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.
PROBLEMS & FAILURES include: 1. Repeated battery failures, towed over 12 times since car was purchased in 2017. Left [XXX] and [XXX] stranded and/or stranded in the dark on more than once occasion. Repeated (6+ attempts) to repair and/or replace the battery (local Subaru dealership) with no success- DRIVER SAFETY RISK. Two ADULTS (seniors) should not be repeatedly stranded in the middle of nowhere. Subaru issued battery recalls and was engaged in a lawsuit regarding this matter. 2. Cracks in windshield giving "spackle" pattern/ indicating weakness: DRIVER SAFETY RISK; multiple recalls. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, and if the windshield is thinner than industry standard poses risk of death. 3. Gas Tank door not opening & leakage 4. Subaru Radio Always on/ Comes on when car has started, no way to stop it or turn off. Was informed that "this is normal" which is outright false. DISTRACTING AND DRIVER SAFETY RISK 5. Acceleration Issue: Subaru Outback speeds up (lurches) sporadically on its own with no way for driver to control- DRIVER SAFETY RISK 6. Transmission Engine (Red Switch) Light always on- EVEN WHEN VEHICLE IS OFF 7. Steering Wheel Issues (Inclusive of) Self Correcting Feature Impeding Driver Discretion: DRIVER SAFETY RISK if the DRIVER HAS NO CONTROL OR HAS TO FIGHT THE CAR 8: Electric System MALFUNCTION (inclusive of but not limited to) **Control area network*** (Electric features remain on even though car is -??off-?? and the battery continually drains) It has been shown online that Subaru needed to do a network patch to resolve issues). ** Dealership did not disclose if a new battery was installed if battery tests were done with copies of reports 9. Vehicle still dead in garage (after numerous repairs allegedly took place nov/dec 2023) All problems have been inspected and/or tested and/or replaced on a multitude of occasions with ZERO success. With the exception of the gas tank door all items pose AN ONGOING SERIOUS SAFTEY RISK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
On three different occasions after starting the car in the cold weather and putting in drive it accelerated by it self. All three times it lasted about 5 to 7 seconds. Once I stepped on the brake and then the accelerator pedal it was back to normal. It-??s been about a month with this issue.
While pulling into a parking spot with my foot on the brake and preparing to stop, the car continued to move up over the curb and then began to accelerate even after I applied both of my feet pushing down on the brakes until I hit our condo building. The car and building received extensive damage, and although the car was not totaled it will cost over 7,000 dollars to repair. Personally I was not injured. The air bags did not imploy at impact. There were no warning messages or prior failures with the vehicle before this day. The car was taken to a body shop and not the dealer so we have not had the dealer look at the systems that broke down, but our insurance adjuster will be.
On 9/28/23 I was driving in a 2-lane construction zone with my daughter. While going through the construction zone, my car lost all power and just shut off completely. No warning signs just went completely dead. I almost got rear ended, thankfully the car behind me went to the left of the center, but almost had a head on collision into oncoming traffic. Thankfully, no wrecks were involved. It did eventually start back up and has yet to happen again. However, back in July/August of 2021, I received a recall notice on my vehicle NHTSA Campaign #21V587000. When I called to check on the recall it was stated that my vehicle did not have a current recall. I believe this is inaccurate to the fullest. When I bought the vehicle, I took my outback in several times to the dealership with what I thought was transmission and some electrical issues. They could find nothing wrong, how convenient for them, they weren't the ones almost killed because the vehicle would stall at intermittent times during acceleration. I took it in on 1/24/19, 4/26/19, 10/24/19, and 7/27/20. The mileage range was from 1K to 55K, now at 111K my car just has a complete system failure. Honestly, they didn't seem enough to care and treated me like I didn't know what I was talking about. I drove it 7 days a week and they drove it for 15 minutes and said there were no issues. That is not a fair assessment. I would like to resolve this matter before someone gets killed because of a defective issue on Subaru's part that was documented several times. I have the receipts and work orders to support the evidence. I have notified my family of the issues in case something does happen because of the vehicle, and I am, or others are injured or killed in an accident. Like I said, I have all the documentation to support any claim henceforth. I bought a Subaru because of its safety ratings. Now, I'm afraid to have passengers or my grandkids ride with me out of fear for their safety and others.
