2019 Subaru Impreza VISIBILITY/WIPER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
I was under the vehicle changing the oil and heard a loud bang. I investigated the sound and didn't notice anything. After completion of the oil change I got into the driver seat and noticed my rear view mirror was hanging by the wires. It had come loose from the windshield taking a big chunk of glass out of the windshield. It left a gash approximately almost 3/4 of an inch deep by 1.5 inches long by about 3/4 of an inch wide. This seriously degrades the strength and puts any occupants at risk. The windshield can not be repaired and will have to be replaced. Cost of replacement is approximately $413.58.
Recall still has no fix over a year later
While driving on Sept 11 on I95 a pebble flew up off the roadway and hit my windshield on the left hand side (driver's side) and it immediately began to crack horizontally and went to the middle of the car. If the car is outside in sun/heat the windshield keeps cracking further across the windshield and is now reaching the passenger side of the car. This is a real safety issue. Called glass repair company and the first appointment they could provide was not until Sept 19th.
Windshield cowl continues to buckle from Windshield causing a gap where water can get to engine compartment. Have had it replaced twice now with no resolution. Being that I live in a state with very cold winters if water gets under the gap and then freezes it could potentially Crack Windshield. This needs to be addressed.
A spontaneous crack appeared in the windshield running from the bottom left, near the deicer, into the middle (when looking at the car from the outside). No accident was involved; it just appeared in the morning. Subaru is saying this isn't covered under warranty. There was a class action lawsuit for similar problems in other models manufactured in the same year, but it was settled with only Outback and Legacys included: https://www.windshields.settlementclass.com/
Frequent windshield cracking which obscures visibility. Third time windshield has cracked and needs to be replaced. It has been chipped and repaired twice as well.
The windshield on this vehicle is defective. Over time for no reason scratches have appeared. Additionally now chips have occurred for no apparent reason. I have gently used an ice scraper as needed after defrosting the windshield enough to make it practical, however, my scraper is in excellent condition and was not misused. This should not cause a windshield to break down. There are also waves in the windshield that make for an uneven appearance in spots.
Windshield cracked while parked
One morning when I got in my car the windshield had a large crack. Driver side about half way down the crack is from left to right around 12-14”. There is no apparent reason I can see for the crack. I had not driven the car for 2 days prior to the crack appearing.
A pebble hit my windshield and now there's a crack from the bottom all the way to the other side
I have a 2019 Subaru Impreza and my windshield cracked for the second time in two years. I was driving and heard a loud pop and the windshield cracked from the top about a foot down. Nothing hit the windshield. The first time this happened, the car was sitting in the driveway. I have an appointment with the dealer tomorrow. I verified that this is happening to others and that there is a class action lawsuit against Subaru for cracked windshields: https://www.torquenews.com/1084/new-ruling-subaru-cracked-windshield-lawsuit-now-adds-25m-cars My make and model is included.
I was driving at 50 mph, suddenly heard a noise coming from the windshield and saw a big crack on passenger side of the windshield. The crack grew very fast, crossing about 75 of the windshield. The two parts of the glass on the side of the crack became separated. The visibility through the windshield was impaired by the crack. This is the second time it happens to the Subaru windshield in a short time. The first time I replaced it by the original Subaru windshield and it cracked again.
The windshield cracked spontaneously. There are no signs of chips or any cracks indicating something hit it. The weather was chilly but not freezing and the vehicle was parked and unoccupied. The crack starts at the top and curves/snakes down the middle
Front windshield spontaneously cracked running from bottom edge of windshield vertically up window for approx 10”
WINDSHEILD CRACKED FOR NO REASON. Noticed crack after car sat in driveway all day.
The windshield spontaneously cracked. It began on the lower passenger side and ended in about the center of the windshield. The car was parked in a residential driveway at the time, and suffered no impact.
MY VEHICLE WAS LEFT STATIONARY, PARKED OUTSIDE MY APARTMENT OVER THE WEEKEND. AND ON MONDAY I NOTICED A 5 TO 6 INCH CRACK COMING FROM THE RIGHT EDGE OF MY WINDSHIELD. I BELIEVE THIS CRACK IS A RESULT OF THE CURRENT WINDSHIELD LAWSUIT THAT SUBARU IS DEALING WITH. THE SITE I FOUND THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LAWSUIT TOLD ME TO FILE A COMPLAINT HERE IF MY VEHICLE WAS EFFECTED.
The car windshield cracked while driving without any apparent reason. It is a large horizontal crack on the driver's side which affects visibility.
The windshield cowl separates at the bottom of the windshield for reasons such as heat. The separation grows over time and has the potential to detach on the highway partially or entirely. If detached partially, obstructs vision and scares. If entirely, could impact following vehicle. This problem is reproduced and confirmed by both my dealership and multiple independent online sources. Look for "windshield cowl seperation" topics for 17+ imprezas and 18+ crosstreks. This issue became apparent within the first year of ownership, was serviced at the dealership by replacing the part under warranty, and now has occurred once more in my second year of ownership. Attached photograph shows the beginning of separation (not the wiper). This can grow in size very quick. Noted additional details are dated for last occurrence, however as stated 1 more occurrence has occurred 1 year ago at approx 5,000 miles.
MY WINDSHIELD MADE A POP SOUND AND CRACKED. THERE WAS NOW ONE ELSE ON THE ROAD AND NOTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD.
Windshield spontaneously cracked while parked .
My windshield was broken one morning from edge of passenger side all the way through to the driver side deep enough to put my fingernail in when I came outside, no incidents or impact. Subaru dealership fails to replace it or acknowledge the issue.
The windshield of the care cracked without damage. I was sitting with the car in park and just watched it crack. It started from the edge near the seal, and is ~8 inches long. There was no previous damage and nothing hit the window when it happen. There is no chip or area where damage occurred, it just simple cracked for no reason.
FIRST TIME I CAME OUT AND WINDSHIELD WAS JUST CRACKED NOTHING AROUND IT ABOUT 15 IN LONG AFTER REPLACING WINDSHILD I WAS DRIVING DOWN ROAD AND THE THE WINDSHIELD THEN CRACKED OUT OF NOWHERE NOTHING HIT IT NO HARD BUMPS THIS MAKE THE 2ND WINDSHIELD IN 3 MTHS
WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR A THIRD TIME IN 2 YEARS. WINDSHIELD IS AN OEM SUBARU CARLEX WINDSHIELD. VEHICLE WAS ON THE FREEWAY AND THE CRACK APPEARED WITH 15 INCHES IN SPAN.
Trend Over Time
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Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2019 Subaru Impreza has 52 VISIBILITY/WIPER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.