general problems of the 2014 Subaru Outback

Failure of front subassembly while driving. Car pulled hard to right while driving. Scary and dangerous. Inspection showed severe rust has eaten thru the metal. Car inoperable. Research shows it is a known problem. Recall required immediately, thank you.

1. The under carriage has corroded creating a safety hazard. Senior dealer representative indicated verbally that 2010-2014 models years are the most prone. 2. If the under carriage fails the engine and transmission could fall out of the car potentially creating a serious issue. 3. The dealer brought the issue to my attention after performing an inspection of the car. 4. I was unaware of the issue until the dealer brought the issue to my attention. 2014 Subaru Outback.   the car has been taken care of in a manner that exceeds the manual recommendations including always flushing the underside of the chassis during washes; especially the winter season. The car was taken to a dealer to have the intake manifold gasket looked at. The dealer took the opportunity to raise the car in the air, conduct an inspection and reported that the front carriage assembly is rusting away and considered dangerous. The service manager indicated that the model years 2010 to 2014 exhibit a high-degree of corrosion to the supportive member which holds the engine and transmission in place and if it fails could cause an extremely dangerous situation.   what if any information has NHTSA compiled regarding these issues and Subaru's use of an under-designed, defectively manufactured part that could potentially cause a serious accident if the support structure collapsed?  and if the NHTSA has conducted any research into this issue is there any option for a consumer to recoup or require Subaru to cover the cost of replacement which according to two Subaru dealers is approximately $4,200. Below is a recap of the repair costs including parts and labor: cradle frm cp obk 2-3 day qt 1 $842. 66 20202aj04b arm assy f rh in stock qt 1$173. 41 901000346 bolt flg 14x128 in stock qt 2 $8. 18 / $16. 36 20420xa000 link ay f stabilizer in stock qt 2 $72. 85 / $145. 70 20202aj05b arm assy f lh in stock qt 1 $173. 41 901000060 bolt flange in stock qt 2 $2. 88 / $5. 76 the labor is calculated at 13. 5 hours @ $189. 00.

I was in a store parking lot, putting purchases into the trunk of my 2014 Subaru Outback. The rear gate had been opened for about five minutes. As I was leaning into the trunk, as I'd just done 2 or 3 times, with no warning I suffered, a sudden forceful blunt impact on the back of my head. I was so startled, I didn't know for a second what had happened, then realized, I couldn't move, as the rear gate was on top of me. I lifted it up off my head. It was quite heavy as there was no help from the hydraulic arms. I stepped back, while holding the gate/door, and let it go. It rapidly slammed shut. I tried to open it again, and realized the hydraulic arms were not activating to lift it. Each time it is opened, it only stays open for as long as I hold it and then slams closed. It is clear how I or my family could have been seriously injured or killed. If I had looked up to close the gate in the second preceding the failure, the gate would have come down on my face. I or a family member could have had hands or arms crushed when the gate crashed down, and would have been trapped under the gate until help came. I have not used the trunk since the incident as am trying to get Subaru to repair it this week. The problem remains, exactly the same and can be replicated by anyone. There were no warning messages that this was coming and no previous signs that the hydraulic system was going to imminently malfunction and fail. I have seen other reports by Subaru Outback owners that they have had similar failures with their gates and one was almost identical to my situation.

Water was coming out of my eyesight camera on the drivers side after a rain.

Driving at highway speeds with over half a tank of gas and car just shut down, no warning lights, no noise just shut down and lost all control. Fortunately was able to safely move to shoulder. Sat there for a few minutes, called Subaru dealer (no suggestions though I now know there is a recall (NHTSA 21v587000) for an identical problem in newer Subaru Outbacks and also plenty of online sites suggesting this has happened to other Outbacks. Car restarted and we were able to complete our ride home, very scary to think of what could have happened if we were in a different situation of traffic or highway conditions.

I was on the highway, after driving a little more than two hours. The dash board lit up with many of the "trouble lights". The brake light began flashing, eye sight was lit, meaning that it was no longer engaged. At oil temp. Check engine transmission. All of the above. I am looking at a picture that I took showing the mileage and the warning lights. The car continued to operate, without any hesitation and I felt that it must "just be an electronic issue". It happened to me once before, about two years ago. I took it to an auto parts store for a quick diagnostic and the guy said it was fine to drive until I could get back home to the dealership. Two days later, the warning lights disappeared! I understand now from various threads on the internet, this is a common problem with the Subaru's cvt. It is sad because they apparently have been informed of this issue and their only response is a repair to the cvt ($1500-2000) or a new transmission all together ($5- 8k). I bought this vehicle as new. . . I have not owned a Subaru before but wanted the "security of a reliable car". I did purchase the extended warranty, but this happened after the 100k miles so I have no recourse. Please help all of the Subaru owners out there!! it's not just the Outback model, but several of their vehicles and it seems that it is something that has been happening over the years but they have not been made to address this design flaw. Safety wise-- I don't know if the vehicle will just quit in the middle of traffic, or what. We tried the "general fixes" . . . . Unplug the battery for a few hours; we purchased a new gas cap seal; but neither of those did the trick. I wanted to send my case to you but, also, this coming week, I will be dropping it off at the dealership to see what they have to say.

On Feb 28, 2019 I was driving my 2014 Subaru Outback on interstate 64 on a straight stretch at approximately 70 mph going uphill when accelerator became suddenly and completely unresponsive. I was in the far left lane of 3 lanes of traffic also traveling at a high rate of speed and had to try to get to the emergency lane to the right of the 3 lanes. I had absolutely no response when pushing on the accelerator pedal and could have been hit by numerous semi trailer trucks. I was able to coast to the right into the emergency lane which was a miracle because I was on a steep uphill incline. When I reached the emergency lane, I stopped the car, shifted into park, and back into drive mode and the accelerator did engage at that point. I immediately took the car to a Subaru dealer but they have not diagnosed it as of yet. . Read more...

