2022 Subaru Outback Visibility Problems

Vehicle is exhibiting signs of a possible design defect which causes windshields to prematurely crack, break, or shatter. My vehicle is a 22 Subaru Outback that when bought new, in the first week of ownership developed a windshield crack that the dealer ship refused to replace under warranty. We worked a deal out and were responsible for a percentage of the repair on our part, and they replaced the windshield. The 2nd Windshield cracked after a few months, no visible impact this incident either. We had it replaced, and this would be our 3rd windshield (we tried another brand of glass called FUYAO). Now this 3rd windshield suddenly cracked again, without a sign of impact. vehicle has about 38,000 miles and considering the driving conditions and care the vehicle experiences, i believe it to be some sort of design defect which will crack any new windshield within several months.

NHTSA ID

11753956

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

I was driving and I heard a crack on my windshield.

NHTSA ID

11749906

Incident

Jul 11, 2026

This car has had 3-5 windshield replacements since 2022. I bought the car new. It (a) cracks for no reason or (b) cracks if a tiny pebble size rock taps the windshield. Additionally, I took the car in to get an alignment as the steering wheel is pulling left. Guy tells me driver front strut is defective / blown / poorly mounted and that he has seen this issue with a lot of Subaru’s. Also that they are aware of the problem and replacing the struts in the 24 and 25’s. Also, I already had to replace the starter, as the started went out after having the car for 2.5 years. Subaru seems to be selling lemons and I hope to be getting rid of mine soon.

NHTSA ID

11742554

Incident

Jan 1, 2022

Windshield spontaneously cracked while parked in driveway. Have nest cam footage of crack.

NHTSA ID

11691656

Incident

Oct 4, 2025

A crack on my windshield has appeared overnight out of nowhere, with no indication of impact or external damage. The car was parked in a private driveway facing the house, not the road. It started from the bottom edge of the windshield under the cowling and has made its way to the center of the windshield, and has since spidered out, moving both east & west on the windshield. I took the 2022 Outback Wilderness to Hania Subaru in Orange Park, Jacksonville, FL, where they said the extended warranty would not cover the replacement because it only covers cracks that start on the east or west sides of the windshield. Hania Subaru sent photos to Subaru of America stating that they would not replace the glass. SOA said they would donate a $1000 gift towards the replacement of the windshield only if it was replaced through a Subaru dealership, which Subaru Hania quoted $2067.61, which is $900 more than the going rate in the area, so with the $1000 gift from SOA, I would be paying more than the average for a windshield replacement despite the "gifted $1000" from SOA and they would be using the same glass manufacturer that the original faulty cracked glass came from. SOA said they would only gift me the amount for the glass replacement if I used a Subaru dealership and not a 3rd party company, and when I asked why the dealerships charged double what the average cost was, they said that the service Subaru offers is superior despite there being no warranty on the new glass or service. When I called Subaru of Hania and Subaru of Jacksonville about glass replacement, they both said they do not offer glass replacement in-house, but they outsource to a 3rd party company called Ameri Pro, which is the glass dealership that Subaru uses as stock. Ameri Pro handles the full job and would charge me $1452 to include the "Subaru" stamp on the glass and stamped parts, or they would charge me $764.38 for all the same parts, excluding the Subaru stamp. This issue goes even deeper.

NHTSA ID

11686251

Incident

Aug 18, 2025

I have an 2022 Outback that has 29000 miles and have had 2 windshield replacements. And now on my third, from rock chips. I bought the extended warranty and they are denying my claim. I can’t imagine what the lifetime costs will be for this vehicle. They have offered an extended warranty because of the problem and are not honoring that either.

NHTSA ID

11681676

Incident

Aug 17, 2025

I bought my car in 2023 and it has less than 30,000 miles on it. Since purchase, I have had to replace the windshield THREE TIMES for massive cracks. Insurance does not cover the full cost. Nothing has hit the windshield as far as I know, but it keeps cracking. I have never had this issue with any other car.

NHTSA ID

11678783

Incident

Aug 6, 2025

Windshield requires replacement with slightest rock hit to it- (2) replacements in first six months of car ownership

NHTSA ID

11673020

Incident

Jul 12, 2025

I was outraged that my 2022 Subaru Outback on July 4, 2025 while the vehicle was parked and stationary in a secured garage, I discovered a significant crack across the windshield. There was no evidence of external impact or vandalism, indicating a likely **manufacturing defect or structural flaw** in the glass. This defect raises serious safety concerns and falls within Subaru’s responsibility under the vehicle’s warranty and applicable consumer protection laws.

NHTSA ID

11671422

Incident

Jul 4, 2025

The front windshield spontaneously cracked during use of windshield wipers. Resulted in multiple cracks from top center of windshield.

NHTSA ID

11668331

Incident

Jun 21, 2025

My windshield just cracked by itself without hitting anything. This is really frustrating.

NHTSA ID

11660538

Incident

May 11, 2025

Small rocks cause very large cracks across windshield. Windshield seems brittle or fragile.

NHTSA ID

11655246

Incident

Apr 17, 2025

2022 Subaru Outback with 22, 000 miles. Car had been in my garage overnight. I drove to our local recreation center on the morning of February 18, ambient temperature in mid-30's. I came out 1.5 hours later and discovered a large crack had spontaneously formed in the windshield (passenger side, extends to very edge, no visible causative chip).

