23 complaints reported

2019 Subaru Outback UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER

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

Reports
23
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Nov 2024

I now have a second windshield that suddenly cracked. I was told that Subaru OEM windshield was installed and their is a Subaru icon on the glass. The first time was when a defrost was turned on. I heard a pop and crack quickly appeared. Crack started on the outside edge about half way up on the passenger side. Within seconds the crack was half way across to the other side. The most recent it was after a hot day on the previous day the next morning open the garage and immediately saw multiple cracks starting from the drivers side this time, about half way up then running almost half across the other side. Both times I had only had the windshield a few months. I took it back to the windshield installer and they are going to replace it because it isn't due to damage to the windshield like a chip. They told me that they are putting Subaru OEM windshields on right now because they have had to replace 20 recently for the same issue. They just suddenly crack no damage. They said there is a lawsuit. I asked the dealership and they told me that haven't heard any issues with windshields. I just wanted to let you know. It is pretty scary and expensive to have the windshield suddenly crack and it is pretty deep. I'm going to take a picture since my Subaru dealership wouldn't record the issue for me.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2024
Jul 2024

Another for the list of many, many windshield cracking complaints. My 2019 Outback 2.5i Limited has had 3 replacements since I purchased it new in late 2018. The cost to replace each has certainly increased each time and is very expensive as it has to include the eyesight calibration. I'm told this is not covered in my extended warranty I purchased when the vehicle was new. Subaru needs to take ownership of the quality issue and compensate the countless owners who have had this same issue, multiple times! I've read the glass is too thin, may be intentional because of the eyesight feature. Mileage and date below are from the most recent crack I had to repair. Please let me know if you'd like more details on the first two occurances as well.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: May 2024
May 2024

My Subaru 2019 Outback has had 5 replacement windshields in 10 months. The windshield seems to crack for no reason and the cracks spread quickly impairing vision and causing worry that any impact of an object would come straight through the windshield and cause harm to driver, passengers and potentially other vehicles. I have talked with Subaru of America, just this last time on the 5th replacement and they had an engineer look at the windshield to determine cause. The report states: “Subaru field engineer determined caused by chip.” As the driver of the vehicle, NOTHING has hit the windshield while driving, nothing of note that is, normal things like rain, sunshine, and wind, which is what a windshield is meant to protect against.The other techs at the dealer could not make out a point of impact. I picked up my vehicle from the dealer at 6pm, drove it a few miles on the freeway, maintaining safe follow distances with my new windshield, and when I got back in the car 2 hours later there were 4 cracks stemmed from the bottom of the windshield that stretched up more than 6 inches. The windshield is currently cracked and I’m waiting for Subaru of America to get back to me on this issue. There is a problem with the windshields and someone needs to take responsibility for it. One or two cracked windshields can be explained, but now with the most recent one, that’s 6 cracks in 10 months. It seems there is a defect.

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

Windshield has been cracked and replaced 3 times and currently has another crack, all within 17 months. Also head unit has internal malfunction and must be replaced at cost of $1700 +/-

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2023
Oct 2023

Cracked windshield (2nd incident in less than 18 months). Windshield cracked without any impact with rocks or other objects. This is an OEM windshield that was installed and calibrated at Sheehy Subaru Springfield, VA. This windshield easily cracks or is damage (impacts blemishes) by minor/small objects, which is unreasonable. This latest incident that I am reporting is a hair line crack, about 14” in length that runs from the edge of the windshield to the middle; there was no impact; this appears to be a temperature change like crack. It adversely affects visibility. This is a very expensive repair $1,500 for OEM and calibration.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2023
Aug 2022

2019 Subaru Outback. On 8/9/22 I was Driving on interstate and a tiny crack appeared in mid to lower left corner of windshield. Called dealer immediately because it is my second windshield—the first one was covered in 2020 under warranty after It spontaneously cracked. On 8/9/22 I called my insurance while driving (hands free) and they made same day appointment but Safe Lite could not repair the windshield because by the time I got there the crack had expanded, making it a full replacement. There is no recall but already a lawsuit involving 2017-2019 models of Subaru Outback windshields. Trying to get Subaru to replace it again. There needs to be a recall! Windshields should not crack spontaneously or so easily. Thank you!

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

The windshield on the Outback do not hold up. I have replaced my windshield 2 times. About to replace for a 3 time. All within 13 months. All Subaru windshields. I’m a cautious driver and do not drive close to others. A rock has hit the windshield but it automatically cracks over 8 inches. Not repairable. I’ve never had this problem with my other vehicles.

