Identifying the Correct Liftgate Glass for Your Forester
Determining which rear window belongs on your tailgate comes down to checking your factory tint level and matching your vehicle's trim package. Subaru produced two distinct rear glass variants across this production run, differentiated primarily by the light transmittance of the glass itself rather than changes in body shape or mounting holes.
Base trim levels generally arrived from the factory equipped with standard green-tinted clear glass, carrying original equipment part number 63019SG000. In contrast, the higher trims—specifically the 2.5i Premium, 2.5i Limited, 2.5i Touring, and the turbocharged 2.0XT models—shipped with deep factory privacy glass under part number 63019SG010, which Subaru later superseded with part number 63019SG011.
| Trim Level | Factory Glass Tint | Subaru Part Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Base (2.5i Base) | Light Green Tint | 63019SG000 |
| Premium, Limited, Touring, 2.0XT | Dark Privacy Tint | 63019SG010 / 63019SG011 |
To verify which version you have, hold a sheet of white printer paper behind one of your rear quarter windows or the liftgate glass in natural daylight. If the paper appears slightly shaded but clearly legible, you have the base green glass; if the paper is heavily obscured and barely visible from the exterior, your car requires the privacy variant. For every replacement I perform on these models, I source high-grade aftermarket glass from manufacturers like Pilkington, PGW, FYG, or XYG to ensure the factory curvature and heating line resistance match the tailgate opening seamlessly.
Factory Features Integrated Into the Back Glass
Regardless of whether your vehicle uses the green or privacy tint, all liftgate windows for these model years share several fixed structural characteristics:
- Central Wiper Shaft Pass-Through: The glass features a precision factory-drilled hole centered along the bottom edge. The rear wiper motor spindle projects directly through this opening, sealed against moisture intrusion with an isolated rubber pass-through grommet.
- Full-Grid Heating Elements: A continuous electric defogger grid covers the entire width of the glass, connecting to horizontal busbars powered through the tailgate's interior wiring harness.
- Isolated Radio and Antenna Wiring: Unlike some earlier utility wagons that placed AM/FM reception traces inside the rear window, these vehicles isolate all audio and satellite reception within the roof-mounted whip or shark-fin module. You do not need to worry about antenna wire connections when replacing this rear glass.
- Independent Safety Equipment: The rear backup camera mounts externally into the tailgate license plate trim garnish, and the Center High-Mount Stop Lamp resides entirely inside the upper exterior roof spoiler. Neither component attaches directly to the glass surface.
Surrounding Tailgate Components and Hardware Quirks
When replacing the rear stationary window, several vehicle-specific trim pieces interact directly with the glass perimeter. Inside the cabin, the liftgate window is framed by three snap-in plastic garnish moldings—a top horizontal trim piece and two vertical side pillar garnishes—which interlock above the large lower tailgate liner panel. These panels sit immediately adjacent to the inner edge of the glass bond line.
A notable issue on these vehicles involves the rear hatch supports. Subaru addressed premature wear of the liftgate gas stays under technical service bulletin TSB 12-289-20R. Weakened gas struts fail to hold the hatch at its full height, causing the entire tailgate and its new glass panel to drop unexpectedly while loading cargo. If your hatch feels heavy to lift or slowly sags downward, replacing the mechanical support struts prevents unnecessary stress on the rear closure.
