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
Visibility/wiper, Jan 9, 2023
I woke up one morning to find a few cracks in my windshield that were not there the day/night before. The dealership says it was from impact, but I hadn't driven it yet that day, it was fine the night before, and I have covered parking at my apartment.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 4, 2023
Windshield obtained significant crack for seemingly for no reason (parked in driveway; no trees/debris around). Crack continued to grow to 2-3 feet while remained parked.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 3, 2023
The windshield suddenly cracked at the very edge of the windshield obscuring visibility on the passenger side. As I awaited for my appointment for a windshield replacement, the crack became longer, affecting my right-side visibility.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 30, 2022
We are on our 3rd windshield for a 2022 Subaru Outback that currently has 7300 Miles on it. The first windshield cracked on it's own, completely unprovoked by anything. The second was actually a very small rock that hit us on the road and caused a small crack that just kept running until our field of vision was obstructed. The 3rd was a defect in the glass that caused a stress fracture, so it's possible that's what happened with the 1st one. All 3 incidents happend within a 5 week window. When I go online, there are cases and cases where these Subaru's have cracked windshields and it IS dangerous to have a massive run in the windshield when you are driving down the road. There are 100's of these complaints, it's just that no one is reporting them. Please look into this, it's NOT safe to have glass that cracks that easily.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 22, 2022
3 months after purchase, in December 2021, my windscreen cracked for no apparent reason. I replaced it 4 months later with OEM glass from dealership waiting—due to no extra money. Now, 8 months after that, it cracked again. I woke up in the morning to a long crack coming from the edge of the seal that was not there when I parked for the evening.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 12, 2022
1.) Our windshield has had to be repaired 3 times in the last six months. Anything that comes in contact with the windshield will cause a massive crack that takes up the entire windshield and marks the car unusable to drive 2) The can is unable to be driven during normal conditions as anything can cause the windshield to break. 3) It has happened 3 times in the last 6 months 4.) The first time we had it replaced, it was completed at the dealership. The next 2 were through our insurance company vendor that ensures the windshield is installed properly. 5.) No. Upon the last time, we researched and found that Subaru has outstanding lawsuits for faulty windshields pending and it looks as if nothing has changed.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 29, 2022
My windshield cracked from the driver side to almost half of the whole thing without any impact being seen outside or inside at all. This is scary and can be a safety hazard. It can happen even when driving. I saw a lot of people complaining and experienced the same thing about the Subaru Outback's windshield and other models, which is scary. My car is only seven months old, and this is happening already. Some people have changed their windshield five times already. I bought the car because it's supposed to be safe and reliable, but now I don't feel safe with my windshield.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 25, 2022
Faulty windshield that cracked overnight possibly due to weather. The Subaru McKenna dealer service manager says it is due to impact yet there is no clear indicator of an impact on the windshield, I took photos of the crack before they inspected it. Even some Subaru employees were telling me it’s not a crack made from impact and that they admitted Subaru makes faulty windshields. Yes, my vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I am looking to have it seen by my insurance to see if they agree with the Subaru dealer’s assessment of the damage. The safety issue is the possibility of the windshield spiderwebbing and decreasing all visibility of the road at any moment. No indicator of any windshield failures except the dealer recommending a separate windshield warranty which I wish they pushed more on it and were honest about the tendency of Subaru windshields to be faulty so I could have gotten that warranty. Or I wish too that I found out about Subaru’s class action lawsuit regarding the Outback models 2017-2020 regarding their windshields and how they have to pay $2.5 million because of their manufacturing defects. I have a 2022 Outback model but I feel that they windshield is still being made with poor craftmanship. My car is only a year old. And it literally cracked overnight. Perfectly fine one day and the next morning it split straight across the middle of the windshield.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 22, 2022
Less than a year old. Front Windshield cracked on the passenger side near the defrost vent.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 14, 2022
The windshield started to have a stress crack when we were driving on a highway at a high altitude. There was no impact and no impact noise, the windshield suddenly cracked around 6 inches and then progressed from there. It started around the middle passenger side and progressed to the middle of the windshield.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 31, 2022
Windshield cracked lower left to center while not moving parked in a garage. Went into the garage with no crack and was cracked the following morning. Nothing hit the windshield. Temperatures were neither high nor low.
Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Oct 26, 2022
My outback was parked in my locked garage over night temp got below 40 degrees that night. Got into the outback and noticed a large crack in the center of windshield that started at lower end of windshield. Called dealership and made an appointment saw service manager and took his pen to show me where he thought a stone had chipped windshield but I just saw the crack no chip. I explained there was never any incident of stone hitting windshield. He stated he would notify Subaru manufacturer of my concern of breakage. Since appointment windshield has continued to crack still waiting to hear back from dealership.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 24, 2022
Windshield cracked while parked in garage. No object impacted the windshield. No temperature extremes. Approximately 12 to 14 inches in length starting from passenger side.
Exterior lighting, Visibility/wiper, Oct 17, 2022
While driving the vehicle at night with auto diming feature there is a line across the top of the windshield, and it is exceedingly difficult to see through the windshield above that line. When the lights are automatically dimmed the line is extended downward about a third of the windshield. It is difficult to see thru the windshield above this line. Extremely dangerous.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 8, 2022
I walked into my garage and found that I have a massive crack across my windshield. It never got hit by a rock or anything, there haven’t been extreme temperature changes, it just doesn’t make sense. It has seemingly cracked for no reason.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 1, 2022
Unknown. A large Crack appeared on the front windshield starting from the bottom to the middle and then branching off to the left and right of the windshield. There is no evidence of any impact to the windshield. Crack is much to large for me to continue to drive safely. The Subaru car dealership inspected the windshield and submitted a claim to the car manufacturer for possible replacement.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 28, 2022
Windshield cracked in the lower middle about 6 inches from bottom . The defrost had been on because the window was fogging up. Went in to store and when I restated car noticed the crack. I am concerned about the crack getting larger and also that it is illegal to drive with a vehicle in that condition in my state. This just happened and I have not looked into how it will be fixed and at what cost to me. there was no warning before or after it happened. Crack is dead center about 2 feet horizontally.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 27, 2022
Windshield cracks from pressure from initial installation.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 15, 2022
Cracked windshield from no impact
Visibility/wiper, Sep 15, 2022
The windshield cracked without any noticeable impact. I noticed a crack 12-15 inches when I got into the vehicle the next day. The day prior I had not noticed the crack, not noticed any impact sound, no incident happened. I’d not been driving on the highway and I maintained more than 3 car lengths of following distance. I was driving under 40mph the day prior to noticing the crack. The vehicle is just over a month old and has 3000 miles on the odometer when the incident happened. Dealership inspected and found a impact point which is invisible to the naked eye. Such small debris cracking the windshield suggests the windshield is too weak and is a possible safety hazard. Manufacturer and dealer are not able to replace it under warranty. They are offering a one time good will replacement, but if such small specks of debris(not noticeable to the naked eye) can crack the windshield It’s very likely the windshield will st the minimum crack again or worse could lead to a safety hazard if the debris was a noticeable and more substantial. I’ve been finding a number of complaints of the exact same issue and similar response from the dealerships/customer service on online forums and youtube.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 14, 2022
18" crack in the windshield was noted originating from passenger side pillar extending toward the middle of window. Crack occurred while car was parked in an insulated and locked garage. No crack when parked and large crack the following morning. No known trauma or known rocks striking the windshield. On close inspection there was no star pattern, bubble pattern or palpable concave defect that would suggest a previous rock chip.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 13, 2022
The windshield cracked during normal operation of the car. This is the 4th windshield since purchasing the 2022 Subaru OBW. The first crack, with no visible impact to the windshield, occurred at 13K, the second, with no visible impact, occurred at 20K, and this third occurred at 41K. They have occurred in different areas of the windshield (from each side and the bottom). Each replacement has been OEM and the 3rd windshield (which lasted the longest) had an additional ceramic coating. I reported the 3rd windshield to the nhtsa and when I reviewed nhtsa's assessment, it was incorrect. I emailed nhtsa requesting the assessment be corrected, but never received a reply and believe the report is still incorrect.
Visibility/wiper, Visibility, Sep 11, 2022
My first complaint was filed on 8/2/2022 @2,807 miles. Here we are again, not even 6 weeks later and it happened again. The dealer did replace my windshield. It took me driving there three different times to finally catch the manager so he could take pictures and file a claim with Subaru. Subaru did accept the claim and replaced the windshield. I was without my car for three days while this repair was done. Driving home last night, My 19 year old so was in the passenger seat. He says look mom, the windshield is cracking. Sure enough, no impact was heard or seen, it just started cracking in the same spot as the first time. It was such a hassle to get the first repair done and now I have to do it again!!! Ugh...I now wish I had never bought this car.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 11, 2022
Windshield cracked without any cars near me, only dragonflies and butterflies. Happened with less than 2k miles in car.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 6, 2022
Within 2000 miles the windshield stressed fractured from the passenger side edge and then progressed inwards in multiple directions. There was no impact. The dealer (Balise Subaru-Warwick RI) called me a liar about an impact and gave me nothing but lip service about Subaru of America possibly performing a "good will" replacement. The crack is large enough to place a credit card into. Never before have I seen a crack that wide. Safety glass usually hairline cracks. A glass replacement company told me Subaru is using unreasonable thin glass to lighten the cars to make the MPG numbers. But at the risk of safety to drivers?? I think windshields are pretty important to not mess around with. Minimum thickness should be a standard.