2018 Subaru Forester · symptom sheet

Windshield cracks or distorts

153owner reports
21,000median miles
$1,000median quote
0involved a crash

Newest report May 27, 2025 · checked Oct 2, 2026

169 of the 495 complaints on this car are about the windshield and wipers. 153 of those describe windshield, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2018 Forester.

No recall on this systemas of Oct 2, 2026

No crash reportedin 153 reports

Tick what matches of 153 reports

cracked with no impact

a crack spread from the edge

replaced more than once

insurance or I paid

Windshield on other Forester years

2017114 reports 2018153 reports 2019399 reports 2020301 reports 202186 reports

Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026.

What this problem usually is

Many windshield complaints are about cracks owners can't explain: a line that starts at the edge of the glass, or a small chip that spreads. Nearly one in five of these complaints mentions it happening again or a second windshield.

Read the full explainer · Which cars report it most

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the windshield (153 reports) and the camera recalibration (6 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the windshield and wipers covers the 2018 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.

What owners paid

8 of the 153 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $750 to $1,500.

$750$1,000$1,500

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 11,350 and 30,000 miles, from the 112 reports that gave a mileage.

Is this a known problem?

The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 2 service bulletins or notices for the 2018 Subaru Forester that deal with this problem. Newest first.

Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.

Service bulletin12-272-19RSep 30, 2019
This bulletin announces a design change made to the front door glass run channels. Water can enter the run channels and cause a stick-slip (judder) condition to occur as the door glass opens and closes.
Service bulletin12-234-18Jul 28, 2018
This bulletin provides a repair procedure for replacing the foam cushion installed between the top front edge of the IP and the windshield glass.

What owners wrote

“Windshield cracked starting in the black area under the driver's windshield wiper. Car was idling at a drive through, wipers were on. NOTE: car had fewer than 22,500k miles at the time, was likely around 22,485+. The crack continued to climb to the top edge of the window as my car sat on the driveway.”
Filed Feb 6, 2025 · 22,500 miles

“My wife's 2018 Subaru Forester was sitting in our driveway and the windshield cracked on its own. Little while later, the crack got bigger. The crack alone should be a safety issue but it also affects the safety features with the camera system and eyesight technology. I'm told this is a common issue Subaru is aware of but they tell me it is not covered.”
Filed Apr 25, 2022

“Hi, I came home. Parked in my carport on a moderately cool morning. Three hours later I came out and there was a huge crack up the center of my windshield around 10â long”
Filed Jan 24, 2022

“Temperature dropped to -20 and large crack randomly appeared on driver side windshield. This crack has caused the eyesight safety feature to not work meaning I donât have lane departure warning or forward collision warning. Informed my warranty does not cover the windshield repair or required camera recalibration.”
Filed Jan 19, 2022

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 153 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.

Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found