My car is using way too much oil for a 4 year old car. Something is wrong and two places I've gone have suggested it could be something wrong with the pistols in the engine. I've read about other owners of this model experiencing the same trouble. This is highway and street driving.

Backup camera is not working when the vehicle is placed in reverse.

Back up camera went out at 60k miles.

4 year old car's transmission went up at 114,000. Although there was a warranty extension because of the transmissions, Subaru did not do a recall on the faulty transmission. Now they are quoting us $9000 for a new transmission.

V-belt chirping when running especially with a/c on.

Possible oil consumption. I have it twice or third and I have noticed that oil was gone when I checked the oil leveler. Yesterday, I have talked to Subaru service dept about it and he said it is ok that keep pour oil into every 1200 miles (burned some oil and between oil change). I bought oil and pour it into. I don't believe it was so normal for burned some oil like every 1200 miles. I am concerning about it.

Sunroof drains clog causing water to leak into car. This occurs when raining or washing car. Interior windows become very foggy and often times it is necessary to wipe them down with a cloth. Dealer was willing to remove standing water from car and seats as a "one time courtesy" and indicated that they would clear drains during each car service performed by them. Recently had the drains cleaned, we have had 4 flash flood warnings since then and water continues to leak into the interior (both when driving or stationary). This is a known problem to Subaru but I have yet to see a recall. This is certainly both a safety and health issue (visibility/mold/mildew). Leaking has occurred during the past 3 years, perhaps a bit more. We have a 2006 Volvo that has a sunroof and no leaks!.

Burning oil. Excessive oil changes.

My bluetooth , when I make a call or receive a call while driving vehicle in motion on the city streets and freeway ,on the receivers end the person can hear a whinning noise like a dental drill. I bought a new cell to see if it corrects the problem and it did not. I took the vehicle to dealership prior to purchasing a new cell phone and the dealership told me they are not able to help me.

Having warmed up the car in the driveway for five minutes and having driven for approximately 10 minutes, braking several times, driver approached the stop sign at the top of the hill where the road intersects with a busy highway. She tried to depress the brakes and nothing happened. To stop the car, she threw the car into park. "check engine @ oil temp" light or something similar came on. She turned off the car, waited a short while and restarted car, shifted into drive and car wouldn't do anything. Turned off car. A short while later she stared again; after pushing gas hard, car started to slowly move forward. Put car in p and waited for assistance, leaving heat on. When assistance came 10-15 min later, car was able to be driven to a safe roadside spot around the corner. Condition: low temps. No ice on roads.

The sunglasses storage compartment door of the overhead console will not stay latched up. In the unlatched position the door blocks the rear view mirror.

The interior windows will suddenly get covered with fog. This has happened over twenty five times to my car. It doesn't matter what the weather, or outside temp is. This, causes a serious problem trying to see out of the car. The first time it happened I caled the dealership. I was told to run the ac. It can happen even when the ac , is already on. I've had it into the dealership five times in the 14 months I've had the car. They can't find the problem. I've taken clear photographs 3 times showing clear images of how bad the interior fogging gets. Dealership told me to contact Subaru America ask for rplacment. I have spoken to three people at Subaru, provided all photos. They refuse to replace. This is going to cause an accident. Munn 16 2015 it happened while I was on interstate I-205 and it made seeing out of the car almost impossable. I had to carefully pull of to road side wipe windshield and all interior windows off. I have to carry towels with me at all times. Problem happens without any indacation, it's about to happen. I'm disabled veteran and require a lot of medical appointments at the va medical center. I live alone so I'm taking a chance just trying to get to the va. At some point this is going to cause an accadent. Subaru showed little concern, even if there are others with the same or simile problem.

Model year has under sized brakes for the vehicle weight,( rotors quickly warp ) #2 in the absence of surface rust, front sub frame rotting away. Got rid of car after just installing new set michellin tires, brakes, rotors and detailing. Had I known!!! how discovered; stationary, looking for source of strange noise under neath upon stoping and starting in traffic.

I purchased my Subaru Outback 2014 3. 6r limited in mid December 2013, I felt that the car pulls to the right after I drove the car to home, I cannot believe there is any problem with a new car, with that I kept to drive and monitor it for 2 weeks then I confirmed this is really an issue and it's very easy to reproduce. So I brought the car to my dealer, the technician spent half a day to fix, rotated tire, checked pressure and checked alignment, finally they replaced 4 brand new tires then they stated that the original tire is not good, the problem was fixed by replacing new tires and let me drove the car back. After more than 3000 miles driving, the same problem is getting worse again, so I went to dealer and they confirmed this is reproduceable, it's funny that they replaced 4 new tires including wheel hub this time again, however this issue is still not been fixed, the technician called Subaru service representative, representative suggested to loose the cap of suspension , bounce the car multiple times then install them back, technician repeated this procedure for at least 2 times, finally then mentioned the alignment is within spec, service advise told me the issue is been fixed. I drove the car for 2 weeks now, I'm still feeling there is slight pulling to right, and the steering wheel is keeping turn to right but not back to center. I make an appointment with my dealer today, technician lead tested the car with me, he was able to reproduce the problem I reported, but he said this is normal for Subaru Outback, and let me call customer service for further checking. This is so bad, I drove so many cars before but never got the same issue, and this is not safe if the car cannot go straight.

I backed out of my driveway and put the car into drive and there was a long, about 7 second delay before the car moved forward. It was in gear and my foot was on the gas but nothing happened.