2022 Subaru Outback
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Visibility/wiper is the leading concern among 463 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 8th highest complaint count among 26 Outback model years with reports.
Of the 2022 reports, 10 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 6 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMar 22, 2024
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
Campaign 24V227000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, park/neutral start interlock switchNov 9, 2023
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
Campaign 23V755000 on NHTSA.gov
Visibility, windshieldSep 22, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Impreza and Outback vehicles. The incorrect paint clearcoat may have been applied, which can cause the windshield to be insufficiently bonded to the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 212, "Windshield Mounting."
An insufficiently bonded windshield can detach during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Subaru will offer owners a vehicle exchange or repurchase, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 21, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-22.
Campaign 22V712000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engine, engine control module (ecu/ecm)Jul 1, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
Campaign 22V473000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: visibility/wiper
255 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Apr 13, 2023
I drove my vehicle on Saturday April 1, 2023 without incident. There was no occurrence anything hitting the windshield. I returned home and did not drive the vehicle again until Monday April 3, 2023. I went to the garage to leave for work when I noticed a 15 inch crack in the windshield. The crack originates from the leading vertical edge on the driver side. There is no visible chip or other damage that would indicate debris struck the windshield. The vehicle has less than 18k miles on it and is parked in a garage 95% of the time it is not in use. The crack has continued to spread since the first day and now covers half of the windshields length.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 6, 2023
Early morning after sitting in the parking garage overnight, a crack randomly appeared from top middle portion of the front windshield and propagated vertically down the center of the windshield. The crack later spread through the center of the windshield after a few days. There appeared to be no other damage around the origin of the crack (center windshield area) nor was it due to negligence - the cause is unknown.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 3, 2023
2022 Subaru Outback has has windshield replaced 3 times. And awaiting a new windshield AGAIN for 2 cracks. Current windshield was hit by rocks, within a day of each other. Very small impact site and both immediately cracked to about 6 inches on impact. Continue to spread in heather garage. First windshield hit by rock- cracked on impact, spread like wildfire. 2nd windshield cracked in garage less than a week after installation. Was told it was another rock and not covered under warranty. Not possible. Third windshield was installed, because, after the second windshield was installed, the windshield had a long, scratch in it. Glass company covered that. Now awaiting my fourth windshield to be installed. I have honestly never had this problem before. I have maybe gotten a chip in a window, that could be filled. But this is ridiculous. And expensive.
Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Mar 29, 2023
Windshield is stress cracking. I am on my 3rd windshield in about 1 year.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 24, 2023
My car was parked in the driveway and I noticed the windshield was cracked when I was leaving my house for the day. The crack started at the bottom of the windshield, under the plastic trim. There’s no visible impact zone to cause this. I called SOA and I’m getting the run around. They told me to get an assessment done to determine if it was an outside force or manufactured defect. The dealership said they are unable to do so. They are not trained to determine that. Because of the runaround I am having to drive with a broken windshield. I do not feel safe doing so. Especially with the windshield cracked with no impact zone.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 21, 2023
I started my car via the mysubaru app so it could warm up. The outside temperature was around 25 and I had full heat via the app..which the front defroster was on. I get to leave and before I pulled away, the windshield cracked, without any cause. It cracked mid-way left side and spread halfway across over the following few days. It is apparent this is a known issue as there appears to be a defect with this generation of windshields and the amount of reported issues. Additionally, I filed a complaint with the BBB and encourage others to report this safety issue to BBB.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 20, 2023
The car was parked in my driveway overnight and developed a cracked windshield without any viable impact from an outside object. The crack is midway up.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 16, 2023
Windshield cracks from a very small pebble. The whole driver side. Windshield is defective. Has not been inspected yet.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 13, 2023
Windshield started spontaneously cracking from bottom of glass without any sign of rock or glass strike. Dealers will not replace due to manufacturer defects. Vehicle only has 14K miles, less than one year from purchase. After researching outback social forum, this is a problem many other owners with exact model experienced glass spontaneously cracks. Also there was a class action lawsuit against subaru for previous subaru outback model year 2015-2019 for the same exact problem/
Visibility/wiper, Mar 9, 2023
While sitting stationary on our driveway over the weekend, the windshield of our relatively brand new 2022 Subaru Outback developed a large crack starting from the center bottom and is slowly creeping up. There are no rock chips or any damage that would have caused this crack. Looking online and this is an incredibly common issue and frustration. I'm attempting to have Subaru replace it themselves but I worry the next one will crack in the same amount of time. In all my years of driving and owning cars, I have never experienced a cracked windshield before.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 5, 2023
The problem is with the windshield. On 12/26/22 a crack about 8" long appeared spontaneously on the passenger side running from the edge straight towards the middle. I drove the car that day and noticed at dusk that another crack appeared, starting at the bottom edge in front of the driver and running upward towards the middle. Both of these occurred with no noticeable impacts from stones. Both cracks have continued to grow over time. I contacted the dealer on 12/31/22 , where they took pictures and notified Subaru. Three weeks later Subaru wanted more, better pictures so the dealer took more. After receiving no response, three weeks later I contacted Subaru through their website. Their response to contact me still has not been fulfilled. Given the nature of these cracks, the expense and safety issues of having extensive cracks, I decided to contact NHSTA.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 5, 2023
Needing to replace windshield again due to smallest rock hitting windshield and cracking it. Wind shield has been replaced 3 separate occurrences due to the same issue.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 27, 2023
We had some cold weather in Minneapolis but we were told that Suburu had worked out its cracked windshield issues when we purchased the outback. Not true. A crack developed from the center of the base of windshield and continues a third of the way up
Visibility/wiper, Feb 26, 2023
I was driving, approximately 50 miles per hour, when my windshield cracked from top center down and across the driver's side obscuring my view and startling me. Nothing struck my windshield and there are no divets or marks other than a clean crack that looks like a stress fracture. There were no other vehicles near me and I was on a paved road. My car is 6 months old with 3300 miles on it.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 23, 2023
The windshield cracked without provocation of a rock or any impact, just cold weather. I don’t feel that the windshield of my “ski car” should just crack if the weather gets cold. I was up skiing at our local mountain before this occurred and heard concerning sounds from the windshield. Lo and behold a few weeks later it cracked on its own.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 13, 2023
The windshield cracked without any impact to it after five months of taking delivery on my 2022 Subaru Outback. The crack appears to have originated from the base of the windshield, under the plastic cover. The car was parked outside with the temperature close to 44 Fahrenheit, and was not moving. Based on the amount of the reports for a broken windshields for this model, this is not an anomaly. Subaru should address this issue before they have another lawsuit that covered previous generations. This is my first introduction to the car maker, and it is not going well as one would hope.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 9, 2023
Windshield cracked while driving in low temperatures, forming a foot long crack from the passenger side edge inward. No impact was felt or heard, but the Subaru service department claims to see an 'impact event', so they're not covering it under warranty.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 6, 2023
Went to work one morning and noticed a crack from black piece of windshield under wipers 12 inch up center of windshield with no impact noted temps in upper 30s
Visibility/wiper, Jan 31, 2023
Vehicle windshield shattered without noticeable impact from object, producing a 12 inch crack on center of glass. Dealership refused to warranty the glass, claiming that they did not see the damage occur and cannot verify it was spontaneous. Repair costs were egregiously high given that a camera recalibration is mandatory to ensure safety, quoted at $675 - more than the price of the replacement glass itself.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 30, 2023
Windshield spontaneously cracked on lower right side. Crack spread within minutes across entire windshield. This happened in May 2022 in fairly decent temperatures in the upper 60’s
Visibility/wiper, Jan 26, 2023
I was driving to work, temps in the mid-thirties, and I heard a crack. It was confusing because there was nobody else on the roadway with me. That's when I looked and saw a 12" crack, beginning at the bottom-middle of the windshield and extending upward.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 23, 2023
I woke up in the morning and my windshield crack with no apparent damage by an outside object. It started on the left side where the black meets the clear glass. Please look into this.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 23, 2023
The windshield cracked on its own overnight (temperatures in the low 30s). The crack starts at the bottom of the window at the center and goes upward and towards the passenger side. The crack is roughly 14" long, but has extended another 2" since the initial crack started. It impairs the view for most drivers. The dealer confirmed that there was no impact mark and have submitted photos to Subaru of America. Subaru has come back with stating it was caused by 'external influence' even though there is no evidence of that. The dealer is doing their best to appeal this with Subaru.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 16, 2023
A 6" crack appeared on the front windscreen at the passenger side at the bottom right corner extending towards the center.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 12, 2023
Ive been through 2 windows already. They have cracked randomly and with no damage. It always happens in the winter when I turn my car on to pre heat before I drive it and the heat change cracks it. The OEM glass and the Safelite glass are inferior.