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While midsize cars continue to disappear from America’s roads, the 2020 Subaru Legacy seems to hold its own. After all, the automaker claims it is “engineered to last.” Yet, customers are becoming increasingly agitated by the faulty electrical system, recalled service brakes and poor visibility.
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2020 Subaru Legacy
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Electrical System | |
| Visibility:windshield | |
| Power Train | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Lane Departure: Assist |
Problems with the Electrical System
A new car is nothing if the electrical system isn’t executed properly. Sadly, customers have many complaints about the Legacy’s parts.
Here is an Edmunds review to consider. “Bought it 2 months ago and it has been in the shop for 8 days and counting due to problems with the Starlink system failing to connect that they can’t figure out how to fix. They replaced a head unit already and that didn’t fix it. You would think after having to settle the problems with Starlink for millions of dollars in the past year, they would have fixed it.”
This particular issue deals with the Starlink system, but defects can affect larger parts. For example, Service Bulletin #11-200-20R talks about how the software in the Engine Control Module can create trouble starting the motor in sub-freezing temperatures or while in high altitudes. Basically, the Legacy is only “engineered” to work in warm climates or at lower altitudes. Considering Subaru is designed for the adventure-minded person, it seems the company has neglected a large portion of its customer base.
Problems with the Service Brakes
Subaru issued a major recall around its braking system. Thankfully, this was done before there were major customer complaints. Because of this, we don’t have one particular comment worth reading, but still felt it was vital to share the details of the recall itself.
NHTSA Campaign Number 19V6640000 states that some Legacy vehicles might have a missing bolt on the brake pedal mounting bracket. This can cause the mounting area to deform over time and reduce braking performance. Obviously, without properly working brakes, drivers are at risk for an accident. As the manufacturing practices from Subaru continue to decline, more people are left unprotected. It’s not the “Legacy” of the past, but one that the automaker should be ashamed of.
Problems with the Windshield Cracking
Driving down the road safely can only be done if the occupants can see clearly out of the windshield. Yet, this is another engineering problem with the Legacy.
Read this NHTSA complaint. “I was driving home from the dealership. After paying to have the side windows tinted (the windshield was not altered) there was a loud pop. The windshield spontaneously split in two while I was on the highway. There were less than 300 miles on my car and when I returned to the dealership they told me it would not be covered because it didn’t fit a business card completely through it. Also, this windshield is over 1000 dollars to replace and ‘calibrate’ because the Drive Focus feature only works with the Subaru windshield, so I must return to the dealership to keep my warranty intact.”
If the Subaru warranty isn’t going to cover it, why does the customer have to pay more to keep it intact? What’s more deceptive is how Subaru has failed to acknowledge the troubles despite the countless reviews that state the same thing. However, one can tell that manufacturing has gone downhill at Subaru simply by looking at Service Bulletin #07-173-20. This communication talks about how the Power Rear Gate can open on its own, with drivers nowhere near the vehicle. For now, the Legacy is a thief’s dream come true. What could be better to a criminal than walking by a midsize sedan when the trunk magically opens to take whatever they desire?
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Complaint Data
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Mar 08, 2023 |
| State | MI |
| Description | 2020 subaru legacy touring xt - windshield cracked for no apparent reason. No stone or rock chips visible. Had same issue on previously owned 2015 subaru legacy. The crack starts at the base of the passenger side where heat strips are located to keep the wiper blades from freezing. The cracked windshield may cause the subaru eyesight safety system to malfunction, putting all passengers at risk for a potential accident. I had it inspected at a subaru dealership. The service technician confirmed that this was a know problem. He suggested I call subaru of america for assistance. I'm still within the 3 year warranty period but windshields are not covered. He said subaru dealerships do not repair windshields. They will engage a 3rd party repair shop if needed. My vehicle is included in a pending class action lawsuit against subaru for this issue. Safelite autoglass estimated my windshield replacement at |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Mar 01, 2023 |
| State | OH |
| Description | Windshield crack in lower part on passenger side for no apparent reason. |
| Category | Engine, Power Train |
| Date | Feb 25, 2023 |
| State | NY |
| Description | Check engine light came on at 55,500 miles on exactly the third anniversary of purchase. Local mechanic determined the code related to thermo control valve failure. Apparently an ongoing issue with many subarus since replacing the thermostat with this in their cars. Lost all eyesight features, including cruise control and high beams, as well as cabin heat in the midst of winter in the northeast. A simple google search reveals many instances of this subpar part falling on subaru cars. Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of bad manufacturing and run-arounds from auto companies. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. Call our Helpline today! There is no charge unless we win. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Feb 01, 2023 |
| State | MI |
| Description | Windshield cracked for no apparent reason. May cause the subaru eyesight safety system to malfunction. Crack started at the bottom of passenger side windshield where the heat strips are located for wiper blades not to freeze. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Dec 08, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | A crack appeared in the windshield overnight while parked in the driveway with no sign of impact or other causes. This seems to be an ongoing problem with subaru since they changed to acoustic glass for their windshields. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Oct 09, 2022 |
