Wiper Problems of Subaru Forester - part 1

Driving at night , headlights low beam were weak and did not project far enough for me to see objects, the headlights cut off with complete darkness above a certain height I feel the car is unsafe to drive at night in low light situations , also raining conditions make the weak headlights worse.

The car driven to work from 6:05 to 6:25am and parked in a parking lot. When my wife went out to eat lunch around noon, she noticed a crack running from the mirror to the bottom center of the windshield. Upon further inspection we noticed the damage could be felt from the inside of the car, and was not caused by any stone chips or other damages from the outside of the car.

See all problems of the 2017 Subaru Forester 🔎.

A minor rock chip 4 weeks ago resulted in a cracked windshield with spider legs extending from the center point. My insurance carrier (usaa), two glass shops, and the Subaru service center said I should replace the windshield because the crack could extend at any moment without notice. They advised that this could compromise our safety due to obscured vision and the eyesight system malfunctioning. Subaru parts, and the Subaru customer advocate departments, however advise that this part is back-ordered and there is no firm date when it will be available. It could be 6-8 weeks, or an undetermined time frame. I know that windshields are in fact available for I confirmed with Subaru dealers that this model Forester is continued to be produced on the assembly line in gunma, japan. All of the new vehicles have of course a windshield. The Subaru customer advocate department has refused to find out how to get a windshield shipped from the assembly plant to my dealer. This puts my wife and myself in continuous potential danger should the crack expand/shatter at any time.

As I was driving my 2020 Subaru Forester a cracked suddenly appeared across the driver side of the windshield, possibly from a small pebble. The sunlight reflection off the crack sent blinding sunlight into my eyes which nearly caused a collision with the car stopped in front of me. I now have another crack that started from the other side making my car unsafe to drive. Both cracks continue to grow across the windshield, not sure if summertime temps make it worse. I spoke with the dealer and they have quoted thousands of dollars to replace the windshield and since the car has over 100,000 miles they won't replace it under the new warranty that was extended this year. This is my 3rd windshield and can't afford to keep replacing windshields and now I don't have a car to drive. See attached pictures of the windshield.

See all problems of the 2020 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Windshield cracks with the slightest rock hit making the windshield unsafe to continue use. Had two replacements in first six months.

See all problems of the 2021 Subaru Forester 🔎.

On 6/10/2025 noticed a small crack on the left side drivers windshield when getting ready to go to work. Nothing hit it that I know of, it just appeared one afternoon. Since then the crack has been growing and blocking drivers view. This is 2024 Subaru Forester. There is a won lawsuit for Subaru windshields doing similar thing on 2019-2022 models.

See all problems of the 2024 Subaru Forester 🔎.

In may 2025, I had the passenger-side mirror on my 2019 Subaru Forester replaced at a licensed Subaru dealership. I was told the replacement part would be factory-original and matched to the vehicle’s VIN, which specifies a dark metallic grey exterior. After the repair was completed, I noticed that the mirror casing was the wrong color — a visibly lighter grey than the rest of the car. While the mirror is functional and undamaged, the color mismatch may affect how other drivers perceive the vehicle, especially during lane changes or turns. In certain lighting or weather conditions, the inconsistency could potentially cause confusion or misinterpretation of the car’s shape or position. The dealership acknowledged that the wrong part color was used based on my VIN, but refused to replace it without full repayment. There were no warning lights or error messages associated with the issue. The part is still installed on the vehicle and available for inspection. I am reporting this as a consumer concern regarding improper VIN-matched component replacement, which may pose a minor but notable risk to the awareness and safety of other drivers.

See all problems of the 2019 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Driver side mirror and rearview mirror vibrate, visibility affected - especially at night with vibrating headlights. Confirmed by dealer. Rearview mirror replaced and continues with same vibration issue (actually a little more vibration). Driver side mirror continues to be on back order. No warning lights or such - driver notices issue.

Driver side door rear view mirror vibrates at highway speeds (55mph and above) rendering it unusable due to distortion. This is especially dangerous at nighttime with headlights. Dealership is aware, has heard of it from multiple customers, but states no fix available from Subaru of America.

Windshield cracked sitting parked matching Subaru TSB 12-192-15r except model of vehicle and Subaru stating not covered under the class action warranty extension.

