Problems · by component
2017 Subaru Forester visibility/wiper problems
104 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2017 Subaru Forester cite visibility/wiper, 18% of all 592 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
104
18% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the visibility/wiper
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I was leaving home and driving in the neighborhood when I noticed that it was a crack on my windshield and there was no damaged or debris at the time. I didn’t hear anything nor there any trees or cars that will kick up rocks or bad weather It was strange to have happened and I thought it had to be a defective windshield. I looked to see if there were a recall and it was but not for the year but it was advised to submit a complaint with NHTSA. I had a windshield inspect from Safelite and the windshield company that I used to replace the windshield and calibrate it. I spent a total of $620 in repairs”
“the car driven to work from 6:05 to 6:25am and parked in a parking lot. when my wife went out to eat lunch around noon, she noticed a crack running from the mirror to the bottom center of the windshield. upon further inspection we noticed the damage could be felt from the inside of the car, and was NOT caused by any stone chips or other damages from the outside of the car.”
“The air system has gone out in the car completely, you can hear it run or try to and then kick off, i have checked and it has not been recalled. there were no accidents prior to the air system giving out. it started around the june 2024, but it didn’t affect vision at that time. it started affecting vision as winter approached (nov 2024). My vision is now completely affected as the weather is hitting temps as low as 10° and the heating system doesn’t work at all. all the defoggers/defrosters nor actual vents. it has been out for a bit, but now it is becoming dangerous as my vision is highly affected, i even bought a heater for in the car and my vision is still affected. i haven’t gotten it looked at as it’s not something im sure is affordable, so it’s a work in progress, but this isn’t the only time i have hear of this same brand car’s defroster/defogger has gave up. my vision is almost completely affected at times due to this.”
“Right side of windshield had a small crack. Illinois law can’t drive with a cracked windshield. Called Subaru they don’t fix windshield problems. Appointment at Safelite on 1/23/24 crack had gotten bigger they cannot repair now have to replace windshield. Appointment on 1/25/24 to replace windshield. No prior incident that would have led to this situation. Never owned a car where the windshield needed to be replaced.”
“I was at an event for about 3 hours and was parked next to a trailer. When I started driving there was a crack in the lower right hand of my windshield. The event was private and the trailer was not used. I am unsure where this crack came from and am very confused.”
“The rearview mirror detached from the windshield due to heat. When this happened, the metal button removed a chunk of glass from the windshield, so the surface is not able to be cleaned to reaffix the button that holds the mirror. The rearview mirror is currently dangling by the electrical cord. Note that nothing was hanging from the rearview mirror prior to this incident, so additional weight is not a factor in the incident.”
Showing 6 of 104 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.