2019 Subaru Forester

THERE HAD BEEN A SQUEAKING / CRACKLING NOISE COMING FROM THE AREA WHERE THE DASH MEETS THE WINDSHIELD. THIS NOISE ONLY OCCURRED WHEN IT WAS VERY HOT OUTSIDE 85 DEGREES OR MORE. WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED FROM THE BOTTOM UP. THE CRACK STARTING WHERE THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM. I HAVE FULL GLASS COVERAGE SO I DIDN'T THINK MUCH ABOUT IT. SINCE THEN I'VE HEARD ABOUT A POSSIBLE FAULTY WINDSHIELD IN THE 19 FORESTERS. IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN I'LL BE GOING TO SUBARU FOR A REPLACEMENT. THIS MATTER NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO AS THE CAR ONLY HAD 5,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.

I PURCHASED A 2019 SUBARU FORESTER IN MID-JULY AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE TWO WINDSHIELDS DUE TO CRACKING. THE FIRST REPLACEMENT WAS IN SEPTEMBER DUE TO A ROCK HITTING THE WINDSHIELD ON THE FAR RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE. THE CHIP QUICKLY DEVELOPED INTO AN 18' CRACK. I NOTICED A SECOND CRACK YESTERDAY WHICH ORIGINATED BEHIND THE WIPER BLADE IN THE BOTTOM CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD THAT EXTENDS ON A 16' ARCH IN THE SAME DIRECTION OF THE WIPER BLADE MOTION. THERE IS VERY SMALL CHIP, LOCATED BEHIND THE METAL PORTION OF THE WIPER BLADE FROM A ROCK THAT MUST HAVE FALLEN OUT OF THE SKY. I WAS TRAVELING IN THE VEHICLE ON M55 BETWEEN LAKE CITY AND CADILLAC ON PAVED ROADS BUT HAD STARTED OUT THE MORNING IN MARQUETTE, MI WHERE THE TEMPERATURES WHERE IN THE 30S WITH A RAIN/SNOW MIX. I DID NOT HEAR ANY ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD.

JUST YESTERDAY MY SUBARU EXPERIENCED AN INEXPLICABLE SUDDEN WINDSHIELD FRACTURE. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY WARMING UP AND I TURNED ON THE FRONT DEFROSTER AND SUDDENLY, FROM THE BOTTOM CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD, A GIANT CRACK APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE. MY FORESTER CURRENTLY HAS 7600 MILES ON IT AND A ROCK/STONE HAS NEVER STRUCK MY WINDSHIELD. I AM THE ONLY DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE. THIS CRACK STARTED AT THE VERY BOTTOM CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD UNDER THE PLASTIC MOLDING PART AND MADE ITS WAY UP FROM THERE. THE CRACK STARTED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE HEATING ELEMENTS / DEFROSTER ON THE BOTTOM MIDDLE FRONT WINDSHIELD AS SOON AS I ACTIVATED THE FRONT DEFROST FEATURE.

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH ON A WELL TRAVELED ROAD I'M ASSUMING A SMALL STONE CAUSE A MINUTE DIVOT IN THE WINDSHIELD. I WAS PLANNING ON REPAIRING IT THE FOLLOWING MORNING. THE NEXT MORNING THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED. I PURCHASED MY SUBARU FORESTER TOURING AUGUST 2019. I DIDN'T EVEN OWN IT A MONTH AND HAVEN'T EVEN MADE A PAYMENT. NEEDLESS TO SAY I HAD TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD AND HAVE THE SENSORS RECALIBRATED. I HAD MANY STONES HIT MY WINDSHIELD IN THE PAST AND I NEVER HAD TO REPLACE IT JUST REPAIR. I FOUND IT ODD AT THE TIME, THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD CRACKED. NOW AFTER READING ON CAR AND DRIVER, FACEBOOK AND NOW NHTSA I DECIDED TO REPORT IT. SINCE THE SENSOR ONLY WORKS WITH OEM GLASS AND YOU CAN'T USE RAINX I'M ASSUMING THE WINDSHIELD GLASS HAS SOME TYPE OF ISSUES. WHY ELSE COULD I NOT USE A NON OEM GLASS? I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP A KNOWN ISSUE IS THE SENSOR MAY NOT WORK.

