Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Subaru Forester owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked outside during a snowstorm; while removing snow from the windshield, she noticed that the windshield was severely cracked. Additionally, the contact stated that the crack originated from the driver's side of the windshield to the passenger's side. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,855.
I have a crack running across the bottom of my windshield. I took the car to SafeLite for replacement. They do a pre-service check of the EyeSsight camera system which provides forward collision avoidance and lane departure warning. The scan revealed History Code P00FF and a Current Code B280AA8. The SafeLite technician advised they could not replace the windshield until the codes were removed. Then they could replace the windshield and calibrate the EyeSight system. They also stated I had to go to a dealer code removal. I contacted Brunswick Subaru (dealer where I purchased the vehicle) and they stated they could only calibrate after the windshield was replaced. Another dealer (Ganley Subaru) stated the same thing. PROBLEM - the windshield cannot be replaced with the codes and the dealer cannot remove the codes (by recalibration) until the windshield is replaced. …
A small crack appeared mysteriously on the front windshield and has spread - over the past month - where it now covers 1/2 of the windshield. Nothing hit my car, to create the crack or make it spread. The right air bag light keeps going on and keeps beeping when there is no one sitting in the seat. The only way i can get it to stop is to engage the seat belt - again, even though there is no one in the seat.
Noticed that there was a crack in the windshield when starting up car. Not sure why windshield should crack when parked. I can understand if this happened when driving on highway or next to construction vehicles.
My new 2015 Subaru Forester with about 3,000 miles on it developed a long crack from the center top of the windsheild caused by what looked like an insignificanlty small pebble. The impact was barely noticible. I was going about 45 miles an hour. After inspecting the windsheild, I noticed a super tiny pit where a miniscule pebble must have hit the window. In the morning the tiny pit turned into a full on crack extending half way down then curving midway towards the driver side. I have an extended warranty with my insurance and they replaced it. It would have cost me 625.00. I paid the 50.00 deductible. The dealer would not cover the windsheild. It was replaced with an OEM Subaru windsheild. This was highly irregular. Never in all my years of driving has a small pebble, the pit size of a millimeter caused this kind of damage. …
This is my first winter owning a suburu Forester and most of the time it is stored in our garage. We live in wny and some times have to park it outside. On 3 different occasions, the SUV was parked outdoors in temperatures less than 25 degrees and all the windows froze over on the inside. For those times it was parked 3 hours outdoors and it took us 15-20 minutes to defrost the windows before we could drive. A couple of times we ran into stores and in less than 15 minutes the interior of the windows began to freeze. This week we had a service call at our local suburu dealer and the service manager told us he was aware of the issue but suburu has given them no solutions. He told me to try lowering a window while parked in the garage overnight to try to get the moisture out. It appears this model is overly air tight and this design flaw has not been addressed. …
Prior to driving my car on August 18, 2020, there were no observable defects in my windshield. I drove about a quarter mile to the post office. When arriving, there was still no defect. About 2-3 minutes later, I returned to my car and found a large crack in the windshield that extended from the top middle, behind the rear view mirror, diagonally down to the lower corner on the passenger side. I took my car to the Subaru dealer who inspected the crack and told me there was a minuscule chip at the top of the windshield, which I couldn't even see, along the crack and that because of the chip, the windshield would not be covered under the vehicle warranty. The replacement cost, including the required recalibration of the "eyesight" safety system would cost me more that $1,000.00. …
On Monday, 11/18/19, I found my windshield had a fairly long crack (about 9 inches) which appeared to be internal at the top of my driver side windshield. This apparently occurred sometime between 11/16 and 11/18 while my vehicle was parked in my driveway near my home. Other than rain, we had not had any significant weather event that might be an explanation. Strangely, there does not appear to be any visible or tactile chip. Even when I scrape my fingernail across the crack, I can not detect any difference from a smooth windshield. This makes me believe it is within the glass itself. I had read about subaro Forester recalls for cracking windshield and had been relieved to see that my year was not included. Then a few days later I found this problem. …
Windshield problem on new vehicle. Within the first 12 months of ownership, the windshield has cracked on 3 (three) separate occassions to the point of having to be replaced with Subaru genuine glass. The vehicle was in motion on a highway when the damage occurred. The damage was due to unknown road debris (gravel/rock), but instead of dings in the windshield, the glass automatically cracked and resulted in unsafe driving conditions. The windshield was replaced on all 3 occasions with Subaru genuine glass. Is there a windshield design flaw on the Subaru Forester limited? It the design flaw and windshield breakage due to the heating element? What is causing the weakness in the windshield of the 2015 Subaru Forester limited? Windshield breakage incidents: 1. June 2015 - in motion on highway @60 miles 2. 12/28/2015 - in motion on highway @60 miles 3. …
Shortly after 8 am on Friday, November 1, 2019, the rear window of my 2015 Forester spontaneously exploded. It blew outward, with some glass pieces flying nearly 20 feet. At the time of the explosion, the vehicle was parked in my driveway and the outside temperature was 34 degrees. Upon close inspection of the remaining glass pieces, I could see the rear window had bowed out before exploding outward. The entire window was shattered. In addition to the glass, the explosion broke the plastic paneling inside the hatch that was next to the glass. The glass had no scratches, chips, or damage to it prior to the explosion.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Forester years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2015 Subaru Forester?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2015 Subaru Forester, 4% of the model year's 615 complaints. The component named most often is windshield (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2015 Subaru Forester window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2015 Subaru Forester, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2015 Subaru Forester window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 27,000 miles, and 45% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.