2020 SUBARU OUTBACK Visibilitywiper Problems

313 NHTSA complaints on file

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Visibilitywiper Issues in the 2020 SUBARU OUTBACK

313 visibilitywiper complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 SUBARU OUTBACK. Of these, 0 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 0 resulted in injury.

313
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

All Visibilitywiper Complaints

#11659737 |
I am on my third windshield in les than a year. The tiniest pebble will crack the windshield, or sudden changes to weather has now caused a stress crack. Seems to be poor weight distribution on the design. There is extensive customer complaints on line with the same issue. Insurance will only cover two a year. There were no warnings of this issue when the car was purchased. This is an expensive hazard to keep having issues with. They need to do a recall on a fix.
#11627386 |
Windshield cracked from a rock chip. Within 1 day, the crack had expanded to 12 inches across the windshield.
#11624532 |
Problem component: exterior mirror on driver side It was raining, I was driving, I heard what sounded like a loud explosion by my driver side window. After the initial shock, I thought a tire had blown out, but car drove ok and no tire warning light came on. It was a rural road with no shoulder, only deep stormwater ditch along the roadside, so there was no place to safely pull over in traffic to assess what may have happened. I drove about 2-3 miles before I could pull over at a safe spot.There I saw that the back side of my driver side mirror had completely disappeared. Wires were exposed. It appeared to have exploded off for no apparent reason. The body of the car was completely fine, the white exterior paint of the car was perfect, the actual housing of the mirror showed no marks, there are no...
#11611877 |
I have 2020 Subaru Outback and have had 14 windshield replacements/repairs. The windshield has spider cracked out of nowhere and has been unable to take the smallest impact without cracking in multiple locations. I have submitted multiple complaints to Subaru and was informed the issue is unique to my vehicle, but the car has never been inspected by Subaru, regardless of countless requests to do so. All but one windshield replacement has been submitted through my insurance, Subaru has covered one replacement. The last time I spoke with a Subaru representative I was informed it was not Subarus issue. No one was hurt during any windshield incidents but the quality and safety of the windshield is dangerous. Subaru has refused to thoroughly inspect my windshield and the safety of my vehicle.
#11606327 |
We are on our 3rd broken windshield in 3 years. We do not drive the car very often or drive any extreme ways. This is more broken windshields than I have had in my whole life in just a few years having this car. There must be something wrong with the way it’s made.
#11603641 |
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...
#11601773 |
I am on my 4th windshield on a 2020 Subaru Outback
#11594153 |
Windshield Cracked on vehicle, this is the 2nd incident and second full windshield replacement In 2 years, noth OEM.
#11592368 |
A small horizontal crack recently appeared on my Outback's front windshield while it was sitting in a garage overnight. The crack started from the passenger side and has now crept over to the middle of the windshield. Previous to this incident, the car had been sitting unused for over a month, so there was no opportunity for rocks or other debris from the road to cause the crack. This is the second time that the windshield has developed a crack out of thin air. I have replaced the windshield at least five times since owning the vehicle, in addition to having small chips from rocks repaired twice. These incidents are potentially dangerous and could possible interfere with the vehicle's automated systems such as collision detection and cameras.
#11585078 |
Windshield developed crack without impact. Crack runs from the bottom of windshield in front of steering wheel up to the middle of the windshield, impairing visibility. This is the fourth failed windshield on this vehicle within 4 years and 60,000 miles. Average lifespan of windshield on this car is less than 12 months. Previous windshields cracked with minor hits from pebbles at highway speeds. Windshield has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives, but is available for inspection.
#11584559 |
Have had to replace front windshield 4 times in less than two (2) years due to windshield being cracked by small debris from other vehicles passing by. These have been very minor rocks that have hit the windshield with three of the times it occurred at less than 40 mph. One occurred when I was driving in a residential area at 20 mph. One event occurred spontaneously overnight with the car sitting inside an enclosed garage. Took a picture of the latest event. Concerned that if the window cracks that easy, what would happen if I am in an accident. Subaru is aware of the problem. Windshields have not been inspected by others. No warning lamps, messages, et cetera are related to these events. Review of web comments reveal that it is not an isolated event. Seems to be a design issue and how their Eyesight system affects the windshield...
