2017 Subaru Impreza Visibility Problems

I noticed that visibility at night was poor. I was pulled over by the police and give a warning that my headlight was out and told to get it fixed. I thought it may be as simple as a bulb but was told the entire left headlamp assembly had to be replaced at a cost of more than $2,000. Just days later my Dealership send me a service notice which also stated that the left headlamp should be inspected. This was after I had already had it replaced at a local garage. The dealership confirmed that their was a recall but when I tried to get reimbursed by Subaru thru the safety recall WRG-22/NHTSA 22V624000 they said my vin# was excluded from the recall!(?)

NHTSA ID

11718214

Incident

Jan 20, 2026

I hit the guard rail going 35 mph on an exit ramp because of the low visibility because of the safety recall. I went to get the recall fixed when I found out and they refused to fix the recall because my bumper is messed up.

NHTSA ID

11640254

Incident

Sep 21, 2024

I am logging a complaint regarding my Subaru Impreza 2017 windshield. I bought new in 2017, and it currently has only about 55k miles. The windshield is completely covered (literally thousands) of tiny pinpoint chips. At certain times of day (usually sunset) the glare that this causes is so bad that visibility is very poor and driving is almost scary. I contacted the dealership and they said they haven’t heard of this issue. I drive regular roads and with this low of a mileage, I shouldn’t be having to think about replacing my windshield. I’ve driven cars with triple the mileage and windshields don’t look like this.

NHTSA ID

11557801

Incident

Nov 30, 2023

There is a 15 inch crack in my windshield that was not there yesterday. It seemingly formed over night for absolutely no reason. Just driving 15 mins to work, it spread about 4 inches! I have a toddler and have to work. If I hadn't noticed it initially way in the corner, it could have brought in the entire windshield while driving with my child in the car. The crack seems to have formed at the very edge between the frame and glass near the windshield wiper. Will be calling insurance next, but this seems to have happened for no reason at all which is very concerning.

NHTSA ID

11507376

Incident

Feb 15, 2023

Small chip in windshield was in for sealing/repair. After the tech tried to fix it, the chip grew into an incredibly large crack. The tech shared that this happened with nearly no pressure being applied to to windshield. He reported this is a common issue with our vehicle's model and year. Safety is obviously compromised if the windshield is so easily destroyed in a way that requires replacement.

NHTSA ID

11485755

Incident

Sep 21, 2022

The windshield on the car seems to break, and/or chip very easily and much more frequent than any other vehicle I have owned.

NHTSA ID

11443468

Incident

Jul 14, 2021

driving, heard loud pop/noise, 10 minutes later had a 12+ inch crack in windshield

NHTSA ID

11418719

Incident

May 26, 2021

DRIVING DOWN A ONE LANE ROAD GOING 30 MPH WHEN THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. NOTHING HITTING THE WINDSHIELD.

NHTSA ID

11387394

Incident

Sep 10, 2020

Mileage

38,000 mi

A SMALL OBJECT HIT THE SIDE OF MY WINDSHIELD WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME AND LATER CAUSED A 6-INCH CRACK TO FORM. THE CRACK EXPANDED TO 10+ INCHES OVERNIGHT WHILE MY CAR WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE. I NOW HAVE TO HAVE MY WINDSHIELD REPLACED AND SAFETY SYSTEM WILL NEED TO BE RE-CALIBRATED AT AN ADDITIONAL COST.

NHTSA ID

11384834

Incident

Dec 23, 2020

Mileage

31,000 mi

A CRACK APPEARED IN THE WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE CAR. THE CAR WAS MOVING WHEN THE CRACK APPEARED BUT WAS STATIONARY (DRIVEWAY) WHEN THE CRACK EXPANDED FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE TO THE PASSENGER SIDE BY THE NEXT DAY.

NHTSA ID

11377348

Incident

Sep 27, 2020

Mileage

14,953 mi

MY WINDSHIELD CHIPPED AND THEN CRACKED ALL THE WAY ACROSS FROM A LIGHT HIT FROM A PEBBLE, THE PROPER REPLACEMENT IS $400 BEFORE LABOR, THATS WITHOUT SUBARU EYESIGHT CALIBRATION.

NHTSA ID

11376771

Incident

Oct 29, 2020

Mileage

59,000 mi

THE WINDSHIELD HAS A CRACK OUT OF NOWHERE. THIS HAPPENED IN MY GARAGE WHERE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED MOST OF THE TIME.

NHTSA ID

11376756

Incident

Nov 4, 2020

Mileage

38,980 mi

THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. IT WAS REPLACED AT SAFELITE AUTO GLASS. THE RECEIPT IS ATTACHED.

NHTSA ID

11376744

Incident

Sep 8, 2020

Mileage

38,000 mi

MY WINDSHIELD HAS A SMALL CRACK AND I AM NOT SURE WHEN IT HAPPENED.

