Electrical System Problems of Subaru Outback - part 1

The car screens are delaminating and bubbling due to fault of the manufacturer. This is a widespread issue and causes safety issues due to the screen moving erratically while driving, messing with volume and function controls.

See all problems of the 2018 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Vehicle battery continues to drain. Since I have owned the vehicle, it has had 4 batteries. It has had 2 batteries within the last year and half. Installed another battery a 2 weeks ago, vehicle was completely dead after a week of not driving. The last 3 batteries were all purchased (or warranty replaced, new. All forums are pointing to dcm for other years. Yet, 2019's have the same issue, and I haven't received any service bulletin regarding such issues. I presume they need to have a certain number of complaints before action is taken.

See all problems of the 2019 Subaru Outback 🔎.

On may 19th 2026 around noon time, while we (me and my wife passenger) were driving my 2022 Subaru Outback touring (2. 5l, non-turbo) in active congested traffic on our way to airport, the engine shut off as expected by the auto start-stop system when I came to a stop. When I released the brake pedal to proceed, the engine failed to automatically restart. The vehicle became immobilized in a live traffic lane, creating a serious safety hazard with traffic backed up behind me and oncoming vehicles unable to predict my situation. No warning lights or alerts preceded the failure. After shifting to park and pressing the ignition button multiple times, the engine eventually restarted. There was no prior history of stalling, no check engine light, and the battery and vehicle have been maintained per Subaru's schedule. This is a critical safety defect: a vehicle that disables its own engine in traffic and fails to restart on demand puts the driver, passengers, and surrounding traffic at immediate risk of rear-end collision. The auto start-stop system should never leave a vehicle stranded in a live roadway. The vehicle is available for inspection. I have/have not yet taken the vehicle to a Subaru dealer for diagnosis.

See all problems of the 2022 Subaru Outback 🔎.

On June 15th 2026, I was at a red light and the auto start-stop feature shut off the engine. When light turned green, my car lost power and started rolling downhill. During this rolling downhill, the brakes stopped working, I was unable to engage parking brake, and I wasn't able to do anything except find a place to safely use gravity to slow the vehicle down. If the hill was steeper, this scenario could have been deadly. It was so scary, I called 911 for assistance but got lucky I was able to stop the car before there was an accident. It turns out the battery didn't have enough power to allow the vehicle to restart and if this happens when the auto start-stop feature is engage you lose the ability to use the brakes. I spoke to the local dealership and acknowledge that is a problem.

Before I begin my commute, I’m greeted by a persistent message within the center infotainment display from the satellite radio service provider sirusxm. The message will not go away until manually closed out, as the exit button is farther away from the drivers reach (more accessible from the passenger side). This can lead to distracted driving, especially if you’ve already expressed no interest in the service, prior to its other attempts. It also doesn’t help that the center console is frustratingly non responsive for the first few minutes during every vehicle startup. There’s also a number displayed on the screen to call sirusxm to opt out of the messages but the attempt is useless as they will corner you into purchasing subscription. I shouldn’t have to do this for a vehicle I own and the monopoly that service presents as the only satellite provider is anti competition.

See all problems of the 2024 Subaru Outback 🔎.

I just bought my Subaru Outback brand new in October 2025. I’ve maintained my oil changes at the dealership. I bought it from in the last one was last may 26. I filled up my tank with a full tank of gas June 1. On June 2 when I was driving home from work on the I 94 highway in detroit michigan I was going about 50 mph when my check engine light went on and within seconds the engine failed. The car was still on, but the gas pedal wouldn’t work and I was in the far left-hand side lane of the highway. I was able to slowly pull over to the fire right hand shoulder, even though it was during peak traffic time. As I pulled over, I started seeing smoke come from under the hood. I then seen a big flame which made me quickly get out of the vehicle and then seconds two minutes later the entire vehicle was in golf in flames and had many explosions throughout. I had no prior indications notifying me that there was something wrong with my vehicle. I had no problems with it. There was only 12,500 miles on the vehicle. There was no obvious cause to this happening. It was only me in the car however if there were small children in car seats or less mobile elderly people in the car, I don’t think that they would have made it out safely. The fire department came and put out the fire. A police report was made with the michigan state troopers. My insurance is progressing. They are working on a claim. I also contacted Subaru of America and opened up a case with them. I notified the Subaru of troy dealership that this happened.

