Recent Windshield wiper & Hood Release Issues - RESOLVED

I now have 166K miles on my 2011 Prius and it's been running pretty much like a top - well, until last week. I was driving in a bit of a rain shower and my wipers were set to intermittent. We were almost home when suddenly the wipers binded together. The driver's side wiper ended up pointed to about the 2pm position and the passenger wiper was facing about 11am on the windshield. Essentially it looked like an X formation as they bumped over each other and stayed locked together.

When I got home I tried to reset them but they stopped working completely. I could hear the motors functioning but the wipers wouldn't wipe. I took it to the dealer expecting to pay several hundred dollars to replace wiper motors but as it turns out, somehow the bolts that attach the wipers to the wiper motor had loosened, and all it took was for them to be repositioned and the bolts tightened. I was pleasantly surprised that I only had to pay the diagnosis fee of $120.

I'd also been having problems with my hood release cable. It acted as though it had been stretched, and no longer opened the hood more than a few millimeters. They ended up cleaning the cable, and that brought it back to life. Good thing too, as they told me the 20111 Prius hood cable is not adjustable, and must be replaced if it stops working - at a cost of $600-$800 (dealer price).