Subaru Outback Complaints (2019)

1,036 consumer complaints on file.

#11431610September 3, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The battery in my 2019 Subaru Outback died without warning, just under 13,000 miles, on Aug. 26, 2021. AAA replaced the battery, which had only 3.7 volts remaining, at a cost of $156 for a 6-year battery. Exactly one week later, on Sept. 2, 2021, my new battery died. Another call to AAA, whose technician said the new battery was completely drained. He jumped the battery for me and checked the starter and alternator, which were fine. I drove directly to the Subaru dealer yesterday afternoon and they still have my car. I don't know for certain what the problem is, but based on owner complaints (and a class-action suit) I found online it appears that the problem is in the CAN unit, which in 2015-2020 Outbacks (and other Subarus as well) fails to put the car's electrical system to sleep when the engine isn't running, thereby draining the battery. I am very afraid of being stranded without the ability to get help quickly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431040August 30, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Front windshield has cracked 3 times from bottom, goes up and across to halfway point when driving on freeway after a stone is kicked up.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11430750August 27, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Not sure if it’s the battery itself or the alternator but the battery keeps draining and I have to keep calling to have the vehicle jump started. The vehicle is available for inspection and safety will be of concern if this continues to happen and I am out on the road somewhere remote. The dealer offered to test the battery but did not confirm the issue has occurred in other vehicles. There were no warning lights nor messages.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429931August 20, 2021
STEERING
I bought the 2019 Subaru Outback less than 2 months ago. While driving either on the street or on the freeway at reasonable speeds, the car will suddenly without warning veer to the left or right causing me to believe I was about to lose control. At first I thought I hit a pothole or some other road hazard. There is nothing that I can see on the road to cause this.This is occurring once every other time I drive the car. I looked online and noticed many other complaints which are exactly the same as mine.This is very dangerous as this veering can cause a serious accident. I spoke with Subaru and am now trying to have it looked at since it is still under warranty. There were no warning lights, etc. Please look into this safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429209August 16, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The battery has drained six times since April 15, 2021. Available for inspection upon request. Risk factors for safety: unable to get husband and mother to medical appointments; unable to leave residence for ANY reason; potential for stranding in unsafe areas. Problem has been addressed with dealership who has not identified a specific problem, from June 11, 2021. No inspection by anyone other than service department at dealership who stated "Inspected customer concern, found battery and charging system testing good, found no parasitic draw for power. Found vehicle operating as designed (June 11, 2021). Of course battery was charged after it was driven 60 miles to dealership! There have been NO warnings of any kind. First of six failures occurred on April 15, 2021.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429305August 16, 2021
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield cracked while driving. Within a few minutes the crack line on the windshield had moved in all directions and some parts are in a 'shattered' pattern. In all of my years of driving (44 licensed years) I have never experienced a cracked windshield and discovered that this is a defect of the manufacturer. For Subaru to claim they are one of the safest vehicles on the road, overlooking the importance of the windshield is ludicrous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428666August 11, 2021
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, POWER TRAIN
Certain year models of Subaru vehicles suffer from ‘sudden and unexpected acceleration’. We know since it has happened to us and, research shows, many, many other people. Waiting for the automatic garage door to open, the vehicle experienced the sudden and uncontrollable acceleration. This resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, garage and contents in the garage. What will Subaru do when this happens at a crosswalk?
