2024 Subaru Outback

In November 2024, our 2024 Subaru Outback began leaking a gooey substance from the upper portion of the windshield down the interior windshield. We would wipe it off and it would eventually come back. In September 2025, this gooey substance began leaking in additional spots down the interior windshield. It began to impair driving visibility as it ran further down the windshield. We brought the car in for inspection at our Subaru service center, and they acknowledged that this has been an issue with 2024 Subaru models. They said it is an improper windshield seal that occurred during manufacturing, and they will be replacing the windshield.

I own a 2024 Subaru Outback Wildnerness with approximately 3,000 miles. After about four months of ownership, the windshield suddenly developed a long crack starting from the edge on the passenger side. There was no major rock strike or outside impact - the crack appeared while the vehicle was parked and quickly spread across the glass. This is a major safety concern because the crack extends into the drivers field of vision, reducing visibility. It may also compromise the structural integrity of the windshield in the event of a collision and interfere with the proper function of the Subaru EyeSight safety system, which relies on the windshield mounted cameras. I contacted the dealership, but they claimed the issue was not covered under warranty. After researching, I found that many other Subaru owners have reported similar windshield failures. This appears to be a recurring defect that could pose a significant safety risk.

The Map application in my car has very inaccurate speed limit information. In one case the Map App showed the speed limit to be 55 MPH for a residential street. That street is [XXX] . I have reported that and several others to TomTom. Since the App data is loaded not live nothing will change until the next update. This is definitely a Safety Hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The malfunction I am concerned with is the battery and the battery charging system (alternator, engine control module). I purchased this car new in July of 2024. However, last month the battery drained to a point where I had to jump it to start it. I drove with the hope that the alternator would charge the battery. Yet, it did not. Within the last four weeks, I proceeded to have to jump the car almost every time I started the car, including every stop when running errands around town. This is a safety concern for me because if I didn't have a jump box for the car I would have been stuck or stranded. This could have been in 110 degree weather with my niece in the back seat. Or if the auto start/stop system was engaged, I could have been stuck with a dead car on the freeway in stop/start traffic in Los Angeles. I have seen multiple Outbacks on the freeway with dead batteries. When I took it to the dealer last week they confirmed the battery had gone bad, but were unable to find a parasitic drain or another reason why a year old battery would go bad. They acknowledged that older model Outbacks have the same battery drain issue and there is a current class action lawsuit for older model Outbacks (2015-2020) with this issue. They did not acknowledge that newer Outbacks had the same issue. No warnings appeared before this issue. There has been electronic issues with the vehicle since I took possession of it last year. After the battery issue presented itself, I did receive warning through my car there were issues with the backup breaking system and the collision control system. The dealer found an update for the Media Center, which they say may have been the cause of the battery drain. The two notifications have been cleared after the update. A simple search online revealed hundreds of complaints about the battery on the Outback, including people stating the manufacturer set the alternator to not charge the battery so they could market better gas mileage for the vehicle.

On Sunday, July 13, 2025, I received a warning that my EyeSight was disabled in the middle of driving. This meant that I was unable to utilize cruise control or any driver assistance functions. The weather was clear, sunny, and there was nothing obstructing the EyeSight cameras, nor were there any cracks in the windshield. The following day, Monday, July 14, EyeSight worked normally in the morning, but was disabled in the afternoon. Again, the cameras were clear of any obstructions and no cracks were visible on the windshield. Cruise control and driver assistance features were unavailable. On the morning of Tuesday, July 15, I came out to a 7-8 inch crack in the windshield, on the passenger side. No impact had occurred to cause this crack and it was not present the previous days. EyeSight is still disabled due to this and the windshield needs a full replacement. All driver assistance/collision prevention features are not available until the windshield is replaced and a recalibration is completed. Advantage Auto Glass of Rockford, IL will be inspecting the glass and can make it available for NHTSA evaluation. However, given that I have owned two Subaru Outbacks now, windshield weakness has been an issue with this vehicle, especially in warmer weather.

Blind spot warning system fails on occasion to detect/warn of vehicle (most notably, semi truck and trailers) in blind spot on the right side of car when traveling on interstate highways. Also when I'm completing my passing of the said trucks, the left side blind spot monitor will activate to indicate a vehicle to my left when there is no lane for a vehicle to pass by me from the left. (Video evidence is available). The dealer has on two occasions been informed of these incidents, on 12Nov24 @15890 miles and 27May25 @22217 miles. The dealer mechanic/technician has stated that they could not duplicate this phenomenon while test driving, nor could they find any error codes or malfunctions in the system. Dealer has stated the car is operating properly and is "safe" to drive. Dealer has not and refuses to escalate this problem to the Manufacturer. These incidents have occurred since new as of Nov2023 to present May2025