Subaru Outback Complaints

1,029 consumer complaints on file.

#11527758June 19, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
On my second windshield that has cracked.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527642June 19, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving on a Thursday morning, 62 degrees outside, and my sunroof exploded. I live in northwest Kansas. No trees, no variation in temperature.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527533June 17, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield developed a major crack all the way across it from the smallest nick 36 hours after the Nick occurred. This makes me very concerned for the integrity of the windshield in a crash. I am far from the only report of such an item.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527496June 17, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield cracked for no apparent reason. It was a 12 in line that started at the passenger side and moved across the windshield horizontally.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527471June 17, 2023
AIR BAGS
I get passenger air bag OFF indication although the passenger is an adult. Dealer claims that there is no issue, the car is less than one week old. I asked if they would escalate the problem to Subaru corporate so that they will address this issue but they refused.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527221June 15, 2023
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that upon approaching the vehicle, she noticed an 8-inch crack in the windshield extending from the trim midway up on the passenger’s side that was not present the night before. After further observation over the next 24 hours, the crack extended to 20-inches towards the driver’s side, possibly in the driver’s view. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V712000 (Visibility). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527196June 15, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
While driving, a giant crack appeared in the windshield. This was not caused by an impact.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527174June 15, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Windshield crack caused by either a defective windscreen or incorrect installation. -no evidence of damage prior. -cracked overnight. -on both sides of the crack the windshield was offset, one side being higher than the other. The collision center advised that there was likely a 'bad batch' of windshields Subaru installed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527114June 14, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
My wife turned into a parking spot slowly with her foot on the brake, and the car suddenly accelerated without warning. It went up on the curb while my wife slammed on the brake and stopped the car. She then put the car in reverse and backed into the parking spot. Came home without further incident but was very upset. I intend to question the dealer, Parkway Subaru in Wilmington, NC. I see articles online that relate problems like this to a number of different models and makes. My wife does not want the car anymore, but how can I be sure any car I replace it with does not have the same problem? 6/15/23 The contact called to add additional information to the complaint. The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while his wife was driving into a parking space at 1 MPH with her foot off the accelerator and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The contact stated that his wife was able to depress the brake pedal to the floorboard and bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527061June 14, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Driving down the highway, I noticed a small crack in the windshield. I didn't hear anything hit it and did not have any cars in front of me. By the time I got home, 20 minutes later, the small crack had grown quite large . I put the car in the garage and didn't drive any more that day. Got up the next day and noticed that overnight the crack had started growing the opposite direction. I got the window replaced and 6 days later it happened again. First time was May 4, 2023. Fixed on May 16 and cracked again May 22. I've been told that replacing windshields in the 2022 Outback is quite common.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527003June 14, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Spontaneous windshield crack that spread while vehicle was parked and no damage due to rock or other cause. Appears to be stress fracture and is approximately 20” in length and spreading. This happened previously on my 2020 Subaru Outback in the same exact area of the windshield.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526757June 13, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
On 5/18/2023, I was driving down RT. 30 in Paoli, PA going East. Cars infront of me stopped for the red light. I pushed down on the brakes and the car was not slowing down and not responding. Instead of hitting the car in front of me, I veered to the right & got on the grass, hit 2 signs and finally got the car to stop. Cash Champions fixed my car to the tune of $6,800. I had asked to check the brakes because they failed. They checked the brakes and they told me when I picked up my car, that there was air in the break line with they flushed out. This is 6/13/2023, so in 2 days I am taking the car in for Subaru to check out the brakes. System failure - brakes Safety - My husband and I were in the car and I was driving. We could have hit the car in front of us. To prevent that I veered the car to the right, no traffic. Confirmed by Crash Champions who repaired my car. Not reproduced. Just saw the air in break line. Subaru is getting the car this Thurs. 6/15/23. I do not remember if there were any warning lights. I just followed what I saw.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526580June 12, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield cracked for no reason.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526375June 10, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
