2017 Subaru Outback
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 917 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 26 Outback model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 32 involved a crash and 3 involved a fire. 25 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, air bag/restraint control moduleDec 19, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Outback vehicles. A replacement air bag control module may have been installed that is not compatible with the passenger air bag module, possibly affecting air bag deployment.
In the event of a crash necessitating passenger frontal air bag deployment, the air bag may not deploy properly, increasing the risk of injury.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 3, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUX-09.
Campaign 19V910000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, columnOct 6, 2016
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured September 21, 2016, to September 23, 2016. In the affected vehicles, the knee guard bracket may not be properly attached to the steering beam assembly.
If the knee guard is not properly attached and the driver is not wearing a seatbelt, the knee guard may not be able to properly restrain the driver's lower body in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the knee guard welding on each vehicle's steering beam, replacing the beam as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTL-72.
Campaign 16V716000 on NHTSA.gov
SuspensionAug 3, 2016
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2017 Outback vehicles manufactured June 20, 2016, to June 23, 2016. The affected vehicles may have improperly tightened attaching bolts for the front left and right brake calipers, wheel hubs, and the right stabilizer clamp.
If any of the front brake caliper, wheel hub or stabilizer clamp attaching bolts loosen or detach, the related components would also become loose and may detach possibly making the vehicle unstable and reducing the braking capability. These conditions would increase the risk of a crash.
Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the bolts for proper torque, and replace any loose bolts, free of charge. The recall began on August 8, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTE-66.
Campaign 16V576000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, columnDo not drive until repairedMay 11, 2016
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to May 6, 2016. The steering column on the affected vehicles may have been improperly machined, and as a result, turning the steering wheel may have no effect on the direction of the wheels.
The loss of steering ability would increase the risk of a crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lot number on the steering column, replacing the steering column, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783 or by visiting http://www.wtd65.service-campaign.com. Subaru's number for this recall is WTD-65. Note: Until the vehicles have been inspected, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles.
Campaign 16V292000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: visibility/wiper
205 reports, newest first. Show all
Visibility/wiper, Jul 22, 2019
WINDSHIELD CRACKS AND CHIPS WAY TOO EASILY.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 10, 2019
WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED CRACK FROM UNDER DRIVER'S WIPER UP AND ACROSS 3 INCHES THEN ACROSS TO UP TO ABOVE OTHER WIPER THEN UP IN HALF CIRCLE AND BACK ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE. CAR HAD BEEN PARKED.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 18, 2019
IN APRIL 2017, JUST 3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING MY OUTBACK NEW, I WAS DRIVING ALONG I-10 IN LOUISIANA WHEN I HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND A CRACK IN WINDSHIELD APPEARED. IT BEGAN TO GROW AND A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER, IN JUNE, THERE WAS ANOTHER SPONTANEOUS CRACK IN MY WINDSHIELD THAT APPEARED. MY CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY BUT MY DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS NOT COVERED. THE COST WAS OVER $600 FOR REPLACEMENT AND CALIBRATION OF EYE SIGHT. WE PURCHASED THE OEM WINDSHIELD BECAUSE THEY TOLD US OUR EYE SIGHT MAY NOT WORK WITH A GENERIC WINDSHIELD. IT WAS REPLACED AUGUST OF 2017 - CAR WAS LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD. WELL, A YEAR LATER IN SEPTEMBER OF 2018, THE SPONTANEOUS CRACKS STARTED APPEARING AGAIN. AND NOW THE CRACK EXPANDS ACROSS THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. I AM UPSET AT HAVING TO CHANGE IT AGAIN BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THIS WILL HAPPEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IT IS DANGEROUS AND EFFECTS VISIBILITY. SUBARU SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 10, 2019
DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AND SMALL PEBBLE STRUCK CENTER OF WINDSHIELD. AT THE TIME OF IMPACT NO VISUAL DAMAGE TO WINDSHIELD. DROVE APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES ON THE WAY TO HOME WHEN THE LOWER CENTER OF WINDSHIELD CRACKED. CRACK IS ESTIMATED 8 INCHES IN DIAMETER.
