2018 Subaru Outback

2 WINDSHIELD CRACKS IN LOWER PORTION OF WINDSHIELD DURING 1ST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. BOTH CRACKS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AROUND TOWN ~35 MPH, ONCE DURING A 100 DEGF SUMMER DAY, AND THE OTHER DURING A 40 DEGF RAINY WINTER MORNING. INSPECTION OF CRACK AFTER STOPPING SHOWED POSSIBLE ORIGINATION FROM ~1MM CHIPS. DURING THE SUMMER, THE FIRST CHIP, LOCATED IN THE DE-ICER AREA, GREW RAPIDLY TO A CRACK ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD WITH A LOUD 'POP' SOUND AFTER THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS TURNED ON HIGH USING DEFROSTER AIR MODE. SUBARU OF AMERICA (NOT THE DEALER) REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD AND RECALIBRATED THE EYESIGHT SYSTEM AS A 'GOODWILL' REPAIR. DURING THE WINTER, ANOTHER CHIP BETWEEN THE VIN# DISPLAY WINDOW AND THE PERIMETER OF THE LOWER WINDSHIELD EXPLOSIVELY GREW TO A CRACK WHEN HEATED DEFROSTER AIR WAS ACTIVATED. REPAIR PENDING. MAIN CONCERN IS THE FRAGILE NATURE AND TEMPERATURE DEPENDANCE OF THIS GLASS TEMPER, ESPECIALLY NEAR WINDOW BOUNDARY CONDITIONS AND WHERE DEFROSTER AIR IS THE STRONGEST. OVER 20 YEARS OF DRIVING OTHER VEHICLES ON THE SAME ROUTE HAVE CAUSED LITTLE CHIPS ON OTHER WINDSHIELDS, BUT NEVER HAS A CHIP GROWN INTO A CRACK, WITH OR WITHOUT HOT OR COLD DEFROSTER AIR HITTING IT. I SUSPECT THAT THE THICKNESS AND TEMPER OF THE LATEST GENERATION OF OUTBACK CARLEX WINDSHIELDS WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE ISSUES SIMILAR TO TSB# 12-192-15R.

MY WINDSHIELD IS CRACKED FOR THE 2ND TIME NOW IN ITS FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. THE FIRST TIME IT CRACKED IT WAS BECAUSE OF A PEBBLE STRIKE FROM THE ROAD. EXTREMELY SMALL FRAGMENT STRUCK THE GLASS, MADE A POCK MARK, AND THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED. TODAY, LESS THAN A MONTH LATER A NEW CRACK APPEARED WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY STRIKE FROM AN OBJECT. SUBARU DEALER CLAIMS IT WAS STRUCK BUT FIND A CRACK ONLY WITHOUT ANY POINT ALONG IT OF AN IMPACT MAKES ME VERY VERY SUSPICIOUS. NOW I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO SETTLE ON CHARGES AND SEND A CHECK BEFORE THE NEXT WINDSHIELD CAN BE APPLIED. MY WIFE AND I WERE CALMLY DRIVING ON COMPLETELY PAVED ROADS WHEN WE BOTH WATCHED THE CRACK APPEAR AND GROW DURING OUR DRIVE. :-( I HAVE DRIVEN FOR 50+ YEARS, AND OWNED 20+ CARS. I'VE NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN.

