Owner-reported complaints naming the visibility system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2021 Subaru Outback submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 107 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.
The 25 most recent of 107, in the owner's own words
I was driving when I heard a loud explosion sound. I first thought a rock or gunshot hit my car and pulled over to examine my car. I checked all around the car and didn't notice any damage on the side of my car but then I noticed that my sunroof was shattered. The glass was pushed outward which meant that it was not hit by an object. Luckily, my interior cover to my sunroof was closed at the time so I was not harmed.
Since owning this vehicle, we have replaced the windshield at least once a year. The first due to a 1/16th inch chip that evolved into a 10 inch crack over the course of a day. The second was a crack from driver side pillar that appeared overnight, no chips prior. Third was a 8" crack from passenger pillar that appeared overnight while garage parked, after a day, it grew to reach the center of the windshield. I think it's unacceptable that windshields can just crack overnight less than a year after install. It's beyond concerning knowing that our windshield could crack at anytime, or that superficial chips must be taken care of IMMEDIATELY or we run the risk of replacing the entire windshield.
Driving home on a farm road, a truck passed by, picking up a pebble that hit my windshield. On my other vehicles, that same impact would leave a chip on the windshield but due to its light thickness, it immediately formed a long crack that is continually growing in size as it is currently my daily commuter to work. That was a huge bummer given I had purchased it recently and it didn't have any blemishes on the windshield. The pebble hit the upper driver side part which led the crack to form out toward the roof and is going diagonal to the passenger side below the visor.
Windshield cracked under heat from parking in sun. The windshield spontaneously cracked when wiper fluid was turned on after parking on hot (85F) day. The whole windshield spidered indicating it is under extreme stress.
The windshield developed a crack. It initially started with what appeared to be a small rock impacting the bottom of the windshield where the wipers rest on the glass. The area of impact was the size of a small rock. A crack started forming and going upwards towards the roof of the car. Due to the heat in Alabama, the crack grew from 3 inches to approximately 9 inches. No safety features have been effected. I do commute 160 miles total for work, daily, so a crack that large necessarily creates a dangerous driving situation.
The windshield has cracked now, unprovoked for the second time in the exact same way it did 2 years ago. I came out to my car and it was parked, and the same crack it had 2 years ago was visible on the windshield. A crack starting from the passenger side that travels to the middle of the windshield. I have heard about many other Subaru drivers having this issue and their windshield cracking the exact same way. The first time I had it replaced I took it to the dealership and had to pay, and they replaced it with OEM glass.
Chipped windshield quickly progressed to full crack, which necessitated windshield replacement.
12 inch Crack developed in windshield while car was parked in garage. No chips along the entire crack or in its vicinity. Car/windshield were less than 3 years old.
I have a 2021 Subaru Outback. I was driving on Interstate 93 at typical highway speed and a small pebble struck my front windshield. It left an approximately 5-inch crack on the passenger side, just above the wiper. Within a few days, the crack had spread across the entire windshield and I’m now in process of having it replaced. My complaint is that I’ve had small pebble strikes on the windshields of prior vehicles I’ve owned and I’ve never had one crack so easily. The windshield glass on this Outback seems unusually fragile.
I'm on my 3rd windshield in under 12 months. I have not changed my driving habits and have been in typical weather for my area. The vehicle is garage kept. First windshield had a center driver's side ding that lasted all winter. We had some unseasonable spring weather changes that caused it to crack and spiderweb replaced 4/10/23, 24K miles. 2nd windshield, cracked 5/15/23, got dinged at the bottom and spiderwebbed immediately, again on driver's side. 3rd windshield, 12 inch line center passenger side from the edge, no ding or chip, no obvious cause for crack, occurred 1/28/24.
Windshield randomly developed a crack for no apparent reason. No rocks flying in, no extreme conditions, we were in 40-60 degrees temperatures in California on normal freeways and streets, not in any off-road conditions.
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that upon approaching the vehicle, she became aware that the front windshield had suddenly cracked, extending from the center of the windshield to the passenger’s side bezel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the crack was the result of the impact of a small, unknown object. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V712000 (Visibility), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.
Windshield developed a 10" crack overnight, parked while it was snowing in Boulder, CO. There was no damage prior to this past night. This problem is widely reported on [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Just purchased this vehicle certified pre-owned 2 months ago. Car was parked and spontaneous windshield crack started on drivers' side and has now advanced up through drivers visual field. A simple google search shows this to be a chronic, documented issue with MANY Subaru vehicles. Driving is limited and this is a costly fix for a fault not on the consumers end. I have contacted warranty and consumer protection before I call to schedule a replacement. ZERO problems or damage to vehicle before this, car wasn't in motion and as evidenced by photos it had no physical compromise causing this.
I have has to replace the windshield 3 times in less than 3 years in my 2021 Outback. Only once was there a definite impact from a rock. In that case, the glass broke in 5 directions across the entire windshield. The other two times, I simply woke up to a huge crack. It seems that this is an extremely common problem with this model, and my insurance says they will drop me if I continue to make claims at this rate.
Window cracked when hitting by a small chip on the high way
Went out to car and windshield had a 6 inch horizontal crack in the beginning at the center of the frame the passenger side extending towards the driver side. There was no chip or point of impact noted. Appears faulty placement of windshield like on prior model class action.
When driving on Interstate Highway 44 at approximately 45mph the windshield suddenly cracked on the lower passenger side of the vehicle. There was minimal traffic at the time of the incident and the roadway ahead was clear.
Windshield spontaneously cracked. There is no obvious sign of impact from an external object, verified by location replacing the glass. This is the second windshield that has spontaneously cracked in less than a year's time.
Have owned the vehicle less than a year and it has already acquired 2 chips. One of the chips spread out to a larger crack immediately.
My windshield has cracked 3 times since vehicle was purchased, the last time within 2 months of replacement. The first 2 times the windshield was replaced by the dealership with OEM glass. There was no visible crack from rocks, etc in the last two incidences...went out in the morning to find that the windshield was cracked across half the windshield after it had been parked and no visible damage had occured beforehand in both cases. ( I have taken pictures of this last incident... insurance notified, but no inspections took place. no warning lights, etc appeared pryor to cracks)
Faulty windshield cracking rapidly - without impact
When there is an alert for “low windshield” washer fluid. I receive multiple audible alerts from the car while driving. The alert will go away and then come back. I think the fluid level sloshes while driving, going above and then below the sensor repeatedly. The multiple alerts are distracting and cause alarm fatigue. I think one alert per driving session would suffice.
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that on three separate occasions the windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer after each failure and was informed each time that a rock chip might have caused the failure. The contact purchased a carbon steel film after which he was informed would prevent the windshield from breaking in the event of another cracked windshield, with the purchase of this protective film, he could have a total of 4 windshield replacements free of charge. The contact stated that each failure obstructed his vision while driving. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
The front windshield spontaneously cracked sometime overnight, while my car was parked in my garage. I noticed it when I got into my car one morning, and a roughly 6 inch horizontal crack had appeared, originating from the driver's side edge about halfway up the glass. I immediately got out and inspected the crack to find a point of impact, but it was a perfectly smooth crack line w/ zero points of impact. I drove the short distance to my destination, and an hour or two later when I got back in the car, it had continued to grow to maybe double the previous size (now 15-20" wide). The crack was directly in my line of sight from my eyes to the road ahead. The next day, I took it to my Subaru dealer, where they took photos and said they'd contact Subaru corporate to determine if they'd pay for the replacement. I just got news today that they'll replace it, but I'm responsible for a hefty "deductible" to replace their faulty glass.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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