What 85 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness

Windshield was struck by a small stone. There was no immediate damage but over a period of several weeks 5 cracks appeared traversing the windshield top to bottom.

NHTSA ODI 11659031

I have had several times where tiny road pebbles have kicked up hitting the windshield and have caused cracks. There is now also a crack forming where there has not been any impact. This is my second windshield replacement in two years. I have never had a windshield that has been as fragile as this one. It seems to be a manufacturing issue with the windshield. Based on research online, appears this is a known issue.

NHTSA ODI 11648201

The WINDSHIELD cracked while I was driving on [XXX] unexpectedly and could have caused an accident, on [XXX] at approximately [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11627415

Windshield developed a small crack when struck by a tiny piece of road debris. It appears unrepairable. This requires a windshield replacement and recalibration of the eyesight technology. Seemed to easily be damaged beyond repair.

NHTSA ODI 11614171

I have had several times where tiny road pebbles have kicked up hitting the windshield and have caused cracks. There is now also a crack forming where there has not been any impact. I have never had a windshield that has been as fragile as this one. It seems to be a manufacturing issue with the windshield. Based on research online, appears this is a known issue.

NHTSA ODI 11606894

Driving on the highway approximately 65 mph a rock hit the lower right side of the windshield on the passenger side. This caused a broken round style depression in the glass and 2 cracks that radiated out about 5-6 inches. This is will be the second replacement windshield and 3rd repair within 1 year of ownership.

NHTSA ODI 11572776

WINDSHIELD CRACKED EASILY WITH A SMALL PEBBLE ON 2/2023 MIDWAY UP THE WINDSHIELD ON PASSENGER SIDE. SIZE WAS ABOUT QUARTER/ .25 CENTS. THE VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN 1 MONTH OLD. WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED IN APRIL 2023 BECAUSE TOOK 2 MONTHS TO GET A NEW WINDSHIELD. ON 12/15/2023 TRAVELING UNDER 40 MPH ON A STREET NOT A HIGHWAY A ROCK/PEBBLE HIT THE WINDSHIELD MIDWAY UP ON THE PASSENGER SIDE CREATING A ROUNDISH CRACK THE SIZE OF A DIME/.10 CENTS. THIS WAS FIXED AT A WINDSHIELD SHOP WITH EPOXY.

NHTSA ODI 11560656

ON 12/15/23 TRAVELING ON A CITY STREET AT APROX. 40 MPH A ROCK/PEBBLE HIT THE WINDSHIELD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE CAUSING A ROUNDISH CHIP CRACK THE SIZE OF A DIME/ .10 CENTS. THIS WAS REPAIRED AT A WINDSHIELD SHOP WITH EPOXY. THIS IS THE SECOND CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD IN 8 MOTHS ON A NEW VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11560658

Spontaneous front windshield crack on passenger side, no impacts in that area.

NHTSA ODI 11552729

My 23 Subaru Outback Wilderness windshield cracked within 3 months of ownership. The crack occurred directly at eye-level of the driver side, posing a serious safety hazard. I do not know what, if anything, hit the windshield but it occurred while driving on a busy interstate highway during rush hour.

NHTSA ODI 11549272

When driving east into direct sunshine, the entire windshield sparkles with thousands of diamonds, making it hazardous to drive. Just bought the car June 8, 2023, as a Certified Pre-Owned (it had been a dealer loaner). Had to dealer last week, they claim not a defective windshield and I must have gotten behind a truck with sand or gravel. Well, I have not and there is no damage to the hood or any other part of the vehicle. I am sure it is a defective windshield and they want $1008 to replace and the insurance is not wanting to pay for it. I called Subaru Customer Service and filed a report and have a case number with them. Disgusting to say the least and afraid to drive during the morning hours or late afternoon heading west into the sunset. What should I do? I believe Subaru needs to replace at their cost, not mine. I see other complaints on the Internet about sparkles in the windshield, then it just cracks all over and breaks. That is not something to look forward to. I am 78 and I bought this as my last car. May have to bury me in it. My husband was just diagnosed in July with inoperable cancer and I have to take him to chemotherapy several times a week for several months. Some of those appointments I have to be at the doctor by 8:30 a.m. and don't get out until after 5 p.m. So you can see my dilemma with the windshield driving in the morning sunshine and afternoon sunshine. Please have someone contact me, soon. If there is someplace in Maryland I can take to have the windshield professionally examined, and have them report their findings back to you, let me know. I am close to the Pennsylvania border as well and only 45 minutes from West Virginia if there is no place in Maryland. I thank you for your consideration and time. Regards. The contact wants to thank you for your support and good work getting her windshield fixed.

NHTSA ODI 11545197

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds on three separate occasions, a rock struck the front windshield causing the windshield to crack. While driving at unknown speeds in the fog, the Apple car play safety feature disengaged. The contact was unable to use the driver's assist. The eye safety center disabled message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a glass repair facility and the windshield was replaced. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the safety features might disengage under various weather conditions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 2,200.

NHTSA ODI 11533597

Spontaneous crack in front windshield, passenger side near edge of wiper blade, dealer says not covered by warranty, had not been inspected yet. Have pictures

NHTSA ODI 11533395

A crack appeared on the windshield without anything hitting it and spread up

NHTSA ODI 11531247

Sunroof spontaneously exploded. Temperatures were around 50 degrees, no cars around me at the time and as far as I can tell, nothing could have hit the window at least at that moment. I had been driving for about 1 hour and no sudden changes in temperature or pressure. It sounded very much like an explosion when it happened. Thankfully, the inside slide cover was closed when this happened. If the slide window cover had been opened, It could easily have caused an accident as some of the glass would have fallen on the driver. Also, the breaking window resulted in a shower of glass over the car roof and would have hit cars behind me if present. At the time, I had less than 3000 miles on the car and the car was less than 6 months old. The window has since been replaced. If you look at the profile of the car from the side, the sunroof seems to be more sloping downward than on some other cars. My understanding is that sunroofs are made from tempered glass. It would seem that safety glass would be a better option at least in terms of the protection they might offer in preventing the dramatic shower of broken glass that happened in my case.

NHTSA ODI 11525244

Driving on highway to my home on I 80 and ridge road, Illinois,a small tick noise was heard and the spider chip noticed on the passenger side windshield.

NHTSA ODI 11515781

Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report an issue I have experienced with the windshield of my Subaru vehicle. Recently, I noticed a crack on the passenger side of the windshield, which initially measured around 5 inches in length. To my surprise, the crack expanded to over 10 inches in just a day and continued to grow thereafter. Upon visiting the dealership, I was informed that the crack was likely caused by a small impact point on the windshield. However, I am not satisfied with this explanation as the "hit point" is extremely small and not commensurate with the size of the crack. I am also concerned about the quality of the Carlex windshield glass used by Subaru, as I have seen numerous complaints regarding the same on various websites. It is worth noting that Subaru does not allow customers to choose better quality aftermarket glass and refuses to perform recalibration if customers opt to use third-party glass. Furthermore, the Carlex glass costs approximately $1000 (without recalibration) and is of lower quality. I respectfully request that you investigate this issue further and take any necessary measures to address this problem for the safety of all vehicle owners. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11515866

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that hundreds of tiny air bubbles had formed over the front windshield. Additionally, there were air bubbles on a portion of the front driver’s and passenger’s side windows. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where a service technician inspected the vehicle with a pen and claimed that the windows had been sandblasted which caused the failure. The contact disputed the claim and said that no work had been performed on the windows. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 2,500.

NHTSA ODI 11514823

I've had the vehicle less than 6 months and have already had 3 Safelite repairs for cracks and chips from road debris hitting the windshield. Windshields are fragile and prone to cracking. Attached the latest example, dead-center of photo.

NHTSA ODI 11514367