general problems of the 2016 Subaru Outback

My 2016 Subaru Outback cvt transmission has exhibited an intermittent jerking and grabbing sensation when accelerating from a stop, worse when cold, since at least February 2023. This is a known defect covered under Subaru warranty extension bulletin 16-115-18. February 2023 — an authorized Subaru dealer documented the complaint in writing. The technician stated the vehicle never warmed up during the test drive and dismissed the concern. The cvt issue was never repaired. I was never informed of Subaru's cvt warranty extension program. February 17 2026 — seven days before my warranty expiration — the same authorized Subaru dealer physically identified and documented a cvt oil pump cover leak. The same jerking complaint was again documented in writing. No repairs were made and the warranty expired one week later. The cvt defect has been physically confirmed by an authorized Subaru dealer within the warranty period and Subaru of America has denied my warranty claim in writing. This issue presents a safety concern. The unpredictable jerking and hesitation when accelerating from a stop creates dangerous situations in traffic, particularly at intersections and when merging. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Subaru chose to handle this known widespread defect as a quiet warranty extension rather than a mandatory recall despite hundreds of owners reporting identical symptoms.

I’m unable to remove the car key from the ignition when the vehicle shifter is in park.

The "select lever complete" or fear shift neutral park sensor switch stops working. Subaru has acknowledged the issue and issued a TSB (number: 16-112-18r). The issue is that the car does not sense it is in park or neutral, even though the shifter is in that position. For keyed cars, the key cannot be removed and for push to start the car rear gate does not open and an alarm sounds when doors are open when the ignition is on. The car warns to move shifter to park, even though the car is shifted to park. Car has been serviced several times with complaints indicating symptoms of issue, but was never informed of cause and lever select was never replaced.

Transmission went out at 72,000 miles. Was told it was not covered by warranty even though I purchased extended warranty. Will never buy another Subaru again. Spoke to a person at customer service who said she would take care of it. Made 19 calls over 3 months and no one returned a call. Terrible customer service at the main office.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be serviced; however, while the mechanic was inspecting the vehicle, he noticed oil splatter inside the engine compartment. The vehicle was diagnosed with an oil leak. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil warning light illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v502000 (power train). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,315.

Subaru dealer diagnosed oil leaks on the valve cover gaskets. I took the car to an independent repair business and the problem was diagnosed as a camshaft carrier oil leak. Upon removing the necessary parts, the company reported to me they found chunks of silicone around the carrier. I first noticed a smell of something burning after Subaru had done an oil change about 2 months prior. I was also getting the check oil lamp about 2 months after the oil change. It was losing oil. That’s when I had Subaru diagnose the problem. The loss of oil could have started a fire. Parts are available for inspection.

The transmission, without warning, stopped functioning.

Oil leak from power train.

Unable to turn key to off position when in neutral and unable to remove key from the ignition. In order to get the key out of the ignition, the car needs to be restarted and turned back off or the gear shift needs to be pushed as hard as possible into the neutral position multiple times. With the inability to turn the car totally off and remove the key, there are multiple safety issues that can arise. Was informed that the entire select lever assembly needs to be replaced due to a known issue by Subaru. The issue was reproduced by an independent service center. No warning lamps are illuminated.

Parking shifter sensor is failing intermittently. This prevents removing the key from the ignition. Seems to react better when you throw the shifter into park forcefully.

Complete draining of battery just sitting there for no reason. . . We see this is an enormous problem with Outbacks, and we have one with great problems leaving us stranded !.

While driving on the highway, the transmission in my 2016 Subaru Outback started making a loud grinding sound and violently halted the car to a stop. I was lucky enough that it wasn't during a busy time and an accident was narrowly avoided. This transmission only had 67,000 miles on it and is actually the second transmission that car has had. In 2018 the transmission had to be replaced after 68,000 miles. Luckily it was fully covered under an extended warranty I purchased when I bought it. Later the transmissions were given a warranty extension which extended the warranty to 100,000. The newest transmission (the one that just violently grinded to a halt on the highway) currently has 67,000 miles on that new transmission, but Subaru will not honor the 100,000 warranty extension because the remainder of the vehicle has 135,000 miles on it. I do count myself lucky that this didn't cause an accident because I had my family in the vehicle with me and we could've been seriously hurt.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. Aaa was contacted and the vehicle was jump started. The contact stated that the failure recurred 4 times. The vehicle was taken to competition Subaru of smithtown located at 601 middle country rd, st james, NY 11780 where the battery was replaced. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer and the battery was replaced. The failure recurred and the contact was informed of an unknown voluntary manufacturer recall to replace the exhaust and catalytic converter however, the part was not available. The contact was provided a loaner vehicle. The contact was informed a week later to return the loaner and retrieve his vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 13,270.