See all problems of the 2018 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Windshield cracked during rainstorm [xxx] in san diego in upper right corner, after 3 days crack appeared which has now spread to 4 inches dealer has confirmed that winsheild needs reapir and is not covered by bumper to bumber warranty vehicle only has mileage of 7900 since delivery estimated cost of replacement $1400 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Windshield developed a crack during a week with wild temperature swings. There was no incident leading up to the development of the crack that would have caused an initial chip or point of failure. The initial crack appeared during the day where the temperature went from the mid-60s to below freezing with precipitation in a matter of hours. Crack was not present in warm am and appeared during cold pm. It grew (initial crack ended where the scotch tape is) during a day later that week with another wild temperature swings. Clearly a failure in the tempering process and insufficient qa for the component.

See all problems of the 2023 Subaru Forester 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the windshield wiper blade speed adjuster failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the wiper blade speed adjuster was set for a slow intermittent speed, however the speed increased. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

The rear window spontaneously shattered. There was no extreme temperature or temperature change. The vehicle was parked when it happened. The entire rear window is gone to pieces.

Windshield cracked in same exact spot on bottom of windshield with no point of impact while sitting in our garage. Looks like it started at heating element. Our windshield was replaced for this same reason 2 months ago.

Windshield cracked starting in the black area under the driver's windshield wiper. Car was idling at a drive through, wipers were on. Note: car had fewer than 22,500k miles at the time, was likely around 22,485+. The crack continued to climb to the top edge of the window as my car sat on the driveway.

I believe there are some issues related to the reliability of the windshield of this vehicle. My windshield cracked by itself from the bottom without hitting anything, which is similar to other complainant.

Having repeat issues with the windshield cracking. My vehicle has around 32k miles, and I'm already on my 3rd windshield. I've never had this issue with any other vehicle. It's been extremely costly. Also the transmission failed and had to be replaced at 26,000 miles.

Driver side exterior rear view mirror shakes/vibrates at highway speeds (65mph or higher) making it difficult to safely change lanes/view following traffic. The dealership inspected this and was able to replicate the issue, but said there is nothing they can be done / they’ve seen it before / it’s just how it is - “not that bad”. This is a dangerous defect and it needs to be fixed. It is especially a problem at nighttime.

The front windshield is covered in chips all over it I've got a few bigger ones repaired. However the whole windshield needs to be replaced I don't even know where they've come from I mean the whole windshield is just covered and tiny little chips and when the sun shines on it while you're driving it makes visibility extremely hard. And from what I gather researching windshields on Subaru this is a flaw. . . I've had plenty of vehicles and never have seen such a bad windshield. I recently purchased this vehicle in August and it has $112,000 mi on it. I did not see the issue with the windshield until after purchasing it and driving in direct sunlight. I did notice a few big chips in the windshield and the dealership did repair those. . .

The windshield cracked without incident while parked. The is the exact same issue for which there is a class action lawsuit against Subaru for year models 2017-2020. The crack has spread to the drivers side and is obstructing the view. The dealer has reviewed the issue and provided a price quote but will not cover under the extended covered ordered as result of the class action lawsuit. There was no warning of this issue prior to noticing the cracking.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Forester 🔎.

I believe there should be a windshield recall due to abnormally easy cracking. I purchased/took ownership of my 2025 Subaru Forester, touring model, on September 3, 2024. The odometer was just 4 miles. Barely a month later I had 2 cracks in the windshield; the 1st happened on October 2, 2024 and the 2nd occurred on October 13, 2024. Both happened simply while driving on interstate roads and something hitting my windshield (nothing big, didn't see any object and didn't even hear the 2nd one, just noticed the crack when I got home) . Two different places on the windshield. It is now November 12, 2024 and I have still not had the windshield replaced because safelite is waiting for an oem windshield (which is on backorder with no delivery date yet provided). I have had it parked since the 2nd incident. This is the 14th car I've owned and I have never had a cracked windshield before and I believe this must be a defective product!.

The head lights are seriously defective in low beam. In low beam the car is not road worthy. It is dangerous! it is available for inspection upon request. We did not drive the car after dark until a week after taking delivery. We were at risk as was any other vehicle on the road at that time. We have not driven the car after dark since. The dealer who sold the car to us has been made aware of the problem. No one has inspected the car. There were on warnings or symptoms.

I was driving down the road and a bottle was thrown out of a vehicle going the opposite direction as me. Upon impact my windshield shattered and sent shards of glass flying into the cabin of my vehicle. The shards of glass were thrown into my face and would have gone into my eyes had I not been wearing glasses. The glass broke into small shards and splinters that could have easily damaged my eyes or blinded me or a passenger. When I took it to the dealership the staff was shocked by how easily a plastic bottle punctured through the windshield and the amount of glass debris that was thrown into the vehicle.

Windscreen cracked for no apparent reason.

The head unit suddenly stopped working. It unfortunately isn’t covered under warranty. The screen consistently turns on and off.

Windshield formed a crack for no apparent reason. The crack increased to about 10 inches in the course of 2 days.

See all problems of the 2022 Subaru Forester 🔎.

**component malfunction**: the windshield developed cracks shortly after purchase, which expanded without impact, affecting visibility and causing the safety eyesight system to malfunction. **safety risk**: the expanding crack impaired vision and led to safety system malfunctions, posing a risk to driver and passenger safety. **problem reproduction**: it is unclear if the issue has been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center. **inspection status**: the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. **warning signs**: there were no warning lamps or messages prior to the failure; the issue appeared in the first week after purchase.

I started my car and turned on the windshield wipers and fluid to clear the windshield. Within a few seconds of wiping the windshield, I heard a pop and a crack directly down the center of the windshield starting at the top developed along the line of the eyesight system and rearview mirror mount. There were no known rock chips and I had not experienced any debris hitting this section of the windshield. This appears to be a stress crack.

The air system has gone out in the car completely, you can hear it run or try to and then kick off, I have checked and it has not been recalled. There were no accidents prior to the air system giving out. It started around the June 2024, but it didn’t affect vision at that time. It started affecting vision as winter approached (Nov 2024). My vision is now completely affected as the weather is hitting temps as low as 10° and the heating system doesn’t work at all. All the defoggers/defrosters nor actual vents. It has been out for a bit, but now it is becoming dangerous as my vision is highly affected, I even bought a heater for in the car and my vision is still affected. I haven’t gotten it looked at as it’s not something im sure is affordable, so it’s a work in progress, but this isn’t the only time I have hear of this same brand car’s defroster/defogger has gave up. My vision is almost completely affected at times due to this.

I was driving along the highway when I heard the sound of a pebble hitting my windshield. When I got home, I immediately checked my windshield and did not see any damage. I was quite relieved. Two hours later, I looked out and saw a very long crack had appeared. The crack went from nothing to about 22 inches long in a matter of hours. I went to investigate further and saw that the pebble created a small pit on the edge of the windshield. Unfortunately, like typical windshields, the pit did not remain consistent in size and stay put. Instead, it spread out as a very large crack on the window. I read today that Subaru has a lawsuit against this very thing - faulty windshields. I have had this vehicle two weeks and now have a very costly repair because of the eyesight technology. I bought this car for its reliability without knowing that it had faulty windshields.

On Monday, 5/13/24, I got in my car and there was a crack across the windshield that was not there earlier in the day. It seems to have spontaneously cracked for no known reason.

Rear windshield burst for no apparent reason in car less than one year old while car was stopped at a stop light. Other traffic was also stopped around the car. There was no obvious cause (rock, etc. ), plus the rear windshield appeared to shatter as much outward as it did inward. Fortunately car was stopped because it was very startling and could have affected driving. Also fortunately, there was no one in the back who could have been hurt by the glass. Reported it to Subaru, but they denied any coverage under warranty.

A crack in my windshield appeared during the 15 minutes my 2020 Subaru Forester was in parking lot while I was in a store. The ambient temperature was in the 70's, the car was facing away from the sun, and the windows were ventilating the inside. The crack starts at the passenger corner in the area of the defroster and runs all the way from the weatherstripping at an angle and length that it is directly in the field of view of the passenger. On a few occasions while driving since the incident I have heard expansion type crack sounds.

In a three year period I have had to replace my windshield for cracks causing visibility issues. Each of these cracks have appeared for no apparent reason.