Subaru outback 2015 windshields have very low quality and crack with minimal contact. Our windshields broke twice in one month after replacing the original one with another from subaru. The two times driven on the highway and two tiny rock hit the windshield and created a 12" long crack across the windshield. The cost for the windshields is very expensive at around $700 to purchase a new windshield and to have it installed.
2015 Subaru Outback visibility complaints
Page 6 of 6: complaints 131 to 143 of 143, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Windshield on eyesight equipped 2015 outback developed a large crack starting in the wiper heating area just under the passenger side wiper. The crack appeared spontaneous as it appeared while the car was parked and was at least eight inches long. By the next morning with the car remaining parked and only a few degree temperature change overnight it was at least 14 inches long. The only mark on the glass I can find along the crack is a minuscule dot that is absolutely no larger than a grain of sand in the wiper heating area. It is a barely visible and is not even as deep as a grain of sand. It would be invisible except in the brightest light and it seems impossible that it could or should be related to the crack. I have done a quick search online and am finding an inordinate number of complaints of spontaneous cracking, or cracking from entirely insignificant chips on outback windshields. My older outback has 160,000 miles and numerous pits and marks on the windshield with no cracking. Ditto with the old legacy wagon I owned before that. I've never heard of windshields cracking the way they are on the new eyesight equipped vehicles. I believe there is a defect in manufacture that results in the windshields being under enormous pressure. It is only a matter of time before a spontaneous crack shoots through someone's line of sight as they are driving and causes an accident. Subaru needs to be ordered to recall these vehicles and find a way a to prevent this. I foresee a class action suit particularly in light of those who have reported two or three destroyed windshields in the first months of vehicle use.
Purchased car new from dealer. Car had been sitting in driveway for 4-5 days. I went outside and noticed a long horizontal crack in the windshield running from half way up drivers side to the middle of the glass. I did not see or hear anything hit the windshield at any time while I had been driving, and I can see no chips, pits or scratches in the windshield. There are numerous reports of these "spontaneous" windshield cracks from new outback owners on the subaru owners website, so I know this is not some random unlucky event. Some owners have reported 2-3 windshield replacements cracking. Subaru dealers refuse to take blame. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed by subaru!!
While driving on the access road at around 38mph. A rock hit the windshield and caused a 8inch crack at the lower part of drivers side and goes up into drivers visibility. I have have owned a subaru in the past and have had several windshield incidents and never seen this happen or severe. I fear that their is a defect in the windshield and spoke with subaru and they are unwilling to repair it or take action to the safety of my vehicle.
Was stopped at a red light this morning and my windshield spontaneously developed an 8 inch crack. No rock or impact. This is the third windshield I will have to have replaced on this car in four months.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was on, the front window defroster caused the front windshield to crack. The crack was located in the middle of the windshield and extended upward. Also, the contact indicated that the plastic exterior panel near the window melted. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,400...updated 06/09/15*bf updated 9/28/2017
4 month old 2015 subaru outback: moonroof exploded, from the inside out, while on interstate; weather was clear and about 60degree day around 2:30pm est; nothing hit the car, sunroof exploded,very loudly, up then the shattered glass went everywhere inside the car and over me, as well as over the top of the car, leaving scratches and dents, requiring body shop work to the outside. The cloth cover was open; the driver side window had just been rolled up; had been on the road for about 10mins before it occurred, after having been parked in uncovered parking lot for several hours; was merging onto the interstate; I can supply pictures if needed. Also, this same car has a seal gap issue in the triangular window on the front passenger side window. An initial resealing done weeks after delivery of the car did not stay sealed. Subaru has issued a 'kit' now to fix the seal problem of the triangular window, which I am currently on a wait list for.
The touch screen that controls the system's radio/navigation is very glossy and while driving home, the sun hit it at an angle and blinded me. Was barely able to drive, had to place my hand over the 7" screen to reduce the bright sun glare which was impeding my visibility and made it very unsafe to drive the car. This needs to be recalled as it will cause accidents if drivers are blinded by the light that bounces back.
Two incidents related to the ignition/electrical system for this car happened during a second start after a short trip in cold weather. Both incidents occurred in temperatures at or below 5 degrees fahrenheit. The car started and ran normally, then after I drove for short trip (between 5 and 10 minutes long) I parked the car, turned it off and left it for about 5-10 minutes. For the first incident: the car would not start. The accessories, including the heat/fan system and radio worked, but the car would not crank. The dashboard "security immobilizer" indicator flashed as if the key was not in the ignition. After leaving the key in the "on" position for 5 minutes, all of the dashboard lights briefly illuminated and the car was able to start again. The second incident: the car started, but the accessories, including the heat/fan system would not turn on. I was able to drive, but because there was no heat or fan, the windsheild soon began to fog-over, diminishing visibility, disabling the eyesight system, and forcing me to find a safe place to pull over. After the car ran for about 4 minutes total, the accessories turned on again. I have contacted both my dealer and subaru of america of this problem, and have not yet been advised of a solution other than to avoid short trips in cold weather.
After owning car roughly 1.5 months, front windshield developed a roughly 15 - 20 inch crack starting from top left side starting from the edge, working down and across. Crack appears to have started in the edge heating element. Possible minor rock scrape, but no "pit" or "star."
Windshield developed a crack with no noticeable impact from debris. First incident december 1, 2014, windshield replaced with identical model by carlex (minus the subaru oem sticker). The replacement windshield has exhibited the same symptoms (developed a crack with no noticeable impact) on january 15, 2015. This seems like a safety issue for structural and visibility reasons. Both cracks began in the windshield wiper heater area.
Noticed an 18 inch crack in my 2015 subaru outback windshield starting at the top under the heating element two months ago. Was not hit by a rock and no impact spot found. Had the windshield replaced three weeks ago. While driving yesterday, heard a cracking sound and noticed a 12 inch crack appear in the lower left (again, starting where the heating element is and again, no rock sound or impact spot). My sister has the exact same car with a crack in the *exact* same spot that developed last week out of the blue (I have photos of both of our cracks for comparison). From doing research, it seems this is a common problem with subaru windshields (www.subaruoutback.org has several forum threads detailing similar reports).
This car has a screen in the dashboard that controls the stereo, phone, and other functions. It has a very reflective glassy finish. The screen is not surrounded by a hood of any sort and it is titled at about a 50-degree angle. On other occasions, I have noticed that this screen reflects a lot of sunlight, but it was more of an annoyance than anything. On this occasion, I was driving the car at about 1:30 in the afternoon, going east on a highway. The dashboard screen was reflecting the sun into my eyes so directly that it was painful. It was also distracting. The light was so bright and so consistent that I had to drive while holding my right hand in front of the screen to block the light. I had to drive that way for probably half an hour. I did not have any sort of "accident." however, I can foresee that under the wrong circumstances, this characteristic of the car could blind or distract a driver from seeing other traffic, traffic signals, etc. And cause an accident. It could also cause someone to keep one hand off the wheel and maybe cause an accident that way. It is my opinion that this characteristic of the car should be addressed.
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