Visibility/wiper, May 30, 2019
CAMERA DISPLAY DOES NOT ALWAYS DISPLAY THE REAR VIEW IMAGE WHILE BACKING UP. FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS 5/25/2019.
Visibility/wiper, May 21, 2019
MY WINDSHIELD WAS STRUCK WITH DEBRIS WHILE TRAVELING DOWN A 35MPH ROAD. THE CHIP IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO CRACK IN TWO DIRECTIONS. I HAVE A EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM SUBARU THAT IS FOR WINDSHIELD PROTECTION, WHICH MY DEALER SAID WILL NOT COVER.
Visibility/wiper, May 14, 2019
WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED WHILE DRIVING IN RAINY CONDITIONS WITH THE DEFROSTER ON. I HEARD A LARGE POP. I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, I WASN'T BEHIND ANY TRAFFIC. THE CRACKED STARTED AT THE SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. ON MY WAY HOME LATER THAT DAY WITH THE WINDSHIELD THE CRACK GREW AN ADDITIONAL 6 INCHES. I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS JUST A FREAK ACCIDENT BUT THEN I SEEN SOMEONE ELSE'S POST ON NEWER MODEL SUBARU WINDSHIELDS AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS MORE INCIDENTS EXACTLY LIKE THIS ONE. I KNOW THERE WAS A LAWSUIT IN 2017 ON THE 2015-2016 MODEL WINDSHIELDS, BUT I READ ENOUGH TO BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM STILL EXISTS IN THE 2017 TO PRESENT MODELS. THIS ISN'T SAFE. TORQUE NEWS THERE IS AN ARTICLE DATED MAY 5, 2018, "SUBARU LOSES LAWSUIT OVER FAULTY OUTBACK WINDSHIELDS" DISCUSSING THE LAWSUIT, THE COMMENTS FROM THE FELLOW SUBARU OWNERS IS CONCERNING.
Air bags, Seat belts, Visibility/wiper, Apr 24, 2019, crash
I HIT A LARGE DEER ON IH 10 AT 75 MPH. ALL AIRBAGS DEPLOYED SAFELY BUT CONPLETELY BLOCKED MY VISION AND PREVENTED ME FROM EXITING THE VEHICLE AS THE BAGS BLOCKED DOOR HANDLES, WINDOW CONTROL SWITCHES AND MY SEAT BELT RELEASE. ANOTHER MOTORIST CUT AIR BAG STRIPS AND HELPED ME TO EXIT THE CAR. FORTUNATELY, NO FIRE.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 24, 2019
WE PUT CAR IN GARAGE. IT WAS CLEAN PERFECT CONDITION. THE GARAGE IS LOCKED AND I FOUND A SPIDER SCRATCH WHICH HAD NO VISIBLE HOLE FROM A PEBBLE. THE SPIDER CRACK WAS INTERNAL SO I COULD FEEL NO INDENTATION. I HAVE WITNESSES IN THE VEHICLE. IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT IT WAS INHERENT IN THE WINDOW. TO AVOID POSSIBLE DANGER I BROUGHT IT TO DEALERSHIP. I STILL PAID $100 FOR REPAIR AND I BOUGHT IT NEW. ALSO I HAD SCRATCH PROTECTION.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 11, 2019
