2019 Subaru Outback

AFTER OWNING 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK FOR 6 MONTHS, WASHING IT I FOUND 6 TO 7 CHIPS SCATTERED AROUND THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. I HAD THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED DUE TO LIVING IN FLORIDA, NOT WANTING TO TAKE ANY CHANCES. I DRIVING VEHICLES FOR MORE THAN 45 YEARS, I DON'T THINK THAT I HAD 6 CHIPS ON ALL THE VEHICLES COMBINED. I BELIEVE THAT SUBARU HAS INFERIOR QUALITY WINDSHIELD GLASS.

THE VEHICLE HAS HAD WINDSHIELD CRACKS APPEAR THREE TIMES IN THE SIX MONTHS WE HAVE OWNED IT (PURCHASED NEW). BOTH THE DEALER AND THE GLASS REPAIR SHOP INDICATE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS MODEL. IN THE FIRST TWO INSTANCES, THERE WAS A MINOR IMPACT WITH A SMALL PEBBLE OR BIT OF SAND AT CITY SPEEDS (LESS THAN 40 MPH) AND IN THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT, THE CRACK APPEARED SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT OBVIOUS IMPACT WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH. NONE OF THE IMPACTS WERE SUFFICIENT, IN MY ESTIMATION, TO CAUSE DAMAGE SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO REQUIRE REPLACEMENT OF THE WINDSHIELD, BUT, IN ALL CASES, THE CRACK SPREAD ACROSS THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD WITHIN MOMENTS. BASED ON OTHER REPORTS ON THE INTERNET, IT WOULD APPEAR THE WINDSHIELD ON THESE VEHICLES IS POORLY DESIGNED AND/OR MANUFACTURED, CREATING A SAFETY ISSUE.

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A STATE HIGHWAY ON 9/26/19 AT 55 MPH MY PASSENGER AND I HEARD A SMALL LITTLE TICK SOUND AND SHE SAID, "THAT'S THE SAME SOUND MY CROSSTREK MADE ON MONDAY WHEN IT CHIPPED AND CRACKED THE WINDSHIELD". SO WE STARTED LOOKING AROUND THE WINDSHIELD AND SURE ENOUGH NOW MINE WAS CHIPPED AND CRACKED AT 5 WEEKS OF AGE, BOTH VEHICLES WERE BOUGHT NEW. THEN A FEW WEEKS LATER, 10/12/19, ON AN INTERSTATE AT 70MPH ANOTHER SMALL, INSIGNIFICANT TICK AND I START LOOKING AROUND AND AGAIN, SAME THING. YESTERDAY (AS OF THIS POST) ON A STATE HIGHWAY AT 55MPH, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME THIS TIME THE SAME SMALL TICK SOUND YET ANOTHER CHIP AND CRACK! I'VE HIT BUGS HARDER THAN THESE HITS THAT ARE PRODUCING CHIPS AND CRACKS!! BOTH MY 2019 CROSSTREK AND 2019 OUTBACK NOW HAVE MULTIPLE CHIPS AND CRACKS IN THEIR BRAND NEW WINDSHIELDS AND NONE OF THEM ARE FROM LEGITIMATE IMPACTS WITH A STONE OR ROCK.

I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND HAVE DRIVEN IT LESS THAN 6,000 MILES. IT WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY WITH NO CRACKS OR DINGS IN IT AS OF TWO DAYS AGO AND COMING OUT TO MY CAR THIS MORNING THERE IS NOW AN 18 INCH HAIRLINE CRACK. THERE IS NO IMPACT AREA AND NO ROCKS HAVE HIT MY WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING IT. I HAVE TO BELIEVE THIS IS SPONTANEOUS BREAKAGE, ESPECIALLY READING THESE OTHER COMPLAINTS. THE WINDSHIELD HAS NOT BEEN TOUCHED AND THE WEATHER HAS BEEN MILD. THIS IS UNREAL.

THE FRONT WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED. IT WAS SNOWING, WE HAD THE WIPERS GOING AND THE VENTS TO DEFROST ON. ON OUR 3 MINUTE DRIVE TO WORK, WHILE WE WERE STOPPED AT A STOPLIGHT THE CRACK FORMED, AND THEN SPREAD. IT COVERS NEARLY THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE WINDSHIELD. AT FIRST WE THOUGHT IT WAS A WATER STREAK - BUT IT DID NOT FOLLOW THE PATH OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. WE DID NOT HIT A ROCK OR A BUMP IN THE ROAD, THERE WAS NO DEBRIS ON THE ROAD, THERE WAS NO HAIL, THERE WAS NO REASON TO EXPLAIN THE CRACK. WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO THE SUBARU DEALER WHICH WE PURCHASED THE CAR. THEY TOLD US THAT THIS WAS NOT COVERED UNDER OUR WARRANTY AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE A NEW WINDSHIELD FROM SUBARU AND THEN HAVE IT INSTALLED BY THEM. WE NEEDED TO DO THIS SO THEY COULD RE-CALIBRATE THE EYESIGHT SYSTEM. I AM INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATED THAT A 2019 VEHICLE REQUIRES SUCH AN EXPENSIVE WINDSHIELD REPAIR AFTER NO FAULTY DRIVING OR CLEAR INCIDENT THAT CAUSED DAMAGE. WE WERE QUOTED $1700 TO REPLACE AND RECALIBRATE.