2016 Subaru Legacy Visibility Problems

I went to the store with an intact and unblemished windshield. After returning to the vehicle, a crack in the passenger side of the windshield appeared with no chip or damage visible. After only a day, this cracked had tripled in length with weekly crackling sounds. This is a known issue with Subarus and the manufacturer is trying to be selective with repairs. My vehicle has the EyeSight system and will cost me $1100.00 to repair because it's $700.00 to calibrate the system after glass repair..

NHTSA ID

11604581

Incident

Jun 6, 2024

I was driving home from work when the windshield cracked from the bottom of the passenger side right by the windshield wiper and now has spiraled up

NHTSA ID

11455461

Incident

Sep 1, 2021

A 6-inch crack suddenly appeared in the lower driver's side area of the windshield starting from the very edge in the black area. It follows the exact pattern of multiple other windshield crack complaints in this model year. The windshield has already been replaced twice before out-of-pocket due to similar cracking.

NHTSA ID

11425028

Incident

Jul 6, 2021

CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD IN MY DIRECT LINE OF SIGHT, I AM NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING HITTING THE WINDSHIELD TO CAUSE IT. I PURCHASED VEHICLE USED ONLY 3 MONTHS AGO. WHEN I PURCHASED IT THE DEALERSHIP HAD MENTIONED THAT THEY HAD JUST REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD. SO THE NEW WINDSHIELD WAS ONLY 3 MONTHS OLD.

NHTSA ID

11399247

Incident

Mar 4, 2021

Mileage

67,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED NEAR THE WINDSHIELD WIPER. CARTER SUBARU SHORELINE (17225 AURORA AVE N, SEATTLE, WA 98133; (206) 542-1166) WAS CONTACTED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OPENED A CASE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,000.

NHTSA ID

11377138

Incident

Oct 30, 2020

Mileage

44,000 mi

THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED ABOUT 1INCH FOR NO REASON, DRIVING OFF OF THE LOT AFTER PURCHASING MY USED SUBARU LEGACY. THE NEXT DAY, ANOTHER CRACK APPEARED WHILE DRIVING SLOW SPEEDS ON A FLAT ROADWAY. THE SECOND CRACK IS LOCATED IN A NEW LOCATION, AND SPANS ABOUT 2-2.5 FT'ABOUT 3/4 THE LENGTH OF THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. AFTER RESEARCHING, I CAME ACROSS A LAWSUIT CURRENTLY FILED AGAINST SUBARU AMERICA FOR THIS VERY ISSUE'EASILY CRACKED WINDSHIELDS FOR THESE YEARS AND MODELS. *TR

NHTSA ID

11329831

Incident

Nov 20, 2019

Mileage

60,000 mi

WINDSHIELD CRACKED STARTING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD (IN THE MIDDLE) AND IT SPREAD WHILE BEING STATIONARY. GOT IT REPLACED BY SUBARU. A MONTH LATER THE NEW WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN THE SAME EXACT PLACE AND SPREAD WHILE STATIONARY. BOTH TIMES IT WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY.

NHTSA ID

11321102

Incident

Aug 7, 2019

Mileage

126,000 mi

ON 2019-11-30 WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, THE DRIVER HEARD A SUDDEN SOUND AND A CRACK APPEARED ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK APPEARED TO ORIGINATE FROM THE CENTER BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD, RISE UPWARD ABOUT A FOOT, THEN TOWARD PASSENGER SIDE A FEW INCHES. OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW DAYS THE CRACK BECAME LONGER TOWARD PASSENGER SIDE, WHILE PARKED OVERNIGHT. ON 2019-12-03 VEHICLE OWNER CALLED SOA TO NOTIFY THEM OF THE POTENTIAL DEFECT OCCURRENCE WITH THE WINDSHIELD, AND WAS PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER FOR WARRANTY CLAIM/DEFECT. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO LOCAL SUBARU DEALER IN ZIP CODE 32609 FOR INSPECTION, AND TO HAVE THEM TAKE PICTURES TO BE SENT TO SOA FOR REVIEW, REFERENCING THE CASE NUMBER. DEALER SAID THEY THOUGHT THE CRACK WAS FROM AN IMPACT EVENT, AND RECOMMENDED A LOCAL BODY SHOP FOR OWNER TO PURCHASE A REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD, AND EYESIGHT RECALIBRATION, AT OWNER COST. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY THE RECOMMENDED BODY SHOP ON 2019-12-11, OWNER FILED CLAIM WITH THEIR VEHICLE INSURANCE. AS OF 2019-12-23, NO RESPONSE HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY VEHICLE OWNER FROM SOA ON THE CASE THAT WAS FILED. THE ATTACHED PHOTOS ARE OF THE CRACKED WINDSHIELD, NOTING THE CRACK PROGRESSION FROM 2019-11-30 TO 2019-12-03. THE WINDSHIELD IDENTIFIERS ARE IDENTICAL ON THE CRACKED AND REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELDS.

