10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,596 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2012 Subaru Outback:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #4

Oct 162020

Outback

  • 67,977 miles
My 2012 Subaru is having neurological problems - all dash lights come on: It happens randomly when driving over bridges or speed bumps. Started on 8/8/16 when car bogged down and died while driving down hwy. 360. I took it to my regular Subaru authorized repair place ' christian brothers on sublet rd. In arlington. The diagnosis was broken egr (exhaust gas recirculation) system. I happened again & I took it back. The final repair for that problem was 'replace mass flow sensor & major fuel induction service. The dash lights continued to come on but the car didn't bog down anymore. I took it to auto zone who ran the free diagnostic. So I took it back to christian brothers. They charged me $99 to run a more detailed diagnostic & still said I need to replace the catalytic converter. There was no test of the emissions other than the computer diagnostic. I waited a long time & the first code that came up was for catalytic converter. I suspected that they just disconnected the battery to reset the lights) the next time I took it hiley Subaru 4/5/17 (for 60 K inspection and oil change date). I asked them about the dash light problem. The dash lights were not on that day because I had learned to disconnect the battery but they mentioned that the 2012 Outback research indicated that 'repositioning the brake line' might be the problem because of occurrences happening when crossing bridges. They did that, but the problem continued ' not every time I crossed the bridges, though. I took it to 5 star Subaru for the 90 K inspection 4/10/18 and mentioned the neurological problems. They insisted that the problem was the catalytic converter because of the computer diagnostic. Neither dealership would guarantee that replacing the catalytic converter will fix this problem. The problem persists but there is no real evidence of a problem with the emissions.

- Grand Prairie, TX, USA

problem #3

Aug 202020

Outback

  • 111,000 miles
Vehicle rear ended vehicle in front because of brake failure/potential acceleration at approximately 35mph. This happened in rainy conditions, which my wife had noticed many weeks before. Subsequently, we found these recalls: And lawsuit https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/Subaru/Outback/2012/reliability https://www.classaction.org/news/class-action-claims-Subaru-concealed-sudden-acceleration-defect-in-forester-legacy-Outback-models#:~:text=new%20jersey-,Subaru%20of%20america%2C%20inc.,from%20A%20sudden%20acceleration%20defect.

- Hudson, FL, USA

problem #2

Dec 102019

Outback

  • 115,405 miles
My car often gets stuck with the parking brake on and I cannot move the car forward or backward. Most times I have a carload of groceries and need to get them to the freezer or refrigerator. Computer engine analysis...... ABS C0054 brake switch on malfunction C0057 ECM control...... epb C0252 motor malfunction detail code 50A0..... C0234 vdc failure detail code C111..... C0242 power supply voltage failure detail code. I have replaced brakes, replaced tires, checked fluid, checked fuses, etc.

- Taylors, SC, USA

problem #1

Jul 092012

Outback

  • 4,000 miles
Vehicle stopped cruise control & flashed brakes & no traction control unexpectedly. Came close to a wreck shutting the vehicle down on the side of the road hitting various tire recaps & debris on the side. Of the road. Not told that this is a regular occurrence with this vehicle.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA