acknowledge that a windshield should not simply break without being struck or subjected to extreme temperature changes?

In the meantime, I've attached a new mirror mount higher up the windshield so that I can at least have a temporary solution, though my confidence in the windshield is much less than it was this time last month.

 

take it to a different dealer and just tell them it fell off

 

I'd just rock the new mirror mount until the windshield takes enough rock hits to crack more than you like and then replace it. I did that on my 2nd gen when my mirror cracked off the window the same way (albeit on a pretty solid hit offroading).

 

This.

I've had several vehicles where this has happened. No idea why. Just a chunk of glass pops out with the mirror attached. My theory was the glue/adhesive does something to soften the glass.

You can try gluing it back in yourself or take it to an auto glass place and see if they'll do it.

It's annoying but not the end of the world.

 

Next time play dumb and don't volunteer more information when going for warranty work

 

I’m going to have to see how the rear view mirror is mounted, to understand how it broke the windshield.

If you continues to use the sunscreen, maybe flip the sun visors down to limit any weight on the rear view mirror.

 

The mount for the mirror is epoxied to the glass, same as in the second gens, just a little metal wedge that the mirror base slides over.

 

Out of convenience for a two piece sun shade I use the sun visors to hold it up anyway, though I never considered a yard of nylon would be heavy enough to break a windshield. One more reason to keep using the sun visors lol

 

Evidently this isn’t “uncommon”. Even on the 2nd Gens.
The fix is, replace the windshield.

I replaced my windshield for just over $200 from Safelite.
I don’t know what the dealership chargers, but I’d definite call my insurance or an Autoglass shop to check rates.

Here is a 3rd Gen
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rear-mirror-broke-on-tacoma-trd-sport-2018.613321/

And a 2nd Gen (Spoiler: Gluing it back didn’t work either)
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rearview-mirror-fell-off.547621/

 

Agreed that the full fix is to replace the windshield and that it’s apparently a somewhat common problem. (Just an aside in case it happens to anyone else, Safelite won’t repair interior window damage, they can only replace in those circumstances). I was just curious if anyone knew of a way for Toyota to acknowledge a defect in craftsmanship or if going to their US corporate office was the end of the story on that front.

 

I can’t speak for what Toyota will or will not do.
$650 sounds like a lot. I’d see what a new windshield cost aftermarket.

I’d tell the dealership, that I don’t like the fact they are placing the blame on me.
And that I would rather them just say, “Sorry that happened. But we aren’t going to cover it”.

I typically try to look at things in a different persons perspective.
A windshield is a whole lot less than a frame.

 

Lol quite right, at least the rest of the truck is running like a champ!

 

You say the windshield was from them so was the windshield replaced? OEM glass will say toyota on them in the bottom corners.

 

The problem is that the place were the mirror mount is, is a different temperature that the rest of the windshield, so the glass there expands slightly more than the rest of the windshield causing high stress in that area, similar to people braking a windshield by washing it on a hot summer day in the sun.

 

It’s the original windshield—Toyota’s corporate office told me that they outsource their glass to a different company for production and then just install it at their assembly line, so they don’t warranty it.

 

I don’t know why, but this video reminds me of “arguing over what fell off”.
Good luck OP, may you get better answers.

https://youtu.be/3m5qxZm_JqM

 

Maybe get some glass insurance? I don't know how cheap that is in your state but when I'm from its worth it.

 

So Toyota is a middle man.
Nah, I ain’t buying it. Why offer a warranty at all, if you can just use “the other guys” warranty?

I hate to say it, but you’ll probably be buying this one yourself.
I’m not sure it would be worth the argument for me.

 

Well you are out of warranty you could just claim insurance.