general problems of the 2013 Subaru Outback

* I detected a noise in the front end and an instability in the handling. My independent service mechanic found the cradle on the right front severely rusted out at the point where the control arm attaches. He had to condemn the vehicle. * my mechanic says that it could have resulted in a total loss of ability to steer. He says that he is unable to order the part from the manufacturer because so many are on back order. He is also unable to find any used ones. Finally, he says that in the last 3 months he has had to condemn 3 other Outbacks due to the same problem. This sounds like a serious safety issue to me. *problem confirmed by my independent service center.

Power steering failed while driving. Power steering fluid had all leaked out. Luckily car was at a very low speed as steering was quite difficult. Repaired at Subaru dealer who discovered a leak in a metal high pressure line. There was no evidence of external damage to pressure line. Photo showed a hairline crack at the outside of a 90° bend, thus probably a manufacturing defect. Dealer replaced entire steering rack.

When driving over 40mph the car seems to jerk out of the blue it even seems like one side of the vehicle lifts or tilts as if it has hydraulics makes it hard to control continuously grip the steerg wheel in order to keep control is unbearable. There is something seriously wrong after readg online&on this website obvious somethings wrong. Why r u waiting for crashes& possible deaths to raise this issue? when driving on the highway at normal highway speeds all of a sudden you feel a quick pull as if a magnet just pulled your car and it also starts to lift when driving on the highway at normal speeds. Car lifts the front right side of suspension as if it's going to roll over and at the time it drops like it's going to fold under and you're going to crash. Like it has hydraulics but only on one side. This is very scary when your driving at normal highway speeds. This makes you slow down out of nowhere and causing others around you to suddenly avoid you. This is a nightmare. Subaru needs to acknowledge there is a problem. See all the other complaints and there is a lot more online by others that don't know how to go to this website and place a formal complaint because I did not even know about it. Came across by mistake. This car is meant for driving long distances and I am afraid to do so. When your afraid to drive your own car scarred of the quick jerk and the possible rolling of your car due to the "real" actions the car is performing while driving is and should be a vehicle safety concern prior to accidents and deaths taking place. Just because the "manufacturer" says it's in specs does't mean nothg wrong plus its the manuf sayg this, not an independent company. Boweing their airplane had hard time stating plane's fault. You can not put the manuf in charge of making the right choice when it comes to money.

My orb was working full time than just quit with wheels straight, but would work with quarter turn and now won't work at all.

Tl-the contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving on the highway at approximately 30 mph in inclement weather. The contact stated that she started sliding while driving downhill she attempted to control the steering but it wouldn't move. The contact stated that the vehicle was not responding. The contact stated she was sliding towards a cliff the vehicle hit a delineator post the vehicle slid in the other direction started towards a concrete wall and the vehicle suddenly stopped. A police report was filed no medical attention was required. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mile was 37000. Am.

Directional stability; difficult to keep car centered in lane; wanders off from where steering is set; steering will not center, but will stay in a gentle curve by itself until corrected, then will wander off center again. Contributing to problem is too much force is required in a steering action to correct a wander causing a slight overshoot which no matter how carefully controlled, cannot keep the car going in the correct direction, whether in a curve or keeping straight. The faster the car is going, naturally the more intense the problem becomes. The constant attention required to adjusting steering is fatiguing and hence the car is inherently unsafe. Dealer and independents have always said no problem found; alignments make no difference, new tires make no difference. This is a safety issue, an engineering flaw, and/or an attempt to hide another more serious safety or drivability issue. Subjectively it seems to be getting worse over time.

The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the steering wheel was extremely unstable and needed constant adjustment. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure, but performed a four wheel alignment and increased the tire pressure. The failure recurred. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13v194000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000.

2013 Subaru Outback 3. 6r w/sap I am experiencing a heavy steering issue. Where the return to center dos not happen unless I manually steer it back to center. Steering is so heavy that after 3000 miles. (purchased in June 2013), both of my wrists are in pain, my right elbow is in pain, and my right hand feels like it has carpal tunnel syndrome. Constant corrections are needed to keep tracking straight. I increased tire psi to 34/32, and it helped a little, but steering still does not return to center. . Read more...

The new Outback is exhibiting lane wandering as others described in good detail. Other vehicles I've driven go in a (more-or-less) straight line with minimal effort and minimal corrections. The ob is all over the road, able to stay in the lane with a lot of effort and correction. There is a big flaw in the steering (maybe not all but a lot of them) and it is a safety issue. Is it going to take a major accident and/or a death before NHTSA and Subaru takes a look at this issue??.

While driving at speeds over 40 it is very difficult to keep the car centered in a lane. The dealer checked and corrected the alignment with little or no improvement. The service rep did admit that Outbacks do wander. Email sent to Subaru has apparently been ignored. This is an unsafe condition in our crowded interstates.

The steering of my new Subaru Outback seems to wander on the road. It is a challenge to keep this brand new vehicle between the lines or in a particular lane of the road. Vehicle wanders / drifts to left and / or right, will not track straight and does this when ever driving but is more noticeable above speeds of 35 mph. The driver has to make constant corrections while driving the vehicle straight, this causes fatigue in the arms and is exhausting to the operator. One can not safely operate a vehicle like this. A semi-tractor trailer rig was on the right side of my lane (we were in the number 1 lane of the highway) and my Outback wandered to the right, we almost went into / under the trailer of the "big rig". I later I contacted the Subaru dealership and arraigned to bring vehicle back to have them look at it. When I returned with the vehicle, they checked alignment and said it was ok. The vehicle continues to wander whenever I drive it and daily while I drive to and from work. Again, I drove the vehicle back to the Subaru dealership and they have been talking with Subaru of America, receiving different specs and the service department has been doing some work on the vehicle. I have never owned a vehicle, new or old (used) that handled this way. There are several forums with pages of information, data and complaints by people from all over the country. Please act now to resolve these issues before someone's looses their life due to the unsafe faulty vehicles.

Wonders from side to side. Took back to dealer they check alignment. Said everything was in spects. There was no charge this time for alignment but would not do it again for free. We purchased extended warranty at time of purchase. What a waste! my daughter and son-in-law borrowed it last summer. Put 8000 miles on it driving across country. Had a terrible time keeping it on the road. They where going to buy a Outback but quickly changed their mind. Called dealer again and the service manger told me to change tires and cross rotate them. I told him we already did that and my husband cross rotated them. He said that there would be a charge to look at it. Since they didn't do anything the first time why pay them more to tell me it is in spects? I think they are waiting for someone to get killed or be killed. This is most definitely a safety issue.

My 2013 Subaru Outback 2. 5i wanders at highway speeds. Constant corrections are required as it will not track in a straight line even when their are no outside influences (wind). Small corrections add up to over correction requiring more correction. Staying in lane can be a challenge.

The vehicle does not track well at highway speeds. It wanders side to side in the lane of travel requiring constant correction to stay in the center of the lane. On smooth road surfaces, the wandering is relatively mild. However, I became alarmed while crossing a bridge with a grated deck. The vehicle swerved side to side dramatically requiring significant steering correction and immediate reduction in speed to maintain the lane of travel safely. I took the car to the dealer and reported the problem. They inspected the steering, wheel alignment, wheel balance, and tires. They didn't find any problems except they recommended that we inflate the tires 5 psi above manufacturer's recommendations. The extra pressure improved the steering somewhat, but the problem persists. I have not yet driven the vehicle in challenging winter conditions such as standing water or slush on the highway. However, after my experience on the grated bridge, I am very concerned that this car would pose a safety hazard in these conditions. I feel this vehicle has a significant design or manufacturing defect that directly affects my safety.

Vehcile "wanders" constantly at speeds from 30 mph to 70 mph. I would imagine at higher speeds as well. Constant correction is needed to keep vehicle in proper lane. When even the slightest correction is made, it over-corrects. It doesn't seem possible to not over-correct. The vehicle will wander to the right and no matter how gentle the correction, it over-corrects and wanders to the left then back to the right and so on. It is a constant challenge to stay in your own lane. A small gust of wind significantly magnifies the problem. I believe just turning your head to look out your side window to check lane traffic could result in crossing a center line. I believe that this steering problem makes this vehicle unsafe and likely will result in some serious problems if it hasn't already. It is very tiring to drive any distance. The dealer has made a couple minor attempts to make it better, but hasn't succeeded. While the dealer worked on my car I used two different "loaners". Both 2013 Subaru Outbacks. Both had the same problems.

Vehicle drifts at highway speeds, regaurdless of how diligent you are it will start drifting off, and requires constant correction.

This new vehicle has steering that tends to wander from side to side while driving on various types of roads. On urban interstate travel it is necessary to be very vigilant when driving in the lanes as the car will often head for the edge of the lane without warning. This tendency is balanced between both left and right, and does not seem to be predictable. Took the vehicle to the dealer and the head mechanic drove the car. They specified that the vehicle was to manufacturer's specifications. I find that the attention that must be paid to maintain the vehicle within the roadway lanes is tiring and far exceeds any other vehicle I have driven.

From the day we bought it, the car wanders left and right, noticeably at speeds above 40 mph, requiring constant steering wheel corrections in both directions.

Car does not track straight during highway driving. Car veers to one side or the other needing constant correcting. When you do make a correction it normally over corrects. This is incredibly dangerous! I thought it was just me but my husband has also had the same problem and I see many complaints on the internet. Subaru must be made to fix this. This is an expensive car.

The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the steering wheel drifted to the left and had to be constantly turned to the right in order to keep the vehicle in its appropriate lane. The failure occurred while driving 65 mph and also at local speeds. The dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that the steering wheel was operating as designed and the alignment was normal. The dealer did not replace any parts. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,500.

Dangerous! the vehicle does not track well at highway speeds. It wanders side to side in the lane of travel requiring constant correction to stay in the center of the lane. On smooth road surfaces, the wandering is still very noticeable. High crosswinds experienced driving in the plains or crossing bridges with a grated decks makes the vehicle a challenge to control the wandering and staying within my lane. I took the car to the dealer and reported the problem. They inspected the steering, wheel alignment, wheel balance, and tires. They didn't find any problems. There is no technical service bulletin for this issue and the internet bulletin boards are full of complaints with the same type of issue. I personally feel the vehicles are not engineered correctly or they are leaving the factory with inadequate alignments or the alignment specifications are not correct in general. I love my vehicle until I drive faster than 45mph. Safety is my #1 concern and it needs to be seriously addressed. Long trips are way more fatiguing than they should be and interstate driving is scary for most of the drive. . Read more...

Shortly after I purchased vehicle I noticed difficulty keeping it centered in lane. Continuously having to correct steering and hard steering. I drive on interstate often and I have checked tires continuously and no difference in the handling of the Outback. On first service I told the service rep about it and said they would check it out, I believe they checked the alignment, when picked up the vehicle and was told everything was normal. Is it unsafe, yes. Now I have 25000 mile on it and still continues. Still mention it at service time but they don't really even respond anymore.

The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated the he purchased the vehicle 2012. He noticed his steering wheel would drift while driving. The contact took his vehicle to a Subaru dealership for a diagnosis and the dealer stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The problem persisted after the diagnostic test was performed. The contact located recall NHTSA campaign number: 13v194000 (steering); however, his VIN was not included in this recall although is experiencing the same defect listed. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 1000 miles. The vehicle was not repaired. . . Updated 04-23-14 the consumer stated the vehicle was to be repaired under waranty. Updated 04/25/2014.

Driving 55-60 mph car continually "drifted" off of center when driving, most noticeable on a straight stretch of road. Constant correction and recorrection needed to keep vehicle in its own driving lane. Dealer inspected vehicle and claimed there are no mechanical issues however many online complaints exist about this problem. I took a big loss but I immediately traded this brand new car in - I was terrified to drive it and consider this lack of steering control will get someone killed.

Vehicle tracking issues same or similar to all the other complaints about this issue. The vehicle wanders from side-to-side at speeds of 40-70 mph requiring constant correction. It sometimes seems that it takes more effort (only slightly) than should be required to get it to correct at first but then goes quickly and easily. I noticed it the first time I had it on the highway and it has been the same ever since, 10 months later.

This vehicle presented issues after the first 500 miles of ownership. After 1 repair attempt it is still the same. This vehicle replaced a 2012 Outback which had the same issues. The problem with the steering in the 2012 and the 2013 is that both the vehicles wander all over the road. You need to keep all your attention on keeping it following the road causing extreme fatigue. It is described by me as heavy, does not return to center and in even slight turns the car suddenly pulls in the direction you are traveling which is startling like hitting black ice. Taking your eyes to even the side mirrors for lane changes offers the vehicle to invite itself into oncoming traffic. This replacement 2013 I now have started presenting these symptoms after about the first 500 miles. There is a thread on the matter on the Subaruoutback. Org forum with over 670 replies on the matter. . Read more...

Our complaint is that this 2013 Outback Subaru continues to drift. It does not just drift one way. You are constantly correcting to keep it in the center of the road. The first time we complained they did an alignment. That did not correct the problem. We then ask if they check the tires. They clained there is no problem with thires but they lowered the aire pressure and that made it worse. Took it back to the dealer and had them increase the air prsssure. The service manager keeps telling us there is no mechanical issures. You cannot relax driving this car. I hope I never have to drive it in a snow storm because of the lack of the steering control.

Steering issue. The car wanders, left and right. At freeway speed you must hold on with both hands and make constant corrections. The dealer verified that everything in the steering and suspension was tight, but this did not help the problem. I've had the vehicle for a year now with no change, except I've learned how to control it better. I found many similar complaints on the internet and gave these to the dealer. They did not seem to be aware of the issue previously. I've been to the dealer for scheduled maintenance just twice, and have had them look at the issue both times. I was hoping there would be a recall to fix whatever the underlying issue is. This is my second Outback (previous was a 2005) and my third Subaru (I also have a 2009 impreza).