RoadVitals

2019 Subaru Crosstrek Visibility Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the visibility system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Visibility reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
123
Latest Apr 21, 2025
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
43%
of 283 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1

What this page shows

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 123 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming visibility

The 25 most recent of 123, in the owner's own words

Visibility
Filed Apr 21, 2025

The windshield cracked without impact or any other obvious means of damage. I have had 2 other windshields crack in the same manner, the first being December 2022, second March 2024, and now April 2025. All incidents have starts from the bottom on the windshield on the passenger side, and spreading towards the roof. The vehicle was not moving at the time of the crack, it was noticed getting in the vehicle of all incidents

NHTSA ID
11655941
Incident
Apr 21, 2025
Driver assistanceVisibility
Filed Feb 7, 2024

The windshield cracked for no reason while parked in our garage. The windshield was not stuck by any objects, the car was simply setting parked in our garage. There is no evidence of any object striking the windshield such as a rock chip or other items. The Crack is in line with the left side EyeSight driver assist technolgy sensor mounted inside the windshield. The Crack in the windshield may effect the operation of the EyeSight safety features.

NHTSA ID
11570608
Incident
Feb 7, 2024
Visibility
Filed Nov 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while driving 4-5 MPH over a speed bump, the windshield made an abnormal popping sound and cracked from one side to the other. The local dealer and a second dealer, Bob Moore Subaru (13010 N Kelley Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73131), were notified of the failure and informed the contact the vehicle was not covered under recall. The contact was provided a cost for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,800.

NHTSA ID
11552974
Incident
Oct 21, 2023
Mileage
69,800 mi
Visibility
Filed Aug 8, 2023

We went to put groceries in our trunk and the rear driver side window shattered and my 2 year old was in the car. Glass got inside the car where his car seat was, and the entire window shattered on the ground. There was nothing touching the window to make the window shatter when I shut the trunk

NHTSA ID
11537128
Incident
Aug 4, 2023
Visibility
Filed Jul 30, 2023

Rear view mirror fell off while driving down the hwy. when the mirror detached from the front windshield it sent small shards of class on to me and my wife. This startled me and caused me to jerk the wheel. I corrected the vehicle and safely pulled to the side of the road. After inspecting what happened I realized the the glass broke and the mirror had a chuck of glass still attached to it. The damage was only on the inside potion of the glass and there is no damage to the outside. I called Subaru of America and the representative side it was covered under warranty. Once I called the service shop they informed me that I needed a claim number and Subaru does not warranty windshields. I called back and after 35 minutes the representative said I would have to wait for another representative to call back with further information.

NHTSA ID
11535346
Incident
Jul 29, 2023
Visibility
Filed Dec 23, 2022

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and activating the front window defroster, moments later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front windshield started to crack. The contact stated that the crack started from the bottom of the windshield and extended toward the driver’s side of the windshield. The crack extended approximately 22 inches. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified but the manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 33,000. The contact stated that they would like to cancel this complaint.

NHTSA ID
11498651
Incident
Dec 22, 2022
Mileage
33,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Dec 12, 2022

My 2019 Subaru Crosstrek has a little over 19000 miles on it, and my windshield has cracked for the third time. The first time was after a rock strike at the edge of my windshield; the vehicle did not make it the couple miles home before it had split several inches. The second and third times seem spontaneous. Both cracks originated from the bottom of the glass on the passenger's side, and there were no known rock strikes either instance. Both instances, the windshield cracked several inches while the vehicle was parked. In the third instance, the vehicle had only been sitting an hour between use, and a six inch crack appeared within that time. None of the three windshields have sustained any other damage beyond the cracks. Subaru has recently undergone lawsuits regarding this issue with many of their vehicles over the last several years. This is a known problem. Cracks to the windshield reduce the efficacy of the safety features in the event of an accident and can impair a driver's visibility. With damage this often and the cost of a new windshield and sensor recalibration, I am sure many drivers are waiting until their windshield has completely cracked until replacement.

NHTSA ID
11497160
Incident
Dec 12, 2022
Visibility
Filed Nov 22, 2022

A crack on the windshield appeared for no apparent reason . The crack started on the passenger side right below the windshield wiper. At this time, the vehicle has not been inspected by insurance or police. Besides the financial burden this may cause it has not caused any physical harm to myself or others. However, it is a known issue with Subarus in the past and should be addressed.

NHTSA ID
11494648
Incident
Oct 10, 2022
Visibility
Filed Aug 29, 2022

I have had to have my windshield replaced four times since purchasing the vehicle in June of 2021. Small chips and cracks have formed from the smallest debris on the road, and even a small rock can cause a foot-long crack.

NHTSA ID
11481869
Incident
Jun 30, 2021
Visibility
Filed Jul 24, 2022

I am about to get my second windshield on this car due to chips and cracks. I currently have 7 with one large spider crack. I have never owned a car that had a windshield that chipped and cracked so much. Our Dodge Caravan which we have owned twice as long and drive in the same roads, highways and conditions, has never chipped.

NHTSA ID
11475558
Incident
Jul 20, 2022
Visibility
Filed Jun 13, 2022

Windshield cracked randomly while car was parked at my house. The crack isstarting from from bottom corner at seam. And extends almost all the way up in 1 single crack. After showing pictures to a mechanic he confirmed this is not from a rock or dust storm. If the windshield were to crack when driving it could potentially spiderweb, causing little visibility.

NHTSA ID
11468981
Incident
Jun 11, 2022
Visibility
Filed May 21, 2022

Windshield Replacement due to rock chips: Within 3 months of purchasing my Crosstrek, my windshield received 3 rock chips: I will say, I don't drive OFF ROAD. I drive on the highways or paved city streets. When this first occurred in 2018 (purchased in Oct2018), I was shocked. I've owned cars all my life (I'm over 50y - drove Nissans) & NEVER had a rock chip incident. Anyway, dealer told me I should be more careful and it's my fault - the service guy actually inferred that it must be because I'm a woman and drive badly (I haven't gone back to that dealer). I wasn't happy but had the rock chip repaired but one: It couldn't be repaired because it was on passenger side but down by the black area where the shield connects with the body of the car. Was told to wait and see. That winter the crack spread significantly to a 48+ inch crack that scaled the entire windshield. Because of the pandemic, I recently took it in for replacement (costing $1,076.52). Now, not even a month after replacing the old windshield - yesterday in fact - the windshield developed a new rock chip crack. I'm beyond understanding why this is occurring. It's as though the Crosstrek is a magnet for this type of event. I love my car but I really am not pleased - and feel the design of the windshield makes these vehicles prone to this type of issue. I know the manufacture has to be aware due to the number of complaints they receive but have yet to improve the design to correct for it.

NHTSA ID
11465555
Incident
May 20, 2022
Visibility
Filed May 17, 2022

Windshield accumulated a small crack in the lower passenger side, about 6in long and a quarter up from the bottom of windshield. It's now continued to grow and is now half of the windshield.

NHTSA ID
11464968
Incident
Jun 7, 2021
Visibility
Filed Apr 30, 2022

I own a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Premium. Today, I noticed a crack in my windshield as I got in my car in my garage. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack in the windshield, and the night before there was no crack visible. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired yet, and is pending review from the dealer. The crack began at the bottom right edge, the crack is roughly 2" long.

NHTSA ID
11462888
Incident
Apr 30, 2022
Visibility
Filed Apr 23, 2022

I parked my vehicle in my garage last evening no Crack in my windshield. Today I went to go out to eat and I had a 3" Crack starting at the edge middle of the driver's side. I drove 4 miles to the restaurant and now it's 8" long. No rock impacts I'm aware of and no chips in the Crack area. From what I'm reading subaru seems to have a windshield issue, and I think these should be replaced at no cost to the consumer.

NHTSA ID
11461915
Incident
Apr 22, 2022
Visibility
Filed Apr 12, 2022

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated that there was a crack on the windshield. The contact stated that there was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack in the windshield. The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA ID
11460514
Incident
Apr 4, 2022
Mileage
36,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Mar 29, 2022

I purchased my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek in 2019 brand new and as of March 29th, 2022 I have had two windshield replacements due to cracks. I have never had this issue before with my other vehicles and I have also owned a 2016 Subaru Impreza so I am assuming it might have something to do with the year and model of my current Subaru. I recently replaced my cracked windshield last month and today I have discovered another chip in my windshield. This will be the third time that my windshield has cracked. When brought to the attention of my Subaru dealer, they said it was not an issue and I am just unlucky. Upon further research online, I have discovered that I am not the only one who has had windshield cracking issues with a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek.

NHTSA ID
11458888
Incident
Feb 1, 2022
Visibility
Filed Mar 29, 2022

Within a month of owning this vehicle new, the windshield formed a crack in it randomly. A few weeks later It formed another in the center near the driver's side making it harder to focus on the road. Now we have 2 cracks next to each other obstructing the driver's view.

NHTSA ID
11458817
Incident
Mar 10, 2021
Visibility
Filed Mar 28, 2022

This vehicle has a crack across the lower part of windshield. Apparently this is a notorious subaru problem I'm told.

NHTSA ID
11458638
Incident
Feb 22, 2022
Body & structureVisibility
Filed Mar 23, 2022

Unknown Windshield Cracked, No apparent reason, and can be inspected. Nothing has been reported or inspected as of yet.

NHTSA ID
11457958
Incident
Mar 21, 2022
Visibility
Filed Mar 8, 2022

TWO incidents: 1) Within a month of buying a brand new car, the windshield chipped. A small pebble hit the windshield while driving it. I've been hit by hundreds of small pebbles in other cars over the years and never had a chip. Got it repaired the next day with Safelite, they did a repair and it seemed to work fine. No further issues with the chip. They were shocked at how easily it chipped. 2) Feb 2022, I had my car at the dealer for about a week, and then drove it home and parked it in the driveway. Came back to it a day or two later, and there was a large crack originating by the heating elements/where the wipers are. It had 4 or 5 branches out, 3 were small, one was medium, and one large crack went all the way to the middle of the windshield. No damage, didn't hit anything, the crack is nowhere near the chip. Spontaneous crack.

NHTSA ID
11455699
Incident
Feb 11, 2022
Visibility
Filed Feb 3, 2022

Windshield cracked at in the center at the base while car was sitting inside garage.

NHTSA ID
11450120
Incident
Jan 9, 2022
Visibility
Filed Jan 5, 2022

While driving at a slow speed (<15mph) I had to stop quickly at an intersection. A small board inside the car (<1 lb, 2'x12") connected with the windshield causing a substantial crack approximately 10 inches in diameter. The windshield is absolutely unsafe and will need to be replaced(although has not yet been seen by the dealer.)

NHTSA ID
11446267
Incident
Jan 4, 2022
Visibility
Filed Dec 21, 2021

After having cowl replaced under warranty, at the dealership, I drove vehicle home (3 miles) and placed in garage. Next day, noticed 10 inch crack on lower passenger side of windshield. Took car to have looked at by dealership who stated crack had to come from rock and refused to replace. On my way home, I did not take a rock to my windshield. The Service Manager stated he would call Subaru regarding my issue. He has never called to provide any update.

NHTSA ID
11444550
Incident
Jun 15, 2021
Visibility
Filed Nov 22, 2021

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the front windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,200.

NHTSA ID
11441383
Incident
Nov 22, 2021
Mileage
24,200 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

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Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .