2021 Subaru Outback visibility & wipers problems

Updated from NHTSA data · How we count

107 owners have reported visibility & wipers problems with the 2021 Subaru Outback, 36% of all complaints about this model year. The typical problem appeared around 3,000 mi.

Visibility & Wipers complaints
107
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Related recalls
0
Median mileage
3,000 mi

Specific components reported

Visibility & Wipers covers: Windshield, wipers, defroster, mirrors and windows.

ComponentComplaints
Visibility/wiper97
Visibility:windshield9
Visibility1

Visibility & Wipers complaints across Subaru Outback years

120051220081120104120124302015431792017190316201937810720212801920232362025
Visibility & Wipers complaints by model year. The 2021 is highlighted.

Mileage when the problem appeared

24Under 10k510k–30k30k–60k60k–100k100k–150k150k+
Complaints that list mileage, grouped by odometer reading.

Related recalls

No recalls on file.

What owners say

  1. Filed Nov 26, 2024COVisibility & Wipers
    I was driving when I heard a loud explosion sound. I first thought a rock or gunshot hit my car and pulled over to examine my car. I checked all around the car and didn't notice any damage on the side of my car but then I noticed that my sunroof was shattered. The glass was pushed outward which meant that it was not hit by an object. Luckily, my interior cover to my sunroof was closed at the time so I was not harmed.
    NHTSA complaint #11627571 · source
  2. Filed Oct 14, 2024CAVisibility & Wipers
    Since owning this vehicle, we have replaced the windshield at least once a year. The first due to a 1/16th inch chip that evolved into a 10 inch crack over the course of a day. The second was a crack from driver side pillar that appeared overnight, no chips prior. Third was a 8" crack from passenger pillar that appeared overnight while garage parked, after a day, it grew to reach the center of the windshield. I think it's unacceptable that windshields can just crack…
    NHTSA complaint #11619721 · source
  3. Filed Aug 5, 2024TXVisibility & Wipers
    Driving home on a farm road, a truck passed by, picking up a pebble that hit my windshield. On my other vehicles, that same impact would leave a chip on the windshield but due to its light thickness, it immediately formed a long crack that is continually growing in size as it is currently my daily commuter to work. That was a huge bummer given I had purchased it recently and it didn't have any blemishes on the windshield. The pebble hit the upper driver side part which led…
    NHTSA complaint #11606415 · source
  4. Filed Jun 11, 2024ALVisibility & Wipers
    Windshield cracked under heat from parking in sun. The windshield spontaneously cracked when wiper fluid was turned on after parking on hot (85F) day. The whole windshield spidered indicating it is under extreme stress.
    NHTSA complaint #11593640 · source
  5. Filed May 29, 2024ALVisibility & Wipers
    The windshield developed a crack. It initially started with what appeared to be a small rock impacting the bottom of the windshield where the wipers rest on the glass. The area of impact was the size of a small rock. A crack started forming and going upwards towards the roof of the car. Due to the heat in Alabama, the crack grew from 3 inches to approximately 9 inches. No safety features have been effected. I do commute 160 miles total for work, daily, so a crack that large…
    NHTSA complaint #11591376 · source
  6. Filed May 9, 2024CAVisibility & Wipers
    The windshield has cracked now, unprovoked for the second time in the exact same way it did 2 years ago. I came out to my car and it was parked, and the same crack it had 2 years ago was visible on the windshield. A crack starting from the passenger side that travels to the middle of the windshield. I have heard about many other Subaru drivers having this issue and their windshield cracking the exact same way. The first time I had it replaced I took it to the dealership and…
    NHTSA complaint #11587851 · source
  7. Filed Mar 5, 2024TXVisibility & Wipers
    12 inch Crack developed in windshield while car was parked in garage. No chips along the entire crack or in its vicinity. Car/windshield were less than 3 years old.
    NHTSA complaint #11575677 · source
  8. Filed Feb 11, 2024MAVisibility & Wipers
    I have a 2021 Subaru Outback. I was driving on Interstate 93 at typical highway speed and a small pebble struck my front windshield. It left an approximately 5-inch crack on the passenger side, just above the wiper. Within a few days, the crack had spread across the entire windshield and I’m now in process of having it replaced. My complaint is that I’ve had small pebble strikes on the windshields of prior vehicles I’ve owned and I’ve never had one crack so easily. The…
    NHTSA complaint #11571299 · source
  9. Filed Feb 8, 2024COVisibility & Wipers
    I'm on my 3rd windshield in under 12 months. I have not changed my driving habits and have been in typical weather for my area. The vehicle is garage kept. First windshield had a center driver's side ding that lasted all winter. We had some unseasonable spring weather changes that caused it to crack and spiderweb replaced 4/10/23, 24K miles. 2nd windshield, cracked 5/15/23, got dinged at the bottom and spiderwebbed immediately, again on driver's side. 3rd windshield, 12 inch…
    NHTSA complaint #11570775 · source
  10. Filed Dec 28, 2023WAVisibility & Wipers
    Windshield randomly developed a crack for no apparent reason. No rocks flying in, no extreme conditions, we were in 40-60 degrees temperatures in California on normal freeways and streets, not in any off-road conditions.
    NHTSA complaint #11562467 · source
  11. Filed Dec 22, 202323,000 miCAVisibility & Wipers
    The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that upon approaching the vehicle, she became aware that the front windshield had suddenly cracked, extending from the center of the windshield to the passenger’s side bezel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the crack was the result of the impact of a small, unknown object. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number:…
    NHTSA complaint #11561566 · source
  12. Filed Dec 10, 2023CAVisibility & Wipers
    Windshield developed a 10" crack overnight, parked while it was snowing in Boulder, CO. There was no damage prior to this past night. This problem is widely reported on [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
    NHTSA complaint #11559406 · source

Other 2021 Subaru Outback problem areas

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology