Equipment Problems of Subaru Outback - part 1

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.

See all problems of the 2014 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The driver monitoring system option is not available on the screen. It appears that map responds to my mental questions only when I’m driving, which leads to distracted driving. I can not document this phenomenon. The drive monitoring system would prevent this distraction. The photo of manual documents the feature exists. The screen photo does not list the feature. I have reported that electronic devices have been hacked to the fbi. There are several other undocumentable changes in the display. I have scheduled an appointment with my doctor to discuss my mental health. The Subaru sales rep has been notified.

See all problems of the 2025 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Driving on a flat dry road with cloudy conditions we heard what sounded like a shotgun. Pulled over and found our moonroof exploded. I have dashcam video with audio of the explosion as well as photos and video of the damage immediately after.

See all problems of the 2017 Subaru Outback 🔎.

While driving my 2018 Subaru Outback on the freeway, the sunroof spontaneously shattered without warning. At the time of the incident, there were no nearby vehicles, road debris, or external factors that could explain the failure. This appears to be a dangerous and unexpected defect.

See all problems of the 2018 Subaru Outback 🔎.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the infotainment system, which includes control of driving features, displayed pop-up ads for siriusxm satellite radio while in motion, obscuring other information how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? unwanted and distracting information obscured control of vehicle functions while in motion has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes, dealers are widely aware this is happening has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no.

Car infortainment system producing annoying and distracting advertisements while driving, overriding the the entire infotainment system and requiring human intervention that distracted me and almost caused an accident. No driver should have to deal with forced fucking ads while operating a vehicle, what fucked up dystopia are we living in?.

See all problems of the 2022 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Sirius xm ad popping up on my infotainment screen while vehicle is in motion causing a distraction.

See all problems of the 2024 Subaru Outback 🔎.

While driving, the vehicle's infotainment system becomes unusable due to a pop-up ad for sirius xm satellite radio. All vehicle settings, including safety settings, automatic braking, and other driving assistance settings, are all controlled by the vehicle's infotainment display. Additionally, the infotainment unit displays maps and navigation tools that assist the driver. I believe it is a safety defect to have these pop-up messages display while operating the vehicle because it prevents the driver from accessing the controls through the infotainment display without first interacting with the advertisement.

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.

The screen will just not come on or cut out and not turn on after a call or text comes in. Sometimes it says no aux detected even though a phone is plugged in. It will randomly stop maps and randomly connect to my maps. The sound will go from being very good to being just bad.

12/4/2025 over the past two weeks, two uncommanded pop-up ads from siriusxm have appeared in the middle of my infotainment screen. The ads pop up in front of anything else that might be on the screen. The ad blocks are bright white and eye-catching (distracting), particularly at night. Siriusxm has never been active in this car, nor do I even have a siriusxm account.

I am writing to report a serious safety issue with the satellite radio service in my vehicle. Recently, advertisements have been automatically taking over my infotainment screen while I'm driving, overriding whatever I am doing and forcing me to interact with the system to dismiss the ad. This behavior is dangerous and distracting. Any unexpected visual takeover of the screen draws my attention away from the road, even if only for a moment. Having to locate and press a "close" or "cancel" button while the vehicle is in motion increases the risk of an accident. An infotainment system should never interrupt normal driving functions or demand driver interaction for ads. I am requesting that this forced advertising behavior be disabled immediately, or that an option be provided to permanently opt out. Ads should never override or block vehicle controls, navigation, or audio functions while the car is in motion.

On 10/29/25 the car lost power once it got to 3500rpm. Multiple warning lights came on. On 11/06/2025, the thermo control valve, high pressure fuel line, and gaskets for intake manifold and egr were replaced. On 11/24/25, when backing up slowly in a small parking lot, the rear camera detection picked up a raised cement walkway with metal railing. The brake was applied by the driver, however the car accelerated quickly and slammed into the railing and cement. The vehicle was placed into drive after the collision and continued normally. The brake was on once the warning light beeped and prior to the collision. The foot was not removed from the brake pedal until it was in drive. It could not have been placed into drive without the brake pedal being pressed. I asked the dealership if they could pull data from the car at the time of the incident, and was told they weren't sure they would get any information. It has not been inspected by a dealership or insurance. There was no damage done to the cement and railing was already bent. Only the car sustained damage.

See all problems of the 2021 Subaru Outback 🔎.

While driving, a pop-up advertisement for siriusxm appeared on my vehicle’s head-unit screen. The ad covered important display areas and required visual attention to dismiss, creating an unnecessary distraction. This unexpected interruption diverted my focus from the road and posed a potential safety hazard by encouraging interaction with the screen while the vehicle was in motion.

