NHTSA Complaint #11603641 — 2020 SUBARU OUTBACK

This is a safety issue regarding the durability of windshields. I have had 2 incidents now with my 2020 subaru outback having a cracked windshield. Both times it came on suddenly with at least a foot long crack or more the first time and an 18 inch crack the second time just recently. I reported the incident to the service manager this time and he put me in touch with customer advocacy at subaru who is waiting for a report from the diagnosis on Monday, July 22. The first crack was in March 2024. Prior to the crack happening, I noticed a drip of dried substance running down the inside of my windshield from the top of the windshield. I thought it must be sealant and was going to contact subaru. However, without warning, I pulled out of my garage one morning to find a crack across the driver side of the windshield at least a foot or longer. There had been no incident of any rock hitting my windshield that I noticed and there was no damage to the paint on frame close to where the crack started which was on the outer edge of the windshield. The crack grew larger and crossed over the driver's visibility. I asked if there had been a recall since I thought this was odd and spontaneous but there was none. The service repair person said if a rock chip occurs in the defroster area in the perimeter of the windshield, the windshield will sustain a long crack. So I believed that something like that must have happened in my lack of knowledge of prior issues with subaru windshields. I had a $1000 deductible on my insurance and the repair was over that. Subaru refused to negotiate with State Farm to reduce the price so I paid the entire amount out of pocket. The second crack occurred while I was driving in the rain. I turned off my wipers to find an 18 inch long crack on the passenger side of the windshield starting at outer edge of glass. No incident of a rock chip, no damage to paint on frame.