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.
Front windshield on my 2021 outback has numerous large cracks for no reason. This is a known issue via Google and class action law suits for windshields. This is a safety issue and needs to be addressed. I emailed Subaru and filed a complaint with them, Case#240708-220236. Asking them to replace windshield with new one that won't crack like this one. i have photos if needed.
On[XXX] while accelerating to travel speed (45 mph) on a rural Maine highway, the little used glass moon roof of our 2021 Subaru Outback Touring with 24,100 miles on the odometer exploded with a huge, shocking BANG!. Weather was clear and bright, wind ~5 mph, temperature about 68?F, no traffic. We never saw or heard anything strike the car, either from the road or falling down from the trees at or prior to this incident. We had the interior shade closed so no glass fell into passenger compartment thankfully. Upon inspection at the road side and discovery of the problem, the glass panel had a large hole in the middle and the edges of the remaining glass looked like it had been blown upward. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Windshield breaks way too easy. Rock chips happen easily, then they spread across the whole windshield. I am on my 2nd one and this one needs to be replaced too.
The windshield is very light and delicate. I have had two cracked windshields in less that two years, Also, the glass is so soft that it gets tons of micro-pits from sand. At night they each disperse lights and make it difficult to see.
Defective windshield. Car purchased in 6/2021 and as of 2/16/24, windshield has been replaced 3 times which would make it my 4th windshield total. No off-road use. Car driven locally. Insurance is dropping me due to excessive windshield replacement.
- Morris, IL, USA
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I have had 3 windshields crack spontaneously during normal use in the past year. Each incident was repaired by a certified repair shop and at time the damage was noticed, no chips, signs of damage, or impacts were noted. The crack appeared to be internal and was not able to be felt from outside or within. In each incident the crack began near the edge of the glass and spread across the entire length of the windshield. The most recent was 12/27/2023, the approximate dates of the previous are 12/2022, and 03/2023. All three occurred in periods of clear weather, no ice, or snow present, although all three occurred in the cold, while parked outside overnight either at work or home.
While my husband was driving up a hill at low speed (25-30miles/hr) the car lost power, struggled and felt like it was going to stall. 5 days later, I was driving up a hill going 25miles/hr, the car lost acceleration the stalled, was unreponsive to gas pedal being depressed, the car then started again on its own. I brought the car to Subaru but they couldn't find anything wrong. Luckily nobody was behind me when the car stalled.
The windshield has spontaneously cracked on 4 separate occasions. Subaru denies this is a defect and claims all have been caused by rock chips. This is not true. The cracked windshield has caused the vehicle on numerous occasions to slam on its breaks while traveling at 55 mph or greater as it -??senses-?? a collision. This has nearly caused 3 accidents so far.
I just had my second windshield failure in 2 years on this vehicle. The first time a rock hit me, but today a ~ 12" crack appeared out of nowhere while I was driving down the highway with no impact. The windshields on this vehicle seem overly prone to cracking, whether or not any impact is applied. I'm worried this will interfere with the eyesight functionality.
My windshield has cracked 3 times since vehicle was purchased, the last time within 2 months of replacement. The first 2 times the windshield was replaced by the dealership with OEM glass. There was no visible crack from rocks, etc in the last two incidences...went out in the morning to find that the windshield was cracked across half the windshield after it had been parked and no visible damage had occured beforehand in both cases. ( I have taken pictures of this last incident... insurance notified, but no inspections took place. no warning lights, etc appeared pryor to cracks)
Defective windshield. I purchased my Subaru Outback XT from the Subaru dealership in Shoreline, Washington in October 2020. Since then, the windshield has cracked 4 times beyond repair. Each time, a small hairline fracture develops and quickly spreads across the windshield until the windshield has to be replaced. I have taken the car to the Subaru dealership each time to replace the windshield. The car remains under warranty. I reached out to Subaru of America after the windshield cracked for the 4th time, but I was told that the crack was a result of "outside influence". I have never had a car windshield crack until I purchased the Subaru, and 4 cracked windshields in about 2 years is beyond excessive. After doing additional research online, it appears that this is a frequent and ongoing issue with newer Subaru models possibly because the windshield used now is of a thinner material.
The front windshield of my vehicle cracked excessively after being hit by a pea sized piece of gravel while traveling less than 50 MPH. I felt that the safety of my family was put at risk as the crack quickly spread to over 8 inches in length by the end of that same day.
Subaru has a known issue with windshields being easily cracked. I purchased a new 2021 Subaru Outback Onyx XT and had to replace the windshield 2 times within the first year of owning due to cracked windshield, both happened after having a small chip from likely a small rock hitting windshield. I currently have another cracked windshield after hearing a slight hit on my windshield, after a semi truck passed me going in the opposite direction. I have had other vehicles that have had small chips after taking a slight hit from rocks and never developed cracked that required windshield replacement. Truly think that Subaru could do better and correct this issue as windshields are very expensive to replace and those who can-??t afford replacement will continue to drive with potentially impaired visibility.
The driver's side window when I activate the automatic button to close the window it goes 3/4 way up then automatically comes down. Cannot close try several time. It will eventually close after several attempts.
Vehicle infotainment system refused to start up without long delay (20 seconds or so) preventing various safety systems from initializing. This has been a recurring problem with this vehicle for two years.
Wind shield very very weak cracks very easy I have had for 1.5 years, I am on my 6th windshield, if any thing hits the edge of the windshield it totally cracks. Also having battery issues. on my third battery care has 47 k miles.
The infotainment system is so buggy and slow it's dangerously distracting. It crashes all the time and takes a few minutes to reboot which is not good when you're using navigation. The volume randomly will go to 100% and the only way to fix it is to restart the car. I've had it happen maybe 10 times. It's very startling and it's painful to the ears. The most dangerous problem with the infotainment system, however, is how inconsistently slow it is. When you tap to open the HVAC menu, for example, it can take 1-45 seconds to open. That means you have to keep your eyes off the road waiting for a response. If you don't, the menu disappears right away. Then when you're waiting for a response, the driver monitor starts beeping loudly and flashes "Stay Alert". Even Subaru's own safety systems think the response time is unacceptable. I called Subaru about the issue but their primary purpose just seems to be deflecting complaints and and gaslighting. We've been expecting fixes for years and it never comes. Either Subaru doesn't know how to fix it or they don't want to. The system falls under the 3/36 warranty which means that by the time the find a fix, most of the cars won't be covered.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Ankeny, IA, USA