2018 Subaru Outback

WINDSHIELD SEEMED TO SPONTANEOUSLY CRACK FROM THE TOP PASSENGER SIDE WHILE PARKED. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY KIND OF IMPACT. THE CRACK PROGRESSED OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL HOURS, INCREASING WHILE DRIVING OR WITH TEMPERATURE CHANGES. THIS IS THE SECOND WINDSHIELD IN 2 YEARS DUE TO SPONTANEOUS CRACKING, AND IT IS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD.

DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, BOTH STATIONARY AND IN TRAFFIC, THE DRIVER WINDOW INTERMITTENTLY DOES NOT CLOSE NORMALLY. UPON ACTIVATION TO RAISE THE WINDOW WHEN IN OPEN POSITION, IT RISES ONLY PARTWAY, THEN BOUNCES BACK DOWN. ONLY AFTER REPEATED EFFORTS, USING MULTIPLE MANEUVERS OF THE POWER CONTROL, SOMETIMES REQUIRING PULLING OVER ON THE HIGHWAY SO AS NOT TO FURTHER DRIVE DISTRACTED, CAN ONE FINALLY RAISE THE WINDOW. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN THAT IT REQUIRES DRIVER ATTENTION DURING VEHICLE OPERATION. IT IS ALSO A HAZARD WHEN NEEDING TO CLOSE THE WINDOW RAPIDLY TO AVOID DUST, DEBRIS, WEATHER PRECIPITATION, OR STRANGERS APPROACHING THE VEHICLE. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER TO FIX IT ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AND EACH TIME ARE TOLD THAT 1) NOTHING WAS WRONG (AGAIN, IT IS AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE THAT WE HAVE DOCUMENTED WITH VIDEO 2) IT WAS SOFTWARE-RELATED AND THAT THEY UPDATED IT TO FIX IT AND 3) IT WAS THE POWER WINDOW REGULATOR AND ASSEMBLY (REPLACED TWICE). NONE OF THESE EFFORTS HAVE SOLVED THIS ISSUE AND THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN FORTHCOMING WITH A REASONABLE SOLUTION OVER THE PAST 2+ YEARS WHILE WE ARE APPROACHING OUR WARRANTY EXPIRATION.

SIX MONTHS AFTER BUYING MY 2018 OUTBACK THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED DOWN BY THE DEFROSTER. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF AN IMPACT. I REPLACED IT WITH SUBARU GLASS BECAUSE OF THE EYESIGHT SYSTEM. COST WAS $1000. ONE YEAR LATER ANOTHER CRACK APPEARED AT THE TOP MIDDLE PART OF THE WINDSHIELD. THERE IS EVIDENCE OF A SMALL DING. THE WINDSHIELD SEEMS PARTICULARLY FRAGILE AND I UNDERSTAND OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE REPLACE THREE OR FOUR WINDSHIELD IN 40 YEARS OF DRIVING OTHER CARS BUT NOW HAVE TWO IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS ON THIS CAR. CAR IS OTHERWISE GREAT BUT CLEARLY THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELD.

THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED SPONTANEOUSLY ONE DAY WHILE DRIVING. NO OTHER CARS WERE AROUND. TOOK INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD US IT WAS A ROCK CHIP THAT HAD CRACKED THE WINDSHIELD BUT THE CRACK STARTED AT THE TOP OF THE WINDOW AND WENT DOWN. NO IMPACT POINT IS VISIBLE. WE HAVE ALSO HAS ANOTHER SUBARU WHICH DID THE SAME THING BUT WHILE SITTING IN GARAGE.

WE WERE GETTING READY TO LEAVE TO THE STORE AND GOT IN THE CAR AND TRIED TURNING IT ON AND WHEN WE INSERTED OUR KEYS AND TRIED TURNING ON THE CAR-THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND ALL WE COULD HEAR WAS A CLICKING CLACKING SOUND COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOOD. WE TRIED STARTING THE CAR AGAIN AND WE ENCOUNTERED THERE'S THE SAME ISSUE, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AT ALL. WE WENT IN OUR OTHER VEHICLE STRAIGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO LET THEM KNOW THAT OUR CAR OF 2 YEARS WOULD NOT START AT ALL AND THEY INFORMED US IT MIGHT BE A BATTERY ISSUE AND THAT WE SHOULD CALL ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR FURTHER HELP. WE ASKED IF OUR BATTERY WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW IT ALL DEPENDED ON THE MILEAGE AND WE INFORMED THEM THAT OUR CAR WAS A BRAND NEW 2018 MODEL WITH UNDER 21,000 MILES. THEY AGAIN SAID IF IT WAS A BATTERY ISSUE BEST BET WAS TO REPLACE WITH THEM AND THAT IT WOULD BE FOR A FEE OF $200 OR MORE.

DEFECTIVE FRONT WINDSHIELDS. THE ORIGINAL HAD A LEGITIMATE CRACK FROM A ROCK HITTING IT. THE FIRST & SECOND REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELDS (SUBARU BRANDED) BOTH CRACKED STARTING FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE ABOUT MIDWAY UP. THE FIRST REPLACEMENT CRACKED AT SLOW SPEED AFTER PULLING AWAY FROM THE CURB. THE SECOND CRACKED AFTER PARKING AND CLOSING THE DRIVERS DOOR. BOTH CRACKS IMMEDIATELY SPREAD LATERALLY ACROSS ALMOST HALF OF THE WINDSHIELD IN THE DRIVERS LINE OF SIGHT. THE ORIGINAL WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED ON 4/3/2019 AND THE FIRST REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED ON 11/4/2019. THIS SECOND REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACKED ON 7/24/2020. NEITHER OF THESE LAST TWO CRACKED WINDSHIELDS WAS CAUSED BY ROCK OR DEBRIS HITTING THEM.

THE STEERING SOMETIMES LOCKS WHEN CAR IS OPERATING IN REVERSE, TURNING OUT OF A PARKED POSITION. EXACT CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THIS PROBLEM IN MID-MARCH AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETECT THE FAULT. TODAY I ENCOUNTERED THE SAME STEERING LOCK WHEN BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND TURNING RIGHT TO GET ONTO THE STREET.