NHTSA ID

11376649

Incident

Nov 15, 2018

WINDSHIELD CRACKS LIGHT DEBRIS WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. STARTS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD AND WHILE DRIVING, THE CRACK JUST KEEPS GROWING FROM 3 INCHES UNTIL ABOUT 8-9 INCHES, AND IT'S STILL GOING. THE SOUND OF THE DEBRIS WASN'T THAT LOUD, NEVER HAD THIS TYPE OF ISSUE WITH OTHER CARS WITH EVEN LOUDER HITS.

NHTSA ID

11363949

Incident

Oct 11, 2020

Mileage

32,000 mi

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY WINDSHIELD TWICE WITHIN 12 MONTHS DUE TO CHIPPING AND CRACKING. THE FIRST CHIP CAUSED A 12+ INCH CRACK WHICH PROMPTED REPLACEMENT ($1000.00) 5 MONTHS AFTER THE ORIGINAL REPLACEMENT SALT ON THE EXPRESSWAY CHIPPED THE 2ND WINDSHIELD. EACH TIME SOMETHING COMES IN CONTACT WITH THE WINDSHIELD, IT SEEMS TO CHIP. I HAVE APPROXIMATELY 4 CHIPS IN MY NEWEST WINDSHIELD. I DON'T THINK THE WINDSHIELD SHOULD HAVE CHIPPED SO EASILY

NHTSA ID

11329903

Incident

Feb 15, 2020

Mileage

40,000 mi

WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHEN I DROVE OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD AT ~15MPH. *TR

NHTSA ID

11326246

Incident

Oct 16, 2019

Mileage

50,000 mi

WINDSHIELD HAS MYSTERIOUSLY CRACKED NUMEROUS TIMES

NHTSA ID

11311316

Incident

Feb 4, 2020

Mileage

56,000 mi

MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN ONE CORNER FOR NO REASON. I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE STABILITY OF THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN A LOCKED GARAGE WHEN THIS OCCURRED.

NHTSA ID

11310774

Incident

Jan 15, 2020

Mileage

8,000 mi

WINDSHIELD CRACKED AFTER TAKING SMALL ROAD DEBRIS TO WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING APPROX 55 MPH ON A HIGHWAY. IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEBRIS HIT WINDSHIELD BEGAN TO SPLINTER AND CRACK WHICH WORSENED INTO A 8-10" LONG DAMAGE MAKING THE WINDSHIELD INELIGIBLE FOR REPAIR. WINDSHIELD REQUIRED REPLACEMENT

NHTSA ID

11280291

Incident

Nov 11, 2019

Mileage

17,000 mi

3 CRACKED WINDSHIEDS IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED WINDSHIELDS TWICE WHILE PARKED

NHTSA ID

11271329

Incident

Mar 23, 2019

Mileage

15,000 mi

DRIVING ON A FOUR-LANE FREEWAY WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND ME, THE PASSENGER'S DOOR SIDE MIRROR "EXPLODED". THERE WAS A LARGE BANG THAT SOUNDED LIKE A BLOWN TIRE, WHICH IS WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS AT FIRST. THEN I LOOKED TO MY RIGHT AND SAW MY PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR MIRROR HANGING IN PIECES BY ITS ELECTRICAL WIRING, AND THE PLASTIC, OUTSIDE MIRROR CASING COMPLETELY DESTROYED. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO GET A BETTER LOOK, AND THE DEBRIS SCRAPPED-UP MY PASSENGER WINDOW PRETTY BADLY, TOO. LOTS OF "ETCHING" IN THE PASSENGER WINDOW. I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH THROUGH A CURVE ON A FOUR-LANE ROAD. THERE WERE NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME OR BEHIND ME, AND NOTHING FOR ME TO HIT OR SIDESWIPE. THE SIDE DOOR MIRROR SIMPLY "EXPLODED". HAD THERE BEEN A PASSENGER SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SEAT WITH THE WINDOW ROLLED-DOWN, I AM CERTAIN THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, OR SERIOUSLY INJURED, FROM THE FLYING GLASS AND PLASTIC CASING FROM THE PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR MIRROR AND ITS CASING. A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET TODAY SHOWED ME THAT THIS IS MORE OF A REOCCURRING PROBLEM THAN PERHAPS PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. VERY DANGEROUS, AND SCARY. I'M TAKING THE 2017 SUBARU IMPREZA 5 DOOR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THIS AFTERNOON, HOPING THEY WILL REPAIR/REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY AS I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 12,000 MILES ON IT. (CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN OCTOBER 2017)