| State | MI |
| Description | Continuously variable transmission (cvt) chain may slip and/or break. Nhtsa recall 21v955000 subaru recall wrk21 a software issue in the transmission control unit (tcu) may allow the continuously variable transmission to engage before the drive chain is properly secured, the automaker says. This could result in the chain slipping and breaking, leading to a loss of power and a risk of a crash. Component has not been inspected by the manufacturer. Nhtsa reported this recall dec. 9th, 2021. Received subaru recall notice in mail feb. 2022, stating the remedy is expected to be available in april 2022. I have contacted the subaru dealer 3 times since april 2022 and each time they say "waiting for parts, we will notify you". It is now oct. 9th, 2022 with no response or resolve. Driving 10 months since nhtsa reported this issue should be considered a huge safety violation by the manufacturer. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Aug 24, 2022 |
| State | CT |
| Description | Front windshield has broken last year without any sign of impact. This year front windshield has broken after very light impact. Front windshield is very weak and is not reliable even after replacement. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Aug 16, 2022 |
| State | IL |
| Description | Windshield cracked starting in the lower middle of the windshield. Crack started from underneath the rubber edge and grew straight up, then out to either side within a matter of days. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Aug 09, 2022 |
| State | PA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated that while in a parking space with her foot on the brake pedal and the transmission in drive(d), the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle drove over the parking median; however, she managed to stop the vehicle before accelerating up a hill. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer but the mechanic found no defect with vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jun 27, 2022 |
| State | WA |
| Description | Cracked windshield |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | May 01, 2022 |
| State | PA |
| Description | My windshield was cracked about 6†for no apparent reason when I examined the car on the morning of 9/4/2021. The crack expanded to over 18†by the time I was able to have the windshield replaced a week later. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | May 01, 2022 |
| State | IN |
| Description | The windshield developed a crack that started at the right a pillar center of glass and is about 18" long. There are no visible "impact" points from anything hitting the glass. There is no "star" either. I did not hear anything hit the glass. The fissure just appeared one day. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Apr 25, 2022 |
| State | MI |
| Description | The battery discharged to the point where I was unable to start the car. I had been driving all day and was waiting for my wife for half an hour with the radio on. This left us stranded about 15 miles from home. I had to call to have someone take my wife home while I waited for a tow truck. My battery also discharged to the point where I couldn't start my car after the car sat overnight. I needed to take my son to a doctor's appointment, and I had to cancel the appointment. And no, I didn't leave the lights on or a door open. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Apr 25, 2022 |
| State | MI |
| Description | For the second time in 2 months my windshield spontaneously cracked while the car was parked. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Apr 24, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | Cracked right passenger side windshield. Crack begins at windshield right passenger side bottom and is moving upward and towards drivers side of windshield. Crack is presently about 8" on length and spreading. Vehicle is not driven often. Vehicle has not hit any potholes, bumps, curbs. No pebbles, stones, objects have hit windshield via roadway, other travelling vehicles whatsoever. No ice storms, hail. Crack is causing a dangerous visibility and a heavy cost to repair. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking |
| Date | Apr 21, 2022 |
| State | WV |
| Description | Since last october when a software update was performed on the vehicle I have had multiple(8-10) instances where the eyesight system caused the emergency braking to activate when no other vehicles were nearby and a crash was not imminent. Usually it has been when entering a left hand gentle curve with a guardrail nearby, but it has also happened going straight ahead. The audible and visual alerts appear and hard braking occurs. The braking is severe enough that on rain or snow covered roads a crash might occur. The dealer inspected the vehicle and claims they found the calibration was off but the problem has occurred 3 more times since the calibration. I have contacted the dealer again but they have refused to acknowledge the problem further. |
| Category | Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal |
| Date | Apr 07, 2022 |
| State | SC |
| Description | The contact's wife owned a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 3 mph in a parking lot the vehicle suddenly accelerated and jumped the curb into woods and collided with a tree. The contact said his wife was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The vehicle front bumper and hood hit in the center and were both crumpled back about six inches. The contact hit the top of his head severely damaging the windshield on the passenger side and sustained minor cuts. Due to the sudden acceleration he had not been able to buckle his seat belt, additionally the airbags did not deploy. The contact was transported by ambulance to a hospital. The police were called, a report was written and the vehicle was towed to a holding lot. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact's insurance provider declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 16,200. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Mar 19, 2022 |
| State | IL |
| Description | Front windshield cracked and there was no apparent ding from rock. Crack came from side and spread quickly. I had it replaced by subaru and 4 months later it happened again. The crack again came from the side with no reason. Two replacements out of my own pocket. My 2020 legacy windshield must be defective |
| Category | Visibility:windshield |
