2018 Subaru Forester Visibility/wiper Problems
Owners have filed 135 complaints with NHTSA about visibility/wiper problems on the 2018 Subaru Forester, 27% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 18,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “windshield cracked” (24% of reports).
- 135visibility/wiper complaints
- 18,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,350typical repair cost reported by owners
- 52%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Windshield cracked: mentioned in 33 of 135 complaints (24%)
- Rock hit: mentioned in 8 of 135 complaints (6%)
- Crack appeared: mentioned in 8 of 135 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical visibility/wiper repair on the 2018 Subaru Forester at $1,350, and half of them between $1,200 and $1,750.
Based on 6 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2019–2023), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do visibility/wiper problems happen?
Based on 94 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 135 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Subaru Forester visibility/wiper complaints by model year
| Model year | Visibility/wiper complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Forester | 5 | 18% | — |
| 2025 Forester | 13 | 13% | 1,000 |
| 2024 Forester | 5 | 17% | — |
| 2023 Forester | 11 | 15% | — |
| 2022 Forester | 20 | 20% | — |
| 2021 Forester | 76 | 36% | 2,000 |
| 2020 Forester | 252 | 42% | 5,000 |
| 2019 Forester | 370 | 44% | 8,000 |
| 2018 Forester | 135 | 27% | 18,000 |
| 2017 Forester | 104 | 18% | 31,000 |
| 2016 Forester | 20 | 5% | 36,350 |
| 2015 Forester | 23 | 4% | 26,000 |
| 2014 Forester | 9 | 2% | 25,000 |
| 2013 Forester | 1 | 1% | 27,000 |
| 2012 Forester | 2 | 2% | 40,496 |
| 2011 Forester | 3 | 2% | 60,000 |
| 2010 Forester | 5 | 2% | 30,385 |
| 2009 Forester | 4 | 2% | 119,400 |
| 2008 Forester | 1 | 2% | 50,000 |
| 2003 Forester | 2 | 1% | 90,750 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists visibility/wiper for the 2018 Subaru Forester. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Unknown
Windshield cracked sitting parked matching Subaru TSB 12-192-15R except model of vehicle and Subaru stating not covered under the class action warranty extension
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…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2018 Subaru Foresters have visibility/wiper problems?
No. NHTSA has 135 owner complaints about visibility/wiper for the 2018 Subaru Forester (27% of the 498 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Subaru Forester visibility/wiper?
No recall currently lists visibility/wiper for this vehicle.
At what mileage do visibility/wiper problems start?
The median reported mileage is 18,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix visibility/wiper problems on the 2018 Subaru Forester?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,350 (half paid between $1,200 and $1,750), from 6 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about visibility/wiper problems on the 2018 Subaru Forester?
The most frequent phrase is “windshield cracked”, in 33 of 135 complaints, followed by “rock hit” (8).
Other 2018 Subaru Forester problems
See all 2018 Subaru Forester problems or visibility/wiper problems across all Forester years.