IllustrationGIANT CRACK HAS APPEARED ON WINDSHIELD LESS THAT 12K MILES OF DRIVING. THERE IS A SMALL CHIP FROM A FEW DAYS AGO THAT HAS FORMED INTO A LARGER CRACK.
2020 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Forester years
Owner complaints for the 2020 Subaru Forester are substantially higher than the model-year median of 131.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forester years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
2400–25K
2325–50K
750–75K
275–100K
0100–150K
0150K+
272 reports with mileage · 328 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 252 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 79 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
26 crash reports8 fire reports13 injury reports
Visibility/wiper complaints
252 reportsWINDSHIELD CRACKED, STARTED BELOW WIPER IN THE MIDDLE OF GLASS, CRACK ABOUT 8 INCHES PERPENDICULAR TO THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING ABOUT 20 MILES PER HOUR IN THE RAIN TURNED ON DEFROSTER AND SAW THE CRACK.
I TRAVELLED TO WORK AND THE WINDSHIELD FORMED A CRACK ON THE UPPER LEFT SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD (DRIVER'S SIDE). IT STARTS AT THE CORNER AND PROCEEDS (SO FAR) TO BE 1.5 FEET LONG. THERE WERE NO ONCOMING VEHICLES OR VEHICLES THAT I WAS FOLLOWING. IT WAS A LEFT HAND TURN, LOW SPEED.
WINDSHIELD CRACKED DUE TO NO APPARENT CAUSE - NO COLLISION, NO ROCK HITTING IT. IT SIMPLY APPEARED OVERNIGHT.
THE WINDSHIELD IS CRACKED
A SMALL CHIP ON THE BLACK EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD OCCURRED THE END OF FEBRUARY, THEN IT TURNED INTO AN 18' LONG CRACK ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD WITHIN A FEW HOURS ON A ROAD TRIP.
WINDSHIELD LITERALLY CRACKED FROM ONE SIDE TO THE MIDDLE FROM A SMALL PEBBLE (THE FIRST PEBBLE I'VE HAD HIT THE WINDSHIELD). I JUST GOT THIS CAR, BARELY EVEN BROKEN IN AT 7,000 MILES. THE SAFETY FEATURES FROM EYESIGHT DON'T WORK PROPERLY AFTER THIS WHICH POSES A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE.
A SMALL, APPROXIMATELY 3" CRACK APPEARED ON LOWER DRIVER SIDE OF WINDSHIELD WITH NO APPARENT IMPACT AT THAT TIME. VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE CRACKED WAS NOTICED IN THE EVENING. CONTACTED SUBARU WHO DIRECTED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR EVALUATION. WHILE WAITING FOR EVALUATION (SEVERAL WEEKS), THE CRACK CONTINUED TO GROW T…
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A SMALL, APPROXIMATELY 3" CRACK APPEARED ON LOWER DRIVER SIDE OF WINDSHIELD WITH NO APPARENT IMPACT AT THAT TIME. VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE CRACKED WAS NOTICED IN THE EVENING. CONTACTED SUBARU WHO DIRECTED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR EVALUATION. WHILE WAITING FOR EVALUATION (SEVERAL WEEKS), THE CRACK CONTINUED TO GROW TO APPROXIMATELY 18". SUBARU DETERMINED AN IMPACT CAUSED THE CRACK, THOUGH THE ONLY POSSIBLE IMPACT SITE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1/16" IN DIAMETER. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ONE MONTH PRIOR.
VERY SMALL OBJECT HIT WINDSHIELD NEAR EDGE OF WINDSHIELD WHERE BLACK COAT AND CLEAR GLASS MEET. A ROUGHLY 12" CRACK IMMEDIATELY APPEARED. I WAS DRIVING ON A TOLLWAY WHEN THE OBJECT HIT THE GLASS.
I RECEIVED A CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD MY 2020 SUBARU FORESTER ON OCTOBER 8, 2020. IT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. IT APPEARED SUDDENLY IN MY FIELD OF VIEW BUT I DIDN'T SEE OR EXPERIENCE ANYTHING THAT COULD HAVE IMPACTED THE WINDSHIELD OR CAUSED THE CHIP. A PROFESSIONAL WINDSHIELD REPAIR COMPANY ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE…
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I RECEIVED A CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD MY 2020 SUBARU FORESTER ON OCTOBER 8, 2020. IT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. IT APPEARED SUDDENLY IN MY FIELD OF VIEW BUT I DIDN'T SEE OR EXPERIENCE ANYTHING THAT COULD HAVE IMPACTED THE WINDSHIELD OR CAUSED THE CHIP. A PROFESSIONAL WINDSHIELD REPAIR COMPANY ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE CHIP THE NEXT DAY, BUT IN THE PROCESS, CAUSED A LARGE CRACK TO SPREAD ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. THE WINDSHIELD WAS THEN REPLACED AT A SUBARU DEALERSHIP ON 10/28/20. I HAVE ATTACHED A DOCUMENT OF THE WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT WORK DONE. ON 12/22/20 A CHIP APPEARED ON THE NEW WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. THEN ON 3/7/20 A LARGE CRACK IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION APPEARED AND SPREAD ACROSS MY FIELD OF VIEW. I HAVE ATTACHED PHOTOS OF THE CHIP AND THE LARGE CRACK ON THE NEWLY REPLACED WINDSHIELD. I WILL NOW NEED TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD A SECOND TIME. THIS WILL BE MY 3RD WINDSHIELD ON THIS VEHICLE AND IT IS ONLY 1 YEAR OLD. EVEN WITH A NEW WINDSHIELD, FROM MY EXPERIENCE SO FAR, THE CHANCES OF MY FIELD OF VIEW BEING IMPACTED SUDDENLY BY CHIPS AND CRACKS WHILE DRIVING IS VERY HIGH. THE CAUSE OF THE CRACKS APPEARS TO BE DEFECTIVE GLASS USED BY SUBARU FOR THE WINDSHIELD.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.