I am writing to report what I believe is a significant ergonomic issue with my vehicle. Every time I drive the car—even for short trips—I experience pain on the right side and toward the back of my knee. I have owned the vehicle for several weeks and have made numerous adjustments to the seat position in an effort to resolve the issue, but the pain has persisted. After researching reviews and feedback from other owners of the same model, I believe the problem may be related to the design and placement of the center console and pedal alignment. Specifically, the center console appears to be quite large and positioned very close to the gas pedal, and/or the brake pedal seems to be shifted further to the left than expected. This positioning appears to cause my right knee to overextend when braking. Because I live in a city environment and frequently encounter stop-and-go traffic, this issue is constant and has become unmanageable. Although I truly enjoy every other aspect of this vehicle, the ongoing pain makes it impossible for me to continue driving it comfortably or safely. As a result, I will be trading in the vehicle for a different model, despite my overall satisfaction with its other features. I wanted to formally document this concern in case it is helpful for future design considerations or evaluations, particularly if other drivers are experiencing similar discomfort. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

I opened the trunk door went to retrieve my groceries and the trunk door came down with extreme force on the top of my head without warning hitting me in the head causing a concussion. The window sensors on the driver and passenger doors also were acting off prior. Not every time but I would try to close the window and it would go up half way and then come back down.

I was stopped at a stop sign and the car shut off as the auto on/off function. When I went to drive the car did not re-start as the battery needed replaced. I was left stranded in an intersection. The battery did need to be replaced. The auto start/stop feature is a saftey hazzard on any vehicle.

Continued issue with phantom reverse automatic emergency braking occurring while backing up from my driveway causing the car to fully brake without me touching the brake pedal at all once the vehicle is into the street. The only time it doesn’t occur is when continuous brake pressure is applied while backing out. This has caused the car to come to complete harsh jerking stop, whipping my head and neck forward and back several times. Each time, there are no people, cars, or anything around that could be seen as a potential hazard.

The key gets stuck in the ignition when turning off the ignition.

A fire started under the hood of my car while I was driving. There were no warning lights on in my car and the temperature gauge was in the middle where it usually is. Earlier in the day, I smelled gas, but I thought it was a different car as the smell of gas went away after a car that had a lot of exhaust coming out was no longer in sight.

See all problems of the 2020 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Steering wheel controls frequently fail to work properly on the cruise control system specially the speed control. Also the exhaust system bellow has cracked. The moonroof leaks into the cabin and floor area of the passenger side. Also leaking into the a pillar on the passenger side. I only have a picture of the engine valve cover that is leaking and had to be replaced. I have video of the exhaust leak coming from the crack in the bellow pipe. Do not have video of the cruise control speed issues as I can’t take a video while driving.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Touch screen has delamination that causes false control of functions controlled by the touch screen. Due to delamination of the screen it can make false phone calls, change the radio station or modify system settings, causing dangerous distractions for the driver.

Transmission is failing. Wheel bearing bad. This is a 5 year old car with regular maintenance. No warning lights.

Sunroof exploded driving home in 90 degree sunny and clear weather. It sounded like a gun went off right over my head. It scared me so bad I jerked my steering wheel into the other lane. Thank god no one was in that lane. I had to get it replaced at mid state glass company. According to what I found on the internet this happens rather frequently. No notification by Subaru that this was even a possibility. I have the receipt the replaced sunroof and photos of the sunroof after it exploded.

When I came to a stop at a light, the car stalled and the engine turned off. It was just as if I was driving a manual transmission and didn't put the clutch down while in gear. I spoke with my husband about the issue and he told me it has been happening for several months now. I have researched it a but snd found that Subaru is aware of the issue and has not offered any recall for the issue but offered an extended warranty. This is not helpful when you are the 2nd owner of a vehicle. Being stuck with a car that turns off upon stopping is a dangeous situation. Subaru should be made to recall these cars and fix the issue. According to this article, it is a problem with the lock type torque converter. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2011 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Sudden aacceleration: cold started the car in garage, all ok. Then backed out and into turn around where I placed foot on the brake. At that moment suddenly accelerated and engine revved to 2000rpm (sounded like). I had to push down very hard on the brake pedal (where my foot already was) to stop the car before crashing into a tree. Foot was clearly on brake pedal at incident (that was the only way I could stop the car). It was not on or close to accelerator pedal and no floor mat or other objects was on or near the accelerator pedal. Very concerned about safe vehicle with this sudden acceleration. Appointment with Subaru dealer made for full diagnostic check. Dealer is white bear Subaru, white bear lake, mn.

