NHTSA Complaint #10762933 — 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK

NOTICED A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD ON 8/27/15. IT EXTENDED FROM UNDER THE RIGHT WINDSHIELD WIPER TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD ABOUT 18 INCHES LONG. I COULD NOT THINK OF AN OBJECT HAVING HIT THE WINDSHIELD, THEN RECALLED DRIVING DOWN THE STREET EARLIER AT ABOUT 30 MPH. I HAD HEARD A LOUD POP SOUND, BUT THOUGHT IT WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE CHASIS, LIKE THE SOUND OF A ROCK FLYING UP FROM A TIRE AND HITTING UNDERNEATH. IN RETROSPECT THIS WAS PROBABLY WHEN THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED. ONLINE RESEARCH I DID EARLIER SHOWED HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE WINDSHIELDS ON THE 2015 OUTBACKS CRACKING EASILY, MANY OF WHICH DID NOT INVOLVE OBJECTS HITTING THE CAR. I FOUND SEVERAL SITES OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS, WITH THE LINKS OF 1 BELOW. I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY AND EXPLAINED THAT THE WINDSHIELD HAD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED. THEY INITIALLY TOLD ME THAT MY CRACK APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY AN OBJECT AND NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I ASKED THEM TO EXPLAIN HOW AN OBJECT COULD POSSIBLY HAVE HIT THE GLASS AND NOT DAMAGED THE WIPER, WHICH WAS FULLY INTACT. THEY SAID: "THE WIPER BLADE MUST HAVE BEEN MOVING WHEN A ROCK STRUCK WINDSHIELD". I SAID NO, THE WIPER BLADES HAVE NOT BEEN USED IN SEVERAL DAYS SINCE IT HAD NOT BEEN RAINING. ALSO, AN INSURANCE APPRAISER LOOKED AT THE DAMAGED GLASS AND SAID THIS WAS NOT CAUSED BY AN OBJECT HITTING IT FROM THE OUTSIDE, SINCE THE CRACK HE SAID WAS AN "INSIDE-OUT" CRACK BASED ON THE FEEL OF THE CRACK. A WARRANTY CLAIM WAS SUBMITTED BY THE DEALER TO SUBARU OF AMERICA. WITHIN 2-3 DAYS THE DECISION WAS MADE BY SOA TO COVER THE GLASS UNDER WARRANTY. FORTUNATELY THE DEALER HAD A NEW WINDSHIELD IN STOCK, HOWEVER, THERE ARE MANY REPORTS OF THE WINDSHIELD HAVING BEEN BACK ORDERED FOR WEEKS AT A TIME, WHICH IS A SAFETY ISSUE. HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/SUBARU/OUTBACK/2015/ACCESSORIES-EXTERIOR/VISIBILITY_WIPER.SHTML