There are 15 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2016 Subaru Legacyin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I went to the store with an intact and unblemished windshield. After returning to the vehicle, a crack in the passenger side of the windshield appeared with no chip or damage visible. After only a day, this cracked had tripled in length with weekly crackling sounds. This is a known issue with Subarus and the manufacturer is trying to be selective with repairs. My vehicle has the EyeSight system and will cost me $1100.00 to repair because it's $700.00 to calibrate the system after glass repair..
I was driving home from work when the windshield cracked from the bottom of the passenger side right by the windshield wiper and now has spiraled up
A 6-inch crack suddenly appeared in the lower driver's side area of the windshield starting from the very edge in the black area. It follows the exact pattern of multiple other windshield crack complaints in this model year. The windshield has already been replaced twice before out-of-pocket due to similar cracking.
CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD IN MY DIRECT LINE OF SIGHT, I AM NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING HITTING THE WINDSHIELD TO CAUSE IT. I PURCHASED VEHICLE USED ONLY 3 MONTHS AGO. WHEN I PURCHASED IT THE DEALERSHIP HAD MENTIONED THAT THEY HAD JUST REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD. SO THE NEW WINDSHIELD WAS ONLY 3 MONTHS OLD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED NEAR THE WINDSHIELD WIPER. CARTER SUBARU SHORELINE (17225 AURORA AVE N, SEATTLE, WA 98133; (206) 542-1166) WAS CONTACTED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OPENED A CASE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,000.
ON 2019-11-30 WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, THE DRIVER HEARD A SUDDEN SOUND AND A CRACK APPEARED ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK APPEARED TO ORIGINATE FROM THE CENTER BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD, RISE UPWARD ABOUT A FOOT, THEN TOWARD PASSENGER SIDE A FEW INCHES. OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW DAYS THE CRACK BECAME LONGER TOWARD PASSENGER SIDE, WHILE PARKED OVERNIGHT. ON 2019-12-03 VEHICLE OWNER CALLED SOA TO NOTIFY THEM OF THE POTENTIAL DEFECT OCCURRENCE WITH THE WINDSHIELD, AND WAS PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER FOR WARRANTY CLAIM/DEFECT. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO LOCAL SUBARU DEALER IN ZIP CODE 32609 FOR INSPECTION, AND TO HAVE THEM TAKE PICTURES TO BE SENT TO SOA FOR REVIEW, REFERENCING THE CASE NUMBER. DEALER SAID THEY THOUGHT THE CRACK WAS FROM AN IMPACT EVENT, AND RECOMMENDED A LOCAL BODY SHOP FOR OWNER TO PURCHASE A REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD, AND EYESIGHT RECALIBRATION, AT OWNER COST. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY THE RECOMMENDED BODY SHOP ON 2019-12-11, OWNER FILED CLAIM WITH THEIR VEHICLE INSURANCE. AS OF 2019-12-23, NO RESPONSE HAS BEEN RECEIVED BY VEHICLE OWNER FROM SOA ON THE CASE THAT WAS FILED. THE ATTACHED PHOTOS ARE OF THE CRACKED WINDSHIELD, NOTING THE CRACK PROGRESSION FROM 2019-11-30 TO 2019-12-03. THE WINDSHIELD IDENTIFIERS ARE IDENTICAL ON THE CRACKED AND REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELDS.
MY WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY DEVELOPED A CRACK WHILE PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY FOR A WEEK. NO DEBRIS WAS FOUND AROUND THE VEHICLE. LOOKS LIKE IT STARTED WITH THE TOP PASSENGER SIDE AND EXTENDED 1 FOOT DOWN AND 1.5 FEET ACROSS TO THE DRIVERS SIDE.
WINDSHIELD CRACKED STARTING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD (IN THE MIDDLE) AND IT SPREAD WHILE BEING STATIONARY. GOT IT REPLACED BY SUBARU. A MONTH LATER THE NEW WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN THE SAME EXACT PLACE AND SPREAD WHILE STATIONARY. BOTH TIMES IT WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY.
WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED A CRACKED UNDER PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER AND HAS NOW SPREAD ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF MY WINDSHIELD. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN I NOTICED IT
ONE MORNING AFTER BEING PARKED ALL NIGHT, WE NOTICED A SIX INCH CRACK APPEARED ONE DAY IN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD HALF WAY UP AT THE PASSENGER SIDE EDGE AND EXTENDING TOWARD THE DRIVER SIDE. THERE IS NO IMPACT OR CHIP SITE IN THE WINDSHIELD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU LEGACY. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE MIRRORS REFLECTED THE SILVER CHROME FROM AROUND THE AIR CONDITIONING VENTS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THIS OBSTRUCTED THE VIEW OF THE ROAD ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE DEALER TINTED THE WINDOWS, BUT THE ISSUE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,200.
FRONT WINDSHIELD GOT CRACK UPON BEING HITTING BY A FOREIGN OBSTACLE, MAYBE A PEBBLE. WITHIN A DAY, THE CRACK LINE EXTENDED TO MORE THAN 1 FOOT, WHICH AFFECTED FRONT VISIBILITY. WITHIN A FEW WEEKS, THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED TO MY 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK THAT SHARES THE SAME WINDSHIELD COMPONENT WITH LEGACY. IN THE PAST, I HAD WINDSHIELD CRACKS WITH OTHER CARS I OWNED BUT THE CRACKS DID NOT GROW AS FAST AS SUBARU'S. I AM WONDERING IF THE SUBARU'S WINDSHIELD USED IN LEGACY AND OUTBACK MAY HAVE A MATERIAL PROBLEM OR A MANUFACTURING ISSUE.
I BOUGHT THE CAR AS A DEALER CAR (THEY TOLD ME IT WAS REGISTERED TO A MANAGER AS A TEST CAR). IT HAD 4,810 MILES WHEN I BOUGHT IT. I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR JUST OVER 300 MILES. WHEN I TEST DRIVE IT, IT MADE A SOUND LIKE A STONE HIT THE WINDSHIELD. THEN ALMOST EVERY TIME I HAVE DRIVEN IT SINCE, INCLUDING THREE TIMES TODAY, IT MADE THE SAME EXACT SOUND. I WAS DRIVING BOTH IN CITY TRAFFIC (RED LIGHT TO RED LIGHT) AND ON A TOLL ROAD WITH LIMITED TRAFFIC. WHEN I GOT OUT AND LOOKED AT THE WINDSHIELD, I NOTICED LITERALLY 50 OR MORE SMALL "CHIPS" IN THE WINDSHIELD.
WITHIN A MONTH OF PURCHASING BRAND NEW, MY 2016 LEGACY DEVELOPED A MASSIVE CRACK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD NEAR THE DEFROST. I REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD WITH A NEW SUBARU WINDSHIELD ONLY TO HAVE IT CRACK AGAIN IN A DIFFERENT PLACE WITHIN A FEW MONTHS. I CONTACTED SUBARU AS THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELDS ON THE EARLY 2016 MODELS AND THEY REFUSED TO ASSIST.
HIGH GLOSS NAVIGATION SCREEN AND HIGH GLOSS FINISH ON VENTS REFLECT SUN AT CERTAIN ANGLES AND RESULT IN SUN BEING REFLECTED INTO DRIVERS EYES CAUSING A BLINDING CONDITION. THIS HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING DURING DAYLIGHT WHEN SUN IS OUT. THIS IS A SEVERE AND SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE DRIVEN SUBARUS FOR YEARS AND JUST GOT THE 2016 LEGACY. HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLE. HAVE TO PUT A TOWEL OVER AREA WHEN SUN IS OUT TO DRIVE WITHOUT BEING BLINDED.
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