3.4

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
38,152 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 2011 Subaru Outback:

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

problem #4

Jul 242014

Outback 4-cyl

  • 79,000 miles
With no passenger seated, the seat belt chime started ringing. To try to stop it, I latched the passenger seat belt. Chiming continued. I notice the air bag warning light was lit. I drove the car straight to my Subaru dealer and was told the passenger side air bag sensor had failed. I was also told the only way to fix it was to replace the seat at well over $1000. I was still left with the problem of the seat belt chime. The dealership wouldn't disable the chime so I searched the internet for a solution. What I found is that this is a very common problem with 2011 Outbacks. I did also find out how to disable the seat belt chime. Because this is such a costly repair and a common problem, I have to believe there are many Subaru owners driving around with unprotected passengers having disabling their seat belt chimes and having no air bag protection. In fairness to Subaru, I contacted customer service and they offered to split the cost of the repair. It will still cost me $798 for what should be a simple repair but because of poor engineering, a replacement seat. I would appreciate you looking into this matter.

- Danbury, CT, USA

problem #3

Mar 132014

Outback 4-cyl

  • 21,000 miles
Air bag is not being turned on when a passenger is in the seat. They meet the 80+ weight requirment.

- Ogden, UT, USA

problem #2

Jan 042014

Outback

  • 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving in reverse, he heard an abnormally loud popping noise from the seat. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnosis of the failure. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 52,000.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #1

May 102011

Outback 4-cyl

  • 606 miles
The passenger side airbag fails to activate or cycles on and off while the adult passenger remains seated in the proper position. Dealer claims no defects detected yet is unable to resolve the problem. Manufacturer representative is also unable to provide any assistance in the resolution of the problem even to the point of not acknowledging that a problem exists. I feel this is a serious safety issue as you cannot rely on whether or not the airbag will be properly activated or even deploy in the event of an accident.

- Campo, CA, USA