NHTSA Complaint #11387189 — 2020 SUBARU FORESTER

MY 2020 FORESTER DEVELOPED 2 CRACKS VERY SUDDENLY. NO IMPACTS, JUST 2 BIG CRACKS AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM. I WALKED OUT FROM WORK AND FOUND ONE, AND WITHIN A FEW DAYS THE SECOND ONE HAD MAGICALLY APPEARED. I HAD TO HAVE THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED ENTIRELY. SUBARU INSISTED IT WAS BECAUSE OF IMPACTS TO THE GLASS AND WOULDN'T DO IT UNDER WARRANTY. THEY WANTED $1500 OUT OF POCKET AND FOR ME TO SEEK REIMBURSEMENT VIA MY INSURANCE ON MY OWN. I WENT WITH OEM GLASS FROM SAFELITE, HOPING THAT PERFORMANCE WOULD BE BETTER THAN THE SUBARU GLASS. THE PEOPLE AT SAFELITE WARNED ME THIS LIKELY WOULDN'T BE THE CASE; THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ANGLE/DESIGN OF THE SUBARU FORESTER GLASS WAS FAULTY AND THAT THEY SEE A LOT OF FORESTERS IN THEIR SHOPS FOR WINDSHIELD CHIPS AND CRACKS EVERY WEEK. SURE ENOUGH, 5 MONTHS LATER A ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD WHILE I WAS GOING ABOUT 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND IT INSTANTLY TURNED INTO A 5" CRACK THAT REACHED THE EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD. I AM NOW HAVING MY SECOND FULL WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT WITHIN 6 MONTHS. I AM VERY DISPLEASED WITH THE WINDSHIELD ON MY FORESTER. I KNOW THIS WILL NOT BE THE LAST TIME I'M IN FOR A WINDSHIELD REPAIR, AS I LIVE IN A CITY AND DRIVE ON INTERSTATES WITH SEMI-TRUCKS; GETTING THE OCCASIONAL ROCK THROWN UP INTO THE WINDSHIELD IS INEVITABLE. I'VE NEVER DRIVEN A VEHICLE WITH SUCH FRAGILE GLASS.