10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
31,886 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #16

Jun 072019

Outback

  • 35,000 miles
Car stalled in the middle of an intersection. It was truly frightening because the baby was in the car and it was during morning commute rush hours when everyone is rushing. The car is relatively new with 35K miles and am the only owner of the vehicle. Was at an intersection and waiting for my turn to make a left. The car was in 'drive' and I had my foot on the brake. However, when the green left turn arrow came, I pressed the gas pedal and the car did not move. I moved from 'drive' to 'park' and back to 'drive' and pressed the gas pedal again and the car did not move. The check engine light came on. I moved from 'drive' to 'park' and turned off the car engine. Then I restarted the car and moved from 'park' to 'drive' and pressed the gas pedal again and the car did not move. I began pressing the gas pedal heavy trying to at least maybe move to safety and all of sudden the car felt very sluggish but it moved. I understand there is an extended warranty offered by Subaru regarding the transmission, but what happened to me was dangerous to myself, my family and others on the road. This requires further investigation as to not put any people's life at unnecessary risks.

- Richardson, TX, USA

problem #15

Feb 252019

Outback

  • 42,500 miles
When stopped, unable to remove key from ignition (unable to move key from acc position to lock position such that key remains in ignition). Safety concern: Unaccompanied child could start vehicle. Unlocked vehicle could be stolen with keys in ignition.

- Pittsboro, NC, USA

problem #14

Mar 012016

Outback

  • 100 miles
The automatic transmission does not engage often causing a jerking motion of the car which is undiagnosed for the past 3 years. Subaru extended the transmission warranty for one year. I want it fixed. My wife and I have complained since the car was new (2016 model)

- San Rafael, CA, USA

problem #13

Aug 052018

Outback

  • 64,000 miles
My 2016 Subaru Outback 3.6 limited has 64,000 miles on it. Recently I noticed an unfamiliar noise. When I brought it to a mechanic he said it needed a wheel bearing and the wheel was about to fall off. He replaced the wheel bearing/hub but said the noise was still there and suggested I bring it to a Subaru dealer for further evaluation. When I brought it to the Subaru dealer they said it need two additional wheel bearings. They said it was unsafe to drive and gave me a loaner car until it can be fixed. As my car is still waiting to be fixed I don't have all the documentation yet. But I still do worry when and if that 4th bearing/hub will fail.

- Adams, MA, USA

problem #12

Jun 242018

Outback

  • 31,000 miles
I had a major issue with this vehicle on June 24. We were driving back from our family vacation when I was passing a semi truck on a two lane road the vehicle suddenly lost power to the wheels and would not accelerate. As I stepped on the gas the engine revved up but the vehicle was not accelerating. I thought it slipped out of gear. I put it in neutral then back into drive and still had the same problem. I put my flashers on to alert the truck that I was having issues. I pulled onto the shoulder and he passed me. I noticed the tachometer read between the 3 and 4 mark when I put my foot on the accelerator trying to speed up. However, the vehicle did not speed up at all. I was able to pull off the road onto a turnout area. The passenger in the front seat asked if any warning light came on. No lights of any sort came on. The temperature gauge was in the normal operating range. After the car stopped I turned off the ignition and opened my door and noticed flames coming from the bottom of the car. I immediately instructed the other three (3) passengers to immediately exit the car because of the flames. Luckily we were able to exit the vehicle and get a safe distance away to call 911 for assistance. Unfortunately the fire continued to burn and engulfed the car. Black smoke started to appear. The fire department showed up and extinguished the fire. We watched helplessly while our car and possessions went up in smoke. We contacted Subaru and filed a compliant. They took their time and eventually sent their qa team to inspect what was left of the vehicle. They finally sent us an email stating they could not find the root cause of the fire because the fire damage was too intense. We bought this vehicle new just two years prior and it only had about 30K miles and had all the factory recommended services at the dealership. The vehicle is under warranty.

- Cheney, WA, USA

problem #11

Jul 312018

Outback

  • 35,042 miles
I had experienced a shudder, pop, revving rpms of the vehicles before a sudden power loss at highway speed (65mph). I was unable to accelerate and had limited steering to get off the highway safely. The vehicle had stalled by the time I was on the side of the road. I was then unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. A towing service was called to bring it to a local dealership. Within an hour time period the vehicle rapidly lost electrical power and hazard lights were no longer functional. This unfortunately was late at nighttime, making the visibility of the vehicle very minimal. The vehicle was evaluated at a local dealership and reported that there was a software problem with the charging systems of the car. The system was updated, but the dealership could not provide an explanation for the revving engine, shuddering, power loss and stalling that occurred prior to the inability to restart the vehicle on the side of the road.

- Beaverton, OR, USA

problem #10

Jul 052018

Outback

  • 16,000 miles
Had complained about car jolting at stop lights on occasion in gear at full stop at lights. No diagnosis. Changed gas thinking it might help. Seemed to. No diagnosis. Then car jumped hard backwards in reverse coming out of parking space. Could have hit car behind had we been parallel parked instead of angle. Took car in and dealer replaced cvt at no charge but warned us it would continue to jump in reverse with the new cvt and it does just as it did when we took it in. Now we have to remember to grind down on the brake pedal when going into reverse. That isn't right or safe.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #9

Jan 012018

Outback

  • 42,000 miles
Key sticks in the ignition and will not come out. The failing park position switch did not allow the key to be turned to the fully off position for key removal.

