Has anyone had a problem with their windshield going dark while driving at night. I have a 2019 Subaru Forester and the top part of the winsheil seems darker, then lowers down the windshield while driving.

Have a friend confirm what you see at night. The top is tinted but no car I have ever heard of has a dimming windshield. You may be having night vision problems!

There were three other people in the car with me. We all experienced the same thing.

Had two neighbors rode with me tonight. They experienced the same thing when going especially when going down a hill.

Just not possible. Your windshield can no more dim on its own than your ice tea glass. Maybe the angle of the headlights to the road is changing when you are driving which can give the illusion that the lights are getting dimmer or brighter. Are you wearing polarized glasses?

There is a dark line across the entire windsheild at night. When you go down a hill the dark line goes down the windshield just as thought you were lowering a shade. The first time I drove the car at night there were 3 other people in the car. We all experienced the same thing. I had non polarized glasses, one person had contacts and the other two had no glasses. Tonight my neighbors came with me. A man and his wife. The man was driving and all 3 of us experienced the same thing. It's very scary to drive down a hill at night because the windshield is so dark you can hardly see. If you put on the high beams the darkness goes away.

All you are seeing is the low beam cut off line which is 100% normal. When you go up and down hills there is a spot where the beams are shining up in the air or down on the ground rather than down the road. I live in the mountains so this happens all the time due to constant up and down slopes. Try turning the fog lights on which might reduce this a little bit. You are confusing the windshield for what you see through it.

You are probably used to driving older cars that had headlights that were poorly controlled. Modern headlights have much better optical design. The sharp cut off for the low beams is to reduce glare for oncoming drivers.

I do not have fog lights. I previously owned a 2016 Outback and had no problems. When driving downhill the low beams don't illuminate the next uphill. The headlights may reduce glare but what good is that if they don't illuminate and you can't see. This is very dangerous. I want to be able to see at night when I am driving.

No car has headlights that are aimed up hill. If they were you could not see down the road on the flats. Perhaps you should not drive at night.

This was not only me experiencing this. A total of 5 of five other people rode with me and experienced the same thing. Two of the 5 drove my car.

As I said my car does the same thing but it is the HEADLIGHTS, NOT the windshield which is just a piece of glass. I think you should buy a different car.

I drove my 2019 Forester last night and experienced the same thing. The top half of the windshield was darker than the lower half. I felt like I had to lower my head to see better. This was on a flat surface. Others noticed as well.

Thanks for your comment. I am sorry you are experiencing this problem also but it is comforting to know that I'm not crazy like my dealership and Subaru seem to think. Many others have ridden with me and noticed also. Could you please contact Will Hudson at Subaru complaint? He is aware of my problem and if he heard from others who are having the same difficulty they might do something to correct the problem. This is a serious safety issue. Will's number is -800-782-2783.

My 2019 Forester Premium is doing the same thing. I cannot see to drive at night because the windshield is so dark and it goes completely dark on a decline. I am afraid to drive at night. Subaru should admit their design flaw and offer a remedy or issue a recall/buyback. This is a safety issue that needs corrected immediately.

Yup just got a 2020 Subaru and I see the same thing. It’s how the headlights are positioned. It’s scary.

We have a 2019 Ascent and we see the same dark line across the windshield at night. We just brought it back from the dealership who states there is nothing wrong. They even kept it over night to drive the car and say they didn’t experience a problem.

I am so sorry you are having this problem too. My dealership kept my car for two nights and said they didn't experience the problem.

One last time. This is the design of the headlight reflectors. There is a sharp cut off when on low beams so you don't blind oncoming traffic.

Then they need to redesign the headlight reflectors so that the driver can see to drive. Its very scary and dangerous. Everyone who rides in my car say the same thing. Other people that have this problem are not driving at night anymore.

We just drove a 2020 rav. We had a terrible time driving home because of that dark line. It is terribly unsafe. We drive dark, country roads. You cannot see enough ahead. If an obstacle, deer, or a person was in the road we would not see them in time to stop. It is not noticeable in town with all the lighting. That is why the dealerships don't experience it. If it is the lights then why can't they be adjusted? Replaced?

I totally agree with you. It is very unsafe to drive at night.

Have hard time seeing traffics lights changing Feel like I have to dip head below shadow line on upper windshield What is purpose of this dark section on windshield at night

I have a 2018 ForesterXT sold for Subaru Philippines. I noticed it the first night I drove the car. I thought it was because of the tinted windshield which is very common for vehicles here. After two years of night driving I finally had the dealer adjust the beams the other day and first impression was it got a little better but still noticeable on the windshield. I always use my high beams to compensate for the poor visibility. I doubt removing the tint would also remove the dark line accross as most agree it is the cutoff of the LED beams that makes it look this way. I am sure SUBARU have known it for awhile and making changes or recall would be not cost effective. Their answer I think was to include the HBA assist on all eyesight models as a owners were getting annoyed of turning on and off the highbeam switch. They just won’t admit to the design defect and apparently have not fix the issue with the new generation Forester or we won’t be having this conversation.

You re exactly right! Thank-you for your post. I am so tired of the Subaru dealership telling me nothing is wrong. They kept my car for two evenings and said they compared it to another Forester just like mine. The service manager said they could not find anything wrong. I'm surprised that this issue has not caused traffic accidents.

Did anyone ever get a remedy for this issue? My mom has a 2020 Subaru Forester and she is 74 years old. She lives in rural Tennnesse and kept telling me this issue was happening. I couldnt quite figure out what it was and thought she was a little crazy until I found this post. How can I get the dealer to fix the issue with her windshield, its dangerous?

Does anyone bother to use their brights? Problem solved!

we have a 2021 Forrester and we have the same issue with our windshield. The upper half get dark at night with the headlights on, high bean or low beam.

I'm so sorry you are having this problem. It's scary! Please call Subaru headquarters to let them know. If you go to Subaru .com there will be a phone number to contact them.

I am having the same problem with my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. Ford knew about it and didn't tell buyers or at least didn't tell 'this buyer aka me'. They had to do it, they said, to appease new federal laws that protect oncoming traffic from being blinded by LED lights. However, the actual law says that it can't also block the driver's view of the road. It does though! and it's dangerous! No one cares! So I have a part time vehicle that I can't drive at night without high beams all the time...which would get me a ticket from the cops especially if I caused a wreck by blinding drivers in front of me on the interstate. it was suggested to me to call Ford, as the dealership can't do anything about it. the regulations from Ford actually says 'do not attempt to fix problem'. Maybe others can call their company. I am currenting planning on making Ford give me a refund and money for my trouble...at least a refund.

We have a 2021 Forester and it has this dimming windshield problem. We live in the Ozarks with a lot of hills and deer that like to run across the road when you get close to them and they are very difficult to see with the windshield going dark the way it does.

just bought a 2021 Forester, and night driving is not safe when half the windshield is dark because the LED lighting system does not provide full visibility. Dealership will attempt to raise the beam if they can - pending a service call. Very disappointing. fine if you live in the city with overhead lights on main roads and side streets - not fine in a city that reduces light pollution by not having overhead lights on the roads. From the sounds of this site - it appears that this is something that is in the design when using LEDs to reduce glare for those in front of you, and for those oncoming. Perhaps it's time to revisit the LED

So what do we do? We have a 2020 Subaru, our older Subaru did not have this problem. We will never buy a vehicle like this again.

There is no problem with the windshield. Are people really that dense that they think a magic piece of glass is the problem?

People are saying it is not safe to drive at night because there is poor disability due to the led lighting system.

You should try the brights which are excellent. Low beam is for low speeds and in cities.

I too am experiencing this problem with my brand new 2021 Subaru Forester. Those of us trying to figure this out know it is not the windshield but rather the lights. However, explaining what you can see (or not see as the case may be) through the windshield is a way to try to describe this very unsettling problem to someone who has not experienced it. It is disheartening to hear others are having this same issue. Putting on the high beams does not work. The bottom line is there is a serious problem with the lighting system. If you do not live in the city and/or where there is sufficient overhead lighting these cars are not safe to drive at night. The dealership was absolutely no help. I will try the 800 number listed above. If this cannot be resolved then i will be forced to sell this car.

Just leased a Forrester 2021. I have the same problem. How dangerous is this? Very!! High beams do not resolve the issue. Subaru has a poor headlight design that is causing the problem. There is NO fix for this design flaw. When the lease is up, I will look to other manufacturers and will test drive in night time conditions.

I posted before about my 2021 Ford Bronco having this same problem. Wanted to add that since Ford CAN'T fix this issue, we fixed it ourselves. We shined the headlights on our white garage door, and we could see the black line on the garage door in the middle of 'light' above and below that solid black 'line'. We adjusted the headlights ourselves, until the black line was way higher up on the garage door. Now I can see just fine in the dark on rural roads, Not saying the 'black area' is not still visible. It is, but it's higher up toward the top of the windshield so not a safety issue anymore.

