2019 Subaru Forester

VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN MY GARAGE. AMBIENT WAS ABOUT 65 DEGREES F. I WAS ATTEMPTING TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER WIPER BLADE. I ACCIDENTALLY DROPPED THE WIPER ARM WHICH STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD WITHOUT THE BLADE. THE RESULT WAS AN IMMEDIATE CRACK OVER 12" LONG. VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 16,500 MILES. I HAVE OWNED IT FOR LESS THAN 1000 MILES.

WE WERE DRIVING ON A PAVED ROAD WITH NO OTHER CARS AROUND AND THE WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY DEVELOPED A 12 INCH CRACK COMING UP FROM VERY LOW ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 65 DEGREES OUTSIDE AND WE DID NOT HAVE EITHER THE HEATER OR A/C RUNNING. OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS THE CRACK INCREASED TO ABOUT 24 INCHES. ON CLOSE EXAMINATION I DID SEE AN EXTREMELY SMALL 'STAR' WHERE THE CRACK STARTED. I DO REMEMBER HAVING A PEBBLE HIT THE WINDSHIELD OVER A MONTH AGO BUT I COULD NOT SEE ANY DAMAGE AT THE TIME. I SUPPOSE IT'S POSSIBLE THAT'S WHAT CAUSED THE TINY CHIP. I HAVE RECEIVED STONE CHIPS WITH OTHER CARS BUT NEVER HAD ONE PROGRESS INTO A MAJOR CRACK LIKE THIS BEFORE.

MY SON'S NEW 2019 SUBARU FORESTER TOURING BURNED TO A CRISP (TOTAL) ON SATURDAY, 10/19 IN I-95 NEAR NEW ROCHELLE, NY. VEHICLE WAS IN THE LEFT LANE AND THE CAR IN FRONT STOPPED AND THEY HIT IT, THEN THEY WERE HIT IN THE BACK, TOO. THEIR CAR BURNED BUT THE CAR IN FRONT AND BEHIND DID NOT. THE CAR IN FRONT WAS EVEN ABLE TO MOVE INDICATING NOTHING WRONG WITH ITS GAS TANK.

THERE HAD BEEN A SQUEAKING / CRACKLING NOISE COMING FROM THE AREA WHERE THE DASH MEETS THE WINDSHIELD. THIS NOISE ONLY OCCURRED WHEN IT WAS VERY HOT OUTSIDE 85 DEGREES OR MORE. WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED FROM THE BOTTOM UP. THE CRACK STARTING WHERE THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM. I HAVE FULL GLASS COVERAGE SO I DIDN'T THINK MUCH ABOUT IT. SINCE THEN I'VE HEARD ABOUT A POSSIBLE FAULTY WINDSHIELD IN THE 19 FORESTERS. IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN I'LL BE GOING TO SUBARU FOR A REPLACEMENT. THIS MATTER NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO AS THE CAR ONLY HAD 5,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.

I PURCHASED A 2019 SUBARU FORESTER IN MID-JULY AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE TWO WINDSHIELDS DUE TO CRACKING. THE FIRST REPLACEMENT WAS IN SEPTEMBER DUE TO A ROCK HITTING THE WINDSHIELD ON THE FAR RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE. THE CHIP QUICKLY DEVELOPED INTO AN 18' CRACK. I NOTICED A SECOND CRACK YESTERDAY WHICH ORIGINATED BEHIND THE WIPER BLADE IN THE BOTTOM CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD THAT EXTENDS ON A 16' ARCH IN THE SAME DIRECTION OF THE WIPER BLADE MOTION. THERE IS VERY SMALL CHIP, LOCATED BEHIND THE METAL PORTION OF THE WIPER BLADE FROM A ROCK THAT MUST HAVE FALLEN OUT OF THE SKY. I WAS TRAVELING IN THE VEHICLE ON M55 BETWEEN LAKE CITY AND CADILLAC ON PAVED ROADS BUT HAD STARTED OUT THE MORNING IN MARQUETTE, MI WHERE THE TEMPERATURES WHERE IN THE 30S WITH A RAIN/SNOW MIX. I DID NOT HEAR ANY ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD.

JUST YESTERDAY MY SUBARU EXPERIENCED AN INEXPLICABLE SUDDEN WINDSHIELD FRACTURE. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY WARMING UP AND I TURNED ON THE FRONT DEFROSTER AND SUDDENLY, FROM THE BOTTOM CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD, A GIANT CRACK APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE. MY FORESTER CURRENTLY HAS 7600 MILES ON IT AND A ROCK/STONE HAS NEVER STRUCK MY WINDSHIELD. I AM THE ONLY DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE. THIS CRACK STARTED AT THE VERY BOTTOM CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD UNDER THE PLASTIC MOLDING PART AND MADE ITS WAY UP FROM THERE. THE CRACK STARTED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE HEATING ELEMENTS / DEFROSTER ON THE BOTTOM MIDDLE FRONT WINDSHIELD AS SOON AS I ACTIVATED THE FRONT DEFROST FEATURE.

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH ON A WELL TRAVELED ROAD I'M ASSUMING A SMALL STONE CAUSE A MINUTE DIVOT IN THE WINDSHIELD. I WAS PLANNING ON REPAIRING IT THE FOLLOWING MORNING. THE NEXT MORNING THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED. I PURCHASED MY SUBARU FORESTER TOURING AUGUST 2019. I DIDN'T EVEN OWN IT A MONTH AND HAVEN'T EVEN MADE A PAYMENT. NEEDLESS TO SAY I HAD TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD AND HAVE THE SENSORS RECALIBRATED. I HAD MANY STONES HIT MY WINDSHIELD IN THE PAST AND I NEVER HAD TO REPLACE IT JUST REPAIR. I FOUND IT ODD AT THE TIME, THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD CRACKED. NOW AFTER READING ON CAR AND DRIVER, FACEBOOK AND NOW NHTSA I DECIDED TO REPORT IT. SINCE THE SENSOR ONLY WORKS WITH OEM GLASS AND YOU CAN'T USE RAINX I'M ASSUMING THE WINDSHIELD GLASS HAS SOME TYPE OF ISSUES. WHY ELSE COULD I NOT USE A NON OEM GLASS? I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP A KNOWN ISSUE IS THE SENSOR MAY NOT WORK.