Why Do Two 2021 Subaru Foresters Take Different Windshields?
Reviewed by the Skyview Auto Glass technical team — NWRD-, ASE- and DINITROL-trained technicians · Updated November 2026
Quick answer
Two 2021 Subaru Foresters in our records take different windshields because one was built with a heated wiper park and the other without. Both carry a forward camera and acoustic glass, but the heated strip at the base of the glass separates them into two part numbers. Nothing on the outside of the car shows which one yours is, so the VIN decides.
The two 2021 Forester windshields side by side
FW05472GTNN
- Forward camera with a dual static and dynamic calibration.
- Acoustic glass.
- No heated wiper park.
- Lists FW05088GTNN as its interchangeable.
FW05473GTNN
- Forward camera with a dual static and dynamic calibration.
- Acoustic glass.
- Heated wiper park at the base of the glass.
- Lists FW05089GTNN as its interchangeable.
One model year, one model name, two parts. The heated strip is the only thing that separates them, and it is encoded in the part number.
What the heated wiper park actually does
The heated wiper park is the warmed strip at the base of the windshield that thaws wipers frozen to the screen overnight. On a 2021 Forester it is built into the glass specification rather than fitted afterwards, which means it transfers with the correct part number or is absent with the wrong one. Through a Michigan or Indiana winter it is the feature a driver notices losing first if replacement glass goes in without it.
Both 2021 parts carry a forward camera with a dual static and dynamic calibration, so whichever glass your Forester takes, the camera work is the same two-procedure routine. The difference is purely the heated strip, and because nothing on the outside of the car reveals it, the catalog is the only reliable way to tell the two parts apart. We pull the exact number from the VIN before anything is ordered, and the quote reflects the part your specific Forester was built with.
The interchangeable numbers differ between the two parts as well, FW05088GTNN for the first and FW05089GTNN for the second, which means a supplier working from an older reference can land on the wrong glass even when the year is right. A windshield that seals correctly but lacks the heated strip cannot give the feature back, because the strip is part of the laminate rather than a part that bolts on. Matching the part from the VIN is how a Forester job finishes with the glass the car was built with.
Signs the wrong 2021 Forester windshield went in
- Wipers stay frozen to the glass on cold mornings
- The replacement glass lacks the heated wiper park the original carried. The feature was built into the part, so ordinary glass cannot give it back.
- A quote that never asked about the heated strip
- The shop is ordering on the year and name alone. A 2021 Forester can be either of two parts, and only the VIN settles which.
- A camera warning light after the replacement
- The dual calibration was not completed or did not pass. Both 2021 parts carry a camera, so the recalibration is required either way.
More questions about Forester windshields
How do I know which 2021 Forester windshield I need?
Give us the VIN. We pull the exact part number with its features and quote from that, and nothing is ordered until you agree. See our guide on why glass shops ask for your VIN.
Does the 2021 Forester windshield need calibration?
Yes. Both 2021 parts carry a forward camera with a dual static and dynamic calibration, a static procedure with targets followed by a road drive. How that dual routine fits a Forester glass job is set out in our calibration walkthrough.
Can the heated wiper park be added later?
No. It is built into the glass specification, so it comes with the correct part number or is absent with the wrong one. Glass without it cannot be upgraded afterwards.
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