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.
Steering issue. The car wanders, left and right. At freeway speed you must hold on with both hands and make constant corrections. The dealer verified that everything in the steering and suspension was tight, but this did not help the problem. I've had the vehicle for a year now with no change, except I've learned how to control it better. I found many similar complaints on the internet and gave these to the dealer. They did not seem to be aware of the issue previously. I've been to the dealer for scheduled maintenance just twice, and have had them look at the issue both times. I was hoping there would be a recall to fix whatever the underlying issue is. This is my second Outback (previous was a 2005) and my third Subaru (I also have a 2009 impreza).
Vehicle tracking issues same or similar to all the other complaints about this issue. The vehicle wanders from side-to-side at speeds of 40-70 mph requiring constant correction. It sometimes seems that it takes more effort (only slightly) than should be required to get it to correct at first but then goes quickly and easily. I noticed it the first time I had it on the highway and it has been the same ever since, 10 months later.
The steering of my new Subaru Outback seems to wander on the road. It is a challenge to keep this brand new vehicle between the lines or in a particular lane of the road. Vehicle wanders / drifts to left and / or right, will not track straight and does this when ever driving but is more noticeable above speeds of 35 mph. The driver has to make constant corrections while driving the vehicle straight, this causes fatigue in the arms and is exhausting to the operator. One can not safely operate a vehicle like this. A semi-tractor trailer rig was on the right side of my lane (we were in the number 1 lane of the highway) and my Outback wandered to the right, we almost went into / under the trailer of the "big rig". I later I contacted the Subaru dealership and arraigned to bring vehicle back to have them look at it. When I returned with the vehicle, they checked alignment and said it was ok. The vehicle continues to wander whenever I drive it and daily while I drive to and from work. Again, I drove the vehicle back to the Subaru dealership and they have been talking with Subaru of America, receiving different specs and the service department has been doing some work on the vehicle. I have never owned a vehicle, new or old (used) that handled this way. There are several forums with pages of information, data and complaints by people from all over the country. Please act now to resolve these issues before someone's looses their life due to the unsafe faulty vehicles.
Dangerous! the vehicle does not track well at highway speeds. It wanders side to side in the lane of travel requiring constant correction to stay in the center of the lane. On smooth road surfaces, the wandering is still very noticeable. High crosswinds experienced driving in the plains or crossing bridges with a grated decks makes the vehicle a challenge to control the wandering and staying within my lane. I took the car to the dealer and reported the problem. They inspected the steering, wheel alignment, wheel balance, and tires. They didn't find any problems. There is no technical service bulletin for this issue and the internet bulletin boards are full of complaints with the same type of issue. I personally feel the vehicles are not engineered correctly or they are leaving the factory with inadequate alignments or the alignment specifications are not correct in general. I love my vehicle until I drive faster than 45mph. Safety is my #1 concern and it needs to be seriously addressed. Long trips are way more fatiguing than they should be and interstate driving is scary for most of the drive. This is the link that discusses the same problems I've addressed here www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/31638-ob-lane-wandering.html.
Vehicle "wanders" constantly at speeds from 30 mph to 70 mph. I would imagine at higher speeds as well. Constant correction is needed to keep vehicle in proper lane. When even the slightest correction is made, it over-corrects. It doesn't seem possible to not over-correct. The vehicle will wander to the right and no matter how gentle the correction, it over-corrects and wanders to the left then back to the right and so on. It is a constant challenge to stay in your own lane. A small gust of wind significantly magnifies the problem. I believe just turning your head to look out your side window to check lane traffic could result in crossing a center line. I believe that this steering problem makes this vehicle unsafe and likely will result in some serious problems if it hasn't already. It is very tiring to drive any distance. The dealer has made a couple minor attempts to make it better, but hasn't succeeded. While the dealer worked on my car I used two different "loaners". both 2013 Subaru Outbacks. Both had the same problems.
