NHTSA Complaint #10745587 — 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK

7/28/15 - I CAME OUT TO MY 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK AT THE END OF THE WORK DAY AND FOUND A "V" SHAPED CRACK IN MY WINDSHIELD, APPROX 9-11 INCHES IN EACH DIRECTION, ORIGINATING BELOW THE WINDSHIELD WIPER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS DEFECT IN THE GLASS SINCE THE TEMPERATURE THAT DAY WAS APPROX. 93 DEG. 7/29/15 - I WENT TO THE NEARBY DEALERSHIP AND UPON INSPECTION BY THE SERVICE DEPT. WAS TOLD "A ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD" WHICH CAUSED THE WINDSHIELD TO CRACK. MY RESPONSE, "HOW COULD A ROCK HIT UNDER THE WINDSHIELD WIPER WHERE THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF A ROCK HITTING IT?" THE COST TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD IS OVER $700.00, NOT COVERED BY SUBARU WARRANTY AND THE WINDSHIELDS ARE BACKLOGGED BY 4-6 WEEKS SINCE THERE NONE IN STOCK. I RETURNED HOME DISCOURAGED AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED UP NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE 2015 WINDSHIELDS CRACKING. 7/30/15 - I WENT TO THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED MY CAR, ARMED WITH 19 PAGES OF WINDSHIELD COMPLAINTS. THE SERVICE DEPT REP INSPECTED THE WINDSHIELD AND ALSO SAID "A ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD" BUT SAID THIS IS COMMON OCCURRENCE, WINDSHIELDS WERE IN SCARCE SUPPLY AND NOT COVERED BY SUBARU WARRANTY. HOWEVER, HE WAS ABLE TO LOCATE THE LAST WINDSHIELD THEY HAD IN STOCK AND RESERVED IT SO I NOW HAVE A REPAIR DATE IN A WEEK. I AM STILL GOING TO HAVE TO PAY THE $700.00 WHETHER IT IS COVERED BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY AS COMPREHENSIVE OR CASH OUT OF POCKET. I QUESTIONED THE SERVICE REP ABOUT THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT, THICKNESS OF THE GLASS AND THE HEATING ELEMENT UNDER THE PASSENGER SIDE WIPER AND OTHER VEHICLES HIT BY SMALL PEBBLES WHERE "PITTING" WOULD OCCUR BUT NOT CRACKING WHEN HIT. AS A GOOD SERVICE REP, HIS ANSWERS WERE EVASIVE BUT EMPATHETIC, WHICH LED ME TO BELIEVE THIS ISSUE IS BEING IGNORED BY SUBARU. I WAS ASSURED, THOUGH, IF IN THE FUTURE, SUBARU WERE TO HAVE A RECALL ON THE WINDSHIELD, I WOULD BE REIMBURSED.