NHTSA ID

11121328

Incident

Aug 20, 2018

Mileage

11,900 mi

I BELIEVE MY CAR EXPERIENCED A SPONTANEOUS EXPLOSION OF THE SUN ROOF GLASS: WHILE DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT SECTION OF HIGHWAY I HEARD AND FELT A SUDDEN, LOUD, EXPLOSIVE SOUND THAT I THOUGHT WAS FROM SOMETHING HITTING THE ROOF OF MY CAR. AT THE TIME I WAS DRIVING IT CLOUDY BUT NO PRECIPITATION, APPROX. 36 DEGREES, DRY ROAD CONDITIONS WITH MINIMAL TRAFFIC, APPROX. 3:30PM. I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE, NO CONSTRUCTION OR OBJECTS NOTED IN THE ROAD IN THE AREA AND NOT NEAR AN OVERHEAD ROADWAY OR ELEVATED SIDE OF ROAD. I EXITED THE HIGHWAY AT THE NEAREST EXIT AND PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT TO INSPECT MY CAR, AT WHICH TIME I FOUND A LARGE SECTION (APPROX. 10" X 4-5") OF SUN ROOF GLASS WAS MISSING AND THE SURROUNDING GLASS WAS BROKEN AND PROTRUDING OUTWARD (SEE ATTACHED PHOTO). THIS WAS MYSTERIOUS AS I HAD ASSUMED THAT SOMETHING HAD STRUCK THE TOP OF MY CAR AND, THUS, EXPECTED TO SEE THE GLASS PUSHED DOWNWARD FROM THE IMPACT. NO OBJECT (ROCK OR OTHER PROJECTILE) WAS FOUND RESTING ON THE SUN SHADE, WHICH FORTUNATELY WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. I CALLED MY SUBARU DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED MY CAR IN JUNE 2017 NEW (ALL EQUIPMENT ORIGINAL) AND DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. HE IMMEDIATELY OFFERED, "AT NO COST" TO ME, A LOANER CAR AND ASKED ME TO BRING IN MY CAR, WHICH I DID THE NEXT MORNING. THE MANAGER AND A TECH STAFF PERSON LOOKED OVER MY CAR AND ASSESSED THAT I WOULD NEED ONLY TO REPLACE THE GLASS AS THE FRAME WAS INTACT. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT SUBARU WOULD COVER THE COST OF THIS REPLACEMENT, WHICH THEY DID. I BELIEVE THIS WAS A SPONTANEOUS EXPLOSION BASED ON THE RESEARCH I FOUND ON THE INTERNET PARTICULARLY A CONSUMER REPORT ARTICLE.

NHTSA ID

11082518

Incident

Mar 14, 2018

Mileage

8,985 mi

THE DRIVER'S SIDE MIRROR DOES NOT ADJUST FAR ENOUGH OUT TO COMPLETELY ELIMINATE BLIND SPOTS. ALL OTHER VEHICLES THAT I'VE DRIVEN ALLOW THE SIDE-VIEW MIRROR TO ADJUST OUTWARDS FAR ENOUGH THAT THE BLINDSPOT IS COMPLETELY ELIMINATED. THE IMPREZA MIRROR ADJUSTS OUT TO A CERTAIN EXTENT AND THEN "BOUNCES" BECAUSE IT HAS REACHED IT'S LIMIT. THIS LIMIT IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO ELIMINATE THE BLINDSPOT.

NHTSA ID

11016479

Incident

Jun 29, 2017

I HAVE NOTICED THAT IT IS SIMPLY NOT POSSIBLE TO ADJUST THE DRIVER-SIDE REARVIEW MIRROR OUTWARD ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO PROPERLY SEE VEHICLES WHICH COULD BE IN MY SIDE BLIND SPOTS, AND THIS FEELS INCREDIBLY UNSAFE. I'M HAPPY THAT THE CAR HAS BLIND SPOT DETECTORS ON THE MIRRORS, BUT THAT IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR VISIBILITY. IN ADDITION, I DON'T BELIEVE THE LOWER TRIM LEVELS HAVE BLIND-SPOT DETECTORS. I AM 6'3', WHICH IS ON THE TALLER SIDE, BUT STILL, I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM AND I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM IN ANY OTHER VEHICLE I'VE DRIVEN. OTHER OWNERS ARE ALSO UNABLE TO ADJUST THEIR SIDE MIRRORS TO THE SAE AND AAA RECOMMENDED POSITIONS. L CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ALLOWED TO BE DESIGNED AND PRODUCED WITH THESE MIRRORS! THIS IS A TERRIBLE FLAW IN THE DESIGN, AND IN MY OPINION, SHOULD BE RE-DESIGNED, FIXED FOR THE 2017 YEAR, AND A SAFETY RECALL SHOULD BE PERFORMED FOR ALREADY-PRODUCED VEHICLES.

NHTSA ID

10969706

Incident

Mar 31, 2017

Mileage

1,000 mi