| Date | Mar 18, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated while driving approximately 25-30 mph on a smooth residential road, the windshield started cracking. The contact stated that there was no external cause for the failure. The contact stated that the horizontal crack was located at the base of the windshield and was 7-inches long starting on the driver's side. The contact stated that the crack was extending. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000. |
| Category | Visibility:windshield |
| Date | Feb 25, 2022 |
| State | MI |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the contact noticed a fracture at the bottom center of the windshield that was approximately 12-inches long. The contact stated that this would be the fourth fractured windshield in approximately a year and a half due to sudden fractures without impact. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed the fracture was not caused by an impact. The windshield was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 12,000. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Feb 11, 2022 |
| State | CA |
| Description | At a stop, the vehicle shut off, which required a jump start. The vehicle is fairly new, so a discharged battery shouldnt have been an issue. |
| Category | Visibility:windshield |
| Date | Feb 10, 2022 |
| State | OH |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, he discovered a vertical crack had formed on the lower center section of the windshield without incident. The contact stated that the crack then spread horizontally and was obstructed his vision while driving. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where the windshield was inspected and pictures were taken; the contact was informed that the pictures would be sent to the manufacturer for final approval for repair. The contact had not yet received a response from the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified by the contact about the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Feb 01, 2022 |
| State | OH |
| Description | In a class action lawsuit filed against subaru of america, it is alleged that several models have defective controller area network (can) modules that cause premature battery drainage. New jersey judge [xxx] arbitrarily dismissed two models, forester and legacy, from the lawsuit even though they have the same problem because none of the plaintiffs owned either of those model vehicles. I own a 2020 legacy that has stranded me and my wife on two separate occasions due to a low battery. Once the car died in the middle of a major intersection when I stopped to allow oncoming traffic to pass and the auto start/stop turned the car off. When I attempted to restart the car the battery was dead. This left me in a very unsafe condition. I had to exit my car, dodge traffic and physically move my car from the middle of the intersection. I have had my car inspected by a subaru service dept. And told nothing is wrong. I want subaru to fix their mistake. What is my recourse? Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6). |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jan 31, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | My front windshield has cracked 2 times within the last year. The first time my wife was driving and thought she heard something hit the windshield but wasn't sure. It created a crack across the whole windshield and subaru replaced it free of charge. Last week I'm driving 01/20/2022 and I do see a very small object hit the windshield and creates a crack again. I spoke with the service advisor and does mention their windshields are made a little thinner and could see that being an issue. I haven't spoke with the manager yet but I am going to give him a call and see if I could get it replaced again. I have been driving for 23 years and have not had a windshield crack on me once. Also after the second crack I did some research and realized they have been having issues with the windshields since 2015 on various models. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Jan 08, 2022 |
| State | MI |
| Description | Brake pedal of my subaru legacy 2020 stopped working suddenly. It kind of gets stuck. It happened to me twice and that is why I am reporting it now. Luckily it happened when I was starting the car not while driving on the road. But I am a little afraid to drive the car on roads now thinking that brake may get stuck again. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jan 05, 2022 |
| State | SD |
| Description | A very small chip in the windshield has now turned into a large crack. The chip is 1-2mm in depth. I have never seen such a small chip turn into a crack like this. |
| Category | Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Nov 30, 2021 |
| State | PA |
| Description | This vehicle is equipped with the subaru "eyesight" system which is a number of safety features like automatic cruise control, lane keep assist, and others. About once a week on average while driving the entire system will shut down and the screen will go dark. You lose the radio, bluetooth, navigation, and all the eyesight systems. After about 30 seconds it will reboot and things will come back online but this is a major safety issue because you loose systems that help with safety. The dealership said it's a known software issue and there's nothing they can do until an update is available. I called subaru usa customer support in september and they said an update would be available by the end of october and nothing was released. I called in early november and they said they were still working on it but had no release date. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Nov 28, 2021 |
| State | NC |
| Description | This is in regard to the thin and fragile windshield subaru has decided to put into their vehicles of which there are already several civilian class action lawsuits which should have already warranted an investigation into the glass. In my particular case, the windshield is so soft whenever the slightest rock hits it, big chips come out of it. The vehicle has 5,100 miles on it and has a windshield that is worse than my 2007 subaru with 95,000 miles. Yesterday a small pebble struck the lower right corner of my windshield initially putting a chip that then cracked sitting in the garage overnight. In all my years I have had other strikes happen such as a huge rock falling off of a gravel truck (I have this on dash cam video) striking my windshield with minimal damage. Anything that touches this new 2020 subaru windshield results in a chip and or a crack compromising the rigidity of the structure, impairing visibility, and thus jeopardizing the safety of the driver. I do not feel safe driving this vehicle as I feel if a large enough rock would ever strike the windshield that it would result in catastrophic failure. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Nov 01, 2021 |
