2020 Subaru Outback

The windshield developed a spontaneous crack on its top middle, around the the rear view mirror. The crack was noticed when I came entered the car as it was parked in my driveway. The crack is approximately 10 inches long. There is no obvious cause for the crack--- no chips or dings on the windshield; mild temperatures, not running the AC or heat. The crack appears to have occurred while the vehicle was stationary. The crack somewhat impedes visibility and reduces the integrity of the windshield, reducing overall safety of the vehicle. Vehicle had routine 18,000 mile maintenance/inspection at the Subaru dealer approximately 1 week prior with no abnormal findings reported. The Subaru dealer has refused to replace the windshield. I am the first owner of this vehicle, and have had it for approx. 16 months.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise and noticed a small crack on the driver’s side windshield. The contact stated that the following day while approaching the vehicle, the crack had expanded across the windshield horizontally to the passenger’s side. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the windshield to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated on another occasion she noticed a medium crack on the driver’s side windshield. The contact stated that the crack had expanded horizontally across to the passenger’s side. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery was drained very quickly, which caused the contact to frequently recharge the battery. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the mechanic could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 720. The consumer stated the vehicle failed to start on two separate occasions.

Our windshield has easily chipped and cracked repeatedly. We are having our windshield replaced for the 3rd time since November 2021, and it is March 1, 2023, this does not include the two times we have had chips repaired. Each time was due to a small piece of gravel or rock hitting our windshield while driving. Twice was at 20 MPH passing someone at the same speed. Anything that hits our windshield causes a crack or fracture. It is more expensive because we have the eye assist package. We are terrified of something larger hitting our windshield and potentially going directly through it injuring someone in the car.

For the third time in a week I have went out to the garage to find the lift gate up and the battery dead. I talked to the dealers service dept. and they said the fob button had to have been pushed which opened the lift gate and the open lift gate drained the battery. Their recommendation was to make sure the fob button doesn’t get accidentally pushed. I have never had any vehicle with this problem before. Doing an internet search I found that a number of Outback and Ascent owners have had this same problem and it was recommended that it be reported here.

Windshield cracked while parked in a line waiting to go through a carwash. Nothing was above the car that could have dropped on the windshield to cause it to crack. I heard a "crack" looked up and could see the crack starting from the edge of the driver's side window - within minutes it was approx 8 - 10 long. Thankfully no safety for me or others but depending upon where the crack was it could (and if it keeps growing will) impair visibility for driving. Not inspected - this occured less than 1 hour ago. No warning sign that it was going to happen. This is my 2nd windshield on this car that just randomly cracked. Last time it started middle of the window, bottom under the hood of the car and went straight up.

In the last 11 months, we have had to replace the front windshield four times due to significant cracks that occurred after a rock hit the windshield (3 times) and one time following a hailstone hit. The cracks do not show up immediately, but about two hours after the incident. The "Eyesight" safety features don't work when this happens. Our driving is in town or on a freeway. We DO NOT do off-road driving or driving on gravel/dirt roads. The windshields have been replaced with Subaru factory windshields and re-calibrated each time. The auto glass repair shop we use believes this cracking problem is a design issue as the glass is steeply angled and the thickness of the glass is thinner. This is our fourth Subaru and we have never had this issue. In the past, a rock hit would just bounce off the windshield or leave a small "star burst" nick that could be filled. I emailed Subaru of America and asked them what, if anything, they were doing to address this issue. I have not received a response to my email, sent over a week ago.