I HAD THE ORIGINAL WINDSHIELD IN MY 2017 OUTBACK CRACK WHILE DRIVING ON I-65 BACK IN MARCH OF 2018, WHICH I PRESUMED WAS DUE TO A STONE CHIP EVEN THOUGH THE CHIP DAMAGE I OBSERVED WAS EXTREMELY MINOR. NOT KNOWING ABOUT THE ONGOING WINDSHIELD CRACKING ISSUES THAT SUBARU WAS UNDERGOING WITH THEIR 2015-2016 MODELS, I HAD THE CRACKED WINDSHIELD REPLACED AT MY DEALER WITH OEM PARTS ORDERED THROUGH MY DEALER'S PARTS DEPT. WHICH ENDED UP COSTING ME $500 OUT OF POCKET ON A $788 INSURANCE CLAIM. NOW I HAVE THE SAME KIND OF CRACK APPEARING IN THE REPLACEMENT WINDOW WITH NO APPARENT STONE CHIP OR OTHER CAUSE. I FIRST NOTICED THE CRACK ORIGINATE FROM THE AREA OF THE VIN WINDOW IN THE BOTTOM DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE WINDOW. THIS HAPPENED SOON AFTER I BEGAN DRIVING ON A QUITE COLD DAY WITH THE WINDSHIELD DEFOGGER ENGAGED. SINCE IT HAPPENED LESS THAN 1 YEAR AFTER THE FIRST, I ASKED THE SERVICE REP AT MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP IF THE REPLACEMENT WINDOW WAS COVERED BY ANY MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY AND HE SAID NO, NOT FOR CRACKING. AFTER SEARCHING THE WINDSHIELD CRACKING PROBLEM ONLINE, I WAS SHOCKED TO READ OF THE NUMBER OF OTHER SUBARU LEGACY/OUTBACK OWNERS OF SIMILAR MODEL YEARS AND LATER WITH IDENTICAL STORIES AND WITH SUBARU APPARENTLY DUCKING THE ISSUE BY CONTENDING THAT THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WARRANTYING REPLACEMENT WINDOWS. NEEDLESS TO SAY I'M NOT HAPPY TO READ OF THEIR DODGING THIS POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. I GUESS IT WILL TAKE ANOTHER CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT TO GET SUBARU TO STEP UP.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 21, 2018
DRIVING ON I 29 WITH NO CARS AROUND US. HEARD A POP SOUND AND A CRACK APPEARED IN MY WINDSHIELD. NOTHING HIT IT. IT JUST CRACKED SPONTANEOUSLY.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 31, 2018
THE WINDSHIELD IS EXTREMELY FRAGILE AND CRACKS EASILY. I FEEL IT IS A LIGHTER WINDSHIELD, PERHAPS TO HELP WITH GAS MILEAGE. ONE LITTLE ROCK CRACKED IT EASILY. PREVIOUSLY, OWNED VEHICLES OF OLDER VINTAGE AND MODELS NEVER SEEMED TO CRACK AS READILY. ON HIGHWAY TRAVELING 60 SMALL STONE HIT WINDSHIELD.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 1, 2018
SUBARU OUTBACK 2017 WHILE IN MOTION ON HIGHWAY, HEARD A CRACKING SOUND AND WITH NO APPARENT IMPACT ON GLASS, WINDSHIELD HAS NOW AN ABOUT FOUR INCH CRACK NEAR THE BOTTOM CORNER EDGE OF THE DRIVER SIDE. AFTER A FEW DAYS TIME HAS DEVELOPED INTO A LENGTH APPROXIMATELY ONE THIRD OF THE WHOLE WINDSHIELD.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 26, 2018
WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF PURCHASE THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED SPONTANEOUSLY. CAR WAS PARKED IN THE EMPLOYEE PARKING LOT. WINDSHIELD WAS FINE WHEN I LEFT THE CAR. WHEN I CAME OUT AFTER WORK THERE WAS A LARGE CRACK ACROSS MY WINDSHIELD. STARTED IN THE TOP CORNER EDGE OF THE DRIVERS SIDE AND EXTENDED ACROSS TO MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD BY THE EYESIGHT CAMERA. NO IMPACT POINT.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 10, 2018
