general problems of the 2011 Subaru Outback

The front lower subframe cracked where the driver's side front wheel attaches to it in our 2011 Subaru Outback. This resulted in loss of steering control of vehicle. The issue has been confirmed by independent mechanic. Vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance agent. It is available for inspection at 201 w. Cloverland drive, ironwood, mi. 906-932-5720. There were no warning lights when this failure occurred.

Loss of steering wheel electronic functions including paddle shifters radio volume and airbag light illuminated. Looked up faults and found NHTSA campaign id 10v283000 which describes cable damage from Subaru manufacturing. According to Subaru and NHTSA, our vehicle was manufactured 2 months after "affected" vehicles. Subaru unwilling to work on problem as it is not listed in affect vehicles, yet clearly the problems found are exact match to campaign list. I will seek outside confirmation of failure and then request NHTSA to update the affect vehicles list so Subaru can fix a safety issue for all affected vehicles.

Front control arm bolt pulled out of the subframe due to extreme corrosion.

A/c compressor locks up, and serpentine belt flies off and stops power steering. Stalls due to this locking up.

In may, returning from va, we noticed an odd noise coming from the right front side of the car. Then the noise stopped. Driving a week later, at about 40 mph, I again heard the noise and as I approached a yellow light and began to slow to a stop, the vehicle pulled sharply to the right. I was able to regain control, drove slowly home, called our repair shop and brought it in for evaluation. The front subframe had rusted out due to the air conditioner condenser dripping onto it. Our mechanic would not let us drive the car without repair, it was too dangerous. The subframe could have dropped at any moment. No inspections other than that of our mechanic were done. I took photos of the subframe that had been removed which are attached. It is not available for inspection as far as I know. The car sat at the mechanic's for a month waiting for parts from Subaru before being repaired.

Upon application of the brakes approaching a stoplight, the vehicle pulled sharply to the right, entering the right lane from the left and was rendered unsafe to operate due to this condition. Had a vehicle been present at this time in the right lane, a collision would have likely occurred. Upon inspection by the mechanic, the front engine frame had broken on the right side. The broken area has two (2) large rust holes on the top and bottom sides of the box frame. Directly above the two (2) rust holes the drain for the air conditioning condenser is located. Illinois, like 22 other states in the u. S. , uses road salt to combat icy road conditions. The combination of road salt with the location of the air conditioner drain tube directly above the frame failure point leads ut to reasonably conclude that this model has a design defect that led to the failure. A remedy for this issue would be to simply extend the drain tube approx. 5" so the water dripping from the air conditioning condenser does not drop onto the top, flat portion of the engine frame where road salt may accumulate over time. In addition, 1. I have possession of the original frame for inspection by the NHTSA. 2. At the time of the repair, the mechanic ordered the replacement dram from the local Subaru dealership. Our mechanic was informed that he was ordering the last remaining subframe assembly that Subaru of north America had in stock at that time.

I have been reporting problems with my transmission since 2012 to my regular dealership, star Subaru when the car had just 23,472 miles on it. At this point, I believe that I have been wrongfully denied warranty coverage. Then again, in 2017, while still under warranty, I brought my Outback to star Subaru complaining that while driving slow, the car tends to �jump� mid-drive, almost like someone rear ended you. The car at this point was at about 94,467 miles, under the 100,000 mile warranty limit. After numerous complaints I finally received a test drive with a Subaru mechanic at star Subaru in bayside, queens, NY. He concluded that it needed transmission parts, a torque converter/valve body. At that point I was set to have it replaced once the parts came in. Weeks went by and I heard nothing. I contacted Subaru of America who was able to set me up with east hills Subaru. The soa person was very helpful with the transition. They performed their own diagnostic, and the condition at the time would not replicate. Unfortunately, when this �jump/slam� happens, it does spontaneously. We cannot make it happen, nor do we even know when it is going to happen. It was always very sporadic. Sometimes it would happen on the highway going 65, or sometimes less than 5mph. On a long trip back from vermont, there would be a large revving sound, and then it felt as if someone hit us from behind. Once again, I took the car to Subaru, only to be told they simply couldn't �replicate the problem�, and therefore would not do anything to help us. On April 3rd 2019, I bring my car in again to east hill Subaru. Check engine light on. They do recall. They also troubleshoot the check engine code, which now comes up clearly as p1710 torque converter turbine 2 speed signal circuit malfunction. Now it's not covered under warranty. The price tag is very high, almost $6,000!.

On 2/11/20 around 12:30pm et, I was approaching the highway via an onramp, and my speed was barely 25 mph. Suddenly, as I was on the approach-road, I suddenly felt that the steering was locked and turning on the right side only (either steering or anti-lock malfunction). It hit the fence and then turned (flipped) on its driver side as can be seen in the picture. I believe this is a safety issue, so please make a proper investigation. My car was totaled. My damaged car is in �county towing� in 49 fullerton Ave, yonkers, NY 10704, phone: (914) 423-1101.

