346 complaints reported

2019 Subaru Forester VISIBILITY/WIPER

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
346
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Sep 2024

Windshield spontaneously cracked without any known impact or damage. Vehicle was not in motion at time. Sitting at stoplight heard a ping and then noticed crack across bottom of windshield affecting visibility. No other vehicles were near enough or in motion that debris could have been at fault.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2024
Jul 2024

I started my car and turned on the windshield wipers and fluid to clear the windshield. Within a few seconds of wiping the windshield, I heard a pop and a crack directly down the center of the windshield starting at the top developed along the line of the eyesight system and rearview mirror mount. There were no known rock chips and I had not experienced any debris hitting this section of the windshield. This appears to be a stress crack.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2024
Jun 2024

Went to a daycare to do a tour at 9am, parked my car and was gone for about 30 minutes and when I came back, there was a large crack (8inches) that starts from the bottom of the middle windshield. There was no indent or nothing that could have caused this.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: May 2024
Dec 2023

On 6-11-23, while parked in a private driveway, the front windshield of our 2019 Subaru Forester spontaneously cracked. This 20-inch crack ran diagonally from the upper left corner down toward the center of the dashboard. We are not aware of any impact that may have caused such a crack. The day was overcast, drizzle rain, ambient temperature was about 66 degrees F.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2023
Nov 2023

A crack "spontaneously appeared" at the base of the wind shield going up at 18 inches.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2023
Sep 2023

Windshield has developed a 14 inch crack from HVAC unit on bottom of windshield. Replacement windshield also developed a 20in horizontal crack.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2023
Sep 2023

A small rock chipped the windshield and unlike other windshields, it grew into a crack extremely quickly all the way across the windshield I feel like there is a problem with the Subaru windshields as this occured to other people with Suburaru vehicles I feel like the windshield glass is very thin to have the spread and spidering go across so fast.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2023
Jul 2023

The visor will not stay in place and drops into my visibility while driving, blocking partial view of the road. Subaru has had this issue for years and has not fixed the issue with their visors.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2023
Jun 2023

The front windshield on my 2019 Subaru Forester has cracked for no apparent reason. The crack arcs upward from the base of the driver's left side near the wiper blade through the middle part of the lower center windshield approximately 20-22 inches. The crack occurred while the car was parked overnight outdoors. There is no apparent impact damage. The crack appears between the inner and outer layers of the windshield and cannot be physically felt. I have attached four photos of my vehicle's windshield that illustrate the placement and the length of the crack.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2023
May 2023

Windshield cracked for no reason. I was sitting next to the car for 2 hours, when I arrived at location windshield was perfect, when I got in to leave it was cracked. I never was more than 10 feet from car and nothing hit it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: May 2023
Apr 2023

Since purchasing the vehicle in December 2018, we have had to replace the windshield twice, and there is a crack in the current windshield which I am speaking to the insurer about tomorrow. Attached are pictures of the 3 incidents. For comparison we also own a 2015 Nissan Rogue with 110,000 miles which has never had any such issues.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2020
Mar 2023

Spontaneous Windshield Crack on Subaru Forester he windshield of our vehicle spontaneously cracked without any apparent cause or visual impact. At the time of the incident, there was no visible debris, rocks, or other potential hazards on the road that could have caused the crack. Additionally, the vehicle was not involved in any collisions nor exposed to extreme temperatures or conditions that could have contributed to this occurrence. The sudden appearance of the crack has raised concerns about the integrity of the windshield and the overall safety of the vehicle. We kindly request an investigation into this matter to determine the cause of the crack, and if it is determined to be a manufacturing defect, we request the necessary repairs or replacement of the windshield at no cost to us. Furthermore, we would appreciate any additional guidance on how to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2023
Jan 2023

The windshield cracked and spiderwebbed.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2019
Jan 2023

The windshield cracked for no apparent reason. It was parked in the drive way and just cracked out of nowhere.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2023
Jan 2023

Windshield was found cracked after parked for no apparent reason. Crack starts at the passenger side A pillar and goes 10 inches inward.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2023
Dec 2022