NHTSA ID

11291014

Incident

Nov 30, 2019

Mileage

20,400 mi

MY WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY DEVELOPED A CRACK WHILE PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR A WEEK. NO DEBRIS WAS FOUND AROUND THE VEHICLE. LOOKS LIKE IT STARTED WITH THE TOP PASSENGER SIDE AND EXTENDED 1 FOOT DOWN AND 1.5 FEET ACROSS TO THE DRIVERS SIDE.

NHTSA ID

11243439

Incident

Aug 9, 2019

Mileage

69,000 mi

WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED A CRACKED UNDER PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER AND HAS NOW SPREAD ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF MY WINDSHIELD. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN I NOTICED IT

NHTSA ID

11165774

Incident

Dec 17, 2018

Mileage

40,000 mi

I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH MY SUBARU WINDSHIELD WHERE I HAVE HAD TO GET THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES IN A SHORT TIME SPAN. WITHIN THE LAST YEAR, I'VE HAD TO REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD TWICE ALREADY(21JUL2017 AND 11MAY2018). AFTER GETTING THE CAR BACK LAST FRIDAY (MAY 11TH, 2018) AFTER GETTING THE SECOND REPLACEMENT, I GOT ANOTHER CRACK/CHIP WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. I FEAR THAT THIS LATEST CRACK MAY SPREAD AND WILL FORCE ME TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD FOR A THIRD TIME. I DON'T FEEL THAT THE WINDSHIELDS ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO PROTECT AGAINST SLIGHT IMPACTS AND MY CHILDREN NO LONGER FEEL SAFE IN THE VEHICLE AFTER SEEING THE WINDSHIELD CRACK SO MANY TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR.

NHTSA ID

11094012

Incident

May 15, 2018

Mileage

54,000 mi

WITHIN A MONTH OF PURCHASING BRAND NEW, MY 2016 LEGACY DEVELOPED A MASSIVE CRACK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD NEAR THE DEFROST. I REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD WITH A NEW SUBARU WINDSHIELD ONLY TO HAVE IT CRACK AGAIN IN A DIFFERENT PLACE WITHIN A FEW MONTHS. I CONTACTED SUBARU AS THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELDS ON THE EARLY 2016 MODELS AND THEY REFUSED TO ASSIST.

NHTSA ID

11051697

Incident

Feb 1, 2016

IN THE LESS THAN TWO YEARS I HAVE OWNED MY VEHICLE, I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD ONCE (WHEN IT WAS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD) AND REPAIRED CRACKS 3 TIMES, THE LATEST BEING TODAY. ALL DAMAGES WERE DONE BY GRAVEL PICKED OFF THE ROAD, AND NOT IN CONSTRUCTION ZONES. NOT ONLY HAVE I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY PREVIOUS VEHICLE DRIVING DOWN THE SAME ROADS, IN THE SAME STATE OF REPAIR, BUT NEITHER HAVE MY PARENTS IN 20+ YEARS OF DRIVING 5 DIFFERENT MAKES/MODELS ON THE SAME ROADS. NOT ONLY IS THE WINDSHIELD RIDICULOUSLY FRAGILE, SINCE I HAVE THE 'EYESIGHT' SAFETY FEATURE, I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD NOT REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD WITH AN OEM/GENERIC WINDSHIELD. I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE FLIMSY WINDSHIELD WITH ANOTHER FLIMSY SUBARU WINDSHIELD. IF I DID NOT, NOT ONLY WOULD THEY NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE SAFETY FEATURE I PAID OVER $1500 ADDITIONAL FOR WOULD WORK, BUT THEY WOULDN'T EVEN ATTEMPT TO CALIBRATE IT SHOULD IT BE NEEDED. I HAVE SEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT SUBARU WINDSHIELDS, SO THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A KNOWN ISSUE. SUBARU SHOULD WORK ON REINFORCING THEIR WINDSHIELDS AT THE VERY LEAST, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE FORCING PEOPLE TO BUY THEM. THIS SHOULD ALSO BE INFORMATION GIVEN TO PROSPECTIVE BUYERS.

NHTSA ID

11033064

Incident

Oct 12, 2017

Mileage

25,000 mi

ONE MORNING AFTER BEING PARKED ALL NIGHT, WE NOTICED A SIX INCH CRACK APPEARED ONE DAY IN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD HALF WAY UP AT THE PASSENGER SIDE EDGE AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE DRIVER SIDE. THERE IS NO IMPACT OR CHIP SITE IN THE WINDSHIELD.

NHTSA ID

10995673

Incident

Jun 13, 2017

Mileage

23,700 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU LEGACY. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE MIRRORS REFLECTED THE SILVER CHROME FROM AROUND THE AIR CONDITIONING VENTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THIS OBSTRUCTED THE VIEW OF THE ROAD ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE DEALER TINTED THE WINDOWS, BUT THE ISSUE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,200.

NHTSA ID

10983023

Incident

Jan 11, 2017

Mileage

33,200 mi

FRONT WINDSHIELD GOT CRACK UPON BEING HITTING BY A FOREIGN OBSTACLE, MAYBE A PEBBLE. WITHIN A DAY, THE CRACK LINE EXTENDED TO MORE THAN 1 FOOT, WHICH AFFECTED FRONT VISIBILITY. WITHIN A FEW WEEKS, THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED TO MY 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK THAT SHARES THE SAME WINDSHIELD COMPONENT WITH LEGACY. IN THE PAST, I HAD WINDSHIELD CRACKS WITH OTHER CARS I OWNED BUT THE CRACKS DID NOT GROW AS FAST AS SUBARU'S. I AM WONDERING IF THE SUBARU'S WINDSHIELD USED IN LEGACY AND OUTBACK MAY HAVE A MATERIAL PROBLEM OR A MANUFACTURING ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

10954058

Incident

Sep 4, 2016

I BOUGHT THE CAR AS A DEALER CAR (THEY TOLD ME IT WAS REGISTERED TO A MANAGER AS A TEST CAR). IT HAD 4,810 MILES WHEN I BOUGHT IT. I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR JUST OVER 300 MILES. WHEN I TEST DRIVE IT, IT MADE A SOUND LIKE A STONE HIT THE WINDSHIELD. THEN ALMOST EVERY TIME I HAVE DRIVEN IT SINCE, INCLUDING THREE TIMES TODAY, IT MADE THE SAME EXACT SOUND. I WAS DRIVING BOTH IN CITY TRAFFIC (RED LIGHT TO RED LIGHT) AND ON A TOLL ROAD WITH LIMITED TRAFFIC. WHEN I GOT OUT AND LOOKED AT THE WINDSHIELD, I NOTICED LITERALLY 50 OR MORE SMALL "CHIPS" IN THE WINDSHIELD.

NHTSA ID

10849849

Incident

Mar 15, 2016

Mileage

5,000 mi

HIGH GLOSS NAVIGATION SCREEN AND HIGH GLOSS FINISH ON VENTS REFLECT SUN AT CERTAIN ANGLES AND RESULT IN SUN BEING REFLECTED INTO DRIVERS EYES CAUSING A BLINDING CONDITION. THIS HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING DURING DAYLIGHT WHEN SUN IS OUT. THIS IS A SEVERE AND SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE DRIVEN SUBARUS FOR YEARS AND JUST GOT THE 2016 LEGACY. HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLE. HAVE TO PUT A TOWEL OVER AREA WHEN SUN IS OUT TO DRIVE WITHOUT BEING BLINDED.

NHTSA ID

10811326

Incident

Dec 19, 2015

Mileage

850 mi