Equipment Problems of Subaru Outback - part 2

The rear driver side window shattered while I was driving. There was no outside influence, and I was driving around 35-40 miles/hour. I am reporting this because Subaru had the same incident happen multiple times on another model of their vehicles. If there was anyone sitting in the back, they would have most likely been injured.

See all problems of the 2021 Subaru Outback 🔎.

I am on my third windshield in les than a year. The tiniest pebble will crack the windshield, or sudden changes to weather has now caused a stress crack. Seems to be poor weight distribution on the design. There is extensive customer complaints on line with the same issue. Insurance will only cover two a year. There were no warnings of this issue when the car was purchased. This is an expensive hazard to keep having issues with. They need to do a recall on a fix.

See all problems of the 2020 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Front windshield spontaneously cracked without incident right where the rearview mirror is attached.

See all problems of the 2022 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Subaru did not notify consumers or aftermarket retailers that the Subaru battery in my vehicle was underamped. As a result, I unknowingly bought an underamped battery from autozone to replace my dying battery in 2024, b/c their records indicated it was the right battery. I found out in 3/25 from Subaru service about the underamped battery issue when my car was dying. Autozone can’t replace it because their system (info they get from Subaru) says this is the right battery, because Subaru didn’t notify anyone. Subaru will not replace the battery for free because it’s not a Subaru battery. I have an internal service memo from 2023 that states what the right battery should be. However, Subaru didn’t notify the public or companies and so several people are probably driving around with underamped aftermarket batteries. I should not have to pay for a new battery, I should have received notice in 2023 about this issue and then I would have replaced it with the right Subaru battery. The battery I replaced in 2024 was the original Subaru underamped battery.

See all problems of the 2019 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Star system is malfunctioning. I cannot access the control panel because of delamination. This causes difficulty viewing backup camera and driver distraction.

See all problems of the 2018 Subaru Outback 🔎.

There’s an open recall on an exhaust leak for similar models and years and my car needs the same work done but it’s not covered under the recall.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Outback 🔎.

My sunroof on my Subaru Outback 2018 exploded while going north on the 5 from sea world drive to balboa exit. Thankfully my cover was on and debris didnt fall on my while driving. Saw online many Subaru Outback owners have had similar issues. I want to file a claim and have the manufacturer pay for the damages.

Purchased used with just over 60k miles & have had less than a year. Vehicle still under 80k miles. Told transmission needs replaced but found service records from previous owner which shows fuel pump replaced twice at about 20k mile intervals & I am just under 20k miles past previous pump replacement. Vehicle does not run at the moment & warranty company refusing to help.

Sunroof shattered while driving 45mph on a city street. It was not hit by anything we could see, nor was there any debris flying in the air. We pulled over and took a photo. I called the dealership who said to call Subaru USA to start a case, but of course their offices are closed for the weekend.

2020 Subaru Outback rear auto liftgate randomly automatically closes after opening. It has hit me, the owner, in the head as I was attempting to place items in the rear. It has hit various store personnel as they were attempting to load products in the rear. I have reported this to my local Subaru dealer many times over the last five years, even leaving my vehicle for several days for inspection. Their responses have been - if we don't see it, we can't help or no problem is detected. I have reported to Subaru consumer advocate twice with no resolution.

My infotainment system randomly places phone calls, changes or cancels maps, and otherwise takes random actions that create distractions that makes for unsafe driving. It appears that the screen may be delaminating in multiple spots which would cause the above problems.

We bought the car in January . When going through our regular car wash, we heard a boom on the roof. We looked and saw no damage. Went through again last week and heard it again. We expressed our concern to the manager who sat in the back as we went through again. She held her hand on the roof as it went through the drying cycle and felt it cave in and pop out. She said this has happened before with certain chevy models and a recall was put in. (gm has a fix for colorado and canyon roofs dented by car washes). We contacted the Subaru customer service ( as told by our dealership). They said it is under warranty, if something happens. Even after I said it could be a safety concern if the car flipped or something fell on the roof, they said there is nothing they could do. The dealership said we could contact NHTSA. I am hoping that you could determine if this is a safety concern , thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I was pulling into a parking spot, without any warning the car accelerated through a fence and hit a tree. There were no injuries and the airbags did not deploy. A man was waving me to stop and I could not. Fortunately the small tree stopped the car. At first I thought maybe the gas pedal stuck or in human error I hit the gas to hard. But that was not the case. I could not control the car and my thought "what is happening"!.

