10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
16,728 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #188

May 072021

Outback

  • 18,500 miles
I was driving to work on the intestate on a cool overcast morning. There were no other cars around me at the time and I was not near any over passes when all of a sudden I heard a loud sound from my roof and then the glass falling on the roof. I was freaked out by it and it caused me to swerve. Luckily there was no one in the lane next to me or I would have hit them. I pulled over as soon as I could and stepped out of the car to see that in fact my sunroof had exploded. There was a big hole in the center of it and the entire thing had cracks going through it. As it was on my morning commute and I had to get to work, I got back into my car and drove to work. On the rest of the drive I could hear more of the sun roof falling off. I contacted Subaru about this and they want me to bring it in to have it checked out. The earliest they have available for me to come in is 11 days after the incident. While talking to a parts person on the phone, he did state that he has heard of this happening before to other cars.

- Kirkland, WA, USA

problem #187

Dec 112018

Outback

  • 5,136 miles
Was driving the vehicle on the highway when we heard a crack and the crack appeared on the windshield in a T formation. This happened 12/2018. The crack at this time covers the majority of the windshield in a T formation.

- Surora, CO, USA

problem #186

Apr 122021

Outback

  • 29,000 miles
In April of 2021 all of a sudden I noticed a small chip. Immediately took it to safelite, they tried to repair but a crack developed. After two days the crack grew larger. Safelite had to replace the entire windshield at my insurance company's expense. Only 29000 miles on the car.

- Bradford, VT, USA

problem #185

Jan 042021

Outback

  • miles
My car was parked under a car port for several days. The windshield was fine when I parked it. No cracks. Woke up to find my windshield cracked for no apparent reason.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #184

Apr 082021

Outback

  • 50,000 miles
Didn't have any cracks in the windshield when I arrived at work, parked, and went inside for 8 for my shift. At the end of the day when I came out to the car and got in to go there was a single long curving crack that was over 12 inches long. Didn't see any impact marks or other reason that it may have cracked.

- Belmont, CA, USA

problem #183

Apr 132021

Outback

  • 25,500 miles
Windshield made a popping sound and then spider cracked for no apparent reason. Not near other vehicles on the road when the crack happened, no flying debris. Was driving at about 60 mph on a freeway on no California. The crack started on the passenger side at the bottom of the windshield. The windshield then made a second popping noise as the passenger watched the crack spread. There is no indentation from a rock chip. Just the crack across a smooth windshield.

- Bend, OR, USA

problem #182

Dec 012020

Outback

  • miles
Windshield spontaneously cracked

- Weston, CT, USA

problem #181

Apr 022021

Outback

  • 50,000 miles
I am currently on my second windshield after having the first replaced for cracking. The replacement now has upwards of 100 pits or chips and looks well on its way to cracking again. I have visited the dealership and Subaru will not entertain the idea of covering this under warranty even though there seems to be a known issue of windshield failure. The chips and pits have come from normal use while driving and the windshield has not been struck by rocks or any larger objects.

- Lenoir City, TN, USA

problem #180

Sep 172019

Outback

  • 30,104 miles
I was driving down the road (2 lane highway) and the windshield cracked. It sounded like a gunshot. There were no other cars around me, and no vehicle near to throw up a rock. I could not figure out what happened. I only recently found out that these windshields do this on their own. Defective.

- Locust Grove, VA, USA

problem #179

Aug 122020

Outback

  • 34,000 miles
It happened in August of 2020. Vehicle was stationary in a grocery store parking lot on a clear sunny day. It was fairly hot outside (A/C was running) and I was sitting in the car eating when I heard a popping/cracking sound. At first I thought it was the plastic sushi container I was eating out of breaking, but then I saw a crack had formed at the top of the passenger side windshield. It continued radiate and now is a long crack running the length of the windshield and is parallel to the roof line.

- Pittsboro, NC, USA

problem #178

Feb 052021

Outback

  • 55,000 miles
Windshield cracked and within 3 days ran across most of the entire width of the front windshield.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #177

Feb 182021

Outback

  • 20,100 miles
Windshield spontaneously cracked during the night. Vehicle was parked at residence when it cracked. The low temperature was at or just below zero degrees farenheit.

- Decatur, MI, USA

problem #176

Mar 142021

Outback

  • 59,350 miles
My windshield spiderwebbed when it was hit with rock. At first it chipped and then a couple minutes later it spiderwebbed into a crack that is almost a foot long. This also happened to me when I was coming home from thanksgiving. I had to replace my windshield on December 5th, 2020, which was around $1500 and now I will have to replace the whole thing again. Both instances I was driving on hwy 49 in Arkansas. I don't know why, but I feel like the windshield should be strong enough to just get chipped and not immediately spiderweb into something bigger and more expensive to fix. In the 3 years of having my car this will have to be the second windshield I need to replace due to the windshield cracking after it gets chipped. I just don't think the windshield is as high of a quality as the rest of the car.

- Elkins, AR, USA

problem #175

Mar 122021

Outback

  • 15,000 miles
Hello! so I just got this Subaru a few weeks ago and today in the right side look like the tinniest rock in the world hit it and cracked my windshield. I've talked to a few a my buddy's who own Subaru's as well and was told to contact Y'all because the new models have a very thin windshield and Y'all will have it taken care of. Thanks for your time. Cody.

- Irving, TX, USA

problem #174

Apr 012019

Outback

  • 12,000 miles
Windshield spontaneously cracked near middle top of windshield, from edge about 6-8inches and within the field of view of the eyesight cameras

- Keller, TX, USA

problem #173

Feb 272021

Outback

  • 29,000 miles
The windshield of this 2018 Subaru Outback has fractured three times in less than three years of ownership. In all three instances, there was no known projectile that caused impacted the vehicle to cause the hairline cracks. The windshield appears to have cracked on its own. The vehicle was only driven on paved roads and highways, with no unusual or off-road driving preceding the incidents. This vehicle was purchased new in 2018 and both replacement windshields were purchased at a local Subaru dealership with Subaru oem glass. Each replacement has cost roughly $500 usd plus the eyesight recalibration costs. Total replacement costs have totaled roughly $3,000 usd.

- Chula Vista, CA, USA

problem #172

Feb 232021

Outback

  • miles
Windshield cracked twice in the last six months after getting hit by small pebble while driving within speed limit on highway.

- Riverdale, NJ, USA

problem #171

Mar 072019

Outback

  • 5,000 miles
The front windshield develops cracks and star chips for no apparent reason. Had it repaired with hanson auto glass 3 different occasions in the 2 years of ownership. Only able to find 2 of 3 pictures of repair paperwork.

- Ladera Ranch, CA, USA

problem #170

Feb 162021

Outback

  • 33,363 miles
Well it was 25below here and my windshield cracked on its own while in the schoolteachers parking lot.

- Wisconsin Rapids, WI, USA

problem #169

Jan 182021

Outback

  • 41,950 miles
My wife was driving her 2018 Subaru Outback on the highway. It was not a particularly hot or cold day. She heard a cracking sound, when she stopped she noticed a 3 inch crack in her windshield. The crack was located about halfway up the windshield and on the passengers side. Over the next day the crack grew and grew in several directions. My wife took the car to the dealer on Jan 21, 2021 and asked them about replacement and they told her that they did not replace windshields. It was unsafe to drive so I had to have the windshield replaced. The cost was $1279.83.

- Rancho Cordova, CA, USA

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