This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Multiple times over the past 6 years I will be driving and if using my cruise it stops working and I have flashing lights, brake and cruise light flashes on and off, check engine and traction control light stay on. These lights stay on from 1 day to almost 2 weeks before they go out. I have had them checked many times by Subaru dealer and other mechanic shops with no resolution except to clear the codes
11/21/2020 at oil temp light, brake light, and vehicle dynamics control lights come on while driving after around 30 minutes on a major route (not highway) after already being "fixed" by a dealership. At the end of August I brought the car to the dealer because all 3 lights had come on after I had arrived near my place of work. I had driven for 35 minutes on the highway and cruising local streets for a spot when they came on. When I first got back to my vehicle after work (I had parked and was waiting until end of day to deal with it) and turned on my car - no lights. I was nearly home when all 3 came back on (35 mintues of highway driving). Took to dealer that weekend where they replaced engine air filter, cabin air filter, cvt- valve body and brake light switch for $1934.97 on 9/21 the lights came back on after driving for around 20 minutes on a 2 lane route. Dealer had the car for 1 week and all they could find / do was change a brake light bulb.
While driving the check engine, cruise control, ABS, and vehicle dynamics control lights all came on. I later learned that a bad O2 sensor was the cause. It was raining and when I applied the brakes moderately firmly due to another car stopping hard in front of me, my car's brakes locked up and I slid on the wet pavement. Fortunately no accident occurred. After replacing the 02 sensor, the lights went off. Weeks later the same lights came on again due to what turned out to be a bad gas cap. When it was replaced, the lights went out. Now the other 02 sensor is intermittently going out, and it triggers the same lights. However I have been very surprised to learn that when these lights are on, those systems are disabled. It is astounding that safety is intentionally removed from a car due to a loose gas cap or bad 02 sensor.
Gas pedal goes limp and/or works inconsistently/erratically; this causes the car to become unresponsive, creating potential safety issue at stoplights/intersections, on highway, issue manifests as accelerating irregularly and lurching forward unpredictably; has happened several times at speed on a highway, while stationary at stoplight, in motion on city streets, etc.
Car in park, ignition off. Entered car and started to move car approximately 30-25' to park in front of garage. Steel garage door down. Proceeded to garage door 1-2 mph with foot on break. Car accelerated at high speed and could not stop or slow down car and it crashed through garage door and was stoped by boxes at back of garage. Acceleration sudden and high with no indication of why. Car damaged due to debris from fragments of steel door mostly on top and front and driver side of car. Airbag did not deploy. Car in my driveway at time of accident. Mechanic unable to determine cause. Records available.
- Pasadena, CA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
I was backing my Outback a short distance (about 20 ft.) to a parking space across the street when it suddenly accelerated. I ran into a parked truck with great impact. The car felt like it had a mind of its own. It was terrifying.
Car shudders and sounds like engine will die when coming to complete stop. If this were a manual transmission, feels as if clutch should be pushed in. Problem occurs intermittently. Cold or hot engine. Problem became noticeable around 58,000-60,000 mile.
As I was pulling into a parking space with a foot to go, going less than 5 mph, the engine surged and the car suddenly lunged forward, climbed a 6 inch curb and traveled about 4 feet and hit a wooden staircase of a building. The entire time my foot was on the brake. This entire event took less than a second.
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Outback. While driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently. As a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed it into a utility pole. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The acceleration failure occurred several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 38,000.
On approximately 04/13/2014 approximately at 6:00 pm et, my suburu Outback 2010 rapidly accelerated when my foot was centered on the brake petal and I moved the gear from neutral to drive. The vehicle lurched forward, engine highly revved. I pushed hard as possible on the brake and shoved the gear back into neutral. The engine was racing and I switched off the power. I powered back up and the temperature gauge, gas mileage calculator, etc. Was out. The ac/heat temperature and control screen was out. The fan control only would work and put out extreme heat. The outside mirror motors would not work. For the next 30 minutes on the way home I stopped several times and experienced the same electrical conditions upon restart. On April 14, 2014, all systems were normal when I started the engine. I took it to the dealer was told they would replace the switch (keys) but had no information on rapid acceleration out of control. I am concerned this will happen again and result in wreck and/or injury to myself and/or others. No mats were in the car at time of incident.
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the brakes were released and the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The contact was able to stop the rapid acceleration by applying the brakes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they advised that they could not diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 73,386.
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at any speed, the gears would shift independently and without warning. In addition, the vehicle would lunge forward abnormally when the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the same failure where the dealer advised the contact that they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 40,000.
Sudden acceleration disabling the cruise control to slow down and then hitting the resume button caused the car to surge. The RPM increased from 2000 to 6000 RPM. This occurs whenever the set speed is 20mph greater than the current speed. The dealer could not correct this, claiming that the full acceleration is by design. Wide open throttle is not a good practice since it makes the car hard to control. What belongs on a race track not on a highway.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Menomonie, WI, USA