2019 Subaru Forester

A SPONTANEOUS 20-25IN WINDSHIELD CRACK HAS APPEARED OVERNIGHT WHILE MY 2019 SUBARU FORESTER WAS PARKED IN A COVERED PARKING SPOT AT MY HOME ON 8/25/2019. I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THIS IN THE MORNING ON SUNDAY AS THERE WAS NO CRACK ON SATURDAY AND THE CAR WAS JUST SITTING THERE OVERNIGHT. SEEMS LIKE THE CRACK STARTED BELOW THE DRIVER'S WINDOW WIPER (WHERE THE WIPER HEATING ELEMENT IS LOCATED) AND DEVELOPED A C-SHAPE CRACK UP AND TO THE LEFT TOWARDS THE DRIVER'S VIEW SIDE. NO SIGNS OF CHIPS OR DENTS ON THE WINDSHIELD, IT HAS CRACKED FOR NO OBVIOUS REASON. PLEASE SEE PICTURES ATTACHED. I HAVE GOOGLED THIS ISSUE AND IT SEEMS THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT OUTBACK AND FORESTER IN THE PAST. IT WOULD BE NICE IF SUBARU ACKNOWLEDGED AND FIXED THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP! BEST REGARDS, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

08/16/19 I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 70MPH, I HEARD A VERY FAINT "TINK" AND SAW A 1 INCH CRACK ON THE LOWER PASSENGER SIDE NEAR THE OUTER EDGE. I DID NOT SEE A ROCK AND IT DEFINITELY WAS NOT A LOUD SOUND LIKE A NORMAL ROCK CHIP WOULD CREATE. MY INSURANCE SET UP AN APPOINTMENT AT 8:00 AM THE FOLLOWING MORNING 08/17/19 WITH SAFELITE TO REPAIR IT. AFTER BEING AT SAFELIGHT FOR ONLY 5 MINUTES THE TECH COMES OUT TO TELL ME THE WINDSHIELD SPLIT AND NOW I HAVE A 19 INCH CRACK ACROSS MY WINDSHIELD AND IT MUST BE REPLACED AND THE CAMERAS RECALIBRATED THROUGH SUBARU. I NOW HAVE TO DRIVE MY 1 MONTH OLD SUBARU FORESTER SPORT WITH A CRACKED WINDSHIELD UNTIL MY SUBARU DEALER CAN GET ME A NEW WINDSHIELD AND REPAIR DATE. I'VE OWNED HONDA, TOYOTA , SCION, CHEVY, GMC, ACURA, LEXUS AND FORD AND HAVE NEVER HAD A WINDSHIELD CRACK OR SPLIT. THIS SEEMS TO BE WAY TOO COMMON WITH THESE SUBARU WINDSHIELDS.

HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HOME AFTER GRAVEYARD WORK SHIFT, WITH NO OTHER CARS ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN HE HEARD A CRACK. HE NOTICED A CRACK COMING FROM UNDER THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD, CLOSER TO THE DRIVER SIDE. HE DID HAVE THE DEFROSTER ON. THE NEXT DAY THE CRACK HAD SPREAD AND 2 MORE CRACKS APPEARED ON THE WINDSHIELD. WE CALLED THE DEALER AND NOTIFIED THEM AND THEY SAID WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER THAT SINCE WE DIDN'T PURCHASE ADDITIONAL WARRANTY, AND IT IS NOT A FACTORY DEFECT THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF. IT IS A NEW 2019 SUBARU FORESTER.

I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND DID NOT HEAR A ROCK OR ANY OBJECT HIT WINDSHIELD. WHEN I ARRIVED HOME I NOTICED A CRACK IN WINDSHIELD BEGINNING AT DEICER OF WINDSHIELD UP TO 25% UPWARDS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE WINDOW APPEARS TO BE BRITTLE AND SUBARU PREVIOUSLY HAD SAME ISSUE WITH 2016 OUTBACKS. SUBARU DENIED THIS WAS WITHIN WARRANTY. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW 3-4 WEEKS AGO.

ON THE 10TH OF JULY WHILE STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, I WATCHED A CRACK COME DOWN FROM ABOUT 4 INCHES FROM THE TOP OF THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD, TO DOWN JUST BELOW THE REAR VIEW MIRROR HEIGHT AND THEN CONTINUE ALL THE WAY OVER TO MY SIDE (DRIVERS SIDE). A SOUND OF SOMETHING HITTING THE WINDSHIELD WAS NEVER HEARD! ONLY WHEN I EXAMINED THE WINDSHIELD FROM OUTSIDE COULD YOU SEE A VERY MINUTE CHIP WHICH SHOULD HAVE NEVER CAUSED THIS DAMAGE! THIS WINDSHIELD GLASS IS SO THIN THAT I'M AFRAID IF SOMETHING BIGGER HITS IT, IT WILL COME THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD! THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS! A VERY EXPENSIVE OEM WINDSHIELD (AND CALIBRATION) IS REQUIRED AS A REPLACEMENT DUE TO THE EYESIGHT CAMERAS. WHY AN AFTER MARKET WINDSHIELD AN CALIBRATION CAN'T BE USED I DON'T KNOW? SOMETHING UP?

AS OTHERS HAVE REPORTED, THE WINDSHIELD QUALITY IS SUSPECT. CAR WAS ONLY A MONTH OLD WITH LESS THAN 700 MILES WHEN A LARGE HORIZONTAL CRACK APPEARED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED IN A PARKING LOT. NO VISIBLE SIGNS OR EVIDENCE OF IMPACT FROM A FOREIGN SOURCE. HAVE NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN IN PREVIOUS CARS IN OVER 20 YEARS OF DRIVING. WHAT MAKES MATTERS WORSE IS THAT AN EXPENSIVE OEM WINDSHIELD (AND CALIBRATION) IS REQUIRED AS A REPLACEMENT DUE TO THE EYESIGHT CAMERAS.

WINDSHIELD QUALITY - 2019 SUBARU FORESTER SPORT WINDSHIELD CHIP VERY EASY. CAR PARKED ON DRIVEWAY AND IT WAS HAILING FOR 2 MINUTES; COUPLE TINY CHIPPED/PITTED WERE FOUND ON WINDSHIELD; NO CRACK. THIS ONLY HAPPEN TO THE SUBARU, BUT NOT THE OTHER VEHICLES I OWNED (VOLVO AND HONDA). SUBARU WINDSHIELD CHIP/PITTED EASILY ON VEHICLE WITH EYE SIGHT EQUIPPED. THE WINDSHIELD SEEMS THINNER COMPARE TO OLDER MODEL AND OTHER VEHICLE BRANDS. THIS ISSUE ALSO APPLIED ON HIGHWAY DRIVING AS ANY TINY OBJECT WILL CAUSE CHIPPED ON WINDSHIELD EASILY WHERE THIS DOES NOT APPLIED ON OTHER VEHICLES. REPLACEMENT IS EXPENSIVE AS WINDSHIELD HAS TO BE SUBARU CERTIFIED OTHERWISE EYE SIGHT WILL NOT WORK. FURTHERMORE, EYE SIGHT CALIBRATION IS AN ADDITIONAL COST ON TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT AND IT IS NOT COVER BY DEALERSHIP WINDSHIELD WARRANTY PACKAGE.