MY WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED. CAR WAS PARKED. I WENT IN A RESTAURANT FOR LUNCH, WITH CAR IN VIEW. CAME OUT WINDSHIELD HAD CRACKED FROM VERY TOP, THROUGH EYESIGHT CAMERA, DOWN THROUGH MIDDLE OF WINDSHIELD IN A WIDE J. TEMP WAS IN MID 80S. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT WAS DUE TO IMPACT. THERE IS NO IMPACT MARK AT ALL. BRAND NEW CAR. HAD IT LESS THAN A YEAR. HAD 2 CHIPS PRIOR TO THIS, NOT CONNECTED TO LARGE CRACK. BEEN IN OUTSIDE SALES 9 YEARS WITH 2 OTHER CARS. NEVER HAD WINDSHIELD PROBLEMS LIKE THIS.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 3, 2018
FIRST LARGE CRACK APPEARED JUST 4 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR IN AUGUST 31, 2016 AT A FAIRLY SLOW SPEED (UNDER 40 MPH). SECOND CRACK APPEARED MAY 2018. THE THIRD AND LARGEST CRACK HAPPENED JUNE 30, 2018, AGAIN AT A FAIRLY SLOW SPEED.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 27, 2018
THE WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED WHILE SITTING STATIONARY OUTSIDE MY OFFICE YESTERDAY. THE VEHICLE WAS HALF IN SUN AND HALF IN SHADE. THE CRACK STARTED NEAR THE TOP DRIVER'S SIDE AND SPREAD DOWNWARD AND OUTWARD. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 7,000 MILES ON IT.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 22, 2018
> THE AUTO IN THIS COMPLAINT IS EQUIPPED WITH SUBARU'S "EYESIGHT" DRIVER ASSIST TECHNOLOGY. > JUNE 18, 2018 - DRIVING ON DIVIDED INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, THERE WAS A VERY LOUD "BANG," - THE NEW REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD CRACKED AND INSTANTLY THE CRACK EXTENDED 2/3 OF THE WAY ACROSS THE FULL WIDTH OF THE WINDSHIELD. AFTER PULLING OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND TAKING A LOOK AT THE WINDSHIELD TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE CRACK, I SADLY DISCOVERED THAT ONE SECTION OF THE OUTSIDE GLASS HAD SEPARATED FROM PLASTIC BEHIND IT TO THE DEGREE, THAT WHEN RANNING MY HAND AGAINST THE OUTSIDE GLASS SURFACE, IT CUT MY HAND. THE SEPARATION WAS ENOUGH THAT I QUESTIONED WHETHER IT WAS SAFE TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE CAR. I DID DRIVE THE CAR HOME. THE NEXT DAY I TOOK THE CAR TO MY DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPT. - THEY POINTED TO A MINUTE NICK ON THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD, SO SMALL THAT I DID NOT SEE IT UNTIL IT WAS POINTED OUT TO ME, AS THE "OUTSIDE SOURCE" CAUSING THE CRACK. I DON'T BUY WHAT THEY ARE SAYING. I BELIEVE THE THE GLASS IS SO FRAGILE THAT IT SIMPLY CRACKS FROM STRESS FROM NORMAL DRIVING MOVEMENT OF THE AUTO. AND THAT THE FRAGILE GLASS BEGINS TO SEPARATE FROM THE PLASTIC SECURELY HOLDING IT IN PLACE. > MY COMPLAINT IS THIS: 1) THIS PARTICULAR SUBARU MODEL HAS A RECORD OF "CRACKED WINDSHIELD" COMPLAINTS. BASED ON MY LAST EXPERIENCE WITH A CRACKED WINDSHIELD, THE GLASS IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND NORMAL CAR IMPOSSED STRESS WHILE DRIVING .... AND, THE SUBSEQUENT SEPARATION BETWEEN THE GLASS AND THE PLASTIC BEHIND THE GLASS HOLDING IT IN PLACE IS LARGE ENOUGH THAT IT CONSTITUTES A DRIVER SAFETY HAZARD. WORTHY OF YOUR INVESTIGATION. NOTE - A PHOTO CANNOT ADEQUATELY SHOW THE SEPARATION.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 19, 2018