NHTSA ID

11644447

Incident

Feb 18, 2025

The vehicle’s windshield developed a 8-10 inch crack due to most likely temperature changes. Seems like a known issue for this year/model vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11638676

Incident

Jan 26, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle in the morning, she became aware of a 16-inch crack on the windshield. The contact stated that the crack had started close to the passenger’s side A-pillar, approximately 3-inches above the passenger’s side windshield wiper. The contact stated that the vehicle was in the garage when she became aware of the crack. The vehicle had not been taken to a dealer or glass shop. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

NHTSA ID

11635793

Incident

Jan 11, 2025

Mileage

41,000 mi

Front windshield glass developed spontaneous crack. Originating on the drivers side approximately 8 inches up from the bottom drivers side of the glass. Initially the crack was about 5 inches in length horizontal but quickly developed to be 12.5 inches over 24 hours in a garage. Glass is available for inspection. There is no discernible impact point and crack seems to be spontaneous. An appointment at the dealership for assessment was booked and rescheduled pending extended warranty.

NHTSA ID

11635528

Incident

Jan 10, 2025

In November we used the car for a road trip and returned to our home in Snellville, GA on [XXX] parked the car, unloaded the contents, and put the sunshade in the windshield as we always do. The next day (XXX), I opened the car and removed a few small items used during the trip and walked around the car inspecting the exterior of the car for anything that may have changed due to this trip. At this time, I noticed a crack in the windshield that was not there the evening before. I had driven the car the entire trip and there was no time when something could have struck the windshield and precipitated this crack. I have been in a vehicle when a rock from the road has been kicked up by a vehicle ahead of me and struck the windshield. This type of impact can clearly be heard by passengers in the front seat, as it makes a considerable sound when striking the glass (similar to the sound of a small caliber weapon being fired). These is no indication on the exterior of the glass that this or any other external influence damaged and caused this windshield to crack. As I stated earlier, this windshield was not cracked when we exited the car the evening before. It is plainly visible when sitting in either of the front passenger seats and we would have noticed this. In my view this defect could have only been caused by mechanical stress between the mounting surface and windshield sometime between our arrival home and when this was first noted by us the next day. We have requested a replacement windshield under warranty. Subaru of America has denied our request, with the following statement: "Not a matter for warranty, outside influence" We are aware that this vehicle is included in a Class Action Lawsuit at the web site below. This crack is a safety issue and appears to be a defect based on information in the lawsuit. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11633641

Incident

Nov 24, 2024

I was driving on the interstate, with no cars around me and I heard the windshield crack, the crack went from 3 inches to about 30 inches. There is no reason why this would have happened other than a defective windshield.

NHTSA ID

11630085

Incident

Dec 4, 2024

Have second deep crack with light rock impact in less than one year

NHTSA ID

11625352

Incident

Nov 14, 2024

Windshield has a crack. There is no external force, neither accident happened

NHTSA ID

11623460

Incident

Oct 27, 2024

DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELDS: COSTLY REPAIR: I purchased this car when it was 9 months old with 7800 miles on it. I now have 30, 080 miles. and I have had to replace the windshield 3 times. I also had one a chip repaired. This means I have replaced the windshield every 7427. miles. Once the crack has started the lane sensing and brake stopping programs are halted. This is a serious safety issue. This is BEYOND RIDICULOUS for a NEW MODEL car. There much be something wrong with the making of these windshields, or the material used to make these windshields. This is a costly repair, being that the windshield needs re-calibrating each time. It's been around $2500.00 each time. The Subaru Dealer I purchased the car from has been made aware, but they have no solutions, no discounts, or no other options. Other than empathy, and tell me many others are having the same problems.

NHTSA ID

11621100

Incident

Oct 18, 2024

Front windshield cracked while vehicle was parked after a car wash. Crack started from the center bottom outside, from the base.

NHTSA ID

11619660

Incident

Oct 7, 2024

Windshield cracked without warning and with no impact. Crack rapidly propagated and sounded like glass was going to break on highway. Took to Wagner Subaru dealer and they said this is typical and is not covered by recall or warranty.

NHTSA ID

11619453

Incident

Oct 5, 2024

My subaru outback windshield seems to use low quality glass or have poor windshield mount/frame design. Since purchasing the car new in April 2022, I have had 3 significantly cracked windshields; all of which propagated immediately after getting hit by a pebble mid-drive (not giving any opportunity to fix the chip). I am filing this complaint because I don’t think it should be standard for a windshield to propagate a crack so easily and consistently every time it gets chipped (this seems statistically improbable compared to other cars) - and it’s a legitimate hazard to visibility if I don’t have ample opportunity to get the chip repaired to prevent it from propagating to a crack. Essentially I’m saying that it’s almost guaranteed that getting a chip will result in a foot long crack during the same drive (I say almost because I have been able to repair a chip before it was too late once). Furthermore, the crack will often double in size over night (presumably due to temperature changes) - which leads me to speculate that the windshield glass accumulated internal stresses during install due to poor design. I have only replaced my windshield through official Subaru dealerships with their recommended glass vendor. I’ve attached two photos from my most recent cracked windshield; the first is the crack that propagated immediately after the pebble hit while driving, and the second is after leaving the car overnight stationary. Also note that this is usually at highway speeds; and i have effectively had 1.5 broken windshields per year of driving the car. The first broken windshield happened at ~200 miles driven on the brand new car (5 days in).

NHTSA ID

11618601

Incident

Jun 9, 2024

Windshield cracked without any external impact. There was no crack when we parked the car in the evening, but the next morning there was a crack. There was no impact or visible reason that this should have happened.

NHTSA ID

11618489

Incident

Sep 21, 2024