While driving the light turned red and everyone started breaking. My car failed to brake and slow down so I turned to the right, hit 2 signed, missed an office building. and stopped the car in a Ford Dealership's lot. When the car went to get fixed, I asked the manager to make sure they checked the brakes. They found air in the brake line which could account for the non braking. They flushed the line.. But will it happen again? This car I got 1 year ago, 5600 miles on it. Thanks.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526368June 10, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, VISIBILITY/WIPER
My windshield has cracked 3 times since vehicle was purchased, the last time within 2 months of replacement. The first 2 times the windshield was replaced by the dealership with OEM glass. There was no visible crack from rocks, etc in the last two incidences...went out in the morning to find that the windshield was cracked across half the windshield after it had been parked and no visible damage had occured beforehand in both cases. ( I have taken pictures of this last incident... insurance notified, but no inspections took place. no warning lights, etc appeared pryor to cracks)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525933June 7, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield crack from bottom while driving
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525896June 7, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
When the headlamp selector is in Automatic Mode, automatic high beams are also enabled by default. The issue is that the automatic high beam headlamps do not function well at all. They defeat the high beam selection if any ambient light is detected and are far too sensitive. As a result, if there are streetlights, city lights, or even snow on the ground, the high beam headlamps cannot be turned on while in the automatic mode. It’s got to be pitch dark, and even then it takes some time for the high beams to come on after selecting them with the switch. This presents an Immediate safety concern in the inability to use high beam headlamps. The owner’s manual (p 574) says this feature can be disabled, but Subaru refuses to change this setting citing legal requirements and safety concerns (that one may use the high beams to blind oncoming traffic). Their proposed solution is to temporarily disable the system on every drive by turning the headlamp selector from Auto to ON, however this is only a workaround and does not solve the underlying safety issue. If a driver has not previously thought to change the headlamp selector to ON, their high beams are likely unavailable for use. I’ve attached the response from Subaru North America. I’ve had several conversations with Premier Surbau of Fremont, most recently with Devin in Service, who has said they refuse to modify the setting.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525795June 7, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
I have had to have my windshield replaced twice since I bought it last June. The first incident occurred when I was traveling on a highway. A small rock hit the driver's side of the windshield and immediately a crack developed. I had the windshield replaced. Within ten days, a crack appeared at the bottom center edge of the new windshield. It was not there when I parked my car at work, but it was there when I left for the day. I even reviewed security cameras but saw nothing that would contribute to the crack. A few days later, another crack emerged at the center edge of the passenger side. Again, this was while the car was parked. Neither crack was in my line of sight so I continued to drive until recently as both cracks have spidered all over the windshield. In scheduling another replacement Subaru tells me this is a result of the windshields with EyeSight being thinner than normal. I find this to be a safety hazard and extremely frustrating, not knowing how many windshields I will have to replace as long as I have this car. Looking online, I see many complaints of this same issue by other consumers of this year/model of car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525244June 4, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Sunroof spontaneously exploded. Temperatures were around 50 degrees, no cars around me at the time and as far as I can tell, nothing could have hit the window at least at that moment. I had been driving for about 1 hour and no sudden changes in temperature or pressure. It sounded very much like an explosion when it happened. Thankfully, the inside slide cover was closed when this happened. If the slide window cover had been opened, It could easily have caused an accident as some of the glass would have fallen on the driver. Also, the breaking window resulted in a shower of glass over the car roof and would have hit cars behind me if present. At the time, I had less than 3000 miles on the car and the car was less than 6 months old. The window has since been replaced. If you look at the profile of the car from the side, the sunroof seems to be more sloping downward than on some other cars. My understanding is that sunroofs are made from tempered glass. It would seem that safety glass would be a better option at least in terms of the protection they might offer in preventing the dramatic shower of broken glass that happened in my case.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525148June 3, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1. Vehicle doesn’t start when sitting just for a couple of days. Battery isn’t dead as lights, radio, etc work. The vehicle will start if jumped. Happened last year and was in and out of the dealership 3 times with this issue. They replaced the battery, but issue still persisted. They ended up doing a “software update “ which seemed to fix the issue. But just a year later I’m having a very similar issue with the vehicle not starting. This vehicle only has 14,000 miles on it. Do their batteries only last 1 year/ 7l miles? 2. The information screen freezes quite a bit we’re you’re not able to control the radio, air/heat etc. there seems to be electrical issues with this vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Subaru Outback