Rear view mirror ball joint suddenly loose

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by pasadena_commut, Mar 26, 2026 at 4:03 PM.

  1. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Today after grocery shopping returned to the car, took down the sunscreen and the mirror was bumped (which happens often) but it made a much larger motion than usual. Straightened it out, then tried to flip the night/day tab and the whole mirror moved. That's new, usually pushing the tab back and forth does not move the body of the mirror at all. Gave it a light shake and the part mounting to the windshield is tight but the ball joint where the arm goes into the back of the mirror is loose. Not completely loose, but much looser than it should be.

    It's much too hot and sunny to mess with this now, but once it cools off, is there a way to tighten that joint? Looked at the manual and there was no indication that the ball joint is adjustable, or even if it could be taken apart and reassembled (to wrap the ball in some thin rubber, for instance). This is the type of mirror which has no features at all, just the one day/night tab.

    If there is no way to take that joint apart or tighten it, have any of you replaced this mirror with a "Jingea" (B08RMZJ81L) from Amazon? These are about a quarter of the price of an OEM mirror.

    Thanks
     
  2. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    It is probably more loose because of the heat. When it is cooler and the interior has cooled, I wouldn't be surprised if you find the mirror goes back to its normal level of looseness. As to whether there are adjustment options, I don't think so.
     
  3. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

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    Checked it this morning (75F or so) and it was still loose. Took it off to inspect. That turned out to be easy. Squeeze the sides of the square outer cover on the glass and it lifted off and slid down the connecting arm. Then lifted upwards parallel to the windshield and the base adjacent part slid off the base. Supposedly there is a little release lever that should need to be pressed, but I guess it was not engaged. Holding the mirror by the arm just behind the actual mirror part and flipping the little tab it would shift position each time (rotate on the ball). I didn't see any way to adjust the tightness of any part of the mirror assembly. Will just replace it.with the ~$20 part from Amazon.