This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
When I was driving less than 40 MPH a small pebble hit the lower portion of my windshield and the glass instantly cracked across my line of sight. It made it so images were distorted.
Subaru's Windshield problems persist. Bought a 2021 forester in 2021, shortly after had a small chip turn into a giant crack in a matter of days. Dealership wouldn't repair under warranty, so $1000+ to have it replaced and Eyesight recalibrated. I understand now why they sell glass insurance. Less than 18 months later the replacement windshield spontaneously cracked from the bottom up, forming a 18" upside down L-shape, just as the previous class action lawsuit describes. No warning as this happened sitting in a garage overnight, no outside influence could have caused it. The crack is partially within sightline to the hood, but visibility to the road is impaired by the horizontal portion of the crack.
My Subaru Forester 2021 windshield cracked spontaneously with no contact of an object (rock, etc.) Previous known issues and class action suits related to Subaru model windshields cracking spontaneously with no contact.
The windsheild suddenly cracked on the drivers side, just in front of the eyesight sensor, about 12 inches long. The car has 35,000 miles, and is driven by a 67 year old. Vehicle was parked in driveway. Outdoor temperature is mid 50's.
I awoke to find the passenger side windshield cracked from the bottom, near wiper, extending upward and the moving horizontal in an Upside down L shape. I did a search and found that this incident is similar to others who own Subaru Foresters which is the vehicle I own. It is a 2021 model. I called my Subaru dealer and recommended that I take it to Wilson Auto Glass in Wheeling WV where I live. He did not tell me to bring it in to the service dept first.
- Wheeling , WV, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Windshield spontaneously cracked, many others reported. Impaired vision, windshield could scatter while driving. Inspected & repaired by Subaru dealer, insurance company claim.
I was driving in downtown Chicago with my cousin. We had already been in the car driving around the city for ~15 minutes, so the car was warm. I had approached a stoplight, and we both heard a thud. I had assumed, because it had recently snowed, that it was some slush dropping on my car from a light. So, we were both looking around (specifically up), for what it could be. However, when we both looked forward again, we saw a 6-inch crack in my windshield. It's in the middle of my windshield in between my two wipers. As I further drove, the crack continued to grow for another 4-5 inches to the right. After doing a bit of research, Subaru has had issues with windshields before, and has settled a class action lawsuit (CLA) related to it. The crack that I experienced is the same type of crack that occurred with the windshields in the CLA. I had reached out to my insurance company (Progressive), and they did not have any idea about this issue with Subarus and said that it was not covered to replace it. I have not reached out to dealership yet for information. There was no warning lights, no drastic speed, no rocks or physical damage to the region that could explain the crack. However, if something like this could occur when barely anything is happening, what is the safety for a windshield when the car is on a highway, when a stone hits, when its sub-zero temperatures, etc.
In the afternoon when I returned to my vehicle, a large crack (roughly 8 inches) formed on the lower sector of the windshield that appeared to have oriented by the mounting of the passenger wiper arm. I inspected the windshield for damage such as a rock chip and could not find anything to suggest that the integrity was compromised in any way. Their was no visible damage to the windshield other than the crack that formed. The crack formed while the vehicle was parked in a parking lot
Spontaneous cracks across windshield obscuring vision. Vehicle was parked overnight in my garage. No windshield cracks, stone damage etc. upon parking but the next morning there were diffuse cracks across windshield. This is similar to cracks in Subaru vehicles outlined in 2020 class action lawsuit filed against Subaru for spontaneous windshield cracks in 2017-2020 Subaru vehicles, especially the Forester. No recall has been issued. Car is being presented to Subaru dealer where purchased in Napa, Ca. this week. The diffuse nature of the cracks and its affect on vision is a safety issue.
The windshield cracked from a minor stone impact while driving on a highway. This is the second time it cracked since purchasing in March of 2021. The first cracked windshield was replaced by the dealer under warranty since no impact indication was detected. The crack is documented in pictures and the windshield will require replacement in order to comply with local regulations. The crack location across the drivers line of sight poses a safety distraction.