- Hudson, OH, USA

problem #8

Jan 152016

Outback 4-cyl

  • 4,000 miles
This issue is a safety enhancement request affecting top of the line Subaru Outback 2016 limited/premium models equipped with keyless ignition systems. This issue is similar to that reported in NHTSA id number:10881286. Issue: It is possible for a driver to inadvertently turn off the engine (we are only human) using the start/stop button when the vehicle is in drive, park or neutral. If vehicle is on a slope, the vehicle will roll forwards or backwards on it's own. This presents a serious risk of grave bodily harm to people in the path of the unattended moving vehicle. This already happened with my vehicle, luckily it happened inside my garage on a very slight slope and my closed garage door stopped the vehicle. If my children had been behind the vehicle, removing their school bags, they would have been pinned to the garage door by a 3500 lb vehicle. Unacceptable. I repaired the slight damage body work on the vehicle at the dealer but that is irrelevant compared to the safety risk presented by this "works as designed" behavior of the car. Possible workaround: 1. Subaru needs to change this behavior and eliminate the risk by automatically engaging the electric "park brake" that is already installed in this model vehicle, when the engine is turned off. 2. disable engine stop until transmission is set to park. The current audible warning is insufficient. My 15 year old vehicle did not allow the key to be removed from the ignition slot until park lever was engaged to prevent this exact problem.

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

problem #7

Nov 272016

Outback

  • 8,000 miles
3rd occurrence: While driving on a state highway, vehicle jerked, all warning lights came on and vehicle lost movement with resistance. Towed to dealer.

- Island Heights, NJ, USA

problem #6

Oct 312016

Outback

  • 7,200 miles
Less than 1 week later, 2nd occurrence: While driving on interstate, all warning lights came on and vehicle suddenly lost forward movement. Vehicle was running but not engaging enough to propel vehicle. Towed to dealer, dealer repaired Pilot pin in transmission.

- Island Heights, NJ, USA

problem #5

Oct 232016

Outback

  • 7,000 miles
1st occurrence: While driving on a county road, all warning lights came on. Brought vehicle back to dealer, dealer replaced the transmission.

- Island Heights, NJ, USA

problem #4

Sep 302015

Outback

  • miles
When I back up and stop and put transmission into drive there is a 3 to 4 second hesitation before the vehicle goes forward. This hesitation puts me into risk as I back out of driveway onto a busy urban street. The dealership says this the way the cvt transmission works. The problem was brought to the attention of the dealer the 1st week that I purchased the car on 09/30/2015. The problem still exists when going from a quick reverse to drive.

- Madison, WI, USA

problem #3

Mar 202016

Outback

  • 275 miles
Stationary vehicle rolls back significantly when on any incline when in gear. It has an automatic transmission which rolls in drive and reverse. The dealer said all vehicles roll when in gear. I have owned 13 vehicles in my life, the only vehicles that would roll in gear were manual transmission vehicles which is why the last 8 vehicles I have owned have been automatic. The dealer denied this was a problem but on the Subaru Outback forum, this is a known problem for at least the past two iterations of this vehicle. The first occasion the vehicle rolled back on a good slope for at least three feet and then the tires spun when I depressed the accelerator. The hill assist feature on this car may have been of assistance but I was unfamiliar with it. The hill assist feature should not have to be engaged during normal driving. Had this slippage happened at a stoplight, the vehicle would have rolled into another and caused damage to both vehicles. Absolutely dangerous and unacceptable. The transmission acts like a manual without a clutch.

- Kernville, CA, USA

problem #2

Mar 202016

Outback

  • 275 miles
Stationary vehicle rolls back significantly when on any incline when in gear. It has an automatic transmission which rolls in drive and reverse. The dealer said all vehicles roll when in gear. I have owned 13 vehicles in my life, the only vehicles that would roll in gear were manual transmission vehicles which is why the last 8 vehicles I have owned have been automatic. The dealer denied this was a problem but on the Subaru Outback forum, this is a known problem for at least the past two iterations of this vehicle. The first occasion the vehicle rolled back on a good slope for at least three feet and then the tires spun when I depressed the accelerator. The hill assist feature on this car may have been of assistance but I was unfamiliar with it. The hill assist feature should not have to be engaged during normal driving. Had this slippage happened at a stoplight, the vehicle would have rolled into another and caused damage to both vehicles. Absolutely dangerous and unacceptable. The transmission acts like a manual without a clutch.

- Kernville, CA, USA

problem #1

Nov 122015

Outback

  • 560 miles
I was in a store parking lot. I drove approx. 2 blocks and came to a full stop where there was a pedestrian crossing. I accelerated making a left turn and began climbing a small hill to exit the parking area. I traveled approximately 20 feet and my car lost acceleration. I placed my foot on the gas pedal and pressed it down approx. 50 percent. While doing so, I did not hear the engine racing. The speedometer registered 2 miles per hour. I braked, came to a full stop and took my car out of gear. I moved it back to drive and the car responded normally.

- Portland, OR, USA