There are 4 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2018 Subaru Imprezain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN MIDDLE FOR NO REASON. CRACK IS 1.5 FEET LONG. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN IT OCCURRED.
2018 SPORT MODEL NOTICED FRONT WINDSHIELD COWL PANEL WARPED AT 4770 MILES AND AGAIN AT 6880 MILES AFTER WARRANTY PLACEMENT. COWL PANEL POPS UP AT THE CENTER OF THE PANEL LEAVING A 1/8" GAP BETWEEN THE RUBBER SEAL AND THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD. UPON PRESSING IT DOWN, THE GAP WILL RETURN IN A FEW DAYS LEAVING A LARGER 1/4" GAP. OVER TIME THE PANEL PULLS ITSELF COMPLETELY OFF THE WINDSHIELD EXPOSING THE PLASTIC CLIPS THAT HOLDS THE COWL BEHIND THE WINDSHIELD. THIS GAP EXPOSES THE 2 WIRE WINDSHIELD HEATING ELEMENT TO DUST AND RAIN ALONG WITH TRAPPING VARIOUS DUST AND DEBRIS.
ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN THE FIRST FROST HIT I NOTICED THERE WAS A WINDSHIELD CRACK BUT IT LOOKED UNRELATED TO AN IMPACT CRACK AS IT CAME FROM THE SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND EXTENDED TOWARDS THE CENTER. AFTER GETTING THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED ONE WEEK LATER WHILE SITTING IN MY CAR AND IT IS WARMING UP ANOTHER CRACK APPEARS IN MY WINDSHIELD. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE WINDSHIELDS AND CRACK BUT IT LOOKED UNRELATED TO AN IMPACT CRACK AS IT CAME FROM THE SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND EXTENDED TOWARDS THE CENTER. AFTER GETTING THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED ONE WEEK LATER WHILE SITTING IN MY CAR AND IT IS WARMING UP ANOTHER CRACK APPEARS IN MY WINDSHIELD. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE WINDSHIELDS IN SUBARU'S ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE WHEN THERE'S IS TEMPERATURE CHANGES. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY BOTH TIMES WHEN IT GOT CRACKED IN MY DRIVEWAY.
THE WIPER COWL COVER SEPARATES FROM THE WINDSHIELD RESULTING IN A GAP BETWEEN THE COWL COVER AND THE WINDSHIELD. THIS GAP ALLOWS AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF WATER TO FLOW INSIDE, ESPECIALLY DURING HEAVY RAINFALL, SNOW, OR CARWASH. IN ADDITION, DEBRIS SUCH AS LEAVES, PINE NEEDLES, ETC ENTER THROUGH THE GAP, RESULTING IN CLOGGED DRAIN TUBES OVER TIME. IN THE PHOTO BELOW THE GAP IS AROUND 0.25 IN AFTER ATTEMPTING TO PUSH IT BACK IN, AFTER DRIVING, THE GAP GROWS TO AN 1 IN AT THE CENTER.
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 25, 2026