2014 Subaru Forester Visibility Problems

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 mph, a small crack appeared on the front windshield without impact. While driving, the crack expanded from the passenger’s side of the windshield to the driver’s side. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

NHTSA ID

11419303

Incident

May 24, 2021

Mileage

40,000 mi

WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED TWICE

NHTSA ID

11386022

Incident

Jan 1, 2021

Mileage

64,000 mi

MY BACKUP CAMERA ONLY WORKS PERIODICALLY. WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE THE DASHBOARD SCREEN SOMETIMES JUST SHOWS A BLACK SCREEN WITH THE DISTANCE LINES DISPLAYED. OTHER TIMES IT WORKS FINE. DOESNT SEEM TO BE A PATTERN. MANY PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM IN POSTED MESSAGE BOARDS AND IT SEEMS LIKE CERTAIN OTHER SUBARUS WERE RECALLED FOR THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11374869

Incident

Feb 1, 2020

Mileage

25,000 mi

THE WINDSHIELD WIPER FLUID HOSE THAT RUNS BETWEEN THE WIPER RESERVOIR AND THE SPRAYERS HAS SOME CHEAP WHITE PLASTIC THAT CRACKED AND BROKE, RENDERING THE WIPERS PRACTICALLY INOPERABLE. THIS IS SOME LOUSY PRODUCT USAGE THAT SHOULDN'T BE BREAKING ON A 6 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. THE RESERVOIR LOW FLUID LIGHT KEEPS GOING ON AND OFF TOO SO THE SENSOR IS PROBABLY BAD, DESPITE BEING FULL.

NHTSA ID

11352051

Incident

Dec 1, 2019

Mileage

63,000 mi

GOING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. MY DRIVER SIDE FRONT WINDOW SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED. THERE WAS JUST ONE VERY LOUD NOISE AND THE GLASS FRAGMENTS STAYED IN PLACE, WITH ONLY A FEW PIECES FALLING INTO THE CAR. NOTHING SUGGESTED THAT THE WINDOW WAS STRUCK BY ANYTHING.

NHTSA ID

11308047

Incident

Feb 9, 2020

Mileage

77,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE DUAL CAMERA SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE MALFUNCTIONED OVER TIME. THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY WAS AFFECTED BY THE FOG BUILD UP ON THE DUAL CAMERA SYSTEM FEATURE OF THE VEHICLE. THE TWO FRONT CAMERAS ATTACHED TO THE HEADLINER OF THE VEHICLE WERE THE AFFECTED. RANDY MARION SUBARU OF MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO PROCEDURE OR TSB AVAILABLE TO ASSIST IN CLEANING THE CAMERAS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 24,000. UPDATED 09/19/17*LJ *CN

NHTSA ID

11010992

Incident

Jul 27, 2016

Mileage

24,000 mi

CRACKED WINDSHIELD. ON DECEMBER 14, 2016, A 6 DEGREE DAY, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED ACROSS HEATER STRIP, SIDE TO SIDE, WHILE PARKED. NO EVIDENCE OF, OR PRIOR DAMAGE TO WINDSHIELD. ONLINE REPORTS STATE THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH NEWER SUBARU MODELS, BECAUSE OR WEIGHT REDUCTION IN THINNER WINDSHIELDS. WINDSHIELD MANUFACTUER: AGC AUTOMOTIVE, LAMISAFE.

NHTSA ID

10970495

Incident

Dec 14, 2016

Mileage

12,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO USE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, THEY FAILED TO OPERATE. IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED; HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO PARTS TO REMEDY THE DEFECT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,183.

NHTSA ID

10947343

Incident

Jan 6, 2017

Mileage

27,183 mi

IF IT IS SNOWING AND THE TEMPERATURE IS FREEZING OR BELOW, THE WIPER BLADES ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BEGIN TO GET ICE BUILD-UP AND THE WINDSHIELD ALSO ACCUMULATES ICE. AFTER FURTHER STUDY, IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THERE IS A PLASTIC TRIM, ALMOST LIKE A WATER TROUGH, IMMEDIATELY BELOW AND FORWARD OF THE WIPER BLADES. IT APPEARS THAT AS THE DEFROST MELTS THE SNOW, THE WATER IS CAUGHT IN THE TROUGH WITHOUT ADEQUATE DRAINAGE AND THE FORWARD MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE CREATES A MIST THAT THEN BLOWS UP ONTO THE WIPER BLADES CAUSING THE ICE BUILD-UP AND ALSO CAN BLOW MIST ONTO THE WINDSHIELD FURTHER COMPLICATING THE PROBLEM. IT HAPPENS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AND IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS MAKING IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE. THE ONLY OPTION REALLY IS TO GET OFF THE ROAD AND STOP. LOOKING AT EARLIER MODELS, IT APPEARS THAT A REDESIGN MADE THE TRIM DEEPER, AND NARROWER, WHILE THE HOOD WAS LOWERED AND A RIDGE PUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOOD. THIS HAS APPARENTLY CHANGED THE AERODYNAMICS AND CAUSED THIS VERY BAD PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

10822310

Incident

Jan 22, 2016

Mileage

20,000 mi

2014 SABARU FORESTER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE SEAT HEAD REST, SEAT BELT AND REAR VIEW VISIBILITY ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS LIMITED REAR VIEW VISIBILITY WITH TWO LARGE BLIND SPOTS DUE TO A 64 SQUARE INCH HEAD REST. ALSO, THE SEAT BELT ANGLED FROM THE ROOF DIAGONALLY, THEREFORE LIMITING REAR VIEW VISION. THE CENTER HEAD REST WAS ONLY TWO INCHES HIGH, RATHER THAN THE LATERAL HEAD REST BEING EIGHT INCHES HIGH. *JB

NHTSA ID

10805816

Incident

Oct 1, 2015

A LARGE NUT FELL FROM TREE (WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH) AND HIT DRIVERS SIDE WINDSHIELD WHICH SHATTERED. THIS VEHICLE COMES WITH SPECIALTY HEATED WINDSHIELDS, WHICH WAS ON AT THE TIME AS IT HAPPENED DURING WINTER. THE SECOND TIME, THE WINDSHIELD BROKE WITHOUT FULLY SHATTERING, BUT PRODUCED VERY UNUSUALLY LARGE "SPIDER" CRACKS, AFTER A TINY ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH. THE HEATED WINDSHIELD WAS NOT ON DURING THE SECOND INCIDENT. BOTH WINDSHIELDS WERE SUBARU FACTORY NEW AND BOTH NEEDED TO BE FULLY REPLACED AFTER EACH INCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10621096

Incident

Dec 2, 2013

Mileage

15,000 mi

I PURCHASED MY 2014 FORESTER IN JULY 2013. I LOVE THE VEHICLE EXCEPT FOR THE DESIGN OF THE CLIMATE CONTROL DIALS WHICH I CONSIDER TO BE A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN AT A GLANCE WHAT THE CURRENT SETTING IS FOR EACH FUNCTION (HEAT/AC TEMP, FAN SPEED, FAN DIRECTION.) STARING AT THE DIAL(S) OR REPEATED GLANCES TAKES THE DRIVER'S ATTENTION OFF THE ROAD FOR TOO LONG, AND THEREFORE IS ABSOLUTELY A SAFETY ISSUE: EACH ROUND DIAL HAS A RUBBER GRIP SURFACE THAT THE USER CONTACTS. ON THE FRONT FACE OF THE DIAL IS A SHINY CHROME BEZEL RING. THIS RING IS QUITE NARROW AND HAS 7 SMALL, EQUIDISTANT INDENTATIONS AROUND THE RADIUS. ONE OF THE INDENTATIONS IS YELLOW PLASTIC, WHICH INDICATES THE SETTING. AT A GLANCE, THE SMALL YELLOW PLASTIC INDICATOR IS VERY DIFFICULT TO LOCATE AMONG THE OTHER SIX INDENTATIONS. WHAT THE PURPOSE IS OF THE INDENTATIONS IS A MYSTERY (SOME MARKETER WANTED SPARKLE?) AND WHY SUBARU CHOSE PALE YELLOW AGAINST SHINY CHROME MAKES NO SENSE. I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ALTERED MY DIALS BY PUTTING A TINY DROP OF WHITE FINGERNAIL POLISH ON THE BLACK RUBBER GRIP DIRECTLY ABOVE EACH YELLOW PLASTIC INDICATOR. NOW, AT A QUICK GLANCE, I CAN EASILY SEE AT WHAT POSITION EACH FUNCTION DIAL IS SET. IT'S GREAT. I FEEL MUCH SAFER. I KNOW THIS SOUNDS LIKE A SMALL, UNIMPORTANT PROBLEM, BUT IT WAS A HUGE CONCERN TO ME. I HOPE NO FORESTER OWNER IS INVOLVED IN A CRASH BECAUSE HE/SHE TOOK HIS/HER EYES OFF THE ROAD FOR TOO LONG TRYING TO FIGURE OUT ONE OR MORE OF THE CLIMATE CONTROL SETTINGS. THE FORESTER MIGHT BE A "TOP SAFETY PICK" BUT NOT ON THIS. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10607504

Incident

Jul 1, 2014