10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
87,545 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.

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problem #19

Mar 042020

Outback

  • miles
Actuator that adjusts the air flow broken and doesn't now allow the airflow to be directed to the windshield. This is an extreme safety hazard as the windows fog up as the car warms and you cannot see out of the window.

- Marysville, WA, USA

problem #18

Sep 132021

Outback

  • miles
Total engine failure at just 75k miles. Barely driven, maintenance schedule always kept up to date, out of nowhere engine stopped and I was told the oil was completely empty. They were unable to resolve by adding oil. Also, transmission light has been on for 3+ years. Have been told by every repair shop who has checked this that it-??s just a glitch in the electrical system and the transmission is fine. A few weeks prior to engine failure, the car began to have trouble accelerating and made a sort of -??race car-?? sound. Barely could go past 40 mph without slamming on gas. Finally, doors have randomly decided to stop locking and unlocking while using key fob. Batteries have been replaced. Some doors work, some do not (namely, the driver side door). Other misc electrical issues like USB failure.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #17

Feb 012020

Outback

  • 150,000 miles
I was pulling out of the garage, and the windshield cracked. Nothing touched the car, it just cracked on its own. The crack is in an arch shape from the drivers side corner to the passenger side corner (about 12 inches heigh at the top. There is also a vertical crack down the center.

- Madison, IN, USA

problem #16

Sep 232020

Outback

  • 123,694 miles
I am experiencing hesitation while driving the car. I have threads with Subaru drivers who are experiencing the same issues and all have no luck resolving the issue at dealerships.

- Springfield, VA, USA

problem #15

Sep 202020

Outback

  • 168,775 miles
Cruise control, brake, check engine and vehicle dynamic control lights all come on while operating the vehicle.

- Prescott Valley, AZ, USA

problem #14

Mar 132020

Outback

  • 70,715 miles
While driving the following warning lights have come on: Brake, vehicle dynamics control, and at oil temp. It has happened twice now and lights go away once car is turned off and back on again.

- Bedford Hills, NY, USA

problem #13

Apr 232019

Outback

  • 190,000 miles
My cooling system does not work correctly, we have changed the radiator twice and the thermostat twice. I have taken it to Subaru of cherry hill and also to Subaru of jax where my father in law is a senior master tech. My car has everyone baffled. Everything in my cooling system backs up into my overflow and than I lose all my coolant. I see there was a recall in 2010 for my year Outback manufactured between July 31 to Dec 2009 and my car falls in those date ranges but was never including in this cooling system recall. I have contacted Subaru of America and they said there is nothing they can do for me. The issue only happens when driving on both city streets and highways. Bc of the issue my car has just shut down on me luckily it was when I was pulling into parking lots and not highways.

- Cherry Hill Township, NJ, USA

problem #12

Apr 222018

Outback

  • 174,000 miles
On 4/22/2018 at 2:33 pm I was driving along I-80 South of hazelton, pa (https://goo.gl/maps/gjhn82kh8pc2). I was going 65. The temperature was about 60. There were no cars in front of us or behind us and the nearest overpass was several thousand feet ahead of us. We were not in a falling rock area. Suddenly, there was a very loud popping sound. Immediately, there was a loud wooshing sound of air and what sounded like gravel on the car's roof. I decelerated and my two passengers looked around to see if something had fallen off the car and was behind us. We saw nothing in the roadway behind us. I slowly slid open the visor panel for the sunroof and saw the glass had shattered. I pulled over and took photos of the damage. The damage (a 6" X 16" hole) was almost in the direct center of the sunroof. There were no stones or foreign objects inside the hole.

- Chelmsford, MA, USA

problem #11

Jan 022018

Outback

  • 53,000 miles
Complaint: Subaru powertrain extended warranty is meaningless because my southern California dealer will not even look at my car to determine whether or not my frequent engine stall problem upon braking is due to a defective torque converter. Or some other cause. My 2010 Subaru Outback has had all recommended services and has only 53K miles. No check engine or other warning lights have turned on. Yesterday, the engine stalled at ten stops in a row and then every other stop til I got home. So far it has restarted but because the problem began only one week ago and is rapidly worsening, I am afraid the engine will soon fail to restart or will die while moving in traffic. My local mechanic will not look at the car because of the Subaru extended warranty since they cannot fix it if it is the powertrain. I don't want to be the first fatality that eventually leads to a recall. Is there any way to have Subaru recall for inspection cars experiencing frequent engine stall problems or other symptoms of bad torque converters to at least confirm or rule out a powertrain defect as the cause?

- Yucaipa, CA, USA

problem #10

Nov 272017

Outback

  • 49,600 miles
Car in park, ignition off. Entered car and started to move car approximately 30-25' to park in front of garage. Steel garage door down. Proceeded to garage door 1-2 mph with foot on break. Car accelerated at high speed and could not stop or slow down car and it crashed through garage door and was stoped by boxes at back of garage. Acceleration sudden and high with no indication of why. Car damaged due to debris from fragments of steel door mostly on top and front and driver side of car. Airbag did not deploy. Car in my driveway at time of accident. Mechanic unable to determine cause. Records available.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #9

Aug 262017

Outback

  • 81,000 miles
Fluids draining from radiator, warning lights flashing

- Bronxville, NY, USA

problem #8

Jun 062017

Outback

  • 90,233 miles
I replaced the original tires in September 2013 with yokohama yk580S (225/60 R17). The mileage at the time of replacement was 49,577. This week the vehicle developed a strong vibration while in motion which was caused by a bulge over approximately 15 of the tread surface of the tire positioned on the right front wheel. The tire air pressure has remained constant during this structural degradation. The mileage on the vehicle at the time of this occurrence was 90,233. The tread remaining on the impacted tire is approximately 3/16", and the dot manufacture code is 83C1512.

- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA

problem #7

Nov 162016

Outback

  • 114,397 miles
The car shutters or stalls when coming to a stop, both regular or sudden stop. It happens when I pull up to a stop sign, light or need to stop in highway traffic. It has happened on numerous occasions giving me reason for concern for my life and the lives of my passengers. Subaru has diagnosed the problem as a torque converter. I also have the diagnosis of a faulty torque converter from an independent auto mechanic. This is a costly repair due to it's proximity to the transmission.

- Howell, NJ, USA

problem #6

Mar 042014

Outback

  • miles
Model year has under sized brakes for the vehicle weight, ( rotors quickly warp ) #2 in the absence of surface rust, front sub frame rotting away. Got rid of car after just installing new set michellin tires, brakes, rotors and detailing. Had I known!!! how discovered; stationary, looking for source of strange noise under neath upon stoping and starting in traffic.

- Flagler Beach, FL, USA

problem #5

Aug 282016

Outback

  • 84,950 miles
I bought my first Subaru in 2002. I love it, a week after I bought it I went to California from St. Louis, mo. I decided I wanted another one because I love Subaru's. it took me a few weeks to find the one I wanted. It was a used 2010 with 84,940 miles with one owner. None smoker which I really loved. He took very good care of it. He took it in for all the requirements that Subaru has. I had car fax print out so I know what was done. No complaints about the stalling when you stepped on the brakes. It was about a week into my ownership that I noticed when I stopped the car would start to vibrate and then die. This is very scary because the person behind you starts honking and I must put it into park and restart it. The lights on the dash start flashing while it is dying, a light goes on that looks like a car skidding. When I start to feel, it trying to die I tap on the brakes a few times and most of the time it will keep running. It is the times when it dies and I can't get it started fast enough can be dangers' because someone is driving fast behind me. This has happened to me more than I want it to. When I go to church that is 10 miles away it seems to stop a lot at the light. I just want Subaru to fix the problem because they have known about this problem since 2010. I have found so many complaints on another site, I copied them and will be taking them to my service man and sending a letter to the hq. I just don't know what to do. When I had my car in for the 90,000-mile work done I told them again. They told me when I picked up the Subaru it would cost me $1,700 to fix it. No Subaru needs to fix it since it has been a problem since day one. So many other complaints have been printed. Someone even sent and talked to hq but no recall has happened. So, I'm angry that they have done nothing to correct the problem.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #4

Sep 012012

Outback

  • 10,000 miles
Door locks don't lock or unlock unless manually done. Remote does not lock doors or unlock doors. Some locks work some don't. Subaru won't fix this issue.

- Palm Harbor, FL, USA

problem #3

Jun 142016

Outback

  • 105,000 miles
We bought our car in 2010 its a Subaru Outback. There has always been an issue with a loss of power. The dealership at the time said it was caused by excessive carbon build up on the pistons. Its now 2016 and the car will stutter and shut off when you are braking at red lights. To try to beat the stutter and stall, I find myself having to ease off the brakes and try to reapply my brakes to see if it won't shut off. I've avoid many accidents but one of these days I won't be so lucky. I feel a rear end accident is coming. This stutter and stall happens any time during the day and in any weather. This morning there was no issue, this afternoon there might be. Usually once the car stutters and stalls the problem goes away for the day. I read some other complaints on nhsta and they are reporting their similar issue as it being a possible torque converter problem. I'm not sure either way since my mileage puts me over the warranty and I don't want an accident to deal with I would like to see what are options to getting this problem taken care since its been doing this since 2010.

- Camarillo, CA, USA

problem #2

Jun 142016

Outback

  • 105,000 miles
When driving and approaching a traffic light the car will begin to stutter as if there is a clog in the system. Then it will shut off. I contacted Subaru regarding the issue when we first had the car because there was always a loss of power. Our model is the Outback 2010. They inspected and said it was a carbon build up in the pistons that would cause this issue. There hasn't been any recalls or Subaru notices about this. Now while driving and coming to a stop the car just turns off. On your site nhsta some other customers have been saying that it could also be a bad torque converter. Either way this issue could cause serious accident if not dealt with. The stutter and shutting off happens any time of the day and cold or hot weather it doesn't matter. Some days it happens more often the others and usually after a few times of shutting off the problem does stop for remainder of the day.

- Camarillo, CA, USA

problem #1

Feb 062014

Outback

  • 93,000 miles
Was driving on what appeared to be a clear, clean road at about 8 am the day after a snowstorm. My car started skidding off to the right side of the highway, when trying to turn wheel towards the left to straighten the car out, the car then started spinning around 360 degrees a few times until the car then rolled over to the left down the 100 foot ditch about 3 or 4 rolls before stopping. The drivers side airbag never deployed despite severe frontal and side damage. The car was totaled by the insurance company. I still have no explanation as to why this all happened. In searching the internet for answers, I found 2 recalls one dated 6/24/2010 which could involve the airbag, and one dated 5/11/2010 which involved the cvt cooler hose leading to a crash. If something failed in the car leading to my crash, I have the right to know. I have some injuries and am still not back to work. Are there any other cases similar to mine?

- Poughquag, NY, USA