See all problems of the 2013 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The center console screen begins developing subsurface oil spots at 100,000 miles. These cause glare, inhibiting visibility, and phantom touches, inhibiting use of the system. This loss of ability to control the primary information system in the vehicle produces safety issues in distractions to the driver and inability to access vehicle information such as the map. I recently had a low fuel warning come on while traveling, which takes over the whole screen; because the screen was causing phantom touches, I could not dismiss it and continue using the map to navigate to a gas station. I risked being lost in winter in deep rural wisconsin, as my phone didn’t have signal and my car was my only local map this is a well known issue on Subaru owner fora, and the company refuses to recall or even warrantee the problem since it happens just after the 5y/100k mile turnover. Mine began a month ago, at mile 101,086.

Severe tramilining effect from tires. Risk of personal injury tramilining effect confirmed by courtesy Subaru, rapid city and heuberger Subaru colorado springs, CO. Inspected prior to accident right rear camber out of specification. No warning lights or messages from vehicle.

See all problems of the 2024 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The infotainment center not working. It makes ghost options. Examples: calls people arbitrarily. Changes radio stations out of the blue. Maps goes nuts when try to use navigation. Screen has bubbles. Soa has only offered to front 1/2 the cost of the fix when even the dealership advised this is a defect/ known issue. I probably haven’t even listed all the issues but it makes the radio/navigation/ starlink service unusable at this point unless I pay out to fix with no real assurance this will not occur again.

My front windshield has cracked twice in the span of 2 years. August 2023 and recently Feb 2025. Bought the car from a legitimate dealer in 2022. Both times there was no hard impact, no obvious damage (initially), the cracks also spread very quickly once the damage is obvious. The repairs each time is not covered, not covered by insurance, $1400+ each time.

In November 2023, I CO-signed an auto loan to assist someone in securing a vehicle. However, I later discovered that my name was never placed on the title, leaving me financially liable for the loan while having no ownership or possession of the car. The individual has since failed to make any loan payments, and the bank applied lender-placed insurance (cpi) due to their failure to maintain coverage. Despite this, they continue to drive the vehicle. The new york dmv confirmed that their driver’s license and vehicle registration have been suspended due to lack of insurance, yet they have not surrendered their plates as required by law. Additionally, the vehicle was originally registered in connecticut but later transferred to new york while using my connecticut auto insurance policy without my consent. I was later contacted by my former insurance provider about an accident in which an unknown individual was operating the vehicle. After my insurance policy lapsed, the individual was involved in another accident while uninsured and attempted to file a claim despite having no coverage. This situation has raised serious concerns about the vehicle’s registration, insurance violations, and potential title issues that may require investigation. Given that the vehicle is still being driven despite no valid insurance, a suspended license, and an outstanding auto loan, I am seeking guidance on the appropriate steps to take.

See all problems of the 2011 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Winsdshield cracking and breaking easily. Windshield was replaced in 2023 due to a crack that spread over the whole windshield after being hit with road debris again this weekend the windshield was hit with road debris and has a size able crack which requires a full windshield replacement. 2 windshields in 3 years of owning the vehicle feels like a defect in the quality and safety of the glass replacement windshield in 2023 was from the Subaru manufacturer and installed by the dealership.

Exhaust manifold bellows crack exhaust coming into car when idling.

See all problems of the 2015 Subaru Outback 🔎.

My sunroof glass just shattered spontaneously while I was driving. Thankfully the door was closed or me and my daughter would have been showered by glass while in the road. Nