Subaru Outback Complaints

1,029 consumer complaints on file.

#11602284July 15, 2024
POWER TRAIN, STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
String wheel locked and couldn't start engine. Called dealer, who said to jiggle the transmission while attempting to turn the steering wheel. After three or four tries, everything freed up and everything ran normally. The dealer rep in the service dept said that that had happened to her "a few times"and there wasn't any way to fix it. Dealer doesn't want to see or inspect, no warning lights or anything else associated with this failure. First happened on Friday 13 July 2024. Hasn't happened since. What would prevent the steering wheel from locking up while driving? The dealer service rep said if we couldn't fix it by jiggling things, we would have to have it towed in. This doesn't seem to agree with the prior statement that there wasn't any way to fix the problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11601523July 12, 2024
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
Problem with phantom reverse automatic emergency braking. Backing up from my driveway causes uncommanded full braking once the vehicle is into the street, except when continuous brake pressure is applied while backing out. This has caused the vehicle to come to a full stop while blocking both lanes of traffic and caused an oncoming vehicle to have to also stop during the time it took the vehicle to be able to resume movement.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11600798July 10, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield cracked unexpectedly
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11600463July 9, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Starlink head unit/infotainment system - system freezes, major system lags, ghost input (buttons pressed without user input), radio cut outs, and delayed system startup and operation). Delay/lag issues are experienced daily and other issues occasionally occur. No warning lamps or messages. I will be bringing the vehicle to the dealership, yet this seems like a common issue with the 2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11600428July 9, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Front windshield on my 2021 outback has numerous large cracks for no reason. This is a known issue via Google and class action law suits for windshields. This is a safety issue and needs to be addressed. I emailed Subaru and filed a complaint with them, Case#240708-220236. Asking them to replace windshield with new one that won't crack like this one. i have photos if needed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11600165July 8, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The engine, running at idle in and out of gear, did not respond to input from the gas pedal. Pushing the gas pedal did not have any effect on the engine revs. This was dangerous because I was attempting to enter a busy roadway and suddenly was faced with zero throttle response although the engine was still running and was in gear. The car has 5,300 miles. The transmission failed at 1,300 miles and was replaced by the dealer. The present incident began when, for unknown reasons, the car battery did not have enough power to start the car after being parked for 30 minutes. I got a jump start, and after letting car run for several minutes, attempted to leave the parking lot as described above. The car would move in forward and reverse at idle speed, but there was absolutely no response to gas pedal input. The car was towed to the dealer who will look into this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11599913July 7, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
In the 5 whole days of ownership, our windshield chipped pretty easily from a small rock kicked up by another vehicle on the freeway. I’ve had a number of rocks and other things hit the windshield of plenty other cars i’ve had or have driven and non of them have ever chipped or cracked. We barely heard a pop, but all of a sudden a crack appeared. This event happed going maybe 50 mph at the most and caused great alarm for my wife who was driving. We were worried she would lose control of the vehicle. The outside temperature was 114 degrees, maybe that had something to do with it. Either way, we’re worried the crack will quickly expand on our way home to the Bay Area from San Diego. My neighbor and friends hav the same vehicle and mentioned having to replace their windshields multiple times from cracks. They all mention they have models with EyeSight technology.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11599830July 7, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My car has defective clear coat paint. Subaru recalled some units with defective paint because it resulted in improper windshield installation but not mine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11599591July 6, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Second windshield cracked with no impact. This I’d the second time within a year that this has happened to me. Like last time the crack isn’t on the outermost layer, and if you run your finger along the crack it feels completely smooth. This is quite frankly unacceptable with how expensive these windshields are to replace.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11597864July 1, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have replaced the windshield for a second time resulting from a (non-impact) stress fracture coming from the passenger side A Pillar. It seems to be exactly the same spot as previous. The crack is large enough to put a credit card in at the start then wanders in varying directions with a finer crack. This time an aftermarket glass was available which I was told is thicker and more durable that the OEM glass. I am told Subaru has extremely thin OEM glass which they are having industry problems with. If it has any significance there is a dent in the passenger door jam B-Pillar which was there from new and painted over. It seems to be a result of manufacturing robotics possibly. I do not know if this is a clue to two windshields stress cracking.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11597569June 28, 2024
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was revving, and the RPM became elevated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11596140June 24, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On Sunday [XXX] around 10:00 am I stopped to gas up my car while I was going to church with my [XXX] baby in a car seat in the backseat. I closed the car door leaving my car keys and cell phone in the center console and as I went behind the car to gas up it unexpectedly locked. I panicked and ran into the gas station and had them call 911 because I knew my daughter would die if I could not quickly get her out of the car. An off duty Lee County, Florida Deputy happened to be gasing his car and heard the commotion and attempted to assist with a hammer to break the drivers side window but that did not work. The gas station owner came rushing out with a glass breaking safety tool and Deputy Angell (Badge # 21-182) was able to break the window and I safely got my baby out of the car. I took my car to Subaru of Naples where I had purchased the car several months previously. The Service Manager, Victor Hyer and the Service Consultant, Larry Carsi were very helpful and had the window replaced at no cost to me. They researched the problem and told me that was how the car locking system was supposed to work. This does not make sense to me since if the Deputy had not been able to break the window my baby would have died! I'm hoping you can look into this further as I want to prevent this happening to some other mother, who could have a catastrophic outcome. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11594460June 14, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield glass broke spontaneously and randomly with no impact associated with the crack. The crack extends all the way across the windshield.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11594444June 14, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
I was traveling on highway 97 in Oregon and encountered a stretch of highway that had been recently graveled. I slowed down and was immediately passed by a long string of 18 wheeled trucks. By the time the string of trucks passed I had three separate chips in my windshield. The windshield should not break nearly so easy. The gravel used to resurface roads is very small and should never have caused that much damage. I believe the windshield in my Subaru Outback is far too flimsy and should be considered a material defect. They should be recalled and replaced with a more substantial windshield.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11593849June 12, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Went out to driveway and started car. Heard a ping. a few minutes later the windshield started to crack from drivers side bottom corner upward across the field of vision. At first it was about a foot long but spread to about 3 feet. No sign of impact.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11593640June 11, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield cracked under heat from parking in sun. The windshield spontaneously cracked when wiper fluid was turned on after parking on hot (85F) day. The whole windshield spidered indicating it is under extreme stress.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11593503June 10, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with battery failure. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11592278June 3, 2024
ENGINE
This is in response to your boilerplate letter of May 25, 2024. That correspondence stated that my 2022 Subaru Outback’s inspection of May 21, 2024, did not reveal any manufacturing defect that caused the unanticipated acceleration of my vehicle on April 26, 2024. That inspection was conducted by a third-party engineering firm. In amplification of this, the following is provided: • My vehicle on 26 April 2024, at approximately at 0845 AM experienced unanticipated acceleration, in my garage where it had been parked overnight. It was a cool morning. This occurred without any direct body movement from me, whatsoever. The fast forward motion I directly experienced in my vehicle was like if one put their gas pedal to the floor. The vehicle crashed about five feet into a garage shelf with me simultaneously providing braking. This directly caused about $3,000 worth of damage to the vehicle, and I will probably incur higher insurance cost because of this. •Environmental factors have been a contributing factor in unanticipated acceleration in the past. •Time to extract the data from the EDR in my vehicle took almost one month for SOA to complete the inspection (accident occurred on April 26 and the vehicle inspection took place on May 21). •Starlink, Subaru’s automatic collision notification system, did not activate on 26 April 2024, the day of the accident. •“As a rule of thumb, if the crash is sufficient to cause the air bags to deploy the EDR data are usually captured.” From the National Highway Transportation Safety Board’s website under, “EDR Q & A). My vehicle’s air bags did not deploy, and another key word is “usually”. •On May 16, 2024, five days before the inspection was completed on my vehicle I wrote the CEO a letter. Part of that letter is quoted, verbatim, for your review: “It is now my understanding, according to SOA, that what happened to me is referred to as unanticipated acceleration. Being a Subaru owner for over ten years, such in inc
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11591890June 1, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On[XXX] while accelerating to travel speed (45 mph) on a rural Maine highway, the little used glass moon roof of our 2021 Subaru Outback Touring with 24,100 miles on the odometer exploded with a huge, shocking BANG!. Weather was clear and bright, wind ~5 mph, temperature about 68ºF, no traffic. We never saw or heard anything strike the car, either from the road or falling down from the trees at or prior to this incident. We had the interior shade closed so no glass fell into passenger compartment thankfully. Upon inspection at the road side and discovery of the problem, the glass panel had a large hole in the middle and the edges of the remaining glass looked like it had been blown upward. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11591762May 31, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the starter motor was making an abnormal clicking sound. The contact stated that after several attempts the vehicle was started. Additionally, the contact stated that at times the instrument cluster was blank. The contact stated that he purchased a battery charger and recharged the battery; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that once he had fully charged the battery the vehicle was started; however, sometimes the vehicle failed to shut off and the battery terminals had to be disconnected. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed that the OE battery was not sufficiently powerful to start the vehicle and provide power all the electrical functions. The dealer installed a new battery with more amperage and new cables. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was informed by the dealer that the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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