The traction, oil temp, brake sign turns on in my vehicle. The vehicle brake sign is a safety isssue.

The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. On several occasions, while driving approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel started to vibrate and shook violently while the accelerator pedal was depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to gregoris Nissan (555 w merrick rd, valley stream, NY 11580 (516) 825-8700), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000.

The contact owned a 2011 Subaru Outback. While driving approximately 30 mph, the steering lost power without warning. The vehicle was pulled to the side of the road and smoke appeared underneath the hood. The contact quickly exited the vehicle. Within a couple of minutes, the vehicle became engulfed in flames and was destroyed. A police report was filed. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. There were no injuries sustained. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

I can not keep the vehicle centered on the highway. The cars wanders right or left and requires constant adjustment. The car does not return to center after a turn, steering adjustment is required. This is a constant problem.

Driving down a four lane road and went to take a legal u-turn and the steering wheel turned freely but the car went straight. The brake light was flashing and the tires did not move despite me turning the steering wheel. Awaiting an update from Subaru of America. Dealer says it needs a new steering shaft.

When appling the brakes hard at the a stopping point of the car it kills the engine leaving you dead in the street. Emergency pressure hard! other than that the brakes work great. Now if you push trans into neutral and brake hard as you will the engine is not effected and keeps on running. This is a automatic but it feels like you did not depress the clutch on stopping the car if it were a standard stick shift trans. There is a bucking at stopping then the engine is dead in the street. If you let up the brake before this kills the motor then it keeps running or if just light braking that is normal needed no problem. Other than that dangerous condtion in city traffic the car runs great. This has to be a defect in design of the system never in 30+ years of auto mech trade have I run across this in any world brand name cars.

The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. While driving approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently when driving at different speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician stated that the power steering rack assembly, gear box assembly and power steering fluid would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 4,710. Updated 10/27/lj the consumer stated the steering was stiff all the time. He stated the faster he drove, the harder the steering became, as if there were no power steering. Updated 11/07/11.

Even after all the soa (Subaru of America) "fixes" / service bulletins I still have a vibration issues at highway speeds, feel it in the seat and in steering wheel. It gets worse at highway speeds if your going around a curve on it tends to get worse. Even after through the curve. . Also noted it doesn't matter weather conditions hot, cold raining or dry.

Vehicle vibration - after about 8k miles a vibration started in the seat and steering. Tires were rebalanced using a road force balancing machine. . Then the vibration would come and go even at set speeds. . But would get worse going around turns at highway speeds. Dealership did a "fix" which didn't change anything. No matter the loaded in the car 5 people in the car or empty vibration comes and go. They say the issue was fixed in 2012 models had a loaner while car was in for the 2 day fix. . Same vibration issue as I had. The only good thing about this fix. . My rear tires are wearing better then that they were before it. . . The outside of my tires were wearing funny even when the alignment was within spec.

High winds caused a loss of steering and the entire car was moved and I almost blew into a semi. This always happens in high winds (25- 30mph and above ). Internet bloggers call this " lane wandering" Subaru refuses to address this problem. I filed a cliam with Subaru of America and their response was "it has been determined that the vehicle is operating as designed". I am past the the date of being able to use the lemon law. The only option Subaru has given me is to trade-in the car with a $1500 discount toward a new one. I hesitate to do business with them again as there is a trust issue and I cannot, in good conscience,sell the car to someone else. It is very dangerous and I am afraid to drive it. I did speak to a gentleman with the same problem and he said Subaru bought back the car from him, however they refused to do that for me. I have been trying to resolve this problem with Subaru for a couple of years with no satisfaction. Here is a link that may be helpful. . Read more...

2011 Subaru Outback 3. 6r - car has vibration that can be mostly felt in the steering wheel at highway speeds. Vibration can also be felt in the seats and floor. Vibration comes and goes at various speeds.

I purchased a 2011 Subaru Outback 2. 5i limited on Nov 30 2010. On the drive home from the new car dealership the steering wheel had a shimmy and the entire car was vibrating. The vibration began 45mph and had gotten worse at 65/70mph. I contacted the dealer the next day and they determined by test driving the car that the four continental pro contact tires were defective. Eventually they replaced all four tires with new continental pro contact. The car is riding much better and smoother. The dealer wanted to install a vibration damper kit on the steering wheel and I declined. I prefer to know if there is a problem rather to cover it up. I hope this may help anyone having the same problem.

Vibrtion and shaking (pulsing) of steering wheel at speeds over 65 mph. Vibration throough floor of drivers side vibration through seat of drivers side. When going through turns steering wheel can pulsate (feels like something is catching). This can happen on a ramp where it is necessary to correct steering or a sweeping turn on the highway at speed. Driving on the highway there are times when the car will loss control momentarily, almost like hitting a patch of ice.

Test drove 2011 Subaru Outback 3. 6r before purchase and vehicle had front end shake at freeway speed of 70 mph or so. As result did not buy.