10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,909 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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problem #251

Jan 132026

Outback

  • 37,168 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH on the highway, the contact was alerted by the message -??Eyesight Technology Failure-??, before the battery shut down, causing the steering wheel to seize, forcing the contact to come to a complete stop in the middle of the highway. The check engine, air bags, and oil warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that several other unknown warning lights and alerts were displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was jump-started, and the contact was escorted by a tow truck operator to the nearest dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,168. The VIN was invalid.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #250

Sep 292025

Outback

  • miles
Immediately stop every single traffic light

- Grovr Cityy, OH, USA

problem #249

Feb 252025

Outback

  • 56,000 miles
The contact's husband owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start intermittently, but was able to be jump-started. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Advance Auto, where the contact was informed that the battery and the alternator were in good condition. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

- Stafford Springs, CT, USA

problem #248

Jul 022025

Outback

  • miles
Car stalled in traffic. The engine was cranking but it would not start. Had AAA tow off the road and to my home. Car sat for 10 days waiting for a fuel pump (thought this was the problem). After sitting for 10 days the battery was totally dead! New fuel pump installed battery was jumped but could not start the car. After 2 hours on the charger the battery still did not have enough energy to turn over the engine. Car is in a certified service shop (Wilhelm). Battery replaced and same starting issues with the new battery and the new battery is discharging at a very high rate even though the car is not starting. Bought the car used in 2023 so I have no knowledge of the history of the car. Service provider running factory diagnostic testing but so far no determination as to cause of the high rate of discharge. Verified that the fuel pump is fully operational. What we know is that with a fresh fully charged battery and a working fuel pump the car will not start and remain running. The engine stops and the battery drain is excessive.

- Anthem, AZ, USA

problem #247

Feb 192025

Outback

  • miles
For our 2020 Subaru Outback, we are on our 3rd battery at only 49k miles. The car died again today. Thankfully AAA was able to jump it after a friend tried unsuccessfully. We suspect all of this battery drain, failure and replacement has been due to the known Data Communications Module (DCM) issue on recent Subaru-??s. I have an appt w the dealer in Santa Monica tomorrow morning to have it diagnosed.

- Culver City, CA, USA

problem #246

Oct 052024

Outback

  • miles
We are on our 3rd battery in < 4 years. Subaru is well aware of this issue in their engineering in the parasitic drain from the Starlink module. AAA won-??t even replace these batteries anymore because the problem is so prevalent. Meanwhile, I-??m about to have to buy a 4th battery less than 4 years after purchasing the car.

- Culver City, CA, USA

problem #245

Jun 042024

Outback

  • 66,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the battery was replaced several times; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was determined that the battery was not big enough for the turbocharger installed in the vehicle. The battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact also stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the driver's side seat moved forward and backward unexpectedly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000. The VIN was not available.

- Carolina Beach, NC, USA

problem #244

Jul 022024

Outback

  • miles
Rear trunk door won-??t lock when closed and open up while driving. It-??s unsafe as I have to constantly keep an eye in rear view mirror to see if door popped open by itself. Took to service station and they said it-??s tied to battery and it is preventing door to close because trunk door takes power to open. I do not understand how trunk door locking close cannot be independent of battery. It is quite unsafe for vehicle occupants and poses danger to other vehicles driving behind.

- Milpitas, CA, USA

problem #243

Jun 182024

Outback

  • 25,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while turning off the vehicle, the Data Communication Module (DCM) remained running, causing the battery to become drained twice. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000. The VIN was not available.

- Henrico, VA, USA

problem #242

Jun 172024

Outback

  • miles
Display to control the environment freezes.

- Oneonta, NY, USA

problem #241

May 252024

Outback

  • miles
As my husband & I were traveling to Augusta, GA on Memorial Day weekend with our niece, we approached the [XXX] outside Chattanooga, Tennessee in heavy traffic and heavy rain on Saturday [XXX] 2024 at approximately [XXX] When we stopped for a small accident ahead of us, the -??auto stop-start engine-?? feature stopped the car engine as normal. However, almost instantly, all of the electronics in the car appeared to fail and the car would not restart. The dashboard indicated that Eyesight and RAB were disabled and to "check the owner's manual." Normal traffic quickly resumed around us, but we were stranded in the #2 lane with several close calls of a rear-end collision--not to mention the cars at risk swerving to avoid us. My husband is a retired firefighter & our niece is a nurse in Los Angeles. Frankly, we were terrified! We were stranded on the interstate in the #2 lane for about 20 minutes before being pushed into the "gore zone" between [XXX] & [XXX] by a TDOT truck. We spent about 40 minutes in the gore zone where we were nearly hit twice by cars driving across the zone. We were finally towed to Crown Subaru in Chattanooga, TN and arrived there about 11:40 a.m. The general manager of the dealership, Keith Aviles, told us there was a sudden, massive failure of a battery cell controlling the electronics of the car, and the battery was replaced. We never had any indication or evidence prior to this incident that there were issues with the battery. Also, we have never received a notice from Subaru about battery problems. However, we are now aware that Subaru settled a class action lawsuit to avoid a recall of these batteries. I have notified six friends who own Subarus. Three have had issues with their batteries, but were also unaware of the class action lawsuit. This is absolutely shocking for a vehicle manufacturer that touts safety to sell vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #240

Jan 012024

Outback

  • miles
The automatic lifting of the rear trunk opens as it should, but then will start to close on you out of no where without pushing the close button. It is terrifying because it doesn-??t sense a body there. The screen in the center console also will become inaccessible and black out making it impossible to use the touch screen. The usb ports/ connecting to iPhone will disconnect making Bluetooth unavailable. Extremely difficult when needing gps or on the freeway

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #239

Feb 052024

Outback

  • miles
Starting in September of 2023, my 2020 Subaru Outback began having issues with the battery. After replacing the battery, having the vehicle died, being left stranded in unsafe scenarios, paying for, and associated repairs, I was told the DCM panel was found to be faulty and causing repetitive battery drainage and failures. The DCM is trying to connect to an old network without success causing the battery failure. This occurred twice in September, once in December, and three times in January of 2024.

- Richmond , TX, USA

problem #238

Jan 282024

Outback

  • miles
I have had to replace the battery 2 times. Dealer has replaced once ~1 year of purchase. I replaced the battery ~3.5 years after purchase.

- Chico, CA, USA

problem #237

Jul 132020

Outback

  • miles
- Infotainment center freezes making controls inaccessible. I live in the desert where temps reach 120+ in the car and not being able to turn on the AC is dangerous. - Windows will not roll up once they are rolled down, especially after it has rained or after washing the car. - Driver side Door Sensor Switch broke. This would keep the interior lights and infotainment center from turning off.

- Cathedral City, CA, USA

problem #236

Nov 262023

Outback

  • miles
The automatic braking system detection the RB system as it-??s identified on the Subaru Dash heater, failure airbag deployment, all disabled repeatedly removal of the battery connections for a period of 30 minutes reset it but failure has repeated

- Laporte , IN, USA

problem #235

Nov 182023

Outback

  • miles
Automatic Braking system has almost caused a rear-end collision 5 times, because it thinks a shadow is an object. We-??ve brought the car to the dealership but they told us twice that they can-??t replicate the problem. That doesn-??t change the issue. I don-??t want to wait until we have a collision and have to go through physical therapy and repairs to address this. Front headlights are blinding other drivers causing them to flash their brights at us regularly on the freeway and local roads which then blinds us and causing us to slow down and break. The dealership say that the lights can be adjusted but this is a serious risk to us and something that happens every night. It-??s stressful to drive the car anticipating this all the time. We-??ve replace the starter last year and having issues again. The car struggles to start. Last year they said this was a known issue and also replaced the battery. But it-??s happening again. This indicates a more complicated issue in the electrical. I don-??t want to have to replace the starter every year.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #234

Oct 302023

Outback

  • miles
Per Subaru there is something wrong with the Cockpit Control Module (CCM) that is causing a constant / parasitic draw on the battery. This results in the battery being dead within 4 hours, leaving us constantly stranded. Because the CCM also controls the electrical system, many of the safety features (auto breaking, lane departure, etc) turn off randomly. This is the diagnosis from our local Subaru dealership: COCKPIT CONTROL MODULE IS DRAWING 2 AMPS. WITH COCKPIT UNPLUGGED THERE IS STILL A 1 AMP DRAW. WILL NEED TO REPLACED CCU THEN FIGURE OUT WHERE THE OTHER 1 AMP DRAW IS. UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE WITH MULTIPLE SYSTEMS DRAWING I have opened a case with Subaru of America, but with no resolution.

- Wilmington , NC, USA

problem #233

Aug 072023

Outback

  • miles
While we were at a speed of about 55 mph on a state highway, I had just selected cruise control when all the lights went on in the dash--including the warning lights for the brake, the check engine light--and power shut down in the vehicle as if we'd run out of gas. We were able to keep a very slow speed of about 20-25mph, but had to activate the 4-way flashers to alert other drivers that we were losing speed. We managed to get over to the shoulder and call for a tow. We feel this was a catastrophic failure of the vehicle, which endangered both of us. At least we still had power steering. At the dealer, the techs advised us that the issue was likely due to a failure of the electronic thermostat control. The car was in the shop for a week, and was repaired at no cost to us. The thermo control valve and all related parts were replaced. If not under warranty, this would have cost over $2K. We had no warning that this component was failing.

- Mckinleyville, CA, USA

problem #232

Apr 182020

Outback

  • miles
I purchased the lease for the vehicle in January 2020. I first notified Subaru in Austin of an obvious "glitch" with the computer operating system in April 2020. The "glitchy" OS challenges came and went, I would notify Subaru and they would remedy the issue with a "patch" update at the service center. On April 29 2022 a clear night and a suitably clean vehicle, the RAB system completely failed to recognize/notify/respond to a mailbox behind me, upon impact the mailbox broke the rear windshield. on June 28 2022 the vehicle fails to start, and is "surging" completely draining a new jumper box, and then promptly burning it out, the box will no longer operate. Put in a new battery(#1), make an appointment for service on the vehicle. The dealership replaces the battery(#2), computer updates are completed. Vehicle goes to the body shop for the rest of the work to be completed. 28 days later, I arrive to pick up my vehicle, all work is complete. However the vehicle will not start (again) Auto body shop replaces the battery(#3).on 9/23/2022 after dark, my Subaru Outback 2020 Limited, stops and puts its Parking break on., all dials spike, then dies, rear hatch signal goes off continuously, regardless of its actual state of open/close. The vehicle refuses to jump with a new jumper box. Outback 2020 is successfully jumped by a newer vehic. New battery installed(#4). 9/29/2022 another appointment at Subaru service center to look at my vehicle, they swap out the battery(#5) and update computer. Upon pickup vehicle is without trailer lights, 3 airbag lights on, ABS light on/off. 10/17/2022 appointment at a different service center for an Oil change service, 10/18/2022 diagnostic check appt, 3 blown fuses found. 11/16/2022 Austin service, found many lost comm. codes.- reprograms, engine control module. Outback 2020 intermittently has problems opening and closing hatch/windows, display loading issues, many warning/hazzard lights & signals on/off (from April 2022- present day.)

- Austin, TX, USA

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