2013 Subaru Outback Wipers & Visibility Problems

The sun roof exploded. There was not prior damage (at least not visible to the naked eye). When it happened there was a very loud popping noise, which could be jarring enough to cause an accident. My sunroof cover was closed when the glass broke, but if it was open I could have been covered in shards of glass. I’m not sure if the sunroof has been inspected by the manufacturer. I have seen that other Subaru owners have experience the same issue. There was no warning the the sunroof is fragile and will potentially explode.

The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while his wife was driving 75 mph, the sunroof exploded, and the glass shattered onto the shade guard. The contact stated that his wife veered to the side of the road, where she inspected the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that his wife was able to drive to her destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 134,900.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED INSIDE THE GARAGE, A CRACK FORMED ON THE UPPER PASSENGER'S SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE CHECKED THE SECURITY FOOTAGE AROUND HIS HOME WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND SAW NO EVIDENCE OF AN IMPACT TO THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT STATED THE CRACK IMPAIRED HIS VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 116,000.

I AM INITIATING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE THE RECALL FOR THE BELOW SPECIFIED PROBLEM REMAINS UNCOMPLETED, WHEN IN FACT IT HAS BEEN FIXED AND REMAINS UNPROBLEMATIC. MOREOVER, I HAVE REPAIRED THE RECALL PROBLEM REGARDING THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR ON MY VEHICLE, MYSELF, WITH MY OWN MONEY, WITH PARTS SUPPLIED BY THE SUBARU DEALER. PLEASE CLEAR THE STATUS OF THE RECALL NOTICE TO REFLECT COMPLETED REPAIRS. CONSIDER THIS LETTER AN AFFIDAVIT CONFIRMING THAT, I AS THE OWNER, HAVE DONE THE REPAIRS FOR WHICH I AM COMPLETELY WITHIN LEGAL RIGHT TO PERFORM ON THE ABOVE MENTIONED VEHICLE.

I HAVE A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK PURCHASED CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED FROM SUBARU DEALERSHIP IN SACRAMENTO IN APRIL 2014. THE FRONT WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED THREE TIMES IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS. I'VE REPLACED IT TWICE, ALL PAID OUT OF POCKET. WHILE THERE APPEARS TO BE A POINT WHERE THE CRACK STARTS, IF A ROCK OR DEBRIS HIT THE WINDOW IT WASN'T OBSERVED OR HEARD. ALL CRACKS HAVE OCCURRED ON THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE WINDOW AND SPLINTER INWARD. HERE IS THE HISTORY OF THE DAMAGE: OCTOBER 8, 2015 - REPLACED CRACKED WINDSHIELD (PD $324.87) JUNE 15, 2016 - REPLACED CRACKED WINDSHIELD (PD $326.80) AUGUST 7, 2017 - NEW CRACK APPEARED WHILE DRIVING OUT OF COSTCO PARKING LOT (BEGAN INVESTIGATING ISSUE) AUGUST 14, 2017 - ANOTHER CRACK APPEARED WHILE LEAVING PUBLIC PARKING LOT IN DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO I HAVE YET TO REPLACE THE CURRENT DAMAGED WINDSHIELD. I VISITED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THIS AFTERNOON AND SPOKE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AND TO CONTACT THEIR CUSTOMER DEALER SERVICES NUMBER (OFFICE IN NEW JERSEY).

WHILE DRIVING THE COVER OF THE SUNGLASS HOLDER POPPED OPEN. THE OUTBACK HAS A SUNGLASS HOLDER LOCATED RIGHT BELOW THE CENTER REAR VIEW MIRROR. THERE ARE TWO TINY CLIPS THAT HOLD THE COVER OF THIS THIS HOLDER CLOSED. THE CLIPS HAVE FAILED AND THE COVER REMAINS OPEN. THIS MAY SEEM LIKE A TRIVIAL PROBLEM, BUT IT OBSTRUCTS PART OF THE MIRROR. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS CONDITION. IF YOU DO A GOOGLE SEARCH ON <SUBARU "SUNGLASS HOLDER" PROBLEM>, YOU WILL FIND PAGES OF COMPLAINTS FOR THE OUTBACK, LEGACY AND FORESTER MODELS.I AM NOT SURE WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN I FLIP THE MIRROR TO NIGHT MODE, BUT I THINK IT WILL OBLITERATE THE VIEW ENTIRELY. EXAMPLES CAN BE SEEN AT: HTTP://WWW.SUBARUOUTBACK.ORG/FORUMS/66-PROBLEMS-MAINTENANCE/79345-2013-SUNGLASS-HOLDER-NOT-WORKING.HTML

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V694000 (VISIBILITY) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHEN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE ACTIVATED, THE WIPERS FAILED TO OPERATE. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V694000 (VISIBILITY). THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 45,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

2013 SUBARU OUTBACK FRONT WIPER MOTOR CAUGHT FIRE WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. JUST PRIOR TO FIRE, WIPERS HAD BEEN ACTIVATED BUT WOULD NOT RETURN TO HOME OR STOP WHEN TURNED TO OFF POSITION. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN OCTOBER 2012. ROOT CAUSE OF WIPER MOTOR AS DETERMINED BY SUBARU DEALER SHOP. SUBARU CLAIMS THIS IS UNRELATED TO PRIOR RECALL FOR WIPER MOTORS WVW32 WHICH HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO 2012 MODELS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE MOON ROOF EXPLODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATELY MILEAGE WAS 31,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH SHE HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND THE GLASS SHATTERED ALL OVER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE SUNROOF BUT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE TO OCCUR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 24,000.