See all problems of the 2025 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Many controls are integrated within the main infotainment screen on the 2024 Outback. Every month or so, a siriusxm advertisement will randomly pop-up on the screen, taking up the entire screen, rendering all screen controls/buttons useless. This is a safety concern, as not only screen controls are blocked when this ad appears, but air and comfort controls are blocked until the ad pop-up is closed.

I was in start and stop traffic in the left lane of a fast highway. The feature that shuts the battery on and off when starting the car was turned on. Upon trying to move, the battery decided to die and I was stranded in traffic. I needed to get towed out of there and the car needed a jump.

Driving on rte 81 south in the area of wilkes - barre when all of the sudden my entire dash electrical system went completely black, nothingwas showing, no gas, no speed ometer, date,time , blinkers, lane change etc. And the navigation screen turned lime gree. About 30 seconds later the lime green turned black. I had no electronics at all. I was in the middle lane doing 55-65 and could not signal to pull over. About 2-3 minutes (felt like an eternity) went by and all of a sudden everything re-appeared. Note, the car did not turn off. I pulled over, turned car off, waited a couple of minutes and started the car and it never did it again.

Recently, the 2022 Outback my mom drives has been having some strange electrical issues. About a year-or-so ago the battery in her Outback died. Not unusual in arizona. I replaced it with an upgraded agm (interstate) version—same group, same cranking power. No issues. Recently, after an oil change at the dealer, she called back to report that a “check engine” light had come on. She was told that she probably had not put the gas cap on properly. Gas cap was on properly; light went off the next day. A few days later the auto stop/start (ass) feature started acting up (not functioning). A few days later the ass turned the engine off and did not restart automatically—in the middle of heavy traffic during rush hour. The ass light came on. The engine started manually, and we got it home. Battery was dead the next morning. I charged it up and took the car to the local mechanic for a quick assessment. The battery was fine, charging, but the car threw a code: p0871 transmission fluid pressure sensor switch. This mechanic told us that there was a technical service bulletin through Subaru that addressed this issue but was also aware that it could be caused by the ass killing the battery or other electronic modules which fail to enter sleep mode—which would also cause random lights to come on. An appointment was made to take the car into peoria Subaru, thinking it would be something they could diagnose easily. It had previously been in for the routine oil change with the inspection. When we dropped the car off, I provided the advisor the code and a associated TSB for the code. We got the car back that day and were told the following: the tech found that the car currently has a “aftermarket” agm battery. Subarus require a “enhanced flooded battery” which would explain multiple codes found for loss of communications and parasitic battery drain--for systems that don't go to "sleep" when the car is not running.

Subject: formal safety defect complaint: 2016 Subaru Outback – manufacturing nondisclosure of latent "day 1" design flaw causing ignition key entrapment, uncommanded steering column lockout, and severe family safety risk I am writing to formally report a severe, unaddressed safety defect and a deceptive corporate practice by Subaru of America, inc. Affecting my 2016 Subaru Outback. This vehicle suffers from a "day 1" latent engineering flaw that causes the physical ignition key to become permanently trapped in the ignition cylinder, triggering an uncommanded, rigid locking of the steering column assembly. Subaru has possessed documented knowledge of this failure for years, cataloging it under technical service bulletin TSB 16-112-18r. Rather than fulfilling its statutory obligation to issue a comprehensive federal safety recall, Subaru deployed a voluntary, time-bound 8-year warranty extension. Subaru conveniently did not notify me of this warranty extension. By doing so, the manufacturer unconscionably ignored this defect, placing its customers at direct peril. They capitalized on asymmetric information to shift both the financial burden and the severe physical safety risks of a known factory flaw onto my family, the moment an arbitrary time threshold expired. My family and I have been at active, continuous risk in this vehicle since the day we purchased it due to an engineering error that was present when the car rolled off the assembly line. The root cause of this failure is a fundamental engineering defect within the continuously variable transmission (cvt) shifter assembly, specifically, the premature degradation of the electrical contacts within the select lever park-range switch.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Parasitic drain on battery. Can be available for inspection upon request.