Catalytic converter is cracked. This is confirmed by an independent service center. Apparently there is a recall for this issue for 2015 and 2016 Subaru Outbacks manufactured up until September 2015. My 2016 Subaru Outback has the same issue and was manufactured in April 2016. The recall should include all 2016 Subaru Outbacks, not just those manufactured in 2015.

Windshield cracking for no reason.

See all problems of the 2019 Subaru Outback 🔎.

I have had no working sos safety button in case of a crash despite having a 3 year plan. This started after a starlink update failed to load to this date. I took it to the dealer and my software was found to be up to date and I was told not a Subaru problem for months. I wrote to subura America and told not to take the car in as no fix but any day but never came. I am to renew the safety and security on 12-12-2025 but I do not want to pay for an sos safety alert that does not work. My Subaru told me that I was at fault for failing to take my car in for repair and stated they would cancel both safety and security plans, I repsonded by hanging up. I called Subaru american who did not respond. My 2023 Subaru Outback has 9000 miles. I am [xxx] old and disabled with a serious hip issue and a victim from another party of a hippa cyberattack when the government was closed. I assume your the department of transsportation does not care either. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2023 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The design of the dashboard along with the dashboard screen has a very poor design that makes it nearly impossible to see when the sun is out. When the sun is out and especially when driving towards the sun during sunset and sunrise, the dashboard reflects back the light onto the windshield making it essentially impossible to see objects that may be on the side of the road. Even with polarized sunglasses, I often find myself having to reduce my speed on 50 mph zones by as much as 30 mph under the speed limit in order to give myself enough time to potentially see hazards that would be unseen at higher speeds do to the severe glare. Without sunglasses, even driving during the middle of the day, the dashboard reflects light off the windshield that can make it nearly impossible to see objects, especially objects that are only visible on the lower third of the windshield. This faulty design has almost caused me to hit cyclist and or joggers on the road even going substantially below the speed limit due to being blinded by the sun. The second issue I have is with the backup screen on the dashboard. Whenever any sun hits the dashboard screen, it is essentially useless as the sun almost completely makes it impossible to see where I'm backing into. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone or any law enforcement, but I do feel this is a serious safety hazard and the design of the dashboard in that it reflects light right back into the windshield makes for an undue stressful experience and a very huge liability.

The map application in my car has very inaccurate speed limit information. In one case the map app showed the speed limit to be 55 mph for a residential street. That street is [xxx] . I have reported that and several others to tomtom. Since the app data is loaded not live nothing will change until the next update. This is definitely a safety hazard. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Both wired and wireless android auto and apple carplay is abysmal at best. It gets disconnected and starts to reconnect for no reason whatsoever, even when connected through usb c. Tried with both usb ports, same thing. On top of the problem, the android auto randomly starts to play music on its own. The screen is useless and unresponsive at these times. Therefore, I cannot even switch to built-in navigation. What a mess!.

Windshield crack suddenly appeared without any known outside trauma (I. E. , rock hitting windshield). The crack goes from the base of the windshield next to the wiper blade motor and stretches >10 inches across the bottom. This crack at base wiper bade motor area on left side of front windshield appears to be the same place as the class action settlement that Subaru was forced to pay out. My 2025 Subaru Outback has just over 4k miles on it. The repairs by Subaru are $1678. I am the nearly exclusive driver of the car an there has been no accidents or trauma that I think could have possibly caused this defect. I submit this is a defect in the Subaru Outback window design or manufacture.

I reached under the steering well to the foot well because it seemed that my ac was not putting out any air. I touched something and received a burn on my hand. I reached out to the soa but was told to take it to the dealer. Then they asked me to call back and discuss further. When I called back I was told to take it to the dealer. I'm not sure I want to take it to the dealer to be charged a diagnosis fee. It seems the "kick panel" should cover this hot part to not allow access.

The wireless carplay continuously disconnects and reconnects on its own. It is possible to inspect it upon request. This issue has been persistent since I purchased the car however it’s random in the times it disconnects, and sometimes it doesn’t reconnect at all. The dealership has informed me that this is an issue with Subaru cars with wireless carplay. It has been recalled and supposedly the issue was resolved when I had it repaired at the dealership, however it has continued to have the same issue. It is a safety concern to me because I no longer am able to connect and see my map on the screen while driving, which in turn will force me to have to use the maps on my phone. I have to hold my phone and continuously look down to follow the navigation information which is dangerous to myself and other cars driving around me.