- Silver Creek, WA, USA
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My 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5I wanders at highway speeds. Constant corrections are required as it will not track in a straight line even when their are no outside influences (ex: Wind). Small corrections add up to over correction requiring more correction. Staying in lane can be a challenge.
The vehicle does not track well at highway speeds. It wanders side to side in the lane of travel requiring constant correction to stay in the center of the lane. On smooth road surfaces, the wandering is relatively mild. However, I became alarmed while crossing a bridge with a grated deck. The vehicle swerved side to side dramatically requiring significant steering correction and immediate reduction in speed to maintain the lane of travel safely. I took the car to the dealer and reported the problem. They inspected the steering, wheel alignment, wheel balance, and tires. They didn't find any problems except they recommended that we inflate the tires 5 psi above manufacturer's recommendations. The extra pressure improved the steering somewhat, but the problem persists. I have not yet driven the vehicle in challenging winter conditions such as standing water or slush on the highway. However, after my experience on the grated bridge, I am very concerned that this car would pose a safety hazard in these conditions. I feel this vehicle has a significant design or manufacturing defect that directly affects my safety.
Car does not track straight during highway driving. Car veers to one side or the other needing constant correcting. When you do make a correction it normally over corrects. This is incredibly dangerous! I thought it was just me but my husband has also had the same problem and I see many complaints on the internet. Subaru must be made to fix this. This is an expensive car.
This vehicle presented issues after the first 500 miles of ownership. After 1 repair attempt it is still the same. This vehicle replaced a 2012 Outback which had the same issues. The problem with the steering in the 2012 and the 2013 is that both the vehicles wander all over the road. You need to keep all your attention on keeping it following the road causing extreme fatigue. It is described by me as heavy, does not return to center and in even slight turns the car suddenly pulls in the direction you are traveling which is startling like hitting black ice. Taking your eyes to even the side mirrors for lane changes offers the vehicle to invite itself into oncoming traffic. This replacement 2013 I now have started presenting these symptoms after about the first 500 miles. There is a thread on the matter on the subaruoutback.org forum with over 670 replies on the matter. www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/31638-ob-lane-wandering.html the responses on page 45 describe the problem pretty well. My responses are under [xxx]. one response #442 was "and now, at 17 months & 25K mis, we still have a 'new' car that steers like a drunk pushing a shopping cart with a bad wheel..." how sad is that? please, look into the matter because if someone didn't get hurt already someone will. All my drives are very exhausting. This is now my third Subaru so I am not new to Subaru and/or AWD. I still offer your organization the opportunity to inspect and drive my vehicle to personally experience what I am describing. I do not want to see anyone to get hurt of lose their life. Thank you information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). The consumer referenced recall # 13V194000.
This new vehicle has steering that tends to wander from side to side while driving on various types of roads. On urban interstate travel it is necessary to be very vigilant when driving in the lanes as the car will often head for the edge of the lane without warning. This tendency is balanced between both left and right, and does not seem to be predictable. Took the vehicle to the dealer and the head mechanic drove the car. They specified that the vehicle was to manufacturer's specifications. I find that the attention that must be paid to maintain the vehicle within the roadway lanes is tiring and far exceeds any other vehicle I have driven.
Our complaint is that this 2013 Outback Subaru continues to drift. It does not just drift one way. You are constantly correcting to keep it in the center of the road. The first time we complained they did an alignment. That did not correct the problem. We then ask if they check the tires. They claimed there is no problem with theirs but they lowered the air pressure and that made it worse. Took it back to the dealer and had them increase the air pressure. The service manager keeps telling us there is no mechanical issues. You cannot relax driving this car. I hope I never have to drive it in a snow storm because of the lack of the steering control.
Driving 55-60 mph car continually "drifted" off of center when driving, most noticeable on a straight stretch of road. Constant correction and recorrection needed to keep vehicle in its own driving lane. Dealer inspected vehicle and claimed there are no mechanical issues however many online complaints exist about this problem. I took a big loss but I immediately traded this brand new car in - I was terrified to drive it and consider this lack of steering control will get someone killed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Snohomish, WA, USA