NHTSA Complaint #11121328 — 2017 SUBARU IMPREZA

DRIVING ON A FOUR-LANE FREEWAY WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND ME, THE PASSENGER'S DOOR SIDE MIRROR "EXPLODED". THERE WAS A LARGE BANG THAT SOUNDED LIKE A BLOWN TIRE, WHICH IS WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS AT FIRST. THEN I LOOKED TO MY RIGHT AND SAW MY PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR MIRROR HANGING IN PIECES BY ITS ELECTRICAL WIRING, AND THE PLASTIC, OUTSIDE MIRROR CASING COMPLETELY DESTROYED. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO GET A BETTER LOOK, AND THE DEBRIS SCRAPPED-UP MY PASSENGER WINDOW PRETTY BADLY, TOO. LOTS OF "ETCHING" IN THE PASSENGER WINDOW. I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH THROUGH A CURVE ON A FOUR-LANE ROAD. THERE WERE NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME OR BEHIND ME, AND NOTHING FOR ME TO HIT OR SIDESWIPE. THE SIDE DOOR MIRROR SIMPLY "EXPLODED". HAD THERE BEEN A PASSENGER SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SEAT WITH THE WINDOW ROLLED-DOWN, I AM CERTAIN THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, OR SERIOUSLY INJURED, FROM THE FLYING GLASS AND PLASTIC CASING FROM THE PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR MIRROR AND ITS CASING. A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET TODAY SHOWED ME THAT THIS IS MORE OF A REOCCURRING PROBLEM THAN PERHAPS PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. VERY DANGEROUS, AND SCARY. I'M TAKING THE 2017 SUBARU IMPREZA 5 DOOR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THIS AFTERNOON, HOPING THEY WILL REPAIR/REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY AS I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 12,000 MILES ON IT. (CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN OCTOBER 2017)