#11573138 |
On 2/20, a crack appeared across the drivers side of my windshield while my car was parked. The crack is approximately 15" long extending from the lower side of the windshield, curving up toward the middle of the windshield. The crack is significant enough that it will require replacement.
#11572321 |
Heated windshield area where the windshield wipers are shorted out and caused the windshield to crack
#11561970 |
The windshield is ridiculously susceptible to cracks. I’m on my third windshield in 4 years. I had the windshield last replaced in October and had a new crack within a month. I didn’t even notice anything hitting the windshield with this last crack.
#11537928 |
When in reverse, the view behind the vehicle when using the rear camera display is poor when there is a shadow behind the vehicle making it difficult to see a person, especially a child. The rear view camera in my 2016 subaru Outback did not have this problem with shadows.
#11537365 |
Windshield developed a crack for no apparent reason on the lower passenger side. Car was parked. Only unusual circumstance is that was a hot day.
#11534230 |
The windshield in my 2020 Subaru Outback has cracked spontaneously twice. I had 75K Bumper to Bumper Warranty, which the dealer would not honor the first time the window broke. He said that it was warranted for repair, not replacement. I argued until he gave me a 50% discount. My windshield broke again today. I had just pulled out onto the street and was traveling about 10MPH. No rocks or stone touched the windshield. The sound of the crack startled me. I thought that there had to be an issue. Consequently as I looked online, I have discovered this is a design flaw or something as the problem is widespread. Two cracks in year is not right and it is expensive.
#11526652 |
I am replacing 3rd windshield since September 2022. This was definitely caused by a rock chip but had been resin repaired. With defroster blowing on a cool morning the windshield cracked across the lower portion. The replacement windshield cracked for no reason other than it was cold during a December night and was replaced in April. That windshield cracked spontaneously while driving in the rain one month after install. A Subaru dealer took photos or I have sent photos to them of all incidents for submission to my Subaru insurance. I have now met the maximum allowed for windshield replacement. All windshields were replaced at an authorized Subaru dealer.
#11523719 |
Over the course of the nearly three years I have owned my vehicle, the windshield has either spontaneously cracked or cracked from a very very small chip three times. Two of these occurred while I was driving, with no debris impact with the vehicle windshield. There have been several suits filed against Subaru for similar cases, including for the 2020 Outback model. This has been three times in about two and a half years, quadruple the amount for my previous vehicle. Not only is this a vision impairment while driving and a financial burden to fix, I also worry about more catastrophic failure should anything significant impact the windshield while driving. I have had the glass repaired twice, and both times the repair technicians could not understand how such a significant crack had occurred.
#11523454 |
While driving on I-26, a small rock made an initially small crack in the windshield. Over time, while still driving, we watched the crack expand larger and larger, spreading with multiple new arms across the entire passenger side of the windshield. After parking at home in the garage and scheduling windshield replacement for the next day, we continued to notice the crack continuing to propagate further into the driver side. The incident happened on 5/21/23 and the windshield was replaced on 5/23/23.
#11523317 |
-The windshield has cracked in the same place for no apparent reason. -The cracked windshield can affect the use of the safety systems built into the windshield. -I'm not sure how this can be "reproduced" as we are talking about a broken windshield although the windshield has been fixed already once and now, the second break has occurred. -Not inspected but replaced once. It is currently broken and can be inspected again if need be. -The first one appeared in August 2022, the second in May 2023
#11520846 |
On May 3, 2023 (~12:30pm local time) I was driving on the highway at approximately 60mph and there was a 'pop' sound. I looked at my windshield and an L-shaped crack appeared from the base of the windshield near the wipers up to half-way on the windshield. There was no damage to the windshield to indicate a rock had hit it or the car in any way. Given the poor quality OEM windshields that Subaru has installed in past models (2015-2016) that also have had this problem, I would like to notify the NHTSA so that Subaru can be notified. When I called my dealer directly, there was not much help on the cause.
#11518941 |
A crack has spontaneously appeared at the base of my windshield after no apparent damage. The crack is spreading across my windshield and will affect my adaptive cruse control and automatic emergency breaking if it interferes with the Subaru eye-sight system at the top of my windshield. I have not taken the vehicle in for service but I did see this was an issue that lead to recalls on previous outback models but not currently a recall for the 2020 Subaru Outback. I do not have any current warning lamps or messages.
#11518654 |
I'm currently on my third windshield for this vehicle. The first windshield was replaced by Subaru due to a random crack that developed on the passenger side and traveled to the driver side. No visible damage caused this to occur. The second windshield was hit by a tiny stone driving down city streets. 3 days later the same type of crack, like the first windshield, developed and moved from from passenger to driver side. We'll see how long this third windshield lasts. I've had numerous cars without this problem. Stone chips were easily repaired without major cracking occurring. There is something very odd about how fragile the windshields on Subaru vehicles are. This is not a cheap replacement due to their driver assist technology. Subaru will not replace this once they see and sign of a stone impact.
#11517678 |
Purchased my 2020 Outback only about two months ago. Just this last week two separate cracks started from the edge of the window on the left and lower sides. Cracks appeared out of nowhere while parked with no contact from rocks or other debris. Over the course of the last few days has spread so much that it obstructs my vision while driving. This is a common problem with this model and is a safety hazard that needs to be recalled/fixed. Have an appointment with my dealer to see if this qualifies as a manufacturer defect. However the fact is this will most likely happen again if it’s the same glass being used.
#11517314 |
While driving in light rain, with no visible strike, a crack appeared on the passenger side windshield; starting below the wiper and extending upwards in an arc towards the center. This is the 3rd time a crack of significance has appeared. Coincidentally, this crack appeared less than 2 weeks after having the windshield replaced by a Subaru dealership.
#11516268 |
The windshield has developed a crack spontaneously and is spreading across the entire windshield. It started near the bottom of the window near the wipers and moving it's way up towards the top and spidered out towards the driver's side now. It continues to grow while I wait for an appointment to get it replaced.
#11515661 |
Windshield spotaneous cracking: Going to work in the morning, absolutely nothing wrong 8:05-8:15am .parked car in parking lot. industrial warehouse. No people traffic, clear weather 30-45 degrees. Then as soon as i get in the car for my break. 11:15-11:30. I notice a very long crack that appears to originate UNDERNEATH the plastic window trim at the base of the windshield. Multiple pictures and videos have been taken. ABSOLUTELY no impacts of anything. I come to discover shortly after researching THERE is a lawsuit on the this outback windshield for random large cracks. NEED recall!
#11515028 |
Cracked windshield, very very small pebble hit the driver corner near the pillar, I heard a little “tick” followed by seeing a massive crack form. The crack has now gone straight across to the middle and is making its way up to obstruct the “eyesight” camera
#11510349 |
Received a couple of rock chips on the windshield while driving on the highway. Two days later, two large cracks appeared (one on the driver’s side, one on the passenger side). Both cracks are longer than six inches.
#11509990 |
On March 2, 2023, I discovered a big crack in my windshield. The crack was not there in the morning. The crack was discovered at 2pm that afternoon. The crack started under the lower windshield trim and part way up windshield on the passenger side. The crack has a raise when you run your fingertip over it. The windshield was not struck by a rock. The crack randomly appeared while sitting in the parking lot at my work.
#11506861 |
On Friday February 10, 2023 I came out of work and saw a 12 inch crack in my front windshield. When I left for work there wasn’t any crack. There is a very small pit in the windshield how or when it happened I do not know. February 11, 2023 the crack is now about 20 inches. I can’t believe how fast it is cracking.
#11503494 |
Windshield developed excessive pitting at 16,500 miles with little highway driving. When driving into any light source there are thousands of tiny pits that light up across the entire windshield. Needed to get it replaced because of the distraction.
#11502604 |
A crack appeared on the front windshield. The crack starts at the side of the window. The crack has tripled in size in one day.
#11501528 |
For one, my windshield cracked out of nowhere, I didn’t know that windshields were having issues at the time, so I had to replace it on my own without contacting the dealership. Other issues include the front windows not going up all the way from time to time. The info system crashes and shuts down from time to time too, which leads to the Eyesight to shutdown temporarily too. And from time to time, the hatch buttons lag where I have to push on the buttons multiple times to get it to close
#11501535 |
24000 miles, parked in covered garage for three days. on the fourth day I noticed a crack in the passenger side window. I had read YEARS AGO about a windshield problem. I did some internet research and read about many who had similar experiences and multiple experiences of the same problem. I was told it is out of warranty coverage. I will take it to a Subaru dealership to have it evaluated. If it is not covered, I will have to pay my deductible and I did nothing to cause the problem. I hope you can look into this problem
#11500343 |
Multiple issues are with the electric system. The power windows will stop working up or down, the headunit/defroster/safety features will all lose power while driving before starting up again, the rear gate will sometimes not function. Some issues have occurred where some of the added safety features don't seem to always function as well. In the last month both passenger side windows have cracked. The front is cracked vertically and the rear is cracked horizontally, nearly the length of the window. Living in Alaska, cold weather is not foreign and all care is taken to ensure the integrity of the glass is preserved. I am not sure how/why these windows cracked, it was during a period of cold around December 14, 2022. I did a little Googling and this doesn't seem to be a totally unheard of problem. Losing your window definitely compromises safety, as well as the fact that...
#11499321 |
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after coming outside to start the vehicle, it was discovered that the front glass windshield had cracked. The crack was located on the passenger side of the front windshield and extended between 11 to 15 inches long. The cause of the crack was not determined. The contact indicated that no object had made contact with the windshield to cause the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 19,000.
#11499299 |
Windshield defective issues. The windshield in my subaru outback cracked twice in a 6-month period. Both incidents occurred while driving between 40-55 mph in San Diego. The first time (July 2022) the windshield cracked for no apparent reason. I took the car to the Subaru dealership for a windshield replacement. The second time (12/25/22) it appears that a small pebble hit the windshield on the bottom side of the windshield. I am really not even sure a pebble hit the windshield, I just heard the windshield crack. Subaru has been notified of this second incident and I am waiting for an appointment to replace the cracked windshield. This is appears to be a defect on the windshield. I've never had this issue with any other car. Its troubling to know that the windshield on my car can cracked so easily and it worries me for the safety of my family....
#11495737 |
The windshield has a crack. There is mo evidence any object striking the windshield. The crack starts at the top just to left of the rear view mirror and then loos down to the left like a fishhook.
#11494267 |
The front windshield/ window cracked while parked in driveway,
#11493917 |
We have had our 2020 Subaru outback for almost 2 years. Within these years, we have had 3 cracked windshields. The first time a rock hit the windshield causing a crack that moved quickly. The second time, we got a small ding from a rock. It did not cause the windshield to crack. However, I barely touched it with my fingertip and the ding turned into a crack that went halfway across our windshield. This last time, there was no apparent cause. We never heard anything hit the windshield, it just cracked. We have less than 29,000 miles on this car. I have never had a vehicle needing a windshield replaced this often if ever!!!!
#11488630 |
My windshield cracked for no apparent reason. I parked my car in my garage and left for a 6-week long vacation. When I returned, I noticed a small crack at the passenger side of the windshield which grew and has moved almost past midway horizontally. There are no impact sites or something else to suggest that something has happened to the windshield. I have contacted my insurance company which has suggested to change the windshield and is not covered. I came to the Subaru Dealership to fix a recall that is currently ongoing. I have been told by the dealer's customer rep that it's over $1000 to fix. As I tried to shop around, I have come across multiple complaints online that other people are experiencing similar issues with cars similar to mine. Hence, I am filing this complaint.
#11488294 |
My outback has 22500 miles on it. The wind shield had not visible cracks or chips. I got to work on 10/06 and when I cam back to my car there was a large 2-3 foot crack starting in the black area around the glass. the crack there was large enough to fit a piece of paper into it. It appears to have just cracked and spread apart from strain or stress on the glass. The crack runs directly across my view as the driver. The windshield had always been loud and you could hear wind moving around it.
#11488087 |
Windshield continously cracks. The windshield is prone to cracking. Within two years I've had two windshield cracks
#11486528 |
The windshield was pitted by something no larger than a grain of sand. Needed to use a magnifying glass to see it. Within 24 hours of no driving a 6" long crack developed.
#11484126 |
The windshield cracked without anything hitting the windshield. This is the fourth (4th) time this has happened to this vehicle. 3/6/21, 7/13/21, 12/6/21. And now, today, 9/12/22. The dealer has all the records. We need the support of your organization to help us deal with this. We can't fight this by ourselves. Please help us!