The 2018 Subaru Outback 8" starlink infotainment system is beeping, switching between the screens, try to disconnect my phone, changes radio stations doesn't recognize when I touch a button on the screen. That it is a distraction while driving as it is one annoying, two I try to get it to stop eventually just have to turn it all off so then I drive with no navigation screen or radio. I am well aware this is a widespread known issue affecting 2018–2019 Outbacks and legacies, this has been an ongoing issue for the last 6 months in my vehicle.

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while coming to a stop on several occasions, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that the battery was functioning properly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 36,249.

Sunroof exploded outwards while driving.

I bought my 2026 Subaru Outback 3/20/2026, I plugged in my fixd sensor into the obdii port of my new car and there was nothing available. I made an appointment with austin Subaru to check why the obdii port was not working and my assigned rep told me that they were having issues with all of their 2026 Subaru Outbacks, I signed in for my appointment on my arrival 4/7/2026 and the following day I was notified that I had missed my appointment. I called the rep. And requested a call back but that did not happen. I was at the dealership no more than 15 to 20 minutes while they tried their equipment and I was told that it was not working and that I should come back at a later time. I think that they might be hiding something.

April 3, 2026: my 2025 Subaru Outback premium (VIN [xxx] , 2,052 miles) suffered simultaneous failure of multiple safety-critical systems due to corrosion on a can bus pin in the driver door wiring harness (Subaru part #xxx) at its dash harness connection, caused by water intrusion into the cabin. Trip start: eyesight, collision avoidance, blind spot, and lane assist all offline; brake indicator illuminated with no brake engagement. Minutes later, airbag warning activated. Dealer service advisor described the dash as "lit up like a christmas tree. " while reversing through a 3-point turn on a commercial drive used by heavy trucks, I lost steering at single-digit speed. 60 seconds further would have placed me on an inclined high-traffic road near a freeway interchange. Vehicle was towed by Subaru from the failure location. Confirmed by authorized dealer driveway Subaru of moon township (invoice #680646, warranty claim). Subaru ssm4 scan recorded 17 unique dtcs across 10 control systems, including c1460 brake booster abnormality; u1131 lost comm power steering control module; u0151 restraints control module; u0122/u1122 vdc; u0126 steering angle sensor; plus multiple eyesight faults. Dealer documented moisture on both a-pillars, driver kick panel, standing water in cupholders and center console. Prior intermittent symptom: passenger seatbelt alarm on empty seat, two occasions in prior months, consistent with past-status u0151 on scan. Dealer cleaned the corroded pin but did not identify or seal the original water ingress point. Vehicle remains in dealer possession. Subaru of America customer advocacy case #xxx-xxxhas declined repurchase/replacement, stating vehicle is "operating safely as designed. " I dispute this conclusion: the ingress source is unremediated and recurrence risk has not been addressed. Repair invoice, full dtc scan, soa correspondence, and owner statement available on request. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated after starting the vehicle and driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment system inadvertently reset or went blank, causing the reverse automatic braking (rab) system to become inoperable. The rab system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

Was doing 55-60 mph in left lane of highway. Suddenly and without warning the car is decelerating, cannot accelerate any more, all warning lights suddenly flashing on dashboard. I was able to get over to the far right emergency lane, turn car off and put on hazards and started calling Subaru roadside assistance. While doing so I suddenly saw smoke coming out from under the hood. I got out of the car and continued my talk when the smoke suddenly turned to flames from under the hood and I called 911. Within 3 minutes of dialing for assistance, my car was completely engulfed in flames and it was burned to a crisp by the time the fire trucks put it out. My insurance company retrieved the car from wherever it was towed and has assigned it to someone to investigate.

This car is a very well-maintained, low-use vehicle with regular oil changes and routine maintenance performed on schedule. Early in this drive, I noticed an unusual hissing sound as I approached a stop. When I tried to brake, I realized my brakes didn't seem to be responding. I pressed the brake pedal harder and realized that with 50-100 pounds of pressure (guess), I could slow the car down. As I came to a stop, the engine died. I restarted the car, and it died again immediately. After the following restart, I realized I could manually keep the rpm up in neutral while at stops, and press with significant force to get the car to stop. Had I not been comfortable two foot driving or understood the issue, this surely would have resulted in a crash of some sort. The car indicated a check engine light, loss of traction control, a flashing brake light, and a flashing cruise control light. I took the car immediately to a local shop where they identified the problem as a vacuum leak at the brake booster. The plastic piece that the hose clamps onto had cracked off, leading to this problem. This make and model does not seem to have a check valve downstream of this component.

See all problems of the 2010 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Hvac system heating to dangerous levels and still radiating heat into the cabin even after hvac system was turned off. To mitigate, direction was changed to feet. Temperatures of over 100 degrees f were observed for sustained periods. Issue is intermittent, however it was reproduced consistently when it was cold outside (cold being cooler than 55 degrees f). I set the temperature to 65 degrees f with the ac on and recirculate, however it didn't make a difference. When this bug happens, it puts out a lot of heat and the only way to get it to cool is to drop it to the lowest cool setting ~60 degrees. I took it in 3 times to the dealer and they said they were unable to reproduce the issue, and while it has been intermittent, I was able to frequently reproduce the issue when it was cold outside, including yesterday, 04/19/26. It does not appear to happen when it's warm outside, although it hasn't been consistently warm to be able to conclude that at this point. What is certain is that the system does not appear to be functioning as designed (which is what both the dealer and Subaru of America (soa) claim, soa just restating the dealer's comments). Both lafontaine Subaru of commerce township, michigan and Subaru of America have at this point ignored the issue despite me bringing it up consistently.

This my [xxx] mother's car, she would have panicked had she witnessed this incident. Upon starting vehicle in morning after cleaning off light dusting of snow, the driver's side mirror started to smoke for almost a minute with an electrical and plastic burn smell. I was able to video some of the smoking and took a picture afterwards that seems to show a burn mark at the bottom of the mirror housing. This short caused a 10 amp fuse to blow which also took out interior lights and the ability to lock/unlock the car with the remote. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by anyone other than myself. I found a user on [xxx] with similar experience that a Subaru garage diagnosed as a short in the approach light module [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the touch screen on the radio failed to properly operate. The screen was delaminated, causing unintended operation of the radio, distracting the driver. This failure caused the back over prevention to become inoperable, and the hvac defroster options were inoperable. The touch screen and the functions were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with an electrical system failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.

Battery completely dead after 4 days of not driving; this is after I purchased a $210 brand new batteyr from autozone. Looks like there is potential class action lawsuit based on the parasitic draw by the dcm unit. I need this repaired at Subaru's expense.

2025 Subaru Outback onyx edition purchased 3/2025. Approximate mileage at time of incident 7000. On 2/10/25 around 6am car is remotely started with Subaru app from iphone on flat gravel surface. Car was in park. Go out car not there moved almost a car length down a hill left turn then over an embankment into a ditch where it finally rested still running in park when found it. Why or how is this possible when done this before no issues. Took to dealership checked visible damage snapped bumper back in get hood and grill shutters checked by body shop. Stating no malfunction and said safe to drive until we did that. One week later the car is started and all sorts of lights appear on dash took back to dealer additional problems found in front end and underneath. Told us we could still continue to drive it with lower core support damaged. Why did lights come on week later no airbags deployed when hit ditch. No notification or contact on app when crash happened and how was the steering affected when vehicle was in park. So many questions no definite answers yet? definitely a major safety concern. Left with new vehicle damage at this mileage and we feel we are not at fault.

My 2024 Subaru Outback has twice become inoperable while stopped at a traffic signal. In both incidents, the engine was off while stopped, but the vehicle remained powered on and would not restart. The vehicle also would not properly power down. The car could not be safely driven or moved and required towing both times. This created a serious safety hazard because the vehicle became disabled in active traffic and could not be restarted or properly shut down. After the first incident (on [xxx]), the Subaru dealership replaced the battery. Approximately 4 weeks ([xxx]) later, the exact same failure occurred again. The dealership has now had the vehicle for approximately three weeks and states they cannot replicate the issue. No cause has been identified and no repair has been made. During one of these incidents, my [xxx] child was in the vehicle while we were stranded in traffic. This appears to be a repeat electrical / ignition / operability failure affecting the vehicle’s ability to restart or properly shut down after stopping in traffic. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Unknown why car sparked & ignited. Car was driven to grocery store 5min away then sat for approx. 2hrs before catching fire.

See all problems of the 2008 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru outback. The contact stated that when driving approximately 30- 40 mph, veering off the highway, the vehicle suddenly lost power, but had immediately regained power. The failure had occurred 3 - 4 times total. The last time it occurred, the vehicle took a bit longer to regain power. After pulling into the desired parking lot, the contact checked the battery. When touching a wire connecting to the battery, it sparked and caught fire. The contact immediately grabbed some snow nearby and threw it onto the wire to put out the fire. There was no fire report filed. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. The contact had noticed that the instrument panel would flash with several warning lights; however, it would illuminate quickly and intermittently. The vehicle was then scheduled to be towed from the parking lot, but it had not been taken to the dealer after the incident. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

"I own a 2018 Subaru Outback VIN [xxx] . I have experienced a recurring failure with the tpms (tire pressure monitoring system) three times within the same year. In January 2026, I brought my vehicle to the dealership and had to replace the tpms sensors. Shortly after, the issue returned and I had to replace the tpms module. I picked the vehicle up on Monday, may 18, 2026, and by Wednesday, may 20, 2026, I had to return it to the dealership again for the same recurring problem. This is the third repair for the same system failure within 2026. I have open case with Subaru of America regarding this matter (case number: [xxx]). Despite multiple repairs, the root cause has not been resolved. I am concerned this is a safety issue as a malfunctioning tpms system can fail to alert the driver to dangerous tire pressure conditions while driving. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether this is a widespread defect in 2018 Subaru Outback vehicles. I have spent over $2,000 out of pocket costs to date. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph on the highway, the contact was alerted by the message “eyesight technology failure”, before the battery shut down, causing the steering wheel to seize, forcing the contact to come to a complete stop in the middle of the highway. The check engine, air bags, and oil warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that several other unknown warning lights and alerts were displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was jump-started, and the contact was escorted by a tow truck operator to the nearest dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,168. The VIN was invalid.

See all problems of the 2020 Subaru Outback 🔎.

While driving, the head unit, which gives you access to many of the safety features like auto braking etc, blanks out and goes completely dark. It happens without notice and is random in nature. On this particular vehicle it has happened at least four times. It does come back on but it is not immediate and the amount of time that it is out is variable. This can happen regardless of where you are driving and is very concerning because when the head unit is dark and not working you lose control over a lot of the important functions in the vehicle and it makes you doubt whether those systems are working properly.

The car repeatedly drains the battery after being left for a short time (a day or 2). This has now happened at least four times and has destroyed multiple batteries. I have taken it to the dealer and complained multiple times. They check for software updates and sell me a new battery and then the same thing happens again. Because of this, the car is essentially unusable because I can't trust it to run. The problem seems to come and go, though that may simply be due to having a new battery for a while. There doesn't seem to be any indication before this problem occurs.

My Subaru has some kind of electrical issues I was driving and car stopped would start again I had to towed to arts repair shop they said was starter put new starter in 400 dollars later says it wasn't starter some kind of electrical and they dont do that electrical service they recommend carlins automotive geico would not tow again I pd out of pocket they had it 2 days said could not figure it out put electrical meters on find nothing so decided to look at fuses again replaced #13 fuse said it started and thought was fixed (carry 15a fuses with me) picked up that day drove it stopped and drove got it home next morning taking older client and standed again, im [xxx] I take of seniors that dont have family I see no recalls kept reading said updated 2024 an 2025 electrical issue with engine everyone stumped could this be the recall on it or issue (you look look im not only out of a car clients are left without me no fuses work now. The service center said could be this or that I can't go on guesses im on limited income when you turn it on it tries to start stops try restart nothing no sound all lights on dash come it but no nothing to try and start Subaru never given me no problems at all please help I found the electrical issues on your site information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2014 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Sirus xm advertisements, whilst driving, taking over display, despite opting out of all possible options, disablement and never purchasing the satellite radio service or wanting it in vehicle. I paid for the car, now I have to be subject to distracting advertising that requires user input even though I already have carplay open with driving directions. Advertising should be optional and there must be a way to opt out and it should not be forced or require interaction while car is operational (assuming it is opt in, which it most certainly was not in my case). Everywhere else in the world you can buy a car free of in-vehicle advertising, without being pushed to get satellite radio from a monopoly. . Why is USA different?.

Unprompted intermittently while operating the vehicle pop up advertisements will appear on the infotainment system advertising sirius xm radio. This is very distracting as it requires focus to be taken off of the road to bypass the ad to return to normal radio screen functions.