CAME OUT OF WORK AND FOUND A 12 INCH CRACK GOING ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD WITHOUT A REASON. TOOK IT TO MY SUBARU DEALER AND THEY CLAIMED IT WAS A ROCK CHIP AND NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. THIS IS THE 2ND WINDSHIELD THAT HAS CRACKED IN LESS THAN A YEAR. THE 1ST WAS 4 MONTHS AFTER WE BOUGHT THE CAR. SALESMAN DID NOT TELL US WHEN WE BOUGHT THE CAR THAT THE WINDSHIELD IS THINNER THAN NORNAL WINDSHIELDS. SUBARU HAS A FAULTY WINDSHIELD AND THEY WON'T ADMIT IT. I COULD SEE IF THE WINDSHIELD HAD BEEN HIT WITH A 1 INCH ROCK BUT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT WAS A ROCK CHIP OTHER THAN THE SERVICE GUYS GRAB A PEN AND RUN IT ALONG THE CRACK UNTIL THEY FIND A PLACE THAT THE PEN JUMPS AND THEN STATES ROCK CHIP DID IT. THE WINDSHIELD SEEMS TO HAVE SHIFTED CAUSING A STRESS FRACTURE BREAK AND IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. THOUGHT SUBARU STOOD FOR QUALITY BUT THEY DON'T STAND BEHIND THEIR VEHICLES. IT'S LIKE TAKE YOUR MONEY AND RUN. SEEMS THAT THEIR ENGINEERS COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE A WINDSHIELD WITH THICKER GLASS TO WORK INSTEAD OF THE INFERIOR GLASS IN THEM. TEMPTED TO PURCHASE ANOTHER BRAND OF VEHICLE THAT WOULD BE SAFER. I THINK SUBARU OUGHT TO STAND BEHIND THEIR VEHICLES INSTEAD OF HIDING FROM THE ISSUES.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 13, 2018
THE QUALITY OF THE WINDSHIELD LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN LESS THAN A YEAR I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY WINDSHIELD. IN BOTH OCCASIONS, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. I THOUGHT THE FIRST CRACK WAS CAUSED BY A SMALL OBJECT/PROJECTILE I COULD NOT SEE. THEN THE SECOND CRACK OCCURRED A FEW MONTHS LATER (ABOUT 5 MONTHS APART) AROUND THE SAME SPOT (DRIVER SIDE) AS THE FIRST ONE. IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES, THE CRACK RADIATED QUICKLY FROM THE DRIVER SIDE ALL THE WAY TO THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. IN BOTH CASES, EVEN IF THE CRACK WAS CAUSED BY A SMALL OBJECT, THE IMPACT WAS TOO SMALL TO EXPLAIN SUCH MAJOR DAMAGE. THE FIRST TIME THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED, IT WAS REPLACED BY A SUBARU RECOMMENDED PART AND NOT BY AN AFTERMARKET WINDSHIELD. I WILL USE A SUBARU RECOMMENDED PART AGAIN. HOWEVER, BASED ON THE EVIDENCE, I DO NOT HAVE ANY CONFIDENCE THAT THE PROBLEM WILL NOT RESURFACE. I THINK THE WINDSHIELD IS FUNDAMENTALLY DEFECTIVE.
Visibility/wiper, May 11, 2018
PURCHASED OUR 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5 I LIMITED IN AUGUST 2016. AS OF APRIL 30, 2018 WE HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED 4 TIMES! EACH TIME WE WERE ON HIGHWAYS. THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT WE WERE TRAVELING AT ONLY 45 MPH. EACH TIME, AS SOON AS WE HEARD THE IMPACT, A HUGE CRACK APPEARED. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH EITHER THE QUALITY OF GLASS BEING USED OR THE DESIGN. WE HAVE CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA AND REPORTED THE INCIDENTS. AND YET, SUBARU WILL SAY THERE IS NO PROBLEM AND NO COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED. WE ARE FRUSTRATED AND NOW ANXIOUS EACH TIME WE ARE TRAVELING THAT WE WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH GETTING THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED. TODAY, WE AGAIN CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA AND SAID WE WANT SUBARU TO ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM AND DEAL WITH IT. WE ALSO MET WITH THE SERVICE DIRECTOR OF OUR LOCAL SUBARU DEALER AND FILED A COMPLAINT. HE HAS AGREED TO FORWARD THE COMPLAINT TO THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 27, 2017
EXPLODING SUN ROOF: ON 11/23/2017 OUR FAMILY WAS DRIVING FROM HILLSBORO, OR TO COOSBAY, OR FOR A FAMILY THANKSGIVING DINNER. WHILE WE WERE ON INTERSTATE I-5 SOUTH JUST NEAR COTTAGE GROVE, OR WE HEARD A LOUD SHATTER WHICH SCARED ALL OF US, WE IMMEDIATELY PULLED TO THE SHOULDER SAFELY AND NOTICED THAT THE SUNROOF WAS SHATTERED. WE WERE GOING AT 65-70MPH WITH DRIZZLE OREGON RAIN AND TEMPS AT 50'S F
Visibility/wiper, Nov 8, 2017
WE PURCHASED THE OUTBACK 2017 A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND HAVE DISCOVERED THAT VISIBILITY IS SEVERELY LIMITED WHEN RAINING AND WIPERS ARE ON, ESPECIALLY WHEN LIGHTS ARE REFLECTED ON THE WINDSHIELD. WE HAVE RESEARCHED AND HAVE FOUND ON THE INTERNET THAT OTHERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM....FOR YEARS BEFORE AND FOR THE 2017 MODELS. WE WERE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS AND LOCAL ROADS. A HEAVY HAZE APPEARS ON THE EXTERIOR WINDSHIELD WITH EVERY SWIPE OF THE WIPERS . SO, THE WINDSHIELD IS EXTREMELY GLARY WHEN LIGHT HITS IT, THUS VISIBILITY IS TREMENDOUSLY IMPAIRED. WE NOTICED THAT BEADING OCCURRED ON THE WINDSHIELD AS RAIN FELL AND CHANGED TO HAZE AFTER EACH SWIPE OF THE WIPERS. DEFROST DID NOT HELP; CLEANING WINDSHIELD DID NOT HELP.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 19, 2017
I VERY SMALL ROCK CHIP HIT MY WINDSHIELD INITIALLY CAUSING AN 8 INCH CRACK AND IS NOW OVER TWO FEET LONG. THE CHIP DID NOT EVEN LEAVE AN IMPACT MARK; IF YOU TRIED RIGHT NOW TO SEE WHERE THE CRACK STARTED YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO. I REVIEWED FORUMS ONLINE AND HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT OUTBACK WINDSHIELDS. WEAK OR CHEAP IS HOW THEY WERE OFTEN DESCRIBED. THIS WAS A VERY SMALL ROCK CHIP THAT HIT MY WINDSHIELD. THIS AMOUNT OF DAMAGE SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. I AGREE WITH THE FORUMS; WEAK AND CHEAP. I SEE THERE IS EVEN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST SUBARU.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 5, 2017
PURCHASED A 2015 OUTBACK AND EXPERIENCED 4 CRACKED WINDSHIELDS IN AN 18 MONTH PERIOD. TRADED THE CAR IN FOR A 2017 OUTBACK HOPING THEY FIXED THE DESIGN FLAW. NOW 6 MONTHS AFTER 2017 OUTBACK PURCHASE AN OUTRAGEOUS CRACK FORMED ON THIS NEW VEHICLE. ALL 5 CRACKS BEGAN NOT FURTHER THAN 2 TO 3 INCHES FROM THE FRAME. SO 5 CRACKED WINDSHIELDS IN A 2 YEAR PERIOD FROM SUBARU OUTBACK. AUTOMOBILES. THE DEALERSHIP AND MANUFACTURER NEVER WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM. SOMETIMES THE CRACK WOULD APPEAR SPONTANEOUSLY, SOMETIMES IT ACTUALLY SOUNDED LIKE CRACKLING SOUNDS HAPPENING IN FRAME AND MAYBE (?) ONE TIME THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A SMALL PEBBLE HIT THE WINDSHIELD. TWICE I WASN'T EVEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE. IMPEDES VISION. DISTRACTS DRIVER.