It Only Took Five Years For Subaru To Settle A Lawsuit Against Its Best-Sellers

A five-year-long lawsuit concerning defective windshields on both the Subaru Forester and Subaru Outback, among other models, has finally come to a close, with the Japanese marque agreeing to reimburse owners and cover repair costs.

The class action lawsuit was first brought against Subaru of America in 2019, and alleged that, not only were two of its most popular models – the Forester (specifically 2017-2019 examples) and the Outback (2017-2019) – equipped with windshields that would suddenly chip, crack and/or break, but the Subaru had willingly concealed the defect from its customers.

Subaru Finally Pays For The Issue

Subaru denied these claims and refused to pay for the repairs. Fast-forward to April 2025, the brand has now agreed to settle after the lawsuit had grown to include the following vehicles:

• Subaru Ascent (2019-2022)
• Subaru Forester (2019-2022)
• Subaru Legacy (2020-2022)
• Subaru Outback (2020-2022)

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The lawsuit claims Subaru has been aware of the defect plaguing the Forester, Legacy, and Outback, but the automaker says it is driver error.

The four plaintiffs will receive $5,000 apiece, while their legal team, quite incredibly, will walk away with a collective $7,200,000. That seems a little unfair. Nevertheless, the point of a large payment is generally to discourage automakers from doing these sorts of things again.

How Subaru Owners Qualify For Reimbursement

If windshields on the aforementioned models include a “qualifying crack,” as Subaru calls it, the repair costs will be covered. This distinct type of damage to the windshield “manifests as a crack,” and “takes the form of a single line extending from or through a single Discernible Impact Point and reaching toward the edge of the windshield.”

The so-called Discernible Impact Point, however, must be less than 5 mm in diameter and have a crack pattern consistent with minor impacts only (these impact points must also be visible).

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Customers must also provide proof of a repair and at least one photo of the original windshield damage. Those that do will be eligible for 125 percent of the cost of the repair, rising to 150 percent and 200 percent if said customers have had to repair the windshield two or three times, respectively.

If, however, customers are unable to provide a photo of the original damage, they can choose one of six random photographs from a dedicated website provided by Subaru. Bear in mind, though, if they choose the wrong image, their claim is automatically denied.

H/T: CarScoops