2019 Subaru Forester

WHEN PARKING THE VEHICLE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKING MECHANISM ENGAGES IN A WAY THAT AFTER LEAVING AND COMING BACK TO VEHICLE IS IMPOSSIBLE TO RELEASE TO START THE CAR BACK UP AGAIN. MY WIFE HAS BEEN STRANDED SEVERAL TIMES WHERE I HAD TO COME AND ASSIST IN RELEASING THE STEERING WHEEL BY ADDING THE FORCE AND WEIGHT OF MY BODY TO PULL THE STEERING WHEEL TO ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER TO RELEASE IT AND BE ABLE TO START THE CAR UP. THE DEALER(800 455 0701) PROMISED TO CONTACT SUBARU AND GET A RESPONSE ON HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE. NO RESPONSE. THE DEALER SERVICE MANAGER NOTED THAT THEY HAVE HUNDREDS OF CALLS PER YEAR ON THIS ISSUE. THE POTENTIAL OF GETTING STUCK IN A UNSAFE AREA ( EMERGENCY NEED TO TRAVEL, STUCK ON THE HIGHWAY, SNOW STORM REQUIRES TEMPORARY STOP, LATE EVENING PARKING AREA, REMOTE COUNTY PARK OR STATE PARK OR FEDERAL PARK) ARE ALL POSSIBLE AND COULD BE DANGEROUS. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DEFECT THAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED.

ONE MORNING I WENT OUT TO START MY CAR AND NOTICED TO LARGE PARALLEL CRACKS VERTICAL CRACKS ABOUT A FOOT APART IN THE WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. ONE CRACK RUN STARTS AT THE TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD AND RUNS ABOUT 12 INCHES. THE OTHER CRACK STARTS AT THE BOTTOM AND RUNS ABOUT 18 INCHES. THE CRACKS CAN BE FELT TO THE TOUCH FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE HAVE BEEN NO INCIDENTS WHILE DRIVING THE CAR THAT WOULD LEAD TO THE CRACKS SPONTANEOUSLY APPEARING. SHORTLY AFTER FINDING THE CRACKS IN THE WINDSHIELD, SMALL HORIZONTAL CRACKS BEGAN DEVELOPING IN THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WINDOW. MY SUBARU DEALERSHIP ACKNOWLEDGED THAT ODD BEHAVIOR AND APPEARANCE OF THE CRACKS AND WAS NOT SURE WHAT COULD CAUSE SUCH BEHAVIOR, BUT WOULD NOT CLAIM THAT THERE WAS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH REVEALED THAT MANY OTHER SUBARU FORESTER OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR CRACKING IN THE WINDSHIELD.

1. WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION (AND UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS) ON HIGHWAYS, MY FRONT WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED 4X SINCE TAKING DELIVERY OF NEW VEHICLE AT THE END OF JULY 2019. ONCE THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKS, IT CONTINUES TO SPREAD. DURING THE PROCESS OF PAYING FOR THE VEHICLE, I WAS ENCOURAGED AT EVERY STEP TO PURCHASING ADDITIONAL WINDSHIELD COVERAGE TO COVER THE COST OF REPLACING THE FRONT WINDSHIELD IN CASE IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE EYESIGHT CAMERA SYSTEM. THE WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED ON THE INTERSTATE, A STATE TOLLWAY, AND A HIGHWAY. 2. THE BLUE TEMPERATURE LIGHT TURNS ON FOR FIVE MINUTES OR MORE WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY DISMISS ME SAYING THAT THIS IS A NORMAL CONDITION OF THE CAR (WHICH WAS NOT MENTIONED DURING THE SALES PROCESS) AND TO JUST WAIT UNTIL THE BLUE TEMPERATURE LIGHT GOES OUT BEFORE DRIVING THE CAR. WHEN TAKING THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD FOR 4TH TIME, THEY FINALLY LISTENED TO ME AND ADDED CHECKING THE COOLANT TO THE LIST BUT IT HAS BEEN A FIGHT TO HAVE THIS LOOKED AT. 3. WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION AND WITH NO OTHER CARS IN FRONT OF ME, TO THE SIDE OR BEHIND ME, THE CAR PRE-COLLISION SYSTEM ACTIVATED AND BRAKED THE CAR ON ITS OWN. THERE WAS NO PRE-WARNING THAT THE CAR WAS GOING TO BRAKE. 4. THE CAR AUTO LIGHT ON AND OFF FUNCTION DOES NOT FULLY TURN ON THE CAR LIGHTS AT NIGHT. 5. WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION AND BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, I HEAR A BIG KA-THUNK SOUND FROM THE FRONT LEFT OF THE CAR. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH WAY THE STEERING IS BEING TURNED. ORDERED THE CAR IN JUNE 2019, WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR WOULDN'T BE READY UNTIL MID-AUG. DUE TO THE FACTORY SHUTTING DOWN FOR A TWO WEEK HOLIDAY IN JAPAN, RECEIVED NOTICE FROM THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE CAR HAD BEEN DELIVERED MUCH EARLIER THAN EXPECTED IN JULY.

WAS DRIVING ON A US HWY WHEN ALL IF A SUDDEN I HEARD A LOUD SNAP. I WAS PASSING A SEMI AT THE TIME SO THOUGHT THE SOUND MIGHT HAVE COME FROM THE SEMI THROWING ROCKS. AT THAT TIME THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A CHIP OR CRACK ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE NEXT MORNING THE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED FROM THE FAR RIGHT SIDE ACROSS THE DRIVER'S LINE IF VIEW.

ON 10/23/19, I NOTICED A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD OF MY 2019 SUBARU FORESTER. I HAD NOT SEEN OR HEARD ANYTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD PRIOR TO SEEING THE CRACK. I TOOK THE SUBARU FORESTER TO THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND WAS INFORMED THAT WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT WAS NOT COVERED BY MY WARRANTY. I THEN PAID SAFELITE $772.10 ON 10/25/19 TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD.