NHTSA Complaint #11448303 — 2020 SUBARU OUTBACK

The windshield on my 2020 Subaru Outback spontaneously cracked shortly after I started the car on a hot summer day (06/28/2021). Roughly a minute after starting the vehicle and turning on the air conditioning, I drove a distance of about 100 ft and heard a really loud snap, but initially didn't see the cause of the sound. About 2 seconds later, a crack quickly spread horizontally from the driver's side edge at mid height of the windshield until reaching the center of the windshield. After continuing to drive the vehicle, the crack began to spread vertically for about 6 inches, and then spread further horizontally to the right by another 6 inches, forming an S-shape. No damage or chips were known to have been previously inflicted on the windshield and the glass was visibly intact prior the cracking event. Because the crack was positioned almost exactly at eye level, visibility was noticeably distorted. If the crack and associated snapping sound had occurred while the car was being driven in actual traffic on a road or freeway, the startling nature of the event and loud volume of the snapping sound would likely put someone driving the vehicle at risk of reacting in a hazardous fashion and result in a crash. Furthermore, since the Subaru Outback's forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assistance all operate through a camera-based system that requires a clear view through the windshield, the crack posed a risk of malfunction of these systems. The windshield was inspected by a professional automotive glass installation shop and was determined to have been damaged beyond repair, requiring total replacement.