MY 2019 SUBARU FORESTER IS NOW ON ITS SECOND FRONT WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT. IN EACH CASE, I ASSUME THERE WAS IMPACT FROM A SMALL ROCK DUE TO THE VERY TINY CHIP IN-LINE WITH THE EVENTUAL CRACK. NEITHER IMPACT STARTED AS ANYTHING BIG JUDGING BY THE SIZE OF THE TINY PIT AND THE FACT THE CRACKS DEVELOPED DAYS AFTERWARDS, THE FIRST DURING CITY DRIVING AND ON THE SECOND INCIDENT, WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE. I HAVE TAKEN PREVIOUS SMALL PROJECTILE IMPACTS ON THE INTERSTATE WITH OTHER CAR MAKES OWNED AND NEVER HAD TO REPLACE WINDSHIELDS DUE TO SIMILAR INCIDENTS ALTHOUGH NOW I AM ON THE SECOND WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT ON A SUBARU OWNED LESS THAN A YEAR. I HAD A 2003 SUBARU FORESTER AND A 2012 SUBARU IMPREZA AND ONLY REPLACED ONE WINDSHIELD IN THE 25 YRS COMBINED THAT I OWNED THOSE CARS.

PURCHASED NEW IN OCT. 2018. WAS ABSOLUTELY SURPRISED JUST HOW EASY EVERY LITTLE TINY BIT OF SALT OR NORMAL DEBRIS FROM WINTER DRIVING CHIPS THE WINDSHIELD (PAVED, INTERSTATE). BY THE END OF THE WINTER, I HAD NEAR AS MANY PITS IN THIS SUBARU WINDSHIELD WITH 10,500 MILES ON THE FORESTER AS MY PICKUP WHICH HAS 200,000 MILES ON IT. THEN IN APRIL 2019, I'M DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE, A SMALL ROCK GETS THROWN AT ME, AND THE WINDSHIELD SHATTERS! IT WASN'T A HARD HIT, AND IT WASN'T THAT BIG. (I SAY THIS BASED ON SOUND. USUALLY WHEN A WINDSHIELD SHATTERS, THE NOISE IS SO INTENSE IT'LL MAKE YOU JUMP!) THEN TO TOP IT ALL OFF, THEY HAVE THE NERVE TO TELL YOU IT COSTS $1,200 TO REPLACE! OBVIOUSLY I HAVE NO CHOICE, THE CRACK IS RIGHT IN THE WORST SPOT POSSIBLE FOR VISIBILITY. I CANNOT SAFELY DRIVE THE CAR DUE TO MY HEIGHT AND THE WHERE THE CRACK WENT AS IT CREATED A DOUBLE VISION ISSUE. I GO AHEAD AND SCHEDULE THE REPLACEMENT, BUT THE DEALER TELLS ME ITS ON BACK ORDER. IT TAKES THEM 17 DAYS TO GET ME A NEW WINDSHIELD, DURING WHICH TIME I CANT REALLY DRIVE THE CAR. I DID NOT GET THIRD PARTY REPLACEMENT GLASS, I GOT AN OEM WINDSHIELD ORDERED THRU THE DEALER THE CAR WAS PURCHASED FROM. NOW OCT. 2019 I HAVE 18,300 MILES ON THE CAR, AND WHILE SUMMER DRIVING HAS BEEN LESS HARD ON THE WINDSHIELD, THE NEW ONE SEEMS TO PIT EASILY/OFTEN AS WELL.

IN MAY A SMALL ROCK FROM HIGHWAY DRIVING NICKED THE WINDSHIELD OF MY CAR, PUTTING A SMALL SCRATCH IN THE GLASS. WITHIN HOURS THE SCRATCH HAD SPREAD INTO A MAJOR CRACK SPANNING 3 FEET ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. I HAD A GLASS WARRANTEE ON THE CAR FROM THE DEALER, WHICH THE DEALER DECLINED TO HONOR BECAUSE THE CRACK WAS GREATER THAN 12 INCHES, ALTHOUGH STARTING OUT AS ONLY A NICK. I SEE FROM CAR AND DRIVER THAT THIS HAS BECOME A CONCERN FOR AT LEAST 100 2019 SUBARU FORESTER OWNERS. I HAD SIMILAR DAMAGE ON MY 2011 ACURA RDX WITH A ROCK CREATING A SCRATCH ABOUT A QUARTER OF AN INCH LONG, BUT IN THAT CASE THE SCRATCH STAYED A SCRATCH. SUBARU MADE ME PAY FOR THE ENTIRE LABOR AND WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT COSTS ON A VIRTUALLY NEW CAR, APPROXIMATELY $1,100.