A stone came off the road in Interstate 25 and hit my windshield. Within 24 hours, there was a crack halfway across. I have had the car for a year and this will be the second windshield replacement. The first one was from an impact so small that I could not see it--I thought it had just spontaneously cracked. The dealer showed me a pinhole impact (you could find it by tracing the crack with a ballpoint pen until the tip of the pend caught in the impact crater). These windshields are garbage--I have been driving since 1974 and have never seen anything like this.
Windshield crack spontaneously appeared while parked. There are no rock chips. Crack starts where the windshield wipers meet, immediately over the heated windshield wiper location. This is the same issue that Subaru recently had a class action lawsuit against them for, though that was for models up to the year 2020. Subaru so far has denied there to be an issue and states that the warranty period is up to 36,000 miles, which I have surpassed in the 17 months since I bought it brand new in 2021. There appears to be a bubble under the glass where the crack started.
A spontaneous crack in the windshield appeared across the driver's field of vision. The crack began on the lower driver's side and progressed to the middle of the windshield. It blocked my normal field of vision and caused light distortion from oncoming headlights. This problem has been documented MANY times including in a class action lawsuit for 2017 - 2020 Subaru Foresters. Yet Subaru refuses to acknowledge a problem. The windscreen was replaced by Delmarva Auto Glass, Cambridge, MD. Pictures were taken of the removed windshield.
Windshield developed large L or J shaped crack from very top near roof line, down center of windshield and turns toward the Drivers side. This car was PARKED in our driveway at home when it cracked. No stone chips, nothing dropped on it as you can see in attached pictures. We will schedule a visit to Subaru dealer here in Knoxville, TN. for inspection. No warnings because vehicle was parked in our driveway.
The windshield was parked in my driveway and was fine when I parked it. When I went to start the car the windshield had cracked. It was not hit with a rock or anything - just spontaneously cracked while sitting in my driveway. Vehicle is just over a year old and very low miles.
I was driving down the interstate using the IQ cruise feature. There was no road construction and a car was in front of me. A small pebble hit the bottom part of the windshield, passenger side. This was not a large rock. It was "normal" gravel that often hits the windshield during highway driving. After hearing the "ting" from the small rock, we then heard a cracking sound. Immediately a 12 inch crack appeared in the windshield. Within hours, the crack doubled in size. Two days later, two new cracks appear. These cracks are on the bottom, driver side and intersect with one another. One crack is approximately 18 inches long, the other is less than 12 inches. I now have two sets of cracks that almost span the entire width of the windshield. I have already paid to repair a chip in the middle of the windshield that occurred several months ago. I was stopped at a red light. There was a car in front of me. When the light turned green, the car in front of me threw a rock on my windshield as we began to accelerate. We were not moving fast at all, since the light had just changed to green. I was shocked to see a chip in my windshield from that incident. Prior to owning my 2021 Subaru Forester, I drove a 2010 Mazda CX-9. My Mazda had 160,000 miles when I traded it in. The Mazda's windshield was NEVER damaged in over 10 years and 160,000 miles. In contrast, I have owned my Subaru Forester for 18 months and have driven less than 19,000 miles. I have already paid to repair one chip and now need to replace the entire windshield due to cracks across both the driver and passenger sides. There appears to be a defect with the Subaru Forester windshield that makes it excessively prone to damage. There have been Subaru windshield issues in the past (unknown to me until recently). Based on my experiences, I do not believe the windshield problem has been completely resolved.
Used the car on Saturday, didn't get hit with a rock or a branch. When I parked the car there wasn't a crack. Woke up Sunday morning and the Windshield was cracked, it started from the bottom passenger corner up to the middle of windshield about 10-12". No trees nearby or rock damage. Taking it to Subaru today.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Huntington Beach, CA, USA