#11482205 |
Blind spot warning does not turn on when there is actually a vehicle truly in the blind spot. Visibility in new cars via windows is blocked and insufficient, and the blind spot warning does not activate at the right time. Drivers could easily cut someone off with less than a foot in front of the car in the blind spot, because there is no proper warning. Warning only turns on when vehicle could hit another car when switching lanes. Not before when visibility is limited by vehicle structure and mirrors. Also, touch screens are a huge hazard in cars. Having to look at a touch screen in order to control air or other items is a huge safety hazard. Tactile controls and buttons are much safer. Not to mention touch screens and screens do not work during heatwaves. Car sitting in temperatures above 80 degrees, have major issues with computer...
#11480207 |
We notice on the morning of 8/14 /2022 that our Subaru Outback 2020 had a substantial crack in the windshield .The car was parked overnight in the garage. We called the Burlington Subaru dealer( as per advice from Subaru Consumer line) The dealer spokesperson(Erika) took our information and said a pre - approval person from the dealer ship will call us to discuss if the windshield would be covered under the warranty;3 years / 36000 miles. As the local dealer does not repair windshields ,all repairs are performed by a second party. We are awaiting a resolution from Subaru. In the meantime we would like to add our names to the complaints of many Subaru owners.Thanks , The Kayser’s.
#11480275 |
My windshield cracked and I got it repaired on 7/7/22. The tech said it was a caused by a stress fracture. I got the windshield replaced and within a month on 8/4/22, I got another crack. I thought it must be an installation problem but Safelite told me it was another stress fracture. That same week I got another crack in the windshield, said to be another stress fracture. It seemed strange to me that the windshield would crack that easily. I then found this article: https://www.torquenews.com/1084/new-ruling-subaru-cracked-windshield-lawsuit-now-adds-25m-cars I paid a $500 deductible to Progressive (my insurance) for each windshield replacement. The car is available for inspection upon request. This vehicle is putting mine and other people's safety at risk because it easily cracks and makes it hard to see out of the windshield. The vehicle has been inspected by insurance representatives at Safelite in Ann Arbor, MI and Toledo, OH.

Other 2020 SUBARU OUTBACK Problem Areas

Electrical System 251 complaints Unknown Or Other 150 complaints Visibilitywindshield 64 complaints Engine 44 complaints Power Train 41 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings 27 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking 25 complaints Air Bags 18 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control 18 complaints Vehicle Speed Control 17 complaints Structurebody 16 complaints Exterior Lighting 15 complaints Service Brakes 15 complaints Fuelpropulsion System 12 complaints Lane Departure Warning 12 complaints Steering 12 complaints Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection 8 complaints Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking 5 complaints Electrical System12v24v48v Battery 5 complaints Visibility 5 complaints Lane Departure Assist 4 complaints Wheels 4 complaints Seats 3 complaints Suspension 3 complaints Back Over Prevention 2 complaints Back Over Prevention Warnings 2 complaints Electronic Stability Control Esc 2 complaints Engine And Engine Cooling 2 complaints Structurebodyhatchbackliftgate 2 complaints Air Bagssensoroccupant Classificationfront Passenger 1 complaint Electrical System Instrument Clusterpanel 1 complaint Electrical Systemadas 1 complaint Electrical Systemwiringconnectorsplugsaccesory Power Outletjackportusbsaecigarette Lighter 1 complaint Engine And Engine Coolingengineengine Control Module Ecuecm 1 complaint Equipmentelectricalinfotainment 1 complaint Exterior Lightingbrake Lights 1 complaint Firerelated 1 complaint Forward Collision Avoidance 1 complaint Fuel System Gasolinedeliveryfuel Pump 1 complaint Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatch 1 complaint Latcheslockslinkageshatchbackliftgatelock 1 complaint Parking Brake 1 complaint Power Trainautomatic Transmission 1 complaint Power Trainautomatic Transmissioncontrol Module Tcmpcmtecm 1 complaint Power Trainautomatic Transmissioninternalcvt 1 complaint Seat Belts 1 complaint Structure 1 complaint Structurebodyhatchbackliftgatesupport Devicestrut 1 complaint Structurebodytailgate 1 complaint Vehicle Speed Controlaccelerator Pedal 1 complaint Visibilityrearview Mirrorsdevices 1 complaint Visibilityrearview Mirrorsdevicesexterior 1 complaint
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