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

I own a Subaru Outback 2019, and am based out of Chicago. The car was parked outside during a snowfall. After snowfall I went out to clear the snow off my car, and turned on the defoggers of the car to help clear out the snow on the windshield. After brushing off the snow I noticed a huge crack on the lower part of the windshield across the windshield wiper deicer. There was no other probable cause for the crack. I believe it is the change in temperature when from using the defogger which has caused the windshield to crack. Subaru dealership denies that it is possible, and claims that I was somehow responsible for the crack.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Apr 2021

I PURCHASED A 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK IN DECEMBER 2018 AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD THREE TIMES IN JUST OVER TWO YEARS (JUNE 2019, NOVEMBER 2020, APRIL 2021). I OWNED A 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK FOR OVER 10 YEARS AND NEVER HAD TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD. THIS IS A SAFETY RISK AND A DESIGN FLAW AND IT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2021
Apr 2021

THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED ON ITS OWN. NO IMPACT. RESEARCH SAYS THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FOR THIS DEFECT. VEHICLE STATIONARY.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2021
Apr 2021

OUR SUBARU 2019 OUTBACK SUFFERED A CRACK DURING NORMAL USAGE ON THE INTERSTATE AT APPROX. 50 MPH. THE CRACK OCCURRED TWO DAYS AGO (ON 5/2/2021) AND HAS SINCE GROWN DUE TO THE VEHICLE'S VIBRATION DURING USE. THE VEHICLE QUALIFIES AS A MAKE AND MODEL UNDER RECALL BY SUBARU FOR WINDSHIELD DEFECTS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2021
Mar 2021

MY WINDSHIELD SEEMS TO CRACK/CHIP UNREASONABLY EASY. THE FIRST CRACK WAS A FEW WEEKS AGO. I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING HIT IT. IT JSUT STARTED CRACK. THIS MORNING, I GOT ANOTHER CHIP AND IT'S NOW SPREADING ALSO. I NOW HAVE TWO CRACKS IN MY WINDSHIELD AND NUMEROUS CHIPS!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2021
Mar 2021

SPONTANEOUS CRACK IN MY WINDSHIELD. NO IMPACT EVERY NOTICED. I NOTICED WHEN I WAS DRIVING AT DUSK AND USED MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO CLEAR RAIN. I SAW A GLISTEN AT THE BOTTOM AND WAS SURPRISED TO SEE A CRACK.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2021
Mar 2021

SPONTANEOUS CRACK IN WINDSHIELD NOTICED AND REPORTED TO SUBARU ON 9/13/19. I WAS DRIVING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON. NO VEHICLES NEAR ME WHEN I HEARD A "POP". VEHICLE PURCHASED NEW 8/24/19.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2019
Mar 2021

WINDSHIELD CRACK THAT STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM EDGE OF WINDSHIELD. I LITERALLY WOKE UP TO A CRACK THAT DEVELOPED OVERNIGHT AFTER A REGULAR COLD NIGHT IN RENO NV. THE CRACK CONTINUED GROWING SINCE THEN. I HAVE NEVER OWN A VEHICLE THAT HAS CRACKED ITS WINDSHIELD JUST BECAUSE IT IS A COLD NIGHT. VEHICLE WAS PARKED OVERNIGHT WHEN CRACK DEVELOPED.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2020
Dec 2020

I PURCHASED MY OUTBACK IN APRIL OF 2019. WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, MY OUTBACK'S WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN JUNE OF 2019 AND MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD DURING THE SUMMER OF 2019. THEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY IN JULY OF 2019 THE WINDSHIELD OF MY 2019 OUTBACK CRACKED AGAIN. SUBARU OUTBACK'S REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELDS ARE NO BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL WINDSHIELDS. THEY ARE DEFECT AS WELL. MY 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK'S WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED TWICE IN AN 14-MONTH PERIOD.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2020
Dec 2020

WE DEVELOPED TWO SPONTANEOUS CRACKS IN OUR WINDSHIELD. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, PARKED IN OUR GARAGE. NO DEBRIS HIT THE WINDSHIELD AT ANY TIME. THE CRACKS BEGIN UNDER/AT THE DRIVER SIDE NEAR/UNDER THE WIPER UNIT. (THE CRACKS ESSENTIALLY FORM A WIDE "V" ONE CRACK TOWARD THE PASSENGER SIDE IS QUITE LONG AND GROWING, THE OTHER IS SHORT - ABOUT 3" NOW ALSO GROWING). THE LOCATION OF THE BEGINNING OF THE CRACK/S IS UNDER THE LEVEL OF THE HOOD OF THE CAR, WHICH WOULD ALSO MAKE IT NEAR IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE CRACK TO BE DUE TO A PEBBLE, GRAVEL, ETC.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2020
Dec 2020

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED AT THE PASSENGER SIDE BOTTOM AS THE CRACK TRAVELED UP THE WINDSHIELD. I DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING HIT IT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2020
Nov 2020

WHILE DRIVING HOME, ON A HIGHWAY, HAD A SMALL ROCK HIT MY WINDSHIELD AND WITH IN MINUTES MY WHOLE LEFT SIDE WAS CRACKED, NOW IT'S ALMOST THE END OF THE RIGHT SIDE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Dec 2019
Jan 2020