| State | OR |
| Description | I purchased a 2020 subaru legacy sport in march of 2020. On august 25th 2020, while on the freeway a small rock chipped the upper passenger side of the windshield. By the next morning it turned into a crack which spanned almost half of the windshield directly in front of the eyesight cameras. Once the glass was replaced with an oem windshield, I noticed the new glass appeared to have defects. During peak glare times, the windshield appeared "pitted" as if it had been sand-blasted and was nearly impossible to see out of. I had a professional technician inspect the windshield and a new one was ordered and installed. This took months to be resolved. Next was on july 15th 2021, a small rock caused a bullseye chip in my windshield too large to be fixed. Another oem windshield was installed. On october 21st 2021 another small rock hit the windshield on the freeway and caused a chip immediately. Within a minute the glass made a loud cracking sound and a crack over a foot long instantly appeared. In 1 year 8 months, I've had the windshield replaced 4 times. The glass is brittle and/or defective. It's dangerous and costly and needs to be addressed. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Oct 30, 2021 |
| State | WI |
| Description | Had a small rock hit my window near the driver's side on the bottom. The window cracked instantly. It was a large crack! |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Oct 15, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Battery issues. Maybe stemming from internal components (unsure, but likely). Car completely died, when lights and all settings were turned off. Bought a jump starter thinking maybe I just left something on, drove around for like an hour to juice it up and power the battery. Went to car today and dead again. Cannot access trunk (where I put my emergency stuff) because it's completely dead. Called and had to wait 3 hours for a jumpstart after subaru automated roadside assistance hung up 4 times before I even got to speak to a representative. Scheduled an appt for new car battery. So no invoice or anything yet, but I spent 0 to be able to drive it (thinking it could have potentially my fault), for it to be confirmed that it was infact subarus fault. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Oct 13, 2021 |
| State | WA |
| Description | We were gone for 10 days. Our legacy was left under carport (north end of garage/shop). Upon our return, we found the battery was drained. We have only 7362 miles on it. I bought it new in june 2020. We tried to charge the battery, but the charger stopped charging and the red "trouble" light came on. We had to have the car towed to the dealer in another city. They mentioned that we need to drive car often and not leave it sit or this will happen. Luckily, there was no "trouble" only a drained battery, but it was an inconvenience. We bought the car based on subaru's reputation for durability. We are 78 & 83 years of age respectively and my husband and I have medical issues. We need a car we can rely on at all times in case of an emergency. If this is a known problem, why was I not informed of this upon purchase? Why was there no mention in the owner's manual or new owners handout. Since the incident, I see many complaints on web. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Sep 28, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | I parked my car in the garage on the afternoon of september 27, 2021. The next morning when I got in the car I noticed a big crack in the windshield. No dings or chips, just a large crack. I will bring the car to dealership tomorrow on their request. But they are saying my model year is not covered. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Sep 14, 2021 |
| State | NY |
| Description | The battery for the subaru legacy limited will not keep a charge. As a result the battery dies and the car will not start. On four occasions the car had to be jump started. After each jump start the car was left running for up to an hour. The next day, the battery was completely discharged and starting the engine was not possible. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Aug 14, 2021 |
| State | DE |
| Description | There is an ongoing problem with the center display in this vehicle. While normally just an inconvenience, it will randomly stop working / lock up / restart while driving. When this becomes a problem is when using the built in navigation or apple car play for navigation. Multiple times now, it has locked up and reset while using google maps via apple car play. Additionally, on the one trip where I attempted to use the built in navigation while on a trip, it simply stopped navigating without warning. The issue is that when you don't know where you are going, it becomes hazardous to interface with the system to restart navigation. The dealer admits there is a known issue with the system, yet there is not yet a repair being offered. At this point, my system is in some dealer diagnostic mode. I've been instructed to hit the defrost button four times when it does something abnormal so the system can be reviewed. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Aug 10, 2021 |
| State | WV |
| Description | The windshield just made a popping noise and cracked while driving. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jul 26, 2021 |
| State | MA |
| Description | Windshield cracked for the second time in the same location with no impact from road debris |
| Category | Visibility:windshield |
| Date | Jul 21, 2021 |
| State | OK |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated that the front windshield had cracked without impact. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,950. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jul 19, 2021 |
| State | NC |
| Description | I have needed to replace the windshield twice in the last month. A tiny chip starts running quickly. The glass company said that the windshield felt soft and should not have run a his touch. |
| Category | Visibility:windshield |
| Date | Jul 19, 2021 |
| State | NC |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph, the front windshield cracked without warning or impact. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be inspected. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a rock chip. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,482. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jul 13, 2021 |
| State | NY |
| Description | My windshield cracked without incident on 6/12/2021 and as it sat throughout the weekend the crack continued. I was able to have the windshield repaired through the dealer as a 'courtesy'. But given what I found online about this issue with subaru vehicles I felt compelled to log this complaint. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jul 12, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | This is the 2nd time my windshield cracked for no apparent reason |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jul 07, 2021 |
| State | IL |
| Description | April 29, 2021 I went to drive my car and found my windshield cracked. I didn't hear anything hit the windshield the night before, but there was a 4 inch crack in the windshield when I went to drive to work. It continued to crack until I could get it replaced which ended up being about 10-12 inches a week later when I could finally get it replaced. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jul 05, 2021 |
| State | MI |
| Description | Windshield cracked for no reason while driving. Nothing hit the windshield. Car was slowly turning with no other car in front of it. There was a loud pop sound and the windshield was cracked on the driver side. Called dealership, and they said a self cracking windshield is not covered under warranty. Only 18,000 miles on the car. Will have to go through insurance until this is finally a recall. |
| Category | Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure: Assist |
| Date | Jun 12, 2021 |
| State | RI |
| Description | 1. The infotainment system crashed (happens often), which caused the touchscreen in the center control stack to turn black and become unresponsive. This also caused the eyesight safety system, adaptive cruise control (with lane keep assist), and reverse auto braking to all shut down (my dashboard lit up with warning lights and errors). 2. Not only is this an annoyance, but having all of the safety systems in my car unexpectedly shut down is extremely unsafe, especially adaptive cruise control. Other functions of my car, such as the radio and climate controls are also inaccessible when this happens. 3. A subaru dealer has replaced the touchscreen in my vehicle to try and remedy the slowness and crashing, but it did not seem to fix anything. My car safety systems have not shut down prior to this incident, but on this day (june 6th), they did when the system crashed, which was after the replacement. After waiting weeks to get a replacement which didn't fix anything, I felt as if I needed to go elsewhere for help with this issue. 4. Only the manufacturer has inspected this issue, and I've also emailed subaru directly after this incident, as to which I have not gotten a response yet (emailed on monday, june 7th). 5. The warning lamps (for eyesight, reverse auto breaking, and adaptive cruise control) all appeared on my dashboard as soon as the infotainment system crashed on june 6th. Prior to this, my vehicle had no warning lamps. They went away a few minutes after the system rebooted (all while I was driving on the highway), and system functionality returned to normal. Other notes: this vehicle only has about 15k miles on it, and is only 1 year and 3 months old. Issues like this should not be happening. Before the replacement of the touchscreen, I had issues with it being extremely laggy and crashing, but my car's safety systems never shut down before. This is a new issue, which prompted me to report it to nhtsa. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper |
| Date | May 17, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Cracked windshield with no known impact. Parked car at work around 10:50am came out for lunch at around 2:00pm. Windshield is cracked with no noticeable impact location. Crack starts at edge/top of windshield straight line down then branches off bilaterally. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | May 07, 2021 |
| State | PA |
| Description | Battery drain |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Apr 30, 2021 |
| State | AL |
| Description | Windshield randomly cracked with unknown reason. Vehicle was parked in garage. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Lane Departure: Assist, Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Apr 26, 2021 |
| State | MO |
| Description | Driving home when I notice what I thought was a big hit the window. Slowed to the light and I notice it was actually a small round crack in my glass so I pull in the walgreens lot to see what could of happen. By the time I parked and opened my door I saw the crack had made its way all the way down my window, so I left the door open to see if I could feel the crack but nothing. I get back in lightly closing my door to head 2more miles to my home and the crack made it's way up half way then across half way. My heart literally melted. Why is this happening. The weather was 70 and there was no impact or trees or any speeding cars to have caused this. Makes no sense. |
| Category | Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Apr 25, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | I was driving on a four lane section going uphill on us50 in california where the speed limit is approximately 60 miles per hour. The car suddenly slowed down to approximately 25 to 30 mph. All attempts to increase the speed to 55 to 60 mph failed. I safely pull over and stopped the car and turned it off. It was restarted, and the problem did not occur again. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Apr 24, 2021 |
| State | CO |
| Description | Got in car this morning to find a large crack (over 12') on my windshield. I had driven it the previous day and did not see anything not even a chip on the windshield. I have no idea what happened or why a 12' crack suddenly appeared on the windshield. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Apr 20, 2021 |
| State | TX |
| Description | While driving, the windshield cracked on the left side - driver side, and it immediately ran the length of half the windshield right in the driver's view, and it is cracking all over in a crazy way. I did not see anything hit the windshield. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Mar 28, 2021 |
| State | CT |
| Description | Windshield crack appeared while car was parked inside garage overnight |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Mar 19, 2021 |
| State | MI |
