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.
My wife and I bought a new 2015 Subaru Outback in pocatello, Idaho. On our maiden voyage home, 10 miles from our home in Wyoming the windshield developed a crack on the passenger side. The crack immediately spread to over 18 inches. Several weeks later while washing the car, the crack ran in the opposite direction another 18 inches. I contacted our glass shop and was told that the aftermarket doesn't have windshields available for the 2015 Outback at this time. I contacted safelite and was told that the windshield would be available in several days. The night before my wife was scheduled to take the car in for windshield replacement, safelite called me and told me the windshield was backordered for 3 more weeks and the cost would be $100 more than the original quote. I canceled the order and contacted a Subaru dealer who told me the windshield was on national back order. I contacted Subaru customer service and was told they would expedite a new windshield for us and that it should be in on August 1st. Today is August 12th, still no windshield. The original crack happened without ever hearing a rock hit the windshield. Several days ago a small rock hit the driver side of the windshield causing an immediate star crack that spread to a 24 inch crack within minutes. The cars windshield is now obstructed and unsafe to drive. I am reporting here after reading about countless windshield failures on 2015 Subaru Outbacks that suggest subpar glass or a defect in the structural integrity of the chassis that is causing the glass to stress crack.
Went to pick up my brand new 2015 Outback from the dealer and they informed me the windshield was cracked. They will be replacing it, but this crack is identical to others described in many complaints. Crack started in the heated wiper element on the passenger side and is now about 12 inches in length. Subaru dealer said they believe it occurred in their car wash. Looking at other complaints, it is now obvious Subaru 2015 Outback windshields have a design flaw that should be addressed asap.
Spontaneous crack started in the middle of the windshield right behind the rearview mirror. There was no debris that hit the windshield. The crack is growing and we are told that warranty does not handle windshield cracks. We have to pay $250 insurance deductible and there is a 4-6 month delay on getting the new glass because of backlog...! this is now a safety issue because it inhibits our visibility and who knows what may happen if there is a crash of any kind!
My wife was driving our Outback around town when she noticed a small crack in the center windshield, just below the mirror attachment point. She did not recall any major stone or gravel hits (other than the usual dust/debris on new england roads). Later that day the crack had spread to approximately 6" and then three days later (in the interim, she went into labor and had a baby), the crack had expanded to nearly the length of the windshield. We immediately called both the dealer and our insurance company. As is stated elsewhere on the ntsb complaint site, the only windshields available for the 2015 Outback are factory, oem units - which are on back order from most dealers and glass replacement companies. Given the overall number of complaints about windshield cracking (both here and available through various other automotive sites), I believe that Subaru should work to fix an obvious issue with the glass.
- Waterbury, VT, USA
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Windshield crack on 2015 Outback wagon. There was no crack when the car was parked for the night at 6:00 pm. The next morning, there was a ~12 inch crack, left side of the windshield. There were no overhanging trees at the location where the car was parked.
Windshield cracked approximately 8". crack is inside glass (glass is smooth on exterior and interior of car). No temperature fluctuations and no impacts to vehicle. Vehicle parked in garage when crack occurred - glass was not cracked when parked in secure garage Friday evening. Was cracked when I went to the car on Saturday afternoon.
For the second time, after being pinged by a small stone, the windshield developed a crack circa 3000 miles similar experience w/ 2014 Subaru Outback also w/ low mileage never had to replace windshield in some 56 years of driving three times in 7 months seems to indicate some sort of systemic or windshield configuration problem?
This is my Subaru Outback limited. While my car was parked in front of my home I came out and found a 6" crack in my windshield originating below the wipers. It has since spread an addition 12"+ inches upwards and 4" downward. I believe below the wipers is where the heating element is located and in a quick internet search, including this site, I have found numerous complaints of cracks appearing on parked cars all starting below wipers. Now for the real problem, there is no replacement windshields available. This happened on 6/24/15 and I contacted safelite that day and due the heating element the part has to come from Subaru. It is now exactly one month later and there is no replacement in sight.
A small pebble hit the windshield on 7/17/15 showing a tiny chip and 2-3 mm crack. We had the chip repaired by safelight early morning of 7/18/15 and it looked good. The next day, 7/19/15, there were 2 cracks over 6 inches long and the window will have to be replaced. Would have chalked it up to just bad luck to have the repair fail until I came across reports of similar incidents on the internet and then came across this site.
Navigation system screen has serious glare during daylight hours. Almost drove off road into a ditch yesterday, while trying to see screen. No one else on road. System virtually useless. Also severe glare on driver-side mirror from car interior, makes it hard to see vehicles on left. Subaru could fix this problem with designing a pre-cut anti-glare screen cover or simply replacing the navigation system screen with a new anti-glare plastic one. Someone will eventually get hurt or killed.
Found a 2 foot crack on my brand new Subaru Outback. After washing my car yesterday, I stood back to admire how great the car looked and then went inside. When I came back outside 2 hours later, I noticed a 2 foot crack in the windshield with the starting point immediately under the wiper blade on the passenger side. A rock could not have possibly hit the car under the blade. This is a brand new car and I've taken extra precautions with it. I can't believe that this has happened.
