There are 3 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2001 Subaru Outbackin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
IT'S BEEN RATHER COLD HERE THE PAST COUPLE DAYS (SINGLE DIGITS, -20 WIND CHILL). I WAS SITTING IN MY 2001 OUTBACK YESTERDAY EVENING LETTING IT WARM UP. I TURNED ON THE DEFROSTER, WINDSHIELD WIPER DEFROSTER INCLUDED. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, I ACTUALLY WATCHED THE WINDSHIELD CRACK FROM BOTH ENDS OF THE DEFROSTER ELEMENT! WHEN I GOT HOME I CHECKED IT OUT FURTHER. THE CRACK EXTENDS THE FULL LENGTH OF THE DEFROSTER ELEMENT ON THE WINDSHIELD. THERE WAS NO IMPACT OF ANY KIND. AS THIS IS OBVIOUSLY UNSAFE, I AM HAVING TO PAY $300 FOR A WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT. THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THE SUBARU OUTBACKS. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A DEFECTIVE COMPONENT AND A MAJOR SAFETY RISK. THOUGH THE GLASS MAY NOT BLOW IN, THE SHATTER WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY AT 65 MPH WOULD CERTAINLY CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT. *JB
VEHICLE IS LEAKING FROM THE SUNROOF ASSEMBLY (HINGES). DEALER REPAIR AN CONSUMER STATES THE PROBLEM IS REOCURRING. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. WE DON'T HAVE NO RECALL LIKE THIS PROBLEM. MR
WHILE DRIVING, THE SUN ROOF EXPLODED. *JB
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