| Description | I purchased my vehicle new in july 2020. Toward the end of september 2020, after a cold night, I came out to notice my car parked in my driveway had a 1 foot long crack in windshield. There was no signs of a chip or damage before the crack showed up. The crack just formed on the very edge of the window on the drivers side and spread towards the middle. I had it replaced by the subaru dealer on 10/02/2020. Now on 3/15/2021, I just had the same thing happen with the replacement window, except this time it started on the edge of the window on the passenger side. No chips or damage are evident other than the crack. There seems to be something wrong with the oem windshields to cause them to crack very easily. This is the first car in my 15+ years of driving that I have had to replace a window on, and im on my 2nd replacement in under a year of owning this vehicle. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings, Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Mar 18, 2021 |
| State | MD |
| Description | Crack appeared in front windshield on passenger side at approximately mid-height on the windshield. No sign of impact from foreign object and vehicle had not been driven for 2 days before the crack was noticed. Crack originated from the very edge of the seal and spread over the next couple weeks. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Mar 09, 2021 |
| State | NY |
| Description | On 2/19/2021 upon retrieving my car from an indoor parking structure I noticed a crack in my windshield. I thoroughly inspected the windshield and realized there was no point of impact. I researched the problem and discovered there are other subaru owners who have experienced the same problem. Through this research I have discovered using the windshield defroster may be the cause of the crack which, was also mentioned to me by staff at the subaru service department when I took the car in for repair on 3/8/2021. Attached are the documents/photo I have available at the time of this report. Thank you. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Feb 25, 2021 |
| State | IN |
| Description | My car begins to jerk or pulsate, as if power is being applied and removed quickly, while the car is under load. I first noticed this problem while driving up long inclines on the interstate. Then, I noticed it while accelerating from relatively slow speed to highway speeds. Today, while driving on a level highway maintaining speed, the car kept doing it in a very noticeable (hard) manner. I have taken the car to the dealership, but they didn't observe this problem and said the car wasn't showing any codes. My car has between 18,500 miles on it, and the problem continues to get worse. It is becoming more noticeable and more common. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Feb 17, 2021 |
| State | IL |
| Description | Front window spontaneously cracked. Got into the car and discovered the windshield cracked. Car stored in garage. |
| Category | Electrical System, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Feb 15, 2021 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Radio and control unit randomly restarts and freezes, affecting the radio from working, the vehicle control and driving assistance options, and the two usb ports which are the only power sources in the vehicle from working correctly. I have no audio and cannot reset the radio and cannot change vehicle control functions. When I select certain buttons it does nothing. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Feb 03, 2021 |
| State | MD |
| Description | The windshield formed a spontaneous crack. The weather was below freezing over night and when the car, which was parked in a residential driveway, was checked at 8:00am the next morning an 6 inch crack originating from the passenger side windshield frame/post was in the window. There was no debris on the vehicle to have caused it. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jan 31, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Cracked windshield for no reason. Vehicle was in motion. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jan 24, 2021 |
| State | PA |
| Description | I have not driven the subaru legacy for a couple of days. It has been parked outside on the driveway. Today, I noticed, the front windshield has a long crack starting from top edge l shaped to the center. There is no obvious sign of the impact from any object. I searched online and found out that this is quite a common issue due to the defective windshield on certain subaru models. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jan 11, 2021 |
| State | IL |
| Description | The front passenger window suddenly developed a large crack after lowering and raising the window while the car was stationary. Four months earlier the front windshield cracked for no reason. A separate incident was created for the windshield. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jan 09, 2021 |
| State | UT |
| Description | The windshield spontaneously cracked. The vehicle was not in operation. It was parked with no passenger. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jan 04, 2021 |
| State | WA |
| Description | Just three months after purchasing a new 2020 subaru legacy, the windshield cracked. Due to covid lockdowns I had barely driven it (between march 2020 and june 2020). My subaru dealer claimed it was a rock hit but I had no such incident happen in the 1000 total miles I had driven the car. In fact, it cracked while driving straight at 20 mph down a suburban street with no other traffic. I have become aware of class-action legal filings around this issue and am wondering if my situation is similar to many other subaru owners. I went ahead and filed with insurance and paid a 0 deductible to get it repaired. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jan 03, 2021 |
| State | UT |
| Description | My windshield has cracked so easily and is very prone to damage. My windshield currently is cracked over 3/4 of the surface area. And it continues to grow. It has been the weakest windshield I have ever had on a vehicle. I am scared to get it changed out because I want to make sure it's not from the same manufacturer as the current windshield. The replacement is going to cost close to 0 because subaru requires you to 're-sight' the lane departure eye sight device. Which should cost a buyer anything. Why should a car owner have to pay to readjust a safety feature? |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jan 02, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | A horizontal crack developed after having this vehicle for less than six months. Just noticed it when getting into the car one morning. The crack was completely horizontal and parallel to the windshield frame (see photo). It has since developed a vertical crooked line. I could not see any impact chips but the dealer blamed it on that. |
| Category | Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Jan 02, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Traveling approximately 50 mph all the warning lights displayed and the vehicle lost power. The vehicle was pulled over to the shoulder. Unable to put it in park. Turned it off and on a couple of times before it would go into park. Drove it to the dealer but it wouldn't go more than 30 mph. This has happened three times after having this vehicle for less than six months. |
| Category | Visibility:windshield |
| Date | Dec 30, 2020 |
| State | TN |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated that the windshield fractured without impact. The contact stated that the windshield was fractured on the driver's side. The windshield was replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Dec 20, 2020 |
| State | PA |
| Description | The built in display/infotainment by default will display weather warnings for an area around the current location of the vehicle. When these are displayed, the rest of the display is not usable until an "ok" button is touched on the display. When this first happened on our vehicle, multiple tropical storm warnings were active around the area, and each time "ok" was touched, a new message popped up - a total of at least 10 messages popped up. The need to interact with the screen to dismiss the message creates a significant distraction when driving, and may need to be done to be able to access some of the controls which are only available on the touch screen, or when the navigation system is being used. While this warning function can be turned off, it is on by default and not clearly described in the manuals. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Dec 15, 2020 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Very small stone struck window of car and crack appeared from where stone hit all the way to end of windshield. Next day, noticed that crack is growing toward middle of window. I've had to replace my wife's 2017 outback windshields 2 times. Something is definitely wrong with this glass. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Nov 17, 2020 |
| State | OH |
| Description | We just had our windshield replaced due to a crack about a month ago. Woke up this morning and had another spontaneous crack in bottom middle of the windshield |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Nov 12, 2020 |
| State | VA |
| Description | I think I have spontaneous cracking in my front windshield. I woke up yesterday morning and I don't see any apparent impact points for the crack. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Nov 01, 2020 |
| State | MA |
| Description | Large crack developed in the windshield less than a year after purchase. Minimal impact with road debris resulted in a large crack. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Oct 22, 2020 |
| State | VA |
| Description | A few days ago I came out to my parked car sitting in the drive way and when I sat down I noticed a large crack in the windshield from the passengers side that started at the very bottom and took a right turn and is going to extend all the way across my line of sight. The car has no signs of damage and it looks as if the crack started below the plastic of the windshield. I believe this is a problem from the factory as there is no signs of damage and the car had not moved in several days. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Sep 16, 2020 |
| State | IL |
| Description | While driving on a highway I noticed a small crack on the lower corner of the passenger side windshield that appeared for no apparent reason. I didn't hear anything hit the glass. By the following morning the crack extended from the lower passenger corner to the center of the windshield making it nearly two feet long. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Sep 15, 2020 |
| State | NE |
| Description | Windshield cracked half the length of the windshield. Don't recall anything hitting it. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Sep 02, 2020 |
| State | MD |
| Description | I was driving on the capital beltway in silver spring during evening rush hour going approximately 60 mph when the vehicle started to slow down on its own and the warning lights on the dash associated with the emergency braking system ( which causes the car to abruptly stop if you are going to crash) started to flash. It lasted about 5-10 seconds . I did not take my foot off the gas or brake the car. Then it accelerated on its own to 60 mph. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Sep 02, 2020 |
| State | AL |
| Description | I leased a 2020 subaru legacy, and the windshield spontaneously cracked while the vehicle was stationary and parked at my home. The windshield spontaneously cracked from left to right in the drivers line of sight on the morning of august 21, 2020. There was no warning, no chip, crack or noticeable defect in the windshield from which the crack could have originated. I parked the car on the evening of august 20th and on the morning of august 21st the windshield crack across the width of the windshield appeared. While searching out a possible cause of this strange occurrence, I noticed that there are numerous subaru owners which have reported the same issue to subaru and several have joined a class action law suit. It is very dangerous because the affected area obstructs the drivers field of vision and light get reflected into the drivers eye's durning daylight driving hours. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Aug 25, 2020 |
| State | KS |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the driver's bottom side the windshield cracked. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was repaired through the insurance company however, months later the failure recurred while the vehicle was parked in the garage. The dealer was not contacted for the second incident. The vehicle was not repaired as of yet. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Aug 24, 2020 |
| State | OH |
| Description | Spontaneous crack in my windshield while driving. Nothing struck the windshield. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Aug 12, 2020 |
| State | MI |
| Description | Left home to take my wife to work at 7:45 am on august 7, 2020 in a loaner car supplied to us by maple hill subaru of kalamazoo michigan while our 2015 subaru was having emissions and recall work being performed on it. We had traveled a few miles southbound when we approached a four way stop where we made a left to head east after completing the turn the sun was directly in our vision we both put our visors down we were just starting to accelerate approximately 15 mph when we heard a pop. These are paved rural roads no one other than us was at the intersection of the four way or in front of us heading eastbound after traveling a short distance maybe a half mile cracks started spreading across both sides of the windshield from the upper passenger side of the windshield. This was a loaner car,I returned it the following monday, there were no chip or cracks in this windshield, there were no other vehicles around us when this happened. This vehicle has approximately 6000 miles on it. There was one thing I did notice on this windshield in the morning when there was moisture on it you could see suction cup marks on all four corners of the windshield which could indicate this has happened before with this vehicle. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Aug 08, 2020 |
| State | CT |
| Description | While sitting in vehicle, in my driveway, a small crack started to form in driver's side front windshield. Car was not moving, not running. Next morning went to work. Crack was now over 10 inches long, from top to bottom of windshield. Took car to dealer to report it. They took picture and told me it was probably hit by something during the day. I ran my finger over the outside of the glass and could feel nothing. Ended up going through insurance and getting windshield replaced. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Aug 05, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated that while driving at night, she had been notified by other drivers that her headlights were too bright and distracting. The contact stated that one day while her husband was driving at approximately 65 mph, another vehicle had attempted to pass the vehicle. Upon passing their vehicle, the other driver assumed that her husband was trying to antagonize him by flashing his high beams; however, the contact had the headlights set at the normal level. The other driver became enraged and attempted on numerous occasions to run their vehicle off of the road. The contact was unable to get the contact's license plate and the police were called for assistance. A police report was not filed. The contact had spoken to subaru pacific(14700 hindry ave, hawthorne, ca 90250) and informed that they were unable to switch out the original headlights; they offered no further assistance. A mileage was not available. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jul 22, 2020 |
| State | CO |
| Description | My windshield cracked for no reason on my parked car. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jul 21, 2020 |
| State | NY |
| Description | 2020 subaru legacy xt windshield cracking on it own went to dealership and they refused to warranty the defective windshield I heard a pop one evening and could not not find the reason why while returning home I woke up the following morning to find a huge crack below my eyesight technology! Severe safety hazard to the eyesight technology |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jul 12, 2020 |
| State | MO |
| Description | The windsheild cracked while driving on highway and no other vehichles were nearby. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jul 03, 2020 |
| State | MA |
| Description | Slow (few days), progressive, random crack through the entire middle of windshield. There was no impact of any stones a road debris. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jun 23, 2020 |
| State | WA |
| Description | A rock hit the windshield at low speed and cracked the windshield 3 feet. *tr |
| Category | Unknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Jun 21, 2020 |
| State | MO |
| Description | I was driving home from the dealership. After paying to have the side windows tinted (the windshield was not altered) there was a loud pop. The windshield spontaneously split in two while I was on the highway. There were less than 300 miles on my car and when I returned to the dealership they told me it would not be covered because it didn't fit a business card completely through it. Also, this windshield is over 1000 dollars to replace and "calibrate" because the drive focus feature only works with the subaru windshield, so I must return to the dealership to keep my warranty intact. |
| Category | Visibility:windshield |
| Date | Jun 11, 2020 |
| State | VA |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact noticed that the windshield exhibited a cracked line on the front passenger's side of the windshield. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper |
| Date | May 25, 2020 |
| State | VA |
| Description | My legacy was 4 months old, when a spontaneous crack appeared in the windshield. The crack is thinner than a human hair. It's not round like, the common rock chip. Just a very, very fine crack.*dt consumer stated crack on the windshield is 8 inches longer now.*jb |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | May 24, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | As I was getting onto the highway, the windshield was struck by a rock and left a decent sized chip. As I was driving throughout the rest of the day, the cracks began and got longer everytime I looked at it. It goes right in the view of the right eyesight camera. I have reviewed plenty of similar issues with cracks forming in subaru's windshields. *tr |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Apr 30, 2020 |
| State | UT |
| Description | Windshield has cracked on both sides inward when stationary. There doesn't appear to be any rock chips or hit marks. Just split and chipped on its own. |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Mar 19, 2020 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | My legacy has a cracked windshield for no apparent reason |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Feb 18, 2020 |
| State | WY |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2020 subaru legacy. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 mph, there was an abnormal sound emitting from the windshield. The contact became aware fractures to the windshield in three separate places. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000. |
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Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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