Noticing when I park my car the key won't release from ignition switch when car lever is set in "p" position. As I push in and turn the key from start to lock the key will stay acc position won't go into lock.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while his wife had attempted to park the vehicle, the vehicle independently accelerated while at a complete stop. The contact stated that the vehicle jumped a curb and hit a tree; however, his wife was unsure if any warning lights had illuminated during the failure. The air bags did not deploy upon impact and the contact's wife was not injured. The police were called to the scene; however, the contact was unaware if a police report was filed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was repaired for the damage. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle was placed under recall NHTSA campaign number: 15v794000 (power train) where it was serviced by north end Subaru(757 chase rd, lunenburg, MA 01462). The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 44,343.

I regularly cannot remove key from ignition while in park. The ignition does not seem to recognize the vehicle is in park, so I have to restart car, shift do drive, reshift to park and try to remove key multiple times. This has been happening consistently and is worst when parked on a hill.

Front right cv joint started making a clicking sound that became extremely bad after one month. We were told to replace immediately due to safety hazard. Had to replace the cv axel costing over $600. Got it back from the Subaru dealership, just to be told the left one is now going out and will have to be replaced as well.

Subaru Outback 2016 4dr 2. 5i - vehicle began making loud noise when driving in the highway. Noise coming from the rear passenger side of vehicle. Took to Subaru dealer in chandler az and dealer changed right-rear wheel hub bearing. Vehicle only has 67 k miles.

Wobbling and shaking occurs when the car is in motion (when accelerating). Happens on street and on highway. Service advisor recommended transmission replacement. Please see attached extended warranty offer from the manufacturer as a result of previous complaints.

Key gets stuck in ignition when put into park and can't take key out of ignition after turning car off.

Car stalled in the middle of an intersection. It was truly frightening because the baby was in the car and it was during morning commute rush hours when everyone is rushing. The car is relatively new with 35k miles and am the only owner of the vehicle. Was at an intersection and waiting for my turn to make a left. The car was in �drive� and I had my foot on the brake. However, when the green left turn arrow came, I pressed the gas pedal and the car did not move. I moved from �drive� to �park� and back to �drive� and pressed the gas pedal again and the car did not move. The check engine light came on. I moved from �drive� to �park� and turned off the car engine. Then I restarted the car and moved from �park� to �drive� and pressed the gas pedal again and the car did not move. I began pressing the gas pedal heavy trying to at least maybe move to safety and all of sudden the car felt very sluggish but it moved. I understand there is an extended warranty offered by Subaru regarding the transmission, but what happened to me was dangerous to myself, my family and others on the road. This requires further investigation as to not put any people's life at unnecessary risks.

Tl- the contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact state that the key would not come out of the ignition. The contact mentioned that the vehicle had to be turned on an off multiple times in order for the key to come out of the ignition. The vehicle was taken to stuckey Subaru 500 broad st, hollidaysburg, PA 16648 (814) 695-9862 where it was diagnosed that the gear shift linkage needed to be replaced. The vehicle is currently not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,017. Dr.

When stopped, unable to remove key from ignition (unable to move key from acc position to lock position such that key remains in ignition). Safety concern: unaccompanied child could start vehicle. Unlocked vehicle could be stolen with keys in ignition.

My 2016 Subaru Outback 3. 6 limited has 64,000 miles on it. Recently I noticed an unfamiliar noise. When I brought it to a mechanic he said it needed a wheel bearing and the wheel was about to fall off. He replaced the wheel bearing/hub but said the noise was still there and suggested I bring it to a Subaru dealer for further evaluation. When I brought it to the Subaru dealer they said it need two additional wheel bearings. They said it was unsafe to drive and gave me a loaner car until it can be fixed. As my car is still waiting to be fixed I don't have all the documentation yet. But I still do worry when and if that 4th bearing/hub will fail.

I had experienced a shudder, pop, revving rpms of the vehicles before a sudden power loss at highway speed (65mph). I was unable to accelerate and had limited steering to get off the highway safely. The vehicle had stalled by the time I was on the side of the road. I was then unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. A towing service was called to bring it to a local dealership. Within an hour time period the vehicle rapidly lost electrical power and hazard lights were no longer functional. This unfortunately was late at nighttime, making the visibility of the vehicle very minimal. The vehicle was evaluated at a local dealership and reported that there was a software problem with the charging systems of the car. The system was updated, but the dealership could not provide an explanation for the revving engine, shuddering, power loss and stalling that occurred prior to the inability to restart the vehicle on the side of the road.

Had complained about car jolting at stop lights on occasion in gear at full stop at lights. No diagnosis. Changed gas thinking it might help. Seemed to. No diagnosis. Then car jumped hard backwards in reverse coming out of parking space. Could have hit car behind had we been parallel parked instead of angle. Took car in and dealer replaced cvt at no charge but warned us it would continue to jump in reverse with the new cvt and it does just as it did when we took it in. Now we have to remember to grind down on the brake pedal when going into reverse. That isn't right or safe.

Key sticks in the ignition and will not come out. The failing park position switch did not allow the key to be turned to the fully off position for key removal.

3rd occurrence: while driving on a state highway, vehicle jerked, all warning lights came on and vehicle lost movement with resistance. Towed to dealer.

1st occurrence: while driving on a county road, all warning lights came on. Brought vehicle back to dealer, dealer replaced the transmission.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the passenger’s side wheel window trim was slightly pivoted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the dealer had not confirmed if parts had been ordered or received. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph in 2020, the vehicle experienced transmission failure and the vehicle came to a jerking stop, as if the parking brake had been activated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the cvt transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that approximately 4 years later, several warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but no cause for the failure was found. The contact stated that after leaving the dealer, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was returned to the dealer and was diagnosed with cvt failure. The cvt transmission was replaced. The contact was informed that the wiring harness needed to be replaced; however, the wiring harness had not been replaced. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 35,000.

Stationary vehicle rolls back significantly when on any incline when in gear. It has an automatic transmission which rolls in drive and reverse. The dealer said all vehicles roll when in gear. I have owned 13 vehicles in my life, the only vehicles that would roll in gear were manual transmission vehicles which is why the last 8 vehicles I have owned have been automatic. The dealer denied this was a problem but on the Subaru Outback forum, this is a known problem for at least the past two iterations of this vehicle. The first occasion the vehicle rolled back on a good slope for at least three feet and then the tires spun when I depressed the accelerator. The hill assist feature on this car may have been of assistance but I was unfamiliar with it. The hill assist feature should not have to be engaged during normal driving. Had this slippage happened at a stoplight, the vehicle would have rolled into another and caused damage to both vehicles. Absolutely dangerous and unacceptable. The transmission acts like a manual without a clutch.

This issue is a safety enhancement request affecting top of the line Subaru Outback 2016 limited/preimum models equipped with keyless ignition systems. This issue is similar to that reported in NHTSA id number: 10881286. Issue: it is possible for a driver to inadvertently turn off the engine (we are only human) using the start/stop button when the vehicle is in drive, park or neutral. If vehicle is on a slope, the vehicle will roll forwards or backwards on it's own. This presents a serious risk of grave bodily harm to people in the path of the unattended moving vehicle. This already happened with my vehicle, luckily it happened inside my garage on a very slight slope and my closed garage door stopped the vehicle. If my children had been behind the vehicle, removing their school bags, they would have been pinned to the garage door by a 3500 lb vehicle. Unacceptable. I repaired the slight damage body work on the vehicle at the dealer but that is irrelevant compared to the safety risk presented by this "works as designed" behavior of the car. Possible workaround: 1. Subaru needs to change this behavior and eliminate the risk by automatically engaging the electric "park brake" that is already installed in this model vehicle, when the engine is turned off. 2. Disable engine stop until transmission is set to park. The current audible warning is insufficient. My 15 year old vehicle did not allow the key to be removed from the ignition slot until park lever was engaged to prevent this exact problem.

I was in a store parking lot. I drove approx. 2 blocks and came to a full stop where there was a pedestrian crossing. I accelerated making a left turn and began climbing a small hill to exit the parking area. I traveled approximately 20 feet and my car lost acceleration. I placed my foot on the gas pedal and pressed it down approx. 50 percent. While doing so, I did not hear the engine racing. The speedometer registered 2 miles per hour. I braked, came to a full stop and took my car out of gear. I moved it back to drive and the car responded normally.

When I back up and stop and put transmission into drive there is a 3 to 4 second hesitation before the vehicle goes forward. This hesitation puts me into risk as I back out of driveway onto a busy urban street. The dealership says this the way the cvt transmission works. The problem was brought to the attention of the dealer the 1st week that I purchased the car on 09/30/2015. The problem still exists when going from a quick reverse to drive.