Other visibility problem on the 2010 Subaru Forester
Only 5 reports for this mode came with an odometer reading, which is too few for percentiles to mean anything. The page is here because someone linked to it; treat the figures as anecdotes, and see the full report for this year instead.
When other visibility problem gets reported
There are 7 reports of other visibility problem on the 2010 Subaru Forester, 5 with a mileage attached. That is too few to place the failure on the odometer with any confidence.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 75,000 miles. It is the 9th most-reported problem on this model year.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 29,100 miles | — | — |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $150–$1,400 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 16 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2023, at a median of 2,000 miles, and latest on the 2012 at 70,000 miles.
By volume the 2019 carries the most reports, with 290; the 2010 has 7. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
I bought a 2010 subaru forester in sept. Of 2009. After purchase I noticed that the left outside rearview mirror had a distortion in the glass which made it difficult in passing and backing up. The best way I can describe it is like looking into a "fun house mirror" at an amusement park. I took my forester back to the dealer and the service manager said that he noticed the defect also and he had me come in to have the mirror replaced. After the replacement the defect is still there, and the service manager told me that this is a problem that subaru is having with their mirrors and there is no fix for it at this time. I contacted subaru customer service web site and after some conversations back and forth I've been told it's my problem now that there is no fix for the problem, and that there is no problem with the mirror. If there is no problem then why did they replace it to try to fix the problem? In my opinion it is a serious defect because it is very difficult and unsafe when trying to pass another vehicle on the highway or when trying to backup using a mirror that you can't see a good view to the rear. After a few emails back…
I am writing to file a complaint regarding my 2010 subaru forester which was purchased in april, 2010. I have driven the vehicle myself for only 5,371 miles and only in the city. About a week ago, I noted a small, smooth-surfaced crack about 2 inches long that originated at the top edge of the front windshield. The appearance of the crack was not associated with any impact. In less than 48 hours, the small crack elongated to more than 8 inches. I brough the vehicle to the local subaru service department on february 8 for inspection. The service department representative informed me that the crack was not a "stress fracture" but due to an impact. He stated that the crack was not covered by either my subaru warranty nor my extended service warranty because it was not a "stress fracture". However, in my judgement, this crack originated as a smooth-surfaced crack akin to a description of a "stress fracture". I also note that a number of complaints have previously been reported by consumers about the high incidence of windshield stress cracks in subaru vehicles, including the forester. Replacement of my windshield on my relatively new…
I was driving back home on us6 at approximately 1pm last friday when the glass of back windshield completely shattered for no reason, it exploded making a loud noise that first shocked me thought I managed to maintain control of the vehicle. After I calmed down I looked around to see what had happened and then I noticed that the glass in the back shield was reduced to tiny pieces all over to the point in which the rear vision was obstructed. I reported the incident to subaru, (sr#1-2037476585), and they told me to take it to the dealer for inspection to determine the cause of the failure. I requested an appointment with groove subaru in littleton and took the vehicle in today at 7am only to be told that they are not experts in forensics and could not determine the cause of the incident, but that could have been a rock (we are familiar with rocks hitting cars here inn co, so I do not think it was the reason for the incident) and to call abra to have the glass replaced. *tr
Also reported on the 2010 Subaru Forester
Other body or interior problem
Airbag inflator rupture
Other brake problem
Other engine problem
Other speed control problem
Loss of braking
How far this goes
This page is kept out of search results because 7 reports is not enough to publish percentiles from. It stays reachable because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see the reports than be told there are none.
Complaints are voluntary, so 7 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other visibility problem happen on the 2010 Subaru Forester?
Across 5 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 30,000 miles. A quarter were filed before — and a quarter after —. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other visibility problem on the 2010 Subaru Forester?
7 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed