2019 Subaru Forester

MY 2019 SUBARU FORESTER IS NOW ON ITS SECOND FRONT WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT. IN EACH CASE, I ASSUME THERE WAS IMPACT FROM A SMALL ROCK DUE TO THE VERY TINY CHIP IN-LINE WITH THE EVENTUAL CRACK. NEITHER IMPACT STARTED AS ANYTHING BIG JUDGING BY THE SIZE OF THE TINY PIT AND THE FACT THE CRACKS DEVELOPED DAYS AFTERWARDS, THE FIRST DURING CITY DRIVING AND ON THE SECOND INCIDENT, WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE. I HAVE TAKEN PREVIOUS SMALL PROJECTILE IMPACTS ON THE INTERSTATE WITH OTHER CAR MAKES OWNED AND NEVER HAD TO REPLACE WINDSHIELDS DUE TO SIMILAR INCIDENTS ALTHOUGH NOW I AM ON THE SECOND WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT ON A SUBARU OWNED LESS THAN A YEAR. I HAD A 2003 SUBARU FORESTER AND A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA AND ONLY REPLACED ONE WINDSHIELD IN THE 25 YRS COMBINED THAT I OWNED THOSE CARS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 SUBARU FORESTER. AFTER DRIVING AND PARKING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED A CRACK FROM THE TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD THAT TRAVELED DOWN AND CURVED TO THE RIGHT TOWARDS THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE CONTACT RESEARCHED THE FAILURE AND FOUND THAT NUMEROUS SUBARU VEHICLES HAD THE SAME FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT CALLED HIS INSURANCE COMPANY AND WAS REFERRED TO A GLASS COMPANY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,600.

PURCHASED NEW IN OCT. 2018. WAS ABSOLUTELY SURPRISED JUST HOW EASY EVERY LITTLE TINY BIT OF SALT OR NORMAL DEBRIS FROM WINTER DRIVING CHIPS THE WINDSHIELD (PAVED, INTERSTATE). BY THE END OF THE WINTER, I HAD NEAR AS MANY PITS IN THIS SUBARU WINDSHIELD WITH 10,500 MILES ON THE FORESTER AS MY PICKUP WHICH HAS 200,000 MILES ON IT. THEN IN APRIL 2019, I'M DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE, A SMALL ROCK GETS THROWN AT ME, AND THE WINDSHIELD SHATTERS! IT WASN'T A HARD HIT, AND IT WASN'T THAT BIG. (I SAY THIS BASED ON SOUND. USUALLY WHEN A WINDSHIELD SHATTERS, THE NOISE IS SO INTENSE IT'LL MAKE YOU JUMP!) THEN TO TOP IT ALL OFF, THEY HAVE THE NERVE TO TELL YOU IT COSTS $1,200 TO REPLACE! OBVIOUSLY I HAVE NO CHOICE, THE CRACK IS RIGHT IN THE WORST SPOT POSSIBLE FOR VISIBILITY. I CANNOT SAFELY DRIVE THE CAR DUE TO MY HEIGHT AND THE WHERE THE CRACK WENT AS IT CREATED A DOUBLE VISION ISSUE. I GO AHEAD AND SCHEDULE THE REPLACEMENT, BUT THE DEALER TELLS ME ITS ON BACK ORDER. IT TAKES THEM 17 DAYS TO GET ME A NEW WINDSHIELD, DURING WHICH TIME I CANT REALLY DRIVE THE CAR. I DID NOT GET THIRD PARTY REPLACEMENT GLASS, I GOT AN OEM WINDSHIELD ORDERED THRU THE DEALER THE CAR WAS PURCHASED FROM. NOW OCT. 2019 I HAVE 18,300 MILES ON THE CAR, AND WHILE SUMMER DRIVING HAS BEEN LESS HARD ON THE WINDSHIELD, THE NEW ONE SEEMS TO PIT EASILY/OFTEN AS WELL.

IN MAY A SMALL ROCK FROM HIGHWAY DRIVING NICKED THE WINDSHIELD OF MY CAR, PUTTING A SMALL SCRATCH IN THE GLASS. WITHIN HOURS THE SCRATCH HAD SPREAD INTO A MAJOR CRACK SPANNING 3 FEET ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. I HAD A GLASS WARRANTEE ON THE CAR FROM THE DEALER, WHICH THE DEALER DECLINED TO HONOR BECAUSE THE CRACK WAS GREATER THAN 12 INCHES, ALTHOUGH STARTING OUT AS ONLY A NICK. I SEE FROM CAR AND DRIVER THAT THIS HAS BECOME A CONCERN FOR AT LEAST 100 2019 SUBARU FORESTER OWNERS. I HAD SIMILAR DAMAGE ON MY 2011 ACURA RDX WITH A ROCK CREATING A SCRATCH ABOUT A QUARTER OF AN INCH LONG, BUT IN THAT CASE THE SCRATCH STAYED A SCRATCH. SUBARU MADE ME PAY FOR THE ENTIRE LABOR AND WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT COSTS ON A VIRTUALLY NEW CAR, APPROXIMATELY $1,100.

REAR HATCH WILL NOT OPEN. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RANDOM AND PERIODIC SINCE WE TOOK DELIVERY FROM DEALER AT END OF MAY, 2019. TODAY AFTER SHOPPING I TRIED TO PLACE ITEMS IN THE HATCH. IT WOULD NOT OPEN. I TRIED THE INSIDE BUTTON AND THE HANDLE ON THE HATCH, NEITHER WORKED. I LOADED THE ITEMS IN THE BACK SEAT, STARTED THE CAR THEN STARTED TO BACK OUT OF THE SPACE. AS VEHICLE TRAVELED IN REVERSE THERE WAS A NOISE LIKE A MOTOR AND THE HATCH OPENED. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN HELPFUL SO FAR BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IT OPENED WHILE IN MOTION