The windshield is extremely sensitive to fracturing at the smallest of roadway rocks. I had a cracked factory original windshield replaced on Nov. 30, 2022 with a Subaru genuine windshield. That new windshield cracked with a minimal evidence of road debris (and no cars within a 500 foot radius) on March 9, 2023. I called Subaru and asked if they would stand behind their product, and after dealership inspection, Subaru has refused to do anything. If this glass is now a 3 month consumable item, it is untenable to own a Subaru.
2019 Subaru Outback visibility complaints
Page 3 of 14: complaints 41 to 70 of 387, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, he became aware of a crack on the windshield. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the windshield was replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that six weeks later the failure recurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the contact stated that dealer refused to service the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided an advocacy contact but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.
The windshield in my 2019 Subaru Outback has been replaced 4 times due to cracks, that have reached at least 50% horozontally across the windshield. The most recent replacement (all have been OEM) lasted 3 weeks before spontaneously cracking. The local dealership has analyzed the windshield and found no evidence of an impact, they have confirmed the severity of all the windshields cracks as they have replaced all 4 windshields.
I bought this certified car in Feb 2020 from authorized Subaru dealer in NJ. After few months in 2020, while driving on highway, I got crack on my windshield. I replaced it at same authorize dealer from where I bought that car. After few months around early 2021, my windshield again got crack. I replaced it again at same location. I have my 3rd windshield right now which is also got crack few months back. I owned my car since 3 years and I already have my 3rd windshield which I need to replace again with 4th windshield. Every windshield costs me around $1000 with going back and forth to dealership service center.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, an unknown object struck the lower driver’s side windshield and formed a horizontal crack on the windshield. The crack quickly expanded to the middle of the windshield. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the windshield was replaced. While driving 40 MPH, a rock struck the lower passenger’s side windshield and formed another horizontal crack. The contact stated that the cracks obstructed his vision while driving. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Front windshield glass has cracked spontaneously without known or evidence of obvious impact. The crack was first noticed on 3/12/2023 while parked in garage and had continued to increase so felt it was critical to have replaced so not to experience issue with driver visibility or complete windshield failure. Claim has been filed with Progressive and windshield replacement is currently scheduled for 3/17/2023 with Safelite Glass in Cartersville, GA.
Windshield replaced twice in an 8 month period. No visible chips, just spontaneous cracks that are longer the 24 inches and grow quickly.
I own a 2019 Subaru Outback Touring. This is the second Subaru Outback I have owned. In Aug of 2022, my windshield cracked out of nowhere. The crack came up from the center and spread out across the windshield. I had it replaced at the Subaru dealership in which I bought the car. Everything seemed fine until 12/23/22, when we got some heavy rain and I get in my car only to see water steadily dripping inside via the vehicle the left A-pillar on the front drivers side. I return to the dealer where it turns out that there was a problem with the brand new factory-brand windshield that was replaced in August, and it had been slowly leaking water into my car over those 4 months, resulting in massive damage to the airbag system, electrical system, among other things. These damages came to over $10,500. The water had gathered under my carpets and padding and started growing mold. All of this needed to be replaced. This was the third time I had to replace a windshield on the two Subarus that I have owned. Due to this, I have been without a vehicle for over 60 days now. It has caused me incredible stress, time out of work, and money. I am a caretaker for my paraplegic father who has also suffered due to my being without a vehicle to care for him, run errands, and food shop for him. Throughout my research, I have come to learn that this is a known problem in the Subaru brand vehicles yet they choose to ignore it and do nothing about it. I am not comfortable driving my car any longer, which still has electrical issues and unfortunately, I am losing trust in Subaru as a brand. It is unfortunate that they will not address this and fix this issue because I believe it is damaging their reputation. I have not been left in a good position here, with a junked car that is only 3 years old, 40k miles, and that I owe $15,000 on still, and I now need to find a new vehicle.
Driving 60 mph on freeway in Northern California for about 20 minutes. Ambient temperature about 50 degrees. Drove over a slight dip in road and hear a loud pop and my moonroof glass exploded outward. Moonroof cover was closed so no glass came into interior of vehicle. Moonroof is OEM Subaru (Aisin -Pilkington)
Unknown randomly cracked one day while parked.