Random crack in lower passenger side windshield area. Nothing hit windshield. Appeared during the day as temperatures warmed up. Crack goes from the bottom to the center.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2022
Dec 2022

We have owned the 2019 Subaru Forester for approximately 3 years and have had to replace the windshield FOUR times due to cracking (some that have occurred without noticing a chip from an object from the road. When we purchased this vehicle, the dealer suggested we purchase a fairly expensive extended warranty for the windshield without disclosing that the Forester (and other models) have a much greater tendency to crack and the manufacturer recently went to a windshield what was much thinner to save money. When we purchased this vehicle I was focused on purchasing one for my daughter to use to finish medical school and to get her started on her own. Man, was I mislead on reliability of Subaru! With regard to safety, I would say that safety is at risk anytime a windshield is cracked. This can and does impair vision, etc. Subaru should be made to replace the windshield with one that is thicker and more sturdy to reduce the constant cracking that we and others have encountered.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2022
Nov 2022

Windshield Cracked for no reason on 11/19/2022 while parked in the drive way.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Nov 2022
Nov 2022

In June 2020 a rock on the highway hit my windshield and by the time I had arrived at my destination, the crack had grown to over 6 inches in length, so a replacement was required. It was replaced by safelite in July 2020 (limited staff due to COVID). In April of 2021 my windshield was again struck by a rock from the highway and, while it started as less than 4 inches in length, quickly grew to over 6 inches within a matter of days. Since this would be the second time replacing my windshield and I still needed to commute 30 minutes to work via the highway for another couple months, I withheld reaching out to Safelite to get my windshield replaced until I could move residence and not have to take the highway every day. It was replaced in July of 2021. This ended up being the wise decision, as between April 2021 and July 2021 the windshield sustained two more cracks, for a total of 3 well over 6 inches each. Yesterday, March 10, 2022 my windshield was once again struck. This time it looks like if it were hit with a baseball bat, but I was on the highway, so it may have been a bird. I am aware of a current lawsuit against Subaru for weak windshields on 2017-2020 vehicles, which my 2019 Forester falls into, so I can't help but wonder if it's just really bad luck, or a bad lot of weak/defective windshields. I know Safelite fixed them instead of Subaru, but I am under the impression that they were made by the same manufacturer that supplies the windshields to Subaru.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2022
Aug 2022

A small pebble hit the windshield while driving on the highway and now there's a huge crack in it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2022
Aug 2022

Windshield cracked

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2022
Aug 2022

It did not take more than one week after buying my new 2019 Subaru Forester in November 2019 when the windshield cracked for no reason. Due to the cost I have not replaced the windshield even today. I just read that there is a court case that forces Subaru to replace my windshield but requires me to file with a complaint through the NHTSA. Please accept this as my complaint.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2019
Jul 2022

The windshield was cracked. I heard a pop and then a 15 inch crack spread horizontally across the front windshield in a couple seconds. This is a safety issue because it impaired visibility and altered the integrity of the vehicle. I took pictures of it. It has not been inspected or fixed yet but I have an appointment to do so. There were no warning lights

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2022
Jul 2022

Spontaneous cracking of windshield. There is no evidence of any damage on inside or exterior of windshield. The crack appears to be in the interior fabric of the glass projecting down from the dotted portion adjacent to the rear view mirror. The car was in the garage, temperatures outside were moderate. We had a similar problem with a 2015 Subaru Forrester that had the windshield replaced under a previous ruling. This model year does not have an official recogniton of the continuing problem in manufacturing. Replacement and recalibration cost about $1400.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Jun 2022

WINDSHIELD CRACKED FROM PASSENGER SIDE "A" PILLAR 1/3 OF THE WAY DOWN FROM THE TOP ACROSS PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD TO THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. ASIDE FROM THE OBVIOUS SAFETY FACTOR THE CRACK ALSO RENDERED THE CAR'S ADAS "EYESIGHT" SYSTEM INEFFECTIVE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU FORESTER, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2022

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2019 Subaru Forester has 346 VISIBILITY/WIPER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.