There are 6 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2009 Subaru Foresterin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE REAR WINDOW SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED/SHATTERED. WHEN ENTERING THE CAR THE REAR WINDOW WAS IN ONE PIECE. I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE AND WHEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE A CHUNK OF MY WINDOW FELL IN. THE PATTERN AROUND THE CRACKED WINDOW APPEARS AS A CLUSTER OF THERMAL BREAKS. I HAVE LOOKED AND THERE ARE MORE SUBARU'S REPORTED WITH THIS ISSUE AS WELL WHICH HAS TO DEAL WITH HOW THE CAR DE-FROSTS THE GLASS. *TR
HI - I OWN A 2009 FORESTER 56K MY WINDSHIELD HAS A VERY BIG CRACK BECAUSE OF A PEBBLE FROM A TRUCK. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN. I ALWAYS BELIEVED THIS CAR HAD THIN GLASS EVEN THOUGH I KNOW IT IS SAFETY GLASS. I ALSO OWN A HONDA AND IT HAS THICK GLASS AND THERE IS NO HOLES IN THE WINDSHIELD FROM PEBBLES. HAVE YOU HAD OTHER COMPLAINTS BECAUSE I AM COMPLAINING! *TR
MY PROBLEM IS WITH MY 2009 SUBARU FORESTER, PURCHASED NEW. THERE IS SOME SORT OF RESIDUE THAT FORMS ON THE WINDSHIELD WHEN WE USE THE DEFROSTER (WHICH WE USE A LOT DUE TO MONTANA WINTERS). IT CANNOT BE CLEANED OFF. WE'VE USED MULTIPLE PRODUCTS TO ATTEMPT TO REMOVE IT, AND NOT MATTER WHAT, THE RESULT IS A GREASY FILM THAT REFLECTS LIGHT INTO OUR EYES AT NIGHT, OR UNCLEANED, OBSCURES OUR VISION. IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING IN THE HEATING SYSTEM BECAUSE THIS IS OUR SECOND WINDSHIELD, AND BOTH WERE AFFECTED. INITIALLY, THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS NEW CAR OUTGASSING, THEN THEY SAID THAT "ALL OF THEM DO IT". IT'S BECOME AN ISSUE, AS WE DRIVE 70 HIGHWAY MILES A DAY TO AND FROM WORK, IN ALL CONDITIONS IN MONTANA. WE ALSO KNOW THAT IT ISN'T NEW CAR OUTGASSING BECAUSE WE'VE HAD THE CAR FOR NEARLY 2 YEARS AND APPROX 45, 000 MILES. WE MUST CLEAN THE WINDSHIELD AT LEAST 1 TIME PER WEEK, OR WE CAN'T SEE IN THE SUNSHINE OR HEADLIGHTS. ADDITIONALLY, THE RESIDUE IS WORRISOME BECAUSE OF POTENTIAL HEALTH ISSUES FROM BREATHING IT. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, SNOW FELL FROM THE TOP OF A HEAVY TRUCK AND CRACKED THE WINDSHIELD. SMALL LINES SOON MOVED TO ALL SIDES OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE CONTACT HAD NOT SPOKEN WITH THE MANUFACTURER TO-DATE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 24,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 23,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WERE STUCK UNDERNEATH THE PASSENGER SIDE WIPERS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC AND LOOSE BOLTS WERE DISCOVERED, WHICH NEEDED TO BE TIGHTENED. THE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THERE WAS A FLAW IN THE DESIGN OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER, BUT HAS NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,500.
MY 2009 SUBARU FORESTER HAS A WARPED DRIVERS SIDE OUTSIDE MIRROR. AS THE WEATHER GETS COLDER, THE PROBLEM WORSENS. I LIVE IN WISCONSIN AND IN SUB FREEZING TEMPS IT LOOKS LIKE A FUN HOUSE MIRROR BENDING STRAIGHT LINES AND DISTORTING DISTANCES. BACKING UP AT NIGHT AND CHANGING LANES ARE MADE LESS SAFE NOT TO MENTION THE PERCEIVED MOTION THE CONVEX SHAPE CAUSES. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED IT ONCE BUT THE PROBLEM REMAINS. THEY OFFERED TO EXCHANGE IT WITH ONE FROM ANOTHER NEW FORESTER BUT THEY WERE ALL THAT WAY. WHILE READING FORUMS ON SUBARUFORESTER.ORG MOST POSTS FROM PEOPLE IN COLDER CLIMATES HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. OTHER COLD RELATED PROBLEMS ARE A DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW THAT WON'T CLOSE (AT 10 DEGREES OR COLDER) AND A TAILGATE THAT DOES NOT ALWAYS LATCH SECURELY. THE MIRROR IS THE PROBLEM THAT CAUSES THE MOST UNSAFE CONDITION. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026