- The problem
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Legacy vehicles manufactured November 26, 2008, to June 7, 2013, and 2010-2014 Outback vehicles manufactured January 9, 2009 to June 7, 2013. Due to contamination, components within the windshield wiper motor bottom cover may interfere with each other. If an obstruction, such as a buildup of snow or ice prevents the wiper arms from being able to stop in the parked position, the wiper motor may overheat and the bottom cover may melt.
- The risk
- If the windshield wiper motor overheats, the wipers may fail, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, the wiper motor cover may melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
- The fix
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor bottom cover assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTK-71. Note: This recall supersedes recall 11V-469. All vehicles that were remedied under that campaign are affected by this campaign, and need to have their wiper motor bottom cover replaced again.
Visibility & wipers
2012 Subaru Outback Visibility problems
Owners have filed 9 complaints about the 2012 Subaru Outback's visibility & wipers with NHTSA - 3% of all its complaints, most recently on July 19, 2023. Windshields, wipers, defrosters, mirrors, backup cameras and glare.
- Complaints
- 9
- Recalls
- 3
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Visibility recalls for the 2012 Subaru Outback
- The problem
- Subaru is recalling certain model year 2012 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from April 6, 2011, through May 12, 2011. Components inside the wiper motor bottom cover may overheat.
- The risk
- If the components overheat, the wiper motor bottom cover may melt and potentially catch fire.
- The fix
- Subaru has notified all affected owners, and dealers will replace the front wiper motor bottom cover assembly free of charge. The safety recall began February 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
- The problem
- Subaru is recalling certain model year 2012 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from April 6, 2011, through May 12, 2011. The moonroof glass may come loose or detach. The amount and position of the adhesive between the glass and retainer was inadequately applied.
- The risk
- The moonroof glass can loosen and detach from the vehicle during driving, resulting in a potential road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Subaru has notified the affected owners, and dealers will inspect the glass adhesion condition and either apply additional adhesive or replace the moonroof glass, free of charge. The safety recall began February 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Visibility complaints
The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while entering the vehicle, it was discovered that rainwater had leaked into the vehicle from the sunroof. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on six separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the cause of the failure was due to the sunroof drainage tubes being clogged with debris. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact stated that an unknown TSB addressing the failure had been issued by the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 16,781.
While driving approx. 60 Mph on highway, 5/12/19, in light rain/mist with mild temps around 50 degrees f., I heard a sudden "bam!" And thought my windshield was shot at by a shotgun but it wasn't. Kept driving but heard a swooshing of air sound. All windows were up so I slid the shade panel open to see the sunroof and saw a hole the shape of tennessee in the middle of the sunroof with the glass around the hole pointing upward....As though it was a forced explosion from the inside out. No broken glass or foreign...
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object was found laying inside the shade panel. No rock or meteorite was seen flying my way while driving. Either an object fell from the sky directly into the center of my sunroof or the sunroof exploded on its own.
My windshield wipers suddenly turned on even though they were in the off position. There was no way to turn them off except to pull the fuse under the hood. This creates a very unsafe condition. Leaving the wipers running on a dry windshield also can damage the wipers and windshield. I found a service bulletin from subaru (attached) that describes a switch where moisture and grease caused the switch to short. The switch had been redesigned. I paid 150.00 To have the switch replaced. This should be a safety recall.
I called prestige subaru, in asheville, nc in january, 2017 and was told they did not have the part to replace the "windshield wiper motor bottom cover" at that time; they had to order the part. Okay. So I made an appointment approximately 3 weeks in advance, for thursday february 9th. A couple days before that, a lady from the service department called to say the part did not come in, so there was no need to come for the appointment; and she would call us for another appointment when it did come in. I guess I...
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learned that it takes subaru dealers a long time to get parts, because as of march 20th, 2017, the day I write this, she nor anyone else has called to schedule another appointment. Two or three weeks passed and I phoned the service department and asked for the service manager's name and phone number. I phoned his number and had to leave a message for him to phone me back at my phone number, which he has not done to this current date. Needless to say, I will not take my car to prestige subaru for any kind of service. Excuses of, I didn't get the message, or, I lost his number, or, we have no record him calling, etc., Will not substitute for honest truthfulness. Just now that I have another recall notice on another part, I will schedule an appointment at another dealership.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 subaru outback. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v694000 (visibility); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 subaru outback. While driving approximately 60 mph, the sun roof exploded and caused the glass to fracture. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.
I recently purchased a vehicle from mastria subaru of raynham ma. It had a crack in the windshield that was in the drivers direct view of the road.It initially failed inspection for this ,we were told to come back to have it fixed.They did very little but make the problem worse.Then they passed it for inspection,when I asked the service manager he said it was our problem have your insurance fix it.Now we have a vehicle that is very hard to drive because there is a crack in front of the driver.Is there anything that can be done to resolve this problem?I know from being a ny state inspector for 10 years that is not passable and is a danger to the driver. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 subaru outback. While driving approximately 65 mph, the contact heard a loud abnormal noise and the sunroof shattered. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000.
Since I bought this car, while driving for 15-60 minutes with the windows rolled up and depending on conditions, myself and/or another passenger will begin to feel very light headed, irritated eyes, hard to focus, and nearly pass out. It's a forced situation like being put in a choke hold or suffocated gently not just feeling relaxed or comfy. The effects last for some time depending on exposure too. We could be lively with good energy, but using the car as said will kill it. It also occurs faster the more you...
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breathe. The only cure is fresh air. I thought it was the hvac system first, but the fan speed doesn't seem to affect it so I'd guess it's something else. My best guess is it has something to do with the rear tail gate seal not sealing right sucking in exhaust. The reason we can't readily identify a smell is probably because it's a pzev system, and it really doesn't have a typical exhaust odor. Subaru refused to help and said "it smells fine". After a month of trying they finally agreed to do a ride along for just 30 minutes. After completion one said "i don't feel anymore tired than usual" and the other agreed. They also told me at one point auto nation's subaru regional rep said "you can put your mouth on the tail pipe and suck on it and you'll be fine"... In the end I just traded it in for a 2013 outback but someone else will own this car soon. This car needs a real inspection before someone actually dies from it. I'm lucky enough to have survived because prolonged use over a few weeks makes the effects worse but if driven someone who isn't very alert probably will fall asleep and crash. I almost did a few times and why I spent this summer without ac except in my tests, all bad. Again, I'm not the only person to have experienced this, other passengers have too. My new outback doesn't have this issue either. Please keep me updated. *Tr
Subaru Outback visibility complaints by year
Outback visibility problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data