WINDSHIELD EASILY CRACKS - WE HAVE HAD OUR 2018 OUTBACK FOR LESS THAN 6 MONTHS AND LESS THAN 5000 MILES AND HAVE HAD 3 WINDSHIELDS DEVELOP SEVERE CRACKING. THE FIRST TWO WERE REPLACED WITH FACTORY WINDSHIELDS BY PROFESSIONAL INSTALLERS. THE SLIGHTEST IMPACT, THE LAST TWO BEING BARELY PERCEIVABLE, RESULTS IN AN ELONGATED CRACK FORMING. WITH FOUR VEHICLES IN OUR HOUSEHOLD, WE HAVE ONLY HAD 2 WINDSHIELDS REPLACED IN 14 YEARS SINCE MOVING TO THIS AREA SO HAVE RULED OUT BAD LUCK OR DRIVING HABIT. SUBARU (BOTH DEALER AND CORPORATE) HAVE BEEN UNRESPONSIVE. THE CURRENT CRACKING AND STAR FORMED AFTER A BARELY AUDIBLE IMPACT. THE STAR GREW AND IS NOW CRUMBLING IN THE CENTER WITH 3 FRACTURE LINES EXTENDING FROM IT. FIRST INCIDENT - ON I-17 WHILE PASSING A SEMI APPROX SPEED 75 MPH SECOND INCIDENT - ON AZ 69 IN NORMAL TRAFFIC APPOX SPEED 45 MPH THIRD INCIDENT - ON I-17 WHILE FOLLOWING A VEHICLE USING ISIGHT DYNAMIC CRUISE CONTROL APPROX SPEED 75 MPH FIRST TWO CLAIMS COVERED BY INSURANCE WHICH WE ATTRIBUTED TO BAD LUCK. THIRD INCIDENT IN SO FEW MONTHS/MILES SEEMS TO POINT TO QUALITY/DESIGN ISSUE SINCE OTHER VEHICLES (PAST AND PRESENT) HAVE NEVER DEVELOPED THIS SEVERE CRACKING (PICTURE PROVIDED) WHICH PROMPTED THIS COMPLAINT.

THE REAR VIEW MIRROR IS IN MY FIELD OF VIEW! I AM ONLY 5'4" AND I LIKE TO RAISE MY SEAT ALL THE WAY UP TO GIVE ME GOOD VISIBILITY. IF I DO THAT , THE REAR VIEW MIRROR GETS IN MY WAY, I HAVE TO DUCK DOWN TO LOOK UNDER THE MIRROR!! ONE OTHER THING, IF I DO RAISE THE SEAT ALL THE WAY UP, I HAVE NO "ARMREST" THE ARMREST CAN NOT BE RAISED, SO THAT TOO MAKES ME LOWER MY SEAT!! THE MIRROR IS TOO LOW AND SO ARE THE ARMRESTS!!!!! HUGE BLIND SPOT!!!!

LEFT SIDEVIEW MIRROR DOES NOT ROTATE FAR ENOUGH TO LEFT: A PERSON OR VEHICLE WITHIN 3 FEET OR GREATER DISTANCE OF LEFT SIDE AND ADJACENT WITH AFT OF LEFT REAR DOOR (IE, PARALLEL TO THE BREAK LINE OF THE DOOR WHERE IT CLOSES) CANNOT BE SEEN IN SIDE VIEW MIRROR. A REPLACEMENT MIRROR WAS INSTALLED BY DEALER, BUT THE PROBLEM REMAINS. CHECKING OUT ANOTHER NEW 2018 OUTBACK RESULTED IN SAME PROBLEM. THIS ISSUE WILL RESULT IN MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS WITH DRIVER-SIDE IMPACTS OR OTHER, BOTH WHILE DRIVING OR WHEN PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. THE RIGHT SIDE MIRROR WORKS WELL WITH COMPLETE VIEW ANGLE OF ADJACENT LANE OR FURTHER IF REQUIRED.

A CRACK DEVELOPED IN THE LOWER LEFT CORNER OF THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW. THE CRACK IS ABOUT 7 INCHES IN LENGTH, RUNNING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW - WHERE IT MEETS THE RUBBER GASKET OF THE DOOR - UP AND TO THE RIGHT. IT OBSCURES THE RIGHT SIDE MIRROR. THIS CRACK APPEARED SUDDENLY ON 2/21/18. PRIOR TO THIS, WE NOTICED A BUBBLING OR WARPING OF THE WINDOW IN THE TOP LEFT AREA THAT DISTORTED THE VIEW - THIS HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED ON THE NHTSA SITE.