- Yukon, OK, USA
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2 incidences where the car accelerated on its own. 1st time pulling into a parking Space, Slammed on brakes barely got it to stop otherwise I would have gone through a store front. 2nd time same night in heavy traffic going to the George Washington bridge crawling in traffic while keeping at least a car length Between me and the car in front of me it did it again and I had to pull up on the parking brake and again I hit the brakes as hard as I could otherwise I would have slammed into the back end of a tractor trailer. I have owned this car for about a year and nothing like this has ever happened. Absolutely terrifying To the point where I don't Even want to keep the car. Called Subaru told them what was happening and they said they never heard of this before but they Don't have any appointments with loaner car until October 10th.
The fuel tank evap system has stopped working and is not venting the fuel tank properly. When I take the gas cap off there is a lot of pressure released. Filling the tank is slow (0.5 gallon per pump click) and leads to some (very small amounts) fuel spilling from the fill hole. Also, the check engine light/code for this disables the cruise control (traction control I assume) and possibly the ABS. (The first time the check engine light came on, the ABS and Brake light also came on.)
Fuel injector fuel delivery line rupture and leaking. Left on vacation in this 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring on 07/23/2021, noticed the strong smell of gasoline when stopped, less so when interstate driving, with the fuel gauge declining more rapidly than it should. Stopped by Wheeling Volkswagen/Subaru Dealership just before their daily closing. They inspected and found the above ruptured fuel line, leaking onto the pavement under the engine compartment. They determined it was unsafe to drive, but did not have a replacement part. They found there were less than 10 of these fuel injector fuel delivery lines available in the whole U.S. Had to leave the vehicle with them, and the repair was completed 4 day later. The faulty component was observed by the service department personel, and by myself. I have no photos to submit, but have the repair invoice covered under Subaru's drive train warranty. This component failure could have easily resulted in a vehicle fire or explosion, and I feel very fortunate that did not happen! This fuel line is flexible rubber, not metal, and I think is made of faulty materials. I have never heard of such a failure personally. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms, other than the strong smell of gasoline.
To: Subaru Motors Consumer Reports NHtSA I, Richard McNitt, am the very unhappy owner of a 2018 Subaru Outback (4 cylinder -€œTouring-€ model with 33,900 miles), VIN 4S4 BSATCT J3362742. Primarily on the basis of -€œglowing-€ Consumer Reports Reviews I chose this model-€¦.sad to say this was an unfortunate choice. I list some of the troubles endured: -€¢ Shortly after delivery the -€œradio-GPS-€ failed, replacement was in short supply(!), Did without several weeks and the re-installation had a glitch. -€¢We were informed that the radio would always -€œcome on-€ when the car was started, My wife finds this very annoying, -€¢We find the road noise to be excessive, especially at around 25 mph, -€¢We were left sitting twice with a -€œdead-€ battery, once at the end of a two hour trip when the radio was on after for less than 15 minutes. -€¢-€¢But the worst situation was this-€¦..My daughter, granddaughter, and I were 500 miles into a 600 hundred mile trip to a North Carolina Beach when we exited the Interstate at Laurenburg NC at about 3PM on a very hot day. At the first intersection stop sign when the accelerator was pushed at first nothing happened-€¦that is the car did not accelerate, then abruptly the car lurched forward. Alarmed we drove it around a large parking parking lot, stopping, then trying to start again..we found the hesitating, then lurching forward to continue, so we changed drivers with the same result. As it was now late on a Saturday afternoon in this small town with no local garages open, we had the car -€œRoll-Backed-€ to the nearest Subaru Dealer in Fayetteville, NC and as there were no local car rentals available, we had a family member drive 108 miles (each way) to get us and take us to the beach. The Fayetteville Subaru Dealer called on Monday morning and said -€œthey could find nothing wrong-€, and to pick up the car (another 100+ miles each way). Needless to say, I was very nervous the whole way home from the beach..but the trip was without incident.
