10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
7,518 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 #16

Jun 042023

Outback

  • miles
Reported to local Subaru Dealer there was a problem with the Parking Brake. While parked at red light, when I attempted to release the parking brake, it would NOT release, and had great difficulty getting to release and proceed. (This is in Traffic). They tested it and claimed it was ok, no problem. Fast forward, several weeks and I started the car, put it in Drive. Car would not move forward. Subaru sent Tow service. At dealership service manager says some debris had filtered down into the parking brake mechanism. I am Not a mechanic. This is what I had told them weeks earlier, [What I suspected]

- Unknown, FM, USA

problem #15

Jan 282024

Outback

  • miles
I was visiting my daughter's and after I pulled in the driveway, and I hit my brakes to stop the car, but they failed, and I ended up crashing into their brick garage. I was physically fine, but my car and their garage was damaged. There were no warning lights of failure. I had Autozone check the car computer today, and they came up with an ABS failure code of C1411. I've discussed the situation with a Subaru mechanic on [XXX], and he says that ABS module has failed and should not happen on 2018 Subaru, that only has @44,000 miles on it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Crawfordsville, IN, USA

problem #14

Oct 272023

Outback

  • miles
While pulling into a parking spot with my foot on the brake and preparing to stop, the car continued to move up over the curb and then began to accelerate even after I applied both of my feet pushing down on the brakes until I hit our condo building. The car and building received extensive damage, and although the car was not totaled it will cost over 7,000 dollars to repair. Personally I was not injured. The air bags did not imploy at impact. There were no warning messages or prior failures with the vehicle before this day. The car was taken to a body shop and not the dealer so we have not had the dealer look at the systems that broke down, but our insurance adjuster will be.

- Cedar Falls, IA, USA

problem #13

Jun 112023

Outback

  • miles
I was driving at 40 MPH in the left lane approaching the left hand turn lane. Once I tturned into the turn lane my car started to accelerate very hard. I hit the brake and the car kept acelerating, I pushed the gear shift into neutral and with both feet hard on the brake I was able to stop completely without cutting into oncoming traffic. I have been driving over 50 years and never had an incident like this happen. I do not drive carelessly. However, now I am affraid to drive this Subaru Outback and I will not let my wife or family even ride in it.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #12

Mar 172023

Outback

  • miles
Drove my wife car noticed more brake pedal travel. Replacing pads on front wheels found corrosion on inside outer upper edge of driver side rotor, pad has irregular wear reducing effective braking. I found same on passenger side rotor, but to a lesser extent.

- Hermon, ME, USA

problem #11

Mar 172023

Outback

  • miles
Please cancel case #115123365, which I reported earlier today. This does not appear to be a Suburu manufacturing and/or safety defect. My report was regarding what appeared to be a problem with sudden braking without either the cruise control or the brake pedal being engaged. The tow truck driver experienced the same problem while trying to drive the car onto the tow truck platform to take it to the dealer for assessment. Upon inspection, we found a piece of the hard rubber floor mat occasionally covered both the brake pedal and the accelerator at the same time. When this happened, pressing the accelerator occasionally resulted in inadvertently pressing the brake pedal under the same mat, causing the braking problem. Should you have any questions or need additional information. My contact information is below: Owner: Lawrence A Kreh 2018 Suburu Outback Vin #4S4 BSANC6 J332 3864 My Text and Phone number: (925) 765-1237 Address: 1260 Grove Way, Concord, CA 94518 Email: Lrkreh@gmail.com Regards, Lawrence Kreh

- Concord, CA, USA

problem #10

Feb 022023

Outback 4-cyl

  • 32,100 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brakes were inadvertently engaging. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,100. The contact noted that they made this complaint in error.

- Concord, CA, USA

problem #9

Jun 062022

Outback

  • miles
The Brake, ABS, and traction control (VDC) lights all came on a couple of weeks ago. I brought the vehicle into the Subaru dealership and they diagnosed a failed Vehicle Dynamics Control board as the problem. I've requested to receive the old VDC board. That there were brake issues was clearly indicated by the dash lights, so my safety risk was low. There seemed to be no impact to regular brake function and because we weren't driving on any ice/snow/rain slick roads I didn't encounter any issues with not having VDC working. Problem was confirmed by dealer and a replacement board is being requested. They're charging me for it since I'm outside the terrible 36,000 mile warranty that's become standard in our anti-consumer country. The replacement board will only carry a 12 month/12K mile warranty because, again, our federal government is worthless at protecting consumers.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #8

Aug 012021

Outback

  • miles
Sunday, August 1, 2021, at 9:05am, I backed out of my garage and when I attempted to turn my car, the steering locked, the car was drifting backwards and I had no brakes. As a result the car kept drifting backwards, off the driveway into the woods, hitting a tree. Once stopped, I was able to start the car and drive it out of the woods. The entire driver-??s side was sideswiped and mirror torn off. I was not injured, but could have been. I called insurance that day. On Monday, we contacted the Subaru dealership. The local police were notified and documented the report. The insurance adjuster determined the car unsafe to drive and it was towed to the dealership August 4, 2021. There was no warning or indicated problem prior to the incident.

- Mohnton , PA, USA

problem #7

Apr 232019

Outback

  • 0 miles
My 2018 Subaru Outback has brake fade stopped in traffic, brake loss (petal goes to floor) after being parked or driving, and brake loss in X-mode ( X mode feature controls braking/speed on steep slippery roads.Subaru dealer made 4 unsuccessful repair attempts. Subaru of America flew in a field engineer, tied up my car 3 weeks but was unsuccessful also. Mathew in a recorded message soa's service rep.confirmed the brake issues & claimed soa was testing all brake components. On 01/07/2020 my 2018 Subaru, still under new car warrant, failed to pass a NY state motor vehicle inspection. I can not legally drive my vehicle on NY roads. Soa offered me $ $2,500 to go away. I have made videos of my brake loss it occurs so frequently. NHTSA has several brake failure complaints with roll over, injuries & 5 car pile ups. I believe soa refuses to help me in order to circumvent a recall. The 2017 Outback had a brake fade issue that soa did a secret repair according to online info. Please share this information.

- Sauquoit, NY, USA

problem #6

Jan 272020

Outback

  • 35,800 miles
Brakes are soft and go almost to the floor. One cannot pump up todays brakes. Rear brakes almost new. Front brake pads new. Brakes stop vehicle in normal operation. My concern in emergency situation. Very heavy braking goes very close to the floor.

- Cicero, NY, USA

problem #5

Aug 272019

Outback

  • 7,092 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. While driving approximately 25 mph, the contact attempted to stop at a red light and the brake pedal traveled all the way down to the floorboard. The contact began to pump the brake pedal until the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was driven to kupper Subaru (805 E main St, mandan, nd 58554) where it was determined that the vehicle was performing according to design. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 7,092.

- Bismarck, ND, USA

problem #4

Jan 242019

Outback

  • 6,000 miles
The contact owned a 2018 Subaru Outback. While reversing in the driveway, the brake pedal was applied, but failed to respond when depressed to the floorboard. The vehicle overturned and crashed in the driveway. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The side curtain air bags deployed. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance Agency. The independent mechanic stated that the brakes failed to work while leaving the crash site; therefore, the vehicle was towed to an independent salvage lot. The contact called flatiron Subaru (5995 arapahoe ave, boulder, co 80303, (877) 464-2714) and was referred to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: 1-374723133. Additionally, an investigation team collected the data box. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000. The VIN was not available.

- Evergreen, CO, USA

problem #3

Dec 182018

Outback

  • 4,400 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. Each time the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The contact had to apply excessive force to the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,400.

- Hot Springs, SD, USA

problem #2

Jan 102019

Outback

  • 30,000 miles
I went to to stop at a traffic light and my brakes failed. I swerved to miss the car directly in front of me. I hit 5 other cars and the car flipped. The fire department had to cut us out of the car.this was a busy street.

- St, Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #1

Dec 182017

Outback

  • 4,900 miles
The vehicle pulls to the left. The dealer addressed the problem twice in two weeks by doing a four wheel alignment. The vehicle is still pulling to the left. A more concerning issue just started. The vehicle has applied the right front brake at highway speeds. Not hard, just enough to feel the steering wheel jump to the right. I was traveling approximately 65 to 70 mph on a straight interstate highway when this happened.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA