Automatic Emergency Braking problems of the 2025 Subaru Outback

Traveling southbound onxxx in virginia between the hours of 7-9am. Weather was clear with bright sunshine. While traveling at highway speed with the cruise control activated the emergency braking system activated on 3 separate occasions. Traffic was heavy but moving at a steady speed. I suspect the angle of the sun and the sunlight intensity caused the inadvertent activation.

Critical electrical failure - highway safety hazard 10/23/2025: while driving 2025 Outback (11k miles) at highway speed on I-485 charlotte, complete electrical system failure occurred without warning. All dashboard lights illuminated, complete loss of power steering (steering extremely heavy/difficult to control), all safety systems failed (abs, brake sensors, traction control). Safety danger: sudden power steering loss at 65mph made vehicle nearly uncontrollable. Required extreme force to steer to shoulder. Could have caused fatal crash during emergency maneuver or in traffic. Improper warranty denial: dealer claimed "cut wire" was "outside influence" but provided no evidence how wire became accessible on properly designed vehicle. No photos, forensics, or proof. Vehicle never modified/damaged, only normal highway use. Pattern defect - Subaru Outback electrical failures: - 2020 Outback: 873 NHTSA complaints, electrical failures, battery drain, module failures - 2017 Outback: 893 complaints, "do not drive" warning, steering control loss - NHTSA 23v-551: 35,357 Subarus recalled for wiring harness "insufficient clearance" causing wire damage, short circuits, power loss - 2019-22 ascent: 271,694 recalled for electrical overheating from improper wiring common defect: improper wire routing, inadequate protection, vulnerable placement - design/manufacturing defects not owner damage. Concern: if critical wire accessible to damage after only 11k miles normal driving, this is design deficiency. Properly engineered vehicles protect wiring from road debris, vibration, weather. Request: investigate 2025 Outback electrical/wiring design. Review for pattern failures. Determine if recall warranted. Complete power steering loss on highway is life-threatening defect. Vehicle: new 2025, maintained per schedule, no modifications/accidents. Subaru denying valid warranty claims by falsely claiming "outside influence" without proof.

1. Pre-collision warning system malfunctioned. On my vehicle it has activated 4 different times when there was no obstacle in the roadway -- one of which happened in front of a semi truck and the semi truck almost rear ended me. On the loaner vehicle while mine was being looked it, the pre-collision warning didn't activate at all when there was a significant obstruction in the roadway and I wrecked the vehicle. 2. My safety has been put at risk by having a pre-collision warning system activate randomly and then brake hard due to this. It was also put at risk by the pre-collision warning system not activated at all and causing an accident. My safety has further been put at risk by Subaru asking me to continue to drive my vehicle to help them figure out what is happening. I am not a crash test dummy. 3. The problem has not been able to be reproduced but I do have some pictures of the malfunctions. 4. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership. 5. My vehicle has been plagued with multiple electrical issues prior to the pre-collision warning activating for no apparent reason. The warning signs were came on and off too fast for me to see what they were other than the vehicle was braking hard for no reason.

Since October 2023, my 2019 Toyota prius has developed severe and unpredictable driving behavior after a regular brake service, which may have triggered or coincided with a software or ecu update. The car, which had been driving smoothly since I bought it in 2021, suddenly began showing false braking, steering interference, and lane instability — as if the car were trying to “correct” problems that didn’t exist. These interventions often happen on highways or during turns, creating serious safety risks for both driver and passengers. I’ve spent months and thousands of dollars replacing parts, performing alignments, and recalibrating sensors, including at Toyota dealerships. The problem persists because it is software-based, not mechanical. I discovered that in mid–2023, the NHTSA announced upcoming rules requiring automatic emergency braking (aeb) with pedestrian detection by 2029. Around that same time, reports from multiple drivers (Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Ford, Subaru) began to appear describing the exact same issues. It seems manufacturers began silently updating vehicles to meet anticipated compliance standards. However, this introduced overly sensitive and malfunctioning driver-assist systems. The most alarming part is that the driver cannot fully disable these features — the “off” button only reduces their intervention. This means when the system malfunctions, the driver is forced to operate an unsafe vehicle. As a professional rideshare driver, this problem destroyed my ability to work. Passengers reported me for unsafe driving because of the car’s erratic behavior. I eventually lost my vehicle and income. I believe this is a systemic safety defect linked to premature or unregulated implementation of aeb software. Drivers deserve the right to fully disable malfunctioning systems that endanger lives. This is not just a car issue — it’s a public safety crisis that must be urgently investigated.

The car will not stop if another vehicle is in front of it and I don't hit on the brakes. I have taken it in for this problem more than three times and they put it on the computer and it can not find anything wrong with it. And once they reset it works until I turn it off and start it back up the system goes back to the default setting I have reached out to the dealership to let them know that it is still not working properly and the thing that has happen is that they have call me once tell me that they will look in to but as now June 12, 2025 I have heard nothing. The car is new and when I received it the car had a big squirrel nest in it which I had to take it back the next day for that and yes the car is new. I purchased it from classic Subaru atlanta corp.

There are a couple of issues. 1. The car keeps applying the brakes at lower and higher speeds even though there is literally nothing in front. This is both annoying and risky, especially at higher speeds happening at the interstates. When I asked at the dealership, they said the car is not equipped to do something like this. But that does not mean this is not happening. At lower speeds, it feels like massive pressure forced on the stomach. 2. The lane departure warning system is subpar at best. It cannot comprehend the real-world lane markers- if modified, and is constantly forcing to go through the work areas and seemingly trying to make a collision. If I were not aware and attentive, I would have crashed to the barriers on the highway. 3. The rear cross traffic warning system does not seem to capture the presence of cross traffic unless it is directly behind in most cases, specifically if the vehicle is coming from the right side of the vehicle. It is not helpful at all.

Three primary issues of major concern on this vehicle: 1. Phantom emergency - braking at random, both low and high speeds. The most dangerous of the three. 2. Lane keep assist - unaware or unable to compensate for real driving conditions, construction areas, pedestrians walking a dog, heavy machinery on a semi-truck as examples. 3. Infotainment blinding - a large, high gloss screen at a 45-degree angle, placing it in the direct reflective angle of three windows: sunroof, passenger front, passenger rear. Absolutely blinding even with sunglasses on during the right time of day. The sunroof can be pulled closed with a shade but the other two will still cause complete blinding. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? 1. Emergency braking at slow speeds is annoying for sure, but it has also occurred at 65mph and almost caused an accident had the nice lady behind not forced herself off the road to compensate. It braked for no reason (rain? splash? not sure) and nearly caused an entire row of cars to crash into me. 2. Lane keep is highly problematic because it simply doesn’t know really what it’s doing or aware of surroundings. Per the above, examples had I not intervened: it would have happily crashed me into concrete following the wrong lines in construction areas, run a woman’s dog over as we tried to cross the lines to give passing space. 3. The screen is set up so that it is directly in line to reflect the sun at different points in the day. When I say blinding, I mean really blinding (it’s the sun after all). You lose visibility on the road and become a danger to yourself and others. We carry a towel to toss over it during certain points in the day, it’s that bad. I have more detailed information, but the character limit is low on this form. Contact me if you want more.