I'm writing to document an issue regarding a potential windshield malfunction. I know there have been previous lawsuits about the fragility of Subaru windshields, including with the Outback model. Additionally, there are posts about this issue on several auto forums. I've had this car since August 2019 and in three short years I've had to complete the following three repairs: chip to the windshield -- repair (April 2021), crack on windshield -- total replacement (February 2022), and chip to the windshield -- repair (December 2022). Beyond what seems like a statistical anomaly, this high number of windshield repairs also seems very unreasonable for two more reasons: 1) I only have a 15-mile commute two days per week, and 2) I was working at home for months at a time during two COVID shutdowns within this same three-year time period. Each chip/crack has happened while driving, from a point of impact on the windshield; however, this is a new problem since owning this car -- I've had the same commute since 2013 without this issue (previous car was a Mitsubishi Lancer). A windshield that is prone to easy chips and cracking is a clear safety risk, both to myself and to others. My windshield has not been inspected by the dealer, but I know that other windshields of my make/model have been inspected by other dealers and manufacturers. Additionally, the glass repair service that has handled each repair noted that they've also heard of issues with Subarus and that they've seen my car far more often than vehicles of other brands.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that on three separate occasions, a crack had formed on various parts of the windshield due to minor rocks hitting the windshield. The contact stated that each crack obstructed her vision while driving. The contact had the windshield replaced by the dealer after each failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.
While driving slowly in traffic on the highway my windshield started to crack on the front passenger side. No rocks or debris were seen by myself. Even if a minuscule pebble were to have hit the windshield, the crack spread to over a foot in minutes and this seems like a fault on Subarus engineering. Wish I had known when I got this car two weeks ago.
One morning when I got my car from the garage, it had a cracked windshield near the driver size bottom glass. Happened overnight while in the garage. Took it to Subaru and they agreed to replace it under warranty. They put in a new one, and as I was driving on the freeway, I heard a huge boom sound from the windshield, which startled me! They another boom/cracking sound. The windshield didn't crack, but it was terrifying. I took it back to Subaru and they checked it and did something to help with the seal. A few months later, the windshield cracked from the passenger side edge. Within minutes of driving, it spread half way across the windshield. Nothing had hit my windshield. I am on my 3rd windshield, by the way. There is a problem.
The windshield cracked without any impact, vehicle was sitting in the garage and when I came back to it there was a large 8-10 in crack across the driver side. My visibility is impacted and potentially my safety should the strength of the windshield be compromised. Additionally, the safety systems built into the vehicle may be impacted by the crack. The dealership is refusing to complete service to replace the windshield. Vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else yet. No warning lamps, messages, or signs appeared before the windshield cracked.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, he noticed that a crack had formed on the windshield in the area under the rearview mirror. The contact stated that he did not know the cause of the failure as he had not heard a rock or debris striking the windshield. The vehicle was taken to OEM Windshields where the windshield was replaced. However, the failure reoccurred while the vehicle was parked in the contractor's garage. The windshield was replaced for a second time. However, the failure persisted. The contact stated that there was a third crack on the windshield which started under the rearview mirror and had extended to both sides of the windshield in an upside down "T" shape. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Windshield cracked for no apparent reason. Started at the base of the windshield on the passenger side and gradually continued toward the center. If it continued it could affect my driver vision and the "eye sight" safety system. I took it to safelight for replacement. They mentioned that they would only replace it with an aftermarket brand. The subaru windshield was too thin (their oppinion based on previous repairs).
Spontaneous crack of the front windshield, unsafe to drive for fear of collapse into car or during a collision.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the front windshield cracked. The contact stated that the windshield was not impacted to cause the crack. The contact stated that the crack had been expanding. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the cause for the windshield cracking was determined. The contact stated that the dealer informed him that the repair was denied by the manufacturer because the warranty had expired. The contact stated that the manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact stated he researched online and found that the 2015 and 2016 Subaru Outback were repaired due to a class action lawsuit. The contact was relating the failure to the federal safety agency ID Number: 10188151 (Manufacturer Communication Number: 12-192-15R) (Structure, Visibility). The approximate failure mileage was 27,400.
Within the three years I have owned this vehicle my windshield has crack with only minor impact or no impack at all to the windshield; the cost of paying for a second windshield replacement is an unreasonable expense something is wrong with the glass integrity of these vehicles.