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428465August 10, 2021
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The windshield started to crack and we have no recollection of any impact on it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428136August 7, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My battery died overnight . I jumó started and took it to Subaru who said I needed a new battery . My car has 28k miles and under 3 years since I bought it . They replace the battery and same thing happened 2 days later . I keep having to jumó start my car every other day and they don’t seem to know what the problem is .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428165August 7, 2021
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Less than a month after purchasing vehicle a chip on passenger side of windshield occurred, probably from a rock kicked up from road. I never bothered to get it fixed as it didn’t effect my ability to operate vehicle. On 07/25/2021 a rock struck the windshield. The next morning I discovered a large crack near the rear view mirror. On 07/28/2021, I had the windshield replaced. Several days later another rock struck the windshield on the driver’s side, and caused a chip, which was directly in my field of vision. I brought it back and they repaired the damage.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428177August 7, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
In Oct 2020 (12055 mi) and June 2021 (17059 mi) the battery drained overnight while parked in the garage. I was able to jump it the first time. Second time it had to be towed. Dealer replaced the battery both times.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427864August 5, 2021
STEERING
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would tighten and oversteer while switching lanes without warning. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to regain complete control of the vehicle after the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle had to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427880August 5, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the battery was drained, and the vehicle would not start-up. The vehicle required a jump start each time the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that there was no failure with the battery. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427779August 4, 2021
SUSPENSION, WHEELS, STEERING
Under the following three conditions the front tires appear to become airborne and the tires skip making the vehicle seem to be out-of-control; When traveling at speeds >35 MPH, Wheels are turned >10 degrees, Any long bump (such as a rough transition "bump" from asphalt to concrete). This has been worsening over the last year and is now unsafe for my children to be in the car. My local Subaru dealership spent nearly 2 days inspecting all aspects of the car to include the alignment, bushings, and shocks. A senior technician was taken for a test-drive in the car and I was able to recreate the "skip". The technician was alarmed and surprised by the skip and thus held the car for a 2nd day to further investigate the reason for the "skip". They were unable to diagnose any defect. There has been no inspection by the police or insurance company. There have been no alarms or warning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427658August 3, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My 2019 Subaru Outback unintentionally accelerated. I was sitting in my SUV waiting for an electronic gate to open at my storage unit. I was about 10-15 feet in front of the gate. My foot was firmly on the brake and the car was in drive. I have been at this gate many times. This time, before the gate could fully open, the car raced forward at top speed into the gate. Damaging my bumper and terrifying me! The gate did stop the car. I felt like a ghost had slammed a foot on the gas pedal!!! The breaks did nothing. The Subaru floor mat was attached with 2 pegs and sticks like velcro to the carpet. Thank God I was not at a crosswalk or in front of a building - I would have killed myself or someone else! I reported this to my local dealer and they referred me to Subaru of America. The dealer had my car for 6 weeks and S.O.A. sent a team to inspect the car for 6 hours. Customer service after 6 weeks said my car was fine. That no issues were found! They will not provide me with a list of tests completed or what was reported by the "Black Box" on board. All I have is a email from Peter at Customer Service (that was my 3rd and final rep.) that that is all the information that he has or can get and the care is fine to drive! If that is so, why is there a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT against them!
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427342August 1, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Have had 2 batteries fail in 2 1/2 years. New battery installed and my electrical system is failing. Can't lock my car unless fob is in an RFID bag, has not started several times, and has refued to open several times for about a minute. Will be taking car back to dealer to see if they can fix the problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426826July 28, 2021
VISIBILITY/WIPER, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On June 20th my front windshield began spontaneously cracking while sitting in driveway. A day later while driving on the interstate, the rearview mirror fell off windshield. Since the rearview mirror is essential for several electronic safety mechanisms to function properly, this means they were disabled and/or malfunctioning as well. After having the windshield replaced, the same thing happened about a month later (July 24, 2021) so now I have to replace it again. In both cases, the Subaru Service Manager determined that there was no chipping or other external damage to the windshield. Looking at customer forums & complaints, this appears to be a defective windshield problem that Subaru is attempting to cover up. It has been going on since at least the 2015 model year. Please help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426768July 28, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I received a 2019 Subaru Outback on 15 July 2021. The vehicle was sold by a dealer, and gone through the Subaru vehicle certification process, which includes checking the electrical system. I kept the vehicle off the road while I got the vehicle registered and insured, running it for a few minutes every three days. I planned to take the first road trip on 26 July 2021, after the paperwork had been completed. The vehicle would not start, and no power was available for electrical components. Checking the battery with a multimeter indicated voltage had dropped to 4V. I contacted the selling dealership, and they indicated they would pay to replace the discharged battery.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426335July 25, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car would not start or turn over. Battery was dead. I called Subaru and a person came over to jump my vehicle. I left it running for 30 minutes to recharge the battery. This happened two times in the last few years but I never reported it to Subaru, and had my neighbor hook his car up for a jump. Also note the GPS has locked up several times in the past and not worked until I shut the car off and restarted everything. I just kept getting the arrow going in the circle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11426352July 25, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Electrical system problems causing battery drain. After jumping the battery observed flickering, eyesight system turning on and off while driving. Rear lift gate won’t open
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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