What 592 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Subaru Forester Wilderness

As I was driving my 2020 Subaru Forester a cracked suddenly appeared across the driver side of the windshield, possibly from a small pebble. The sunlight reflection off the crack sent blinding sunlight into my eyes which nearly caused a collision with the car stopped in front of me. I now have another crack that started from the other side making my car unsafe to drive. Both cracks continue to grow across the windshield, not sure if summertime temps make it worse. I spoke with the dealer and they have quoted thousands of dollars to replace the windshield and since the car has over 100,000 miles they won't replace it under the new warranty that was extended this year. This is my 3rd windshield and can't afford to keep replacing windshields and now I don't have a car to drive. See attached pictures of the windshield.

NHTSA ODI 11677565

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact became aware of a 7-inch crack at the bottom of the windshield near the driver’s side pillar running horizontally. The contact stated that there was no impact on the windshield to cause the crack. The vehicle had not been taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be inspected. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

NHTSA ODI 11635630

The head unit suddenly stopped working. It unfortunately isn’t covered Under warranty. The screen consistently turns on and off.

NHTSA ODI 11614522

In a three year period I have had to replace my windshield for cracks causing visibility issues. Each of these cracks have appeared for no apparent reason.

NHTSA ODI 11589926

On Monday, 5/13/24, I got in my car and there was a crack across the windshield that was not there earlier in the day. It seems to have spontaneously cracked for no known reason.

NHTSA ODI 11589535

A crack in my windshield appeared during the 15 minutes my 2020 Subaru Forester was in parking lot while I was in a store. The ambient temperature was in the 70's, the car was facing away from the sun, and the windows were ventilating the inside. The crack starts at the passenger corner in the area of the defroster and runs all the way from the weatherstripping at an angle and length that it is directly in the field of view of the passenger. On a few occasions while driving since the incident I have heard expansion type crack sounds.

NHTSA ODI 11589149

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 40–45 MPH in the rain, the lower left corner of the front windshield cracked without impact. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

NHTSA ODI 11588830

The windshield developed a spontaneous crack, starting at the base of the right passenger windshield wiper and traveling in a line up toward the middle in a slanted line. There is no spike, no rock hit, nothing to have caused this. I believe it is a stress fracture as reported by others who have Subarus with eyesight technology. I have an appointment with the Subaru Dealer tomorrow morning. This appeared suddenly and must have happened overnight as it was not there yesterday but it was there when I got into the car this morning. The car was parked overnight.

NHTSA ODI 11585119

Fourth windshield crack in 4 years. Enough. Please do a recall of this model.

NHTSA ODI 11579906

Windshield cracked. During a week of sub-freezing temperatures in January, the windshield cracked from the base of the windshield to the to the center point of the windshield (see photo submitted). Note: the windshield had had a very minor chip in it at the base of the windshield before the crack occurred.

NHTSA ODI 11576229

I was driving to work and i was on the freeway and all of a sudden without a rock hitting my windshield, it started to crack. It might go bigger if i drive more and right now it is longer than 6 inches.

NHTSA ODI 11572554

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while at a complete stop, she noticed that there was a crack in the middle of the windshield. The contact stated that there was no external cause for the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

NHTSA ODI 11572156

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the contact observed a crack on the windshield extending from the passenger’s side trim to the center of the windshield. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,000.

NHTSA ODI 11564635

When I am idling at a stop sign or sitting in traffic and I have come to a full stop, the car's engine shuts down as a gas-saving feature. This is not the problem! The problem is that sometimes when this feature engages, when I lift my foot off the brake to start driving again, a shrill constant ringing sound starts and the engine won't power back on. There is an error message that comes on that says "eyesight disabled." When this happens, none of these factors (the ringing, the error message, the dead engine) stop until I put the car in park and power it down completely, then restart the engine. Then none of the symptoms are there anymore and the car drives normally. I have not noticed any consistency about when this problem does or does not happen - it occurs in all weather types, temperatures, times of day, slopes/flat roads. I sometimes go months without it happening, and other times it happens twice in several days. The only consistent thing is that it only happens when the car is at a full stop and the engine has shuddered off to save gas. I live in Chicago and almost exclusively drive short distances in the city, I hardly do any highway driving. This has happened maybe 20 times since I bought the car in February, 2023.

NHTSA ODI 11562836

Since purchasing my vehicle in June of 2020, I have replaced the windshield every 6-7 months for spontaneously cracking. In April of 2023 I filed a claim with Subaru of America and was instructed to make an insurance claim and my deductible would be reimbursed. As of December 1, 2023 my windshield has cracked yet again. I have had a windshield inspection done every time it has been replace, no defects or rock chips were identified. This will be the 6th windshield I have had replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11558316

Windshield spontaneously cracked from the base into the wiper area. There was no previously known damage. This impacts driver visibility and weakens the windshield. I have not had the windshield inspected by another party and did not observe any warnings. I have since learned online that this is an ongoing issue with some Subaru windshields.

NHTSA ODI 11557518

Woke up to a large cracked windshield for no reason

NHTSA ODI 11555015

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the front driver's side windshield cracked. The windshield had developed a crack without impact. The contact stated that the windshield had previously been replaced by an auto glass company for the same issue. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,000.

NHTSA ODI 11550991

I have had three cracked windshields within 4 years of driving and 30,000 miles

NHTSA ODI 11546484

Windshield cracked for no reason shortly after purchasing. Needs to be replaced. Quoted 1500.00 because self driving feature must also be adjusted when replacing windshield

NHTSA ODI 11545654

Windshield on this Subaru Forester cracked severely shortly after purchasing the car. This happened in the driveway while parked. Nothing hit the glass.

NHTSA ODI 11545657

Was driving at highway speeds (65 mph) and within the posted speed limit and a small, unidentifiably small object was kicked up by a car in the adjacent lane and hit the windshield, resulting in a small ding that immediately spread to a large crack across most of the windshield.

NHTSA ODI 11543025

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the windshield was cracked. The crack had developed on the passenger’s side of the windshield’s edge where the windshield meets the frame and expanded 6 inches horizontally. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the local dealer or the glass shop. The windshield was not replaced. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,978.

NHTSA ODI 11542637

The windshield suddenly crack for no apparent reason. I inquire about this problem from the Subaru service department and I was told that its not covered by warranty. I found out from my own research that a lot of Forester owner have complain of the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11536757

For the 3rd time in less than 3 years my windshield crack from a small pebble hitting it. Either Subaru is making very thin windshield glass, or the material used is not sufficient to suppress small pebbles and causes the windshield to crack, often. The latest crack happened July 25, 2023 in the PM with a small 1/4 inch crack, by morning it had grown to over 2 feet. It seems to me there is a design flaw here.

NHTSA ODI 11534551