1.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
83,409 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 #7

Oct 182019

Outback

  • 145,000 miles
The car engine cuts off when suddenly decelerating. My wife and child stalled twice already in traffic, once at a busy intersection. Also water leaks into the center brake light. Parking brake does not work.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #6

Jul 052019

Outback

  • 88,000 miles
When we were driving the 2011 Subaru Outback on the road on July 5,2019, the fuel gauge suddenly shifted from almost full to zero. The car stopped and we placed it in park. Subsequent attempts to start the car did not even ignite the engine, even when we added another gallon of gas and tried jump starting the car. There were no visible signs of a gas leak. Our insurance company towed our car to nearby coleman Subaru NJ, where the dealer has now assumed it was a computer issue and have asked to order another computer to fix it. This was an incredibly scary experience for us. There were five people in the car when we were driving and thankfully no one was hurt. If it happened on the high way, I don't know what would have happened. We are concerned this is a safety issue which can get people hurt.

- Fair Lawn, NJ, USA

problem #5

Nov 112018

Outback

  • 149,090 miles
My dash lights came on suddenly.. after researching states type torque converter for transmission needs to be replaced.. Subaru wants me to purchase whole new transmission, loss of power and gas mileage. The car was running when these lights came on.

- Vermilion, OH, USA

problem #4

Jul 242018

Outback

  • 80,000 miles
Intermitent: Steady icons: Check engine light traction control system flashing icons: Brake cruise from starting the vehicle icons listed above are active. Engine is very hard to start when put in gear, unable to move car. Solution is to turn car off, wait and restart. This might require several attempts. Eventually, vehicle will resume normal operateion. Dealership service personel do not acknowledge problem.

- Bloomfield, CT, USA

problem #3

Jul 182014

Outback 6-cyl

  • 34,576 miles
I backed out of a parking spot, stopped and, with my foot on the brake, shifted to drive to pull forward. The car surged forward rapidly. I stood on the brakes, the surge continued very briefly and then the car finally stopped. This was the first incident of this kind in the three years I have owned the car.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #2

Jun 232014

Outback

  • 57,000 miles
I was driving on the freeway when my check engine light, ABS brake light, traction control (all wheel drive) light and cruise control lights began flashing all at once. I called the dealership immediately and was told that all the lights flash because most drivers ignore just the check engine light. At the dealer the next day I was told the same thing with the addition of the facts that the ABS brake system and the traction control systems were actually disabled during this incident. During the conversation it was said that to correct the problem, a "reflash " of the computer system was needed and that this was a known problem on some Outbacks. I asked why there was no recall if the problem was known and was told they just fixed the problem when it happened. This seems to me to be a significant safety problem since if the problem occurred while the driver was on ice or snow or wet road, vehicle stability would be compromised. I think Subaru should at least be made to recall the suspected vehicles and fix the problem even though it is something that may not happen to all vehicles.

- Spring, TX, USA

problem #1

Dec 162012

Outback 4-cyl

  • 30,200 miles
I was driving at 65 mph with the cruise control on and all of sudden the cruise disengaged, check engine light, brake, and traction control lights lit up on the instrument panel. The car's loss of speed could have caused an accident as the loss of speed was fairly dramatic. Disconnected the battery to see if that would help, it did, but only for a day. It happened again today 12/17/2012.

- Frazee, MN, USA