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.
My 2016 Outback will have a "ghost slide" when on ice. It seems to be worse when the roads are only partially icy. The back end feels like it will slip out and the car will feel like it is losing control. This is my 3rd Subaru and the only one we have had issues with. I have had it into a shop (not a Subaru dealer) and they cannot find anything wrong with it. I called Subaru and they told me I have ice build up! that is not it! I called them again this week and they said they don't have a recall notice for my issue. This car is great for safety and driving 95% of the time so it is dangerous to hit a patch of ice and have it slide. It is really bad when they roads have started to melt and you have partial pavement and partial ice. I put the date down of the last occurrence but it has been happening for 4 winters.
My car has 55,000 miles. Recently, I am not able to remove my key from the ignition. I am able to stop the engine but I am not able to turn off all the electronics. I have to stop and start, back up or pull forward (which I am not always able to do) the car a number of times to get the key to come out. My daughter also has a 2016 Subaru Outback. She had the same problem at about the same mileage, had the ignition switch replaced for $600 and is now having the same problem again 1 year later. This problem is common enough that Subaru put a technical repair bulletin out on it tsb #16-12-18R but has not done a recall.
I can't remove the key from the ignition after putting the car in park and turning it off (it won't turn all the way to the off position). Restarting the car and turning it off again frequently doesn't help.
Driving to work on the highway and the windshield just popped and cracked. Little shards of glass flew onto the dashboard. Happened under the drivers side wiper.
Noticing when I park my car the key won't release from ignition switch when car lever is set in "P" position. As I push in and turn the key from start to lock the key will stay acc position won't go into lock.
- Omak, WA, USA
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The front passenger window does not always fully close. Sometimes when I'm closing it, the window goes all the way to the top and then goes down about halfway and stays there. The only way I am able to get it mostly closed is when I am at a stop, I have one hand on the window lock button and the other on the window close button. I hold down the close button until the window is almost all of the way up and then hit the window lock button so that the window remains shut most of the way. By the time I restart the car, I unlock the window lock button and am able to close the window normally. The window not closing occurs at a stop or when the car is moving.
About once a week for at least the past year, the starlink screen freezes in either a blank screen or the screen giving choices between cd, fm, etc. Music will play but none of the buttons will work. I have discovered that if I hold down the on/off button for about 15 seconds or so, it will beep and go back to normal. It happens when the vehicle is first turned on and is stationary.
Key gets stuck in ignition. Sensor in steering column does not recognize that the car is in park. Must "slam" the shifter into park in order to remove the key.
Key intermittently does not come out of ignition when parked. This is a well known issue with a technical service bulletin issued by Subaru. This can be a safety issue. Why has a recall not been issued for this?
My key gets stuck in the ignition, while in park. Steering column does not lock. Took to the dealer. I know this is an issue with some of the forresters and I looked online apparently other 2016 & 2017 model Subaru have had the same issue. I see a service bulletin 16 112 18R, but it does not cover my vehicle.
On my way to work I heard a loud pop! like a rock hit my windshield. Never saw a pit or any evidence. Pulled out of the garage there was a crack coming from the bottom of passenger side up the window. Now the crack has spread out like nothing I have ever seen.
Unable to remove ignition key from the steering column. Vehicle is put into park, key is turned off, key will not turn all the way and stops at the accessory point. Has been happening for the past month, seems to be getting worse. Move the shifter back and forth from park into gear and back into park until the key releases.
Driver is unable to turn key back to the lock position and remove key from the ignition when vehicle is stationary. Car (Subaru Outback 2016) was placed in park prior to attempting to turn off the engine. Driver must forcefully move stick to parked position, firmly push key in, and turn swiftly to remove key. Driver may have to attempt this maneuver for several minutes before successfully removing key. Faulty component is unknown but is often the park-range switch based on technical service bulletin 16-112-18R. At time of writing this complaint, the driver has experienced this issue at least 10 times over the course of 2 weeks.
On multiple occasions while parked for only a few hours. The battery voltage has dropped to a level that required the vehicle to be jump started. The vehicle has no aftermarket devices.
Shifter assembly problem. Less than 50000 miles on car and car won't shift into park! reading other complaints of same problem seems like it's a default assembly!
This is the fourth windshield to crack on us in an Outback. The first two windshields cracked in a 2015 Outback. Subaru had to buy back that car due to an improperly installed windshield that flooded the car. They gave us 2016 Outback in its place. Guess what, the 2016 Outback windshield has cracked twice. The first crack was several months after its purchase and occurred spontaneously while driving. The dealership claimed a pebble hit because they could see a chip. This is despite the fact that a pebble never touched the car. Over the next few days the crack spread across the windshield. Subaru replaced the windshield. Well, the new windshield has cracked again. They are also claiming it is due to a pebble and are refusing to replace it this time. They are claiming it is not in the location that their memo states is part of the extended window warranty. There are major issues with the windshields on the 2015 and 2016 Outbacks. Four cracked windshields from what they claim are "pebbles" is wrong. Especially when two of the cracks happened when the car wasn't even moving and was parked. Subaru knows there are problems and they only extended the windshield warranty if the crack is through the area of the base of the window. But they are well aware that the cracks are happening in other places and are refusing to rectify the situation. There are serious safety issues not being addressed. And the solution is to get the costumer to just continue to replace the windshields at their own cost.
With car stationary, engine off and car in park, keyed ignition will not turn to lock position or release key. This has happened repeatedly for two weeks, often more than once a day, from 3/10/2019 and continuing through yesterday, the last time the car was driven.
February 28, 2019. Cracking front windshield at the de-icer / defroster area. This was not from roadway rock chipping. Vehicle was on driveway warming up and defrosting. After, now five days the crack has spread completely across the lower half of the front windshield.
I had an accident @ 5pm-entering a busy road from a driveway-hit the side door of a car racing lefttoright in front of me. My fault of course. I heard no beep warning from the so-called collision mitigation sysem (?), nor did I feel any braking. Subsequently I tested this feature in my driveway where I slowly drove the car forward toward my large garage, I would have hit the garage-no beep-no braking. Then, in a snow storm, I had to brake soasto not hit a large truck skidding in front of me. I missed hitting him by inches. Again, I heard no beep and felt no braking. Dealer tested this feature on my car by letting it go towards brushes in a carwash, I heard beep warning, but again felt no braking. Dealer said system is working properly. And so-I conclude that whenever I hear any kind of warning beeo, I should manually and quickly 'hit the brakes', no matter what. After all, I have to keep my eyes on the road for god's sake. I am not happy.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Roberts, MT, USA