IllustrationVehicle has 10,800 miles and this is the third broken windshield. The smallest road debris results in failure of the Carlex factory equipped windshield. I have never replaced a windshield in 35 years of driving many vehicles, this 2022 Subaru Outback appears to break continually. It is a costly repair.
2022 Subaru Outback
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Outback years
Owner complaints for the 2022 Subaru Outback are substantially higher than the model-year median of 207.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Outback 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
Limited mileage data: 39 of 463 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 255 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
10 crash reports4 fire reports5 injury reports
Visibility/wiper complaints
255 reportsOn a hot day, 90F my window cracked after i turned on the AC unit. Next day it cracked even further.
No impact event. Entered car in the morning and noticed a 1-2" horizontal crack in windshield, with no sign of impact. Over a few days, that 1-2" crack became a 3-foot monster. Of course, Subaru claims it was due to impact.
I woke up one morning to find a foot long crack in my windshield that appears to have originated from the passenger edge. I see no visible impact point and there was no sound of anything impacting the windshield. After a few minutes of driving, the crack grew to cut into the path of eyesight.
A small rock at relatively low speeds (35mph) hit the windshield and caused a small chip that within a minute formed into close to a dozen foot long cracks compromising my view. I have experienced rock chips many times but I have never had one that spread so quickly or caused this much damage from such a relatively small impact.…
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A small rock at relatively low speeds (35mph) hit the windshield and caused a small chip that within a minute formed into close to a dozen foot long cracks compromising my view. I have experienced rock chips many times but I have never had one that spread so quickly or caused this much damage from such a relatively small impact. I believe that Subaru has a faulty windshield design or is using material that is not durable enough for it's intended use. Questioning other Subaru owners and the dealership collision shop this seems to be a very common occurrence and that these windshields are prone to cracks and failures. It appears newer model Subaru Outbacks are being shipped windshields that inferior at best or extremely dangerous at worst.
Windshield developed 12 inch crescent shaped crack overnight while parked under a clear sky.
Driving on the highway when the windshield suddenly cracked on the passenger's side, lower half of the windshield. The initial crack was at least 3 inches long immediately. There was/is no obvious sign of impact. The windshield has since continued to crack. It is now approximately 2 feet long. It does not appear to be the re…
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Driving on the highway when the windshield suddenly cracked on the passenger's side, lower half of the windshield. The initial crack was at least 3 inches long immediately. There was/is no obvious sign of impact. The windshield has since continued to crack. It is now approximately 2 feet long. It does not appear to be the result of an impact, just rather a random crack.
I have had my car exactly a week. I have 200 miles on it and the windshield cracked for no known reason.
Windshield cracked with very little sign of impact.
Driving down the road for work, coworker noticed i had a crack in my windshield. At no time did there ever seem to be a strike to the windshield that would cause it to crack. Now a few days later this crack has grown to the length of roughly 16". The windshield seems to be very thin and brittle, which seems unsafe. They are a…
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Driving down the road for work, coworker noticed i had a crack in my windshield. At no time did there ever seem to be a strike to the windshield that would cause it to crack. Now a few days later this crack has grown to the length of roughly 16". The windshield seems to be very thin and brittle, which seems unsafe. They are also very expensive to fix, due to the safety system installed in the car, which seems counterintuitive since the windshields break so easy, which then causes the safety system to not work correctly.
Official recalls
424V227000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger
Mar 22, 2024
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
23V755000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:park/neutral Start Interlock Switch
Nov 9, 2023
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
22V712000 · Visibility:windshield
Sep 22, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Impreza and Outback vehicles. The incorrect paint clearcoat may have been applied, which can cause the windshield to be insufficiently bonded to the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 212, "Windshield Mounting."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An insufficiently bonded windshield can detach during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Subaru will offer owners a vehicle exchange or repurchase, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 21, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-22.
22V473000 · Electrical System:wiring; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm)
Jul 1, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
Electrical System:wiring
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
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.