I have had a 2022 forester wilderness for about 10 days now, and I drive 40 miles each way to and from work, on a windy, hilly road with no street lights. I have had no problem with being able to see, I wonder if the wilderness version has different lights or they changed the windshield? For the record, I wear glasses.

I recently purchased a Forester Wilderness and experienced the same thing. Finally figured it out -- *** PUT THE HEADLIGHTS ON "AUTO" and YOU HAVE TO PUSH THE HEADLIGHT LEVER FORWARD TO ACTIVATE THE AUTO HIGH BEAMS ***** This solved the problem.

Is F_O_R an idiot? Lots oof people clearly have this issue. The problem is Subaru's, not ours. Yes, the dark windshield is mostly resolved by using the high beams, but there's a reason that there are low and high beams. Blinding oncoming drivers is not a solution! We have 2017 Forester and we love it for winter driving, but driving at night is the pits when you can't see. Very scary! Would not consider buying this car again until Subaru corrects the problem with their beams.

Guru921XLL - You have to put the headlight switch on "Auto" and MOVE THE HEADLIGHT LEVER FORWARD to activate automatic high beams. The vehicle will switch from low to high beams automatically. This fixes the issue. I've had my Forester Wilderness for ten days; took a week to figure this out! Now it's perfect!

Truth, Head light has a design flaw, Park in front of the garage with light on, you will see the problem. IF THERE IS A DEER IN THE ROAD YOU WILL NOT SEE IT UNTILL ITS TO LATE.

Or a Person

In court Subaru would be held at fault. but they have a lot of lawyers.

I'm a first time Subaru owner but am now challenging my decision to buy a Subaru. While driving at night on dark roads in Pennsylvania, it was quite obvious and strange that the top half of the windshield was black while the bottom half was clear showing the lights on the road. This was quite annoying and disruptive while driving; We did not notice such on a well-lit road. I've been driving for over 55 years and have never experienced such an issue. I called the dealer and he never heard of such but did read the comments on the web link I shared with him. It's truly unsafe and disturbing while driving on darker roads. I'm considering trading in this wonderful car, taking a loss, and buying something that doesn't disturb me while driving at night. I don't need a potential accident at this point of my life. Safety first.

I just drove my 2023 Outback at night for the first time the other night , rural country roads . I thought i was going nuts and I was hating the drive . I can only imagine how much more dangerous this would be in the rain with wet road conditions . I'm really beginning to hate this car and it doesn't even have 1000k on it yet .

Reposting my complaint to NHTSA: I purchased this Outback and did not test drive at night (assuming I'd never have issues with headlight functionality). Upon driving at night, however, there are safety issues with the low beams. As others have mentioned, there are two shadow artifacts near the top of the field of vision that move from side to side. They are distracting (almost looks like an animal darting across the road) and dangerous. Secondly, the cutoff line with the projector headlights on low-beams severely limits field of vision. I have to slow way down going around curves and down hills, as I can only see about 20 feet in front of the vehicle. I tried adjust the headlights up higher, but that just causes on-coming drivers to constantly flash me. I owned a 2015 Outback before this and had none of these issues. In researching forums, this is a widespread issue

Just bought a 2024 BMS X5... and have this same issue. Putting the lights on Auto makes sense. I will try that.

2017 Hyundai Sante Fe does the same thing as described in this post . IT IS NOT A HEADLIGHT ISSUE !!! If I sit higher or lower in the seat the black line follows. If it was meant as a safety issue to reduce glare of lights from oncoming traffic , it has actually caused a more dangerous effect. I will never purchase another vehicle without test driving at night , as I don't ever want a windshield with this option .....

Wow, I am having the same problem with my "new" 2021 Chevy Trailblazer. I had the headlights adjusted locally at the dealership and had the same shadow coming at least half way down my windshield (all across). I called and filed a complaint with Chev Canada a couple of weeks ago and today they told me that servicing did everything up to standards and that there is no problem! Then they offered a free oil change and a free 35 pt inspection. I asked the lady what's going to happen when I'm driving at night with this problem and an accident happens? Seriously feel like they think I must be crazy yet they can't tell me why this is happening and what the solution is. I asked her to re-check whether the tech that took my car over night actually took it for a test drive in the country - she's going to get back to me. If they didn't drive it at night - they will not know what I'm talking about in my opinion.

Is there a fix or a way to "fake" an angle if there is an auto leveler feature?