2019 Subaru Forester

ON OCTOBER 15, 2019 MY HUSBAND, I AND OUR GRANDSON WERE DRIVING ON A TOWN STREET AND THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOW GLASS ON THE RIGHT SIDE BROKE AND SHATTERED AND GLASS FLEW ALL OVER THE CAR. THERE WAS A LANDSCAPER ON A LAWN FACING AWAY FROM THE ROAD BUT NO ROCK OR ANYTHING CAME AT THE WINDOW. ON DECEMBER 11, 2019 A TRUCK DROVE BY OUR CAR PARKED IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE ON A SIDE STREET AND THIS TIME THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOW ON THE LEFT SIDE BROKE AND THE GLASS SHATTERED ALL OVER THE CAR. BOTH OF THESE INCIDENTS SEEMED TO HAPPEN FROM THE FORCE OF THE AIR/WIND PRESSURE. WE BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A DEFECT IN THESE WINDOWS AS THEY SHOULD NOT SHATTER OUT OF NOWHERE LIKE THIS. WE CONTACTED DONALDSONS SUBARU IN SAYVILLE, NY AND WERE TOLD THE REPAIRS ARE NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. WE EXPLAINED THAT NOTHING CAUSED THESE WINDOWS TO SHATTER, SO WE SHOULD NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. WE ALSO CALLED THE SUBARU CORPORATE OFFICE AND WERE TOLD IT IS 'ENVIRONMENTAL' SO THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE. WE HAVE NOTICED ONLINE THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH SUBARU VEHICLES ALSO COMPLAINED OF THIS SAME THING HAPPENING. THIS IS DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY AS WE DRIVE WITH OUR GRANDSON IN THE BACK SEAT. WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SUBARU SHOULD ADDRESS AND BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR. WE HAD THE FIRST WINDOW REPAIRED ON JANUARY 20, 2019 AT THE COST TO US OF $550 DOLLARS. ON FEBRUARY 4, 2019 WE ARE HAVING THE SECOND WINDOW REPAIRED AT THE SAME COST. EVEN IF NOTHING CAN BE DONE AT THIS POINT IN REGARD TO THIS WE WANT IT ON RECORD IN CASE IT HAPPENS AGAIN OR IF IT HAPPENS TO OTHERS AND A PATTERN IS NOTED.

ONE MORNING I WENT OUT TO START MY CAR AND NOTICED TO LARGE PARALLEL CRACKS VERTICAL CRACKS ABOUT A FOOT APART IN THE WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. ONE CRACK RUN STARTS AT THE TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD AND RUNS ABOUT 12 INCHES. THE OTHER CRACK STARTS AT THE BOTTOM AND RUNS ABOUT 18 INCHES. THE CRACKS CAN BE FELT TO THE TOUCH FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE HAVE BEEN NO INCIDENTS WHILE DRIVING THE CAR THAT WOULD LEAD TO THE CRACKS SPONTANEOUSLY APPEARING. SHORTLY AFTER FINDING THE CRACKS IN THE WINDSHIELD, SMALL HORIZONTAL CRACKS BEGAN DEVELOPING IN THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WINDOW. MY SUBARU DEALERSHIP ACKNOWLEDGED THAT ODD BEHAVIOR AND APPEARANCE OF THE CRACKS AND WAS NOT SURE WHAT COULD CAUSE SUCH BEHAVIOR, BUT WOULD NOT CLAIM THAT THERE WAS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH REVEALED THAT MANY OTHER SUBARU FORESTER OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR CRACKING IN THE WINDSHIELD.

1. WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION (AND UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS) ON HIGHWAYS, MY FRONT WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED 4X SINCE TAKING DELIVERY OF NEW VEHICLE AT THE END OF JULY 2019. ONCE THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKS, IT CONTINUES TO SPREAD. DURING THE PROCESS OF PAYING FOR THE VEHICLE, I WAS ENCOURAGED AT EVERY STEP TO PURCHASING ADDITIONAL WINDSHIELD COVERAGE TO COVER THE COST OF REPLACING THE FRONT WINDSHIELD IN CASE IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE EYESIGHT CAMERA SYSTEM. THE WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED ON THE INTERSTATE, A STATE TOLLWAY, AND A HIGHWAY. 2. THE BLUE TEMPERATURE LIGHT TURNS ON FOR FIVE MINUTES OR MORE WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY DISMISS ME SAYING THAT THIS IS A NORMAL CONDITION OF THE CAR (WHICH WAS NOT MENTIONED DURING THE SALES PROCESS) AND TO JUST WAIT UNTIL THE BLUE TEMPERATURE LIGHT GOES OUT BEFORE DRIVING THE CAR. WHEN TAKING THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD FOR 4TH TIME, THEY FINALLY LISTENED TO ME AND ADDED CHECKING THE COOLANT TO THE LIST BUT IT HAS BEEN A FIGHT TO HAVE THIS LOOKED AT. 3. WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION AND WITH NO OTHER CARS IN FRONT OF ME, TO THE SIDE OR BEHIND ME, THE CAR PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM ACTIVATED AND BRAKED THE CAR ON ITS OWN. THERE WAS NO PRE-WARNING THAT THE CAR WAS GOING TO BRAKE. 4. THE CAR AUTO LIGHT ON AND OFF FUNCTION DOES NOT FULLY TURN ON THE CAR LIGHTS AT NIGHT. 5. WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION AND BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, I HEAR A BIG KA-THUNK SOUND FROM THE FRONT LEFT OF THE CAR. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH WAY THE STEERING IS BEING TURNED. ORDERED THE CAR IN JUNE 2019, WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR WOULDN'T BE READY UNTIL MID-AUG. DUE TO THE FACTORY SHUTTING DOWN FOR A TWO WEEK HOLIDAY IN JAPAN, RECEIVED NOTICE FROM THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE CAR HAD BEEN DELIVERED MUCH EARLIER THAN EXPECTED IN JULY.

WAS DRIVING ON A US HWY WHEN ALL IF A SUDDEN I HEARD A LOUD SNAP. I WAS PASSING A SEMI AT THE TIME SO THOUGHT THE SOUND MIGHT HAVE COME FROM THE SEMI THROWING ROCKS. AT THAT TIME THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A CHIP OR CRACK ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE NEXT MORNING THE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED FROM THE FAR RIGHT SIDE ACROSS THE DRIVER'S LINE IF VIEW.