Windshield found cracked unexpectedly when coming out from a store. 6" crack grew quickly over 2 weeks, spreading all over the passenger side in a branched formation about 2X1'. yesterday, another crack developed in front of the driver's side and is compromising visibility with a glare from the crack and growing quickly again. Replacement windshield is back-ordered for several weeks. Have been waiting about 1 month now, driving with an unsafe/unsightly brand new car, and I'm out a $500 deductible. Going to contact Subaru as well, but they need more pressure to replace and reimburse this seemingly common problem with this brand new car. Updated 10/9/15.......updated 10/19/15 updated 11/28/2017
On July 9, I was driving down the interstate I take to work and heard a small pop, like a pebble hitting the windshield. The windshield instantly cracked in an L shape down around the rearview mirror. By the time I got home from work that night, that crack had extended to about 18 inches long. I have been driving cars a long time, and have had numerous pebble strikes without any of my previous windshields cracking. I feel that this is obviously due to some sort of defect in the windshield, as is evidenced by many others who are having the same issue. I love the car otherwise, but am worried about having to replace the windshield every time I turn around. Some people that have posted complaints were on their third windshield this year on their 2015 Outbacks. This is not acceptable! I emailed Subaru and did get a reply suggesting I take the car to the dealer and let them inspect it, and that they were "not aware" of any problems with the windshields for the 2015 Outbacks. Information on this page and several others suggests otherwise. We need to speak up so Subaru knows what is going on and is forced to address this issue.
My wife was driving to work and a stone hit the windshield. She checked it when she got to work and said there was a small chip. By the time she got home the chip had become a crack and was almost a foot long. We have limited our use of the vehicle but the crack continues to grow and is now over two feet long. Safelite has said that the windshield is on national back order. I have had stone chips before and they were easy to repair and did not require replacement. My main concern is that I not have to pay for another windshield if there is a design flaw.
Drove through a construction zone on a military base (30 mph) and parked at the bank. No noise indication of a rock hitting the windshield. Came out of the bank and there was a 6-8 inch crack starting under the passenger side wipers, that extended from the edge up into the passengers view. Drove the car another approximately 10 minutes to get home, crack became 12-16 inches. Parked the car in the driveway and marked it with a window marker. The next day the crack was 3 inches longer....from sitting in the driveway?? either way, here it is July and still waiting on a new windshield. Crack extends halfway up and into the middle of the windshield...and the car has not been driven. It has been parked since the 19th of June but the crack is still getting bigger.
We had the same experience with our windshield that others have had -- see, eg, complaint # 10730819. About two weeks after buying a new 2015 Outback, while driving out of our somewhat steeply-angled garage, the windshield cracked. I saw no evidence of a stone hitting the windshield and thought there was a structural defect. Took the car to our dealer who did a "pen test" on the exterior of the windshield. The pen tip, indeed, caught in the crack and the repair person said that indicated a rock hit and we just had unfortunate luck. The crack grew quickly, snaking around the windshield, while we waited a few weeks for the replacement windshield to become available via safelite. Based on this and other comment sites, I'm concerned about a repeat crack. Also, of course, wondering if it was really just "bad luck." Our Subaru dealer's service department has been non-communicative. I contacted Subaru corporate with a complaint and received no response. Deeply disappointed - and we've been a "Subaru family" for a long time.
Car was parked in a parking lot away from trees or any other vegetation. Was gone from car for approximately 10 minutes. Upon return, there was a 12 inch crack descending from upper right hand corner of windshield. By morning, after having been parked inside a locked garage, and with less than 2 more miles driven, crack had grown another 12 inches (approximately.)
Our Subaru Outback was impacted by a small pebble that cracked our windshield. I put in a claim with our insurance company immediately and setup a replacement with safelite. Got a call later indicating that the part is not in stock and needs to be ordered. That was 4 weeks ago at this point and still no indication of when this will be resolved. The cracks continue to spread and now is a safety issue since the cracks are in the driver's line of sight. I (and I assume many other people) have tried contacting Subaru and I for one am not getting any response from them on this issue thus we need to continue driving an unsafe car due to the fact we do not have the money to have a rental and again because no one can provide an eta we wouldn't know how long we'd need one assuming we could get one. Based on what I read here this could happen again within a short time once we do get the windshield replaced. Some type of investigation needs to be conducted and a recall issued. I think there is enough evidence to show there is some kind of defect with the windshields of this car and when safety is threatened, steps should be taken to protect us. I apologize if this doesn't fit the criteria of what should be posted here but not having a replacement windshield in a timely fashion in itself is a safety hazard.
We sent a similar email to Subaru of America June 5. they have been responsive...but we still have a cracked windshield and it remains a driving distraction....we purchased our 2015 Outback in January from Subaru of las vegas. In April a windshield crack appeared -we didn't see the rock, saw no chip to cause it but the dealer said he could feel one, so sorry, no warranty, so we claimed it on the insurance -replaced a few weeks ago for the $500 deductible. Changed to a $100 deductible the first of June and two days later another crack-instant and bigger. Saw the rock this time. Claimed on the insurance, again, but safelight had to cancel the appointment due to a shortage of Subaru windshields -the aftermarket ones are out, and dealer is apparently having to ration out the oems!!! so we get to drive with a glaring, hazardous crack...I checked on the internet and found pages of new Subaru windshield crack problems similar to ours -some seemed to indicate soa had covered replacement under warranty which should have happened the first time as there truly was no chip to start the crack. Subaru needs to do something about this -maybe thicker glass" maybe a recall" we've driven Subaru's for many years and have not had this type of problem. Please advise as to repairs, reimbursements, etc., and what you are doing to fix the problem for the future -we cannot be replacing the windshield every few months! now it is going on three weeks and no windshield, while the crack keeps getting bigger thanks
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Worland, WY, USA