THE CAR WAS PURCHASED CERTIFIED PRE OWNED WITH LESS THAN 20000 MILES. AFTER I GOT MY FIRST CAR WASH NOTICED THOUSANDS OF PIT IN THE WINDOW. THEY HAD IT SUPER COVERED WITH A COMPOUND THE WASH TOOK OFF. NOW FOR NO REASON A HUGE CRAKE WENT THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD! WARRANTY OF COURSE WON'T COVER IT. WHAM!!! $$1000 REPAIR! I HAVE HAD CAR LESS THEN THREE MONTHS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2020
Dec 2019

ON 4/10/19 AS I WAS GETTING INTO MY CAR, I NOTICED A HUGE CRACK ON MY DRIVER SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD THAT STARTS FROM THE BASE RUNNING TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT ON JAN 20TH OF 2019 AND HAS 4200 MILES. CALLED SAFELITE AND THEY ARE ESTIMATING $1300+ TO REPLACE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2019
Oct 2019

WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF DRIVING MY BRAND NEW 2019 OUTBACK, I HAD AN 10-TO-12-INCH CRACK IN MY WINDSHIELD. I AM AN INCREDIBLY CAREFUL DRIVER AND HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVING ON PAVED ROADS AT MODERATE SPEEDS. I ALSO WAS DRIVING A PASSENGER AROUND DURING THIS TIME PERIOD AND NEITHER ONE OF US HEARD A SOUND (E.G., A ROCK OR PEBBLE FLYING UP AND HITTING THE WINDSHIELD). I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE HOW I COULD HAVE GOTTEN A LARGE CRACK WITHIN THE FIRST TEN DAYS ON THE ROAD, ESPECIALLY SINCE NEITHER I NOR MY PASSENGER ENCOUNTERED ANY SORT OF ROAD CONDITION OR ENVIRONMENTAL/WEATHER CONDITION THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED IT. IT JUST MYSTERIOUSLY APPEARED IN THE WINDSHIELD ONE DAY. I HAVE BEEN CONFUSED FOR THE PAST 6 WEEKS BUT THEN I HEARD THAT THERE HAD BEEN SIMILAR ISSUES WITH SUBARU WINDSHIELDS, AND I BELIEVE MINE IS SIMPLY DEFECTIVE. I CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX IT, AND THIS REPAIR IS NOT COVERED BY MY EXTENDED 10-YEAR WARRANTY. THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP CONNECTED ME WITH SAFELITE, WHICH GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE OF OVER $1500 TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, Manufacturer: Subaru of America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2019
Jan 2019

THE CAR WAS NOT USED OVER THE WEEKEND EXCEPT FOR A 5 MILE TRIP TO CHURCH WHERE IT DID NOT ENCOUNTER ANY ROCKS, HITS, ETC. DROVE HOME AND THE CAR WINDSHIELD WAS FIND. THE NEXT MORNING WHEN I GOT INTO THE CAR, AFTER I USED MY REMOTE TO START AND WARM UP MY OUTBACK, THERE WAS ABOUT AN 8-10 INCH CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD THAT ORIGINATED FROM BEYOND THE WINDSHIELD WIPER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. THE CRACK GREW WORSE TO ABOUT 12 INCHES. CALLED SUBARU DEALER WHO DIRECTED ME TO THEIR WINDSHIELD SERVICE AGENT. TOOK TIME OFF FROM WORK AND THEY INSTALLED OEM GLASS (INSURANCE COVERS THIS) AND CALIBRATED THE WINDSHIELD. AFTER DRIVING HOME, THE CAR MADE WIND TUNNEL NOISES, WINDSHIELD FLUID SYSTEM DID NOT WORK, NAVIGATION DID NOT WORK SO I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER (TOOK MORE TIME OFF FROM WORK). THEY FOUND A LEAK IN THE WINDSHIELD, REPAIRED THE FLUID UNIT AND IGNORED THE NAVIGATION ISSUE. THEY SENT ME BACK TO THEIR AGENT. THEY TOOK OUT THE WINDSHIELD REPOSITIONED IT AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. TODAY I FOUND PUDDLES OF WATER ON THE FLOOR OF MY CAR (LEAK), NAVIGATION DOES NOT WORK AND WIND TUNNEL NOISE IS STILL THERE. THIS WINDSHIELD IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER AS EXTRA SUPPORT FOR THE ROOF, PREVENTION OF OBJECTS FLYING AT YOU AND ALLOW FOR THE EYESIGHT SYSTEM TO DO ITS JOB. THIS CAR IS ONE MONTH OLD AND THE CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD EXPERIENCE SOUNDS EERILY SIMILAR TO OTHERS' COMPLAINTS. WHEN YOU PAY THE MONEY FOR A TOP SAFETY PICK, YOU WANT THE SAFETY AND I DO NOT HAVE IT.

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

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Quick Summary

The 2019 Subaru Outback has 23 UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.