2016 Subaru Outback Visibility & Wipers Problems
NHTSA lists 91 Visibility & Wipers complaints for the 2016 Subaru Outback, 14% of all complaints for the year, mostly windshield cracking reported at a median mileage of 35,500. One crash and no fires or injuries were linked to this area, and no related recalls exist.
- Visibility & Wipers complaints
- 91
- 14% of 643
- Crashes reported
- 1
- Fires reported
- 0
- Injuries reported
- 0
- Median mileage
- 35,500 mi
- Related recalls
- 0
Typical visibility and wiper symptoms owners report
- Owners report windshields cracking or chipping with no apparent rock strike, sometimes while the car sat parked in a garage.
- Small pebble or gravel strikes produce cracks that owners describe as spreading unusually fast, from a small chip to many inches within seconds or minutes.
- Cracks are frequently reported starting near the passenger-side edge or near the wiper area and then extending across the windshield.
- Some owners noticed windshield pitting from tiny pebbles that they felt should not have damaged the glass, suggesting to them a fragile or defective windshield.
- A few complaints describe hearing a click or pop sound before a crack appeared while driving on the highway.
- Several incidents occurred very early in ownership, with cracks appearing within days or a couple hundred miles of purchase.
When 2016 Subaru Outback visibility and wiper complaints were filed
First complaint Aug 31, 2015, latest Dec 21, 2025.
Visibility & Wipers recalls for the 2016 Subaru Outback
No safety recalls on record for this model year.
Visibility & Wipers complaints by Outback model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- How many 2016 Subaru Outback owners complained about visibility and wipers issues?
- NHTSA lists 91 complaints in the Visibility & Wipers category for the 2016 Outback, which is 14% of the 643 total complaints filed for that model year.
- Is there a recall for windshield cracking on the 2016 Subaru Outback?
- No. NHTSA lists no related recalls for the Visibility & Wipers issues reported on the 2016 Outback.
- At what mileage do these windshield problems usually happen?
- The median mileage at failure for Visibility & Wipers complaints on the 2016 Outback is 35,500 miles, though several sample complaints describe cracks appearing within a few hundred to a few thousand miles.
- Did the windshield issues cause any crashes or injuries?
- NHTSA data shows 1 crash tied to this problem area on the 2016 Outback, with no reported fires or injuries.
- Is the 2016 Outback worse than other years for this problem?
- Its 14% share is lower than several other Outback years, such as 2020 at 43% and 2022 at 60%, based on NHTSA complaint data across model years.