On August 30, 2022 a small road chip hit my windshield as I was driving around 30 mph. I was surprised to discover that the windshield cracked at the site of the impact on the passenger side of the vehicle. The crack was approximately 12 inches long. Upon inspection the impact crater is very small, less than 1/16" by 1/32" and shallow, although the road chip was so small and vehicle speed so slow, I am surprised the windshield showed any damage at all. Later that day after leaving the vehicle parked I returned to discover that the windshield crack had lengthened to about 28" while the vehicle was parked. This is the THIRD windshield I have had to replace on the 2019 Subaru Outback! All windshields have been replaced by Subaru. I have concerns about the vehicle safety. Will the windshield protect the occupants of the vehicle from road debris as it is supposed to? Will the windshield rip open and injure the vehicle occupants when a minor object hits the windshield? Who should pay for the repair of the substandard windshield and increased auto insurance due to a high incidence of windshield claims? Is this vehicle safe to drive?
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise and noticed a crack on the front passenger’s side bottom corner of the windshield. The contact stated that no object had struck the windshield to cause the crack. The vehicle was taken to a glass repair shop where the windshield was replaced. The contact stated that the failure occurred on the passenger’s side and then on the driver's side. The windshield had been replaced three times. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. The VIN was not available.
I had to replace my windshield 4 months ago from a random crack that appeared for no apparent reason and I am now having to replace it again. It seems like this is happening to a lot of people with Subarus. I believe it is a safety issue.
I replaced my windshield in March 2022 due to a stone chip that immediately cracked to over a foot in length while I was driving. The chip was in the lower quadrant on the driver's side and ended up extending to about the center of the windshield. Five months later, I have another very large crack. I have no idea when this occurred and remember no instance that may have caused the crack. It starts roughly above the rear view mirror, curves out and around it to form a large 'J' shape. While I can understand stone chips are a symptom of normal wear and tear, the excessive cracking is concerning. I do not drive regularly on gravel roads nor am I on the expressway often. I regularly maintain my vehicle and didn't hesitate to get the windshield repaired initially. Having never experienced this issue with other vehicles (in which we've owned several years longer) I don't feel it is right to either have my insurance company or myself constantly be responsible for a product I believe may be faulty.
Crack in windshield while car was parked overnight on 8/17/22. It is an upside down U-shape crack starting in the center, and one side propagating all the way down and other side about half that. The crack can be felt. There is no evidence of a rock or anything else hitting the windshield. Planning to have it replaced in two days.
windshield suddenly cracked and I need to replace it
2019 Subaru Outback. On 8/9/22 I was Driving on interstate and a tiny crack appeared in mid to lower left corner of windshield. Called dealer immediately because it is my second windshield—the first one was covered in 2020 under warranty after It spontaneously cracked. On 8/9/22 I called my insurance while driving (hands free) and they made same day appointment but Safe Lite could not repair the windshield because by the time I got there the crack had expanded, making it a full replacement. There is no recall but already a lawsuit involving 2017-2019 models of Subaru Outback windshields. Trying to get Subaru to replace it again. There needs to be a recall! Windshields should not crack spontaneously or so easily. Thank you!
My windshield cracked on its own (without any object hitting it) under the passenger side plastic that covers the lower aspect of the windshield. The crack extended upwards and towards the driver's side. I'm concerned the crack will start to obstruct the driver's view and that it will be dangerous for passengers inside. Subaru America was contacted by phone and then a few weeks later we were given Case #220504-132599 (through an email from Kris Drechsel at Subaru America). Subaru of White Bear Lake, MN (Greg Nichol) inspected it on June 21st and determined the crack was NOT caused by a rock chip or any other object and the crack started from the bottom (under the plastic) and extended upwards (gave us a different Case #220621-171862). We were told someone from Subaru America would contact us about next steps. They never contacted us.
My windshield now has three cracks d/t small rocks hitting the windshield at far distances from other vehicles. When I originally purchased this vehicle, the windshield was cracked requiring a replacement before purchase. This is a new windshield 2 years old from that initial replacement. The dealer has not confirmed an issue with their windshields. No warnings were provided to watch out for this by the dealer. The first crack occurred 4 months after purchase. The most recent one occurred today.
The windshield on the Outback do not hold up. I have replaced my windshield 2 times. About to replace for a 3 time. All within 13 months. All Subaru windshields. I’m a cautious driver and do not drive close to others. A rock has hit the windshield but it automatically cracks over 8 inches. Not repairable. I’ve never had this problem with my other vehicles.
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