Windshield cracked for no reason known - I my vehicle was parked in the garage upon getting into my vehicle to folllowing morning I noticed a crack that grow significantly within a day had to have it replaced a few months after purchasing fuel capacity does not register correctly - I did have the recall done but it still does not work properly
While in my driveway upon starting my 2018 Outback I smelled strong odor of gasoline. Popped the hood and saw the fuel supply line spraying the entire engine compartment with gas mist/droplets in a full blown shower. I turned the car off, visually inspected the fuel supply line and saw that it had ruptured near the engine plenum intake, approximate size 1/8"1/4" (photo attached). Car has less than 2900 miles on it. Potentially vibration from bracket mount/inappropriate materials used for fuel supply line. Fuel supply line appears to be polyethylene plastic inside non-reinforced rubber outer shell. Hose uses friction clamps to attach to firewall and engine plenum.
In Dec 2018 the fuel line of my 2018 Subaru Outback had to be replaced because it had been chewed through by a rodent and was leaking in the car. Total damage was over $2000. In May 2019 another $3500 damage was discovered from a rodent chewing on electrical harnesses in the dash. The dealer told me this is because Subaru is now using soy-based insulation for fuel lines, wiring, and electrical harnesses. Rodents are attracted to the soy because they think it is food. In both cases my damage was discovered while trying to start the car while it is parked. But what if I was driving down the road and a chewed wire came loose that shorted something out and impacted my ability to control the car" or what if the fuel line broke while driving down the highway and caused the car to suddenly stall" manufacturers should not be allowed to use materials (e.g. soy) that actually attract rodents. If anything, they should be using materials that deter rodents. Fuel lines and electrical harnesses are critical to the safe operation of a car and these systems are needlessly being put at risk by using soy to produce them. This is especially troubling for Subaru because part of their image encourages their owners to explore "the great outdoors." What happens why I go camping and park my car in the woods and chipmunks chew through my components and strand me in the middle of nowhere? or, worse, a critical system on the car fails as I'm driving home and I lose control of the vehicle and crash. The use of soy-based components should not be allowed. Or, if it is, oems should cover rodent damage to these systems under warranty. At the very least, oems should be required to disclose the use of soy in the car before a vehicle is purchased. I had no idea soy-based products were used in this car. Had I known, I would not have bought it. Fyi... Subaru denies using soy products.
When I come to a stop and waiting to make a left turn, the vehicle will stall when I start to turn. Engine is still running, but the car essentially stops in mid turn. This leaves me exposed to a broadside collision. Dealer does not know what is causing it and it does not happen every time. In the last 1000 miles it has occurred 4 times. After the hesitation, about 3 -5 seconds, it starts to move. It has also occurred when moving from one lane to another after coming to a near stop due to a closed lane in the road.
Fuel software programming defect - fuel warning light does not illuminate nor read properly below 50 miles. I had 30 miles left in the tank, parked the car and after work (approx. 8 hours) I went to start the car and it would not start. Had to utilize roadside assistance - thank goodness this didn't happen while the vehicle was in motion or on the highway. This is unacceptable. Brand new car runs worse than my 1988 Honda crx.
Fuel delivery problem. Sometimes when starting up from a stop sign and all of a sudden there is no power and you have to hit the accelerator a couple of times to get the car to respond. Sometimes this occurs at low speed going left and all of a sudden there is no power and you have to hit the accelerator a couple of times to get it to respond. The engine never stalls out. On the expressway it dropped out of cruse twice. I pulled up to a stop sign to cross into traffic and it had power at first and then no power. I was then in a panic mode pressing on the accelerator and finally it responded. This is why I think it is serious.
Ran out of fuel even though the gauge had originally said 30 miles to empty. Then gauge went from 30 to ---- and then stalled all within a few miles while on the highway during rush hour.
I was driving through an intersection when the engine stalled with 1/8th of a tank of gas remaining. Gas light came on only a few miles prior. Luckily I was able to coast into a gas station. Car started after turning off and back on. Only took 16.9 gallons to top off. This is the second time this has happened. The previous time the miles to empty was showing 50 when it stalled. I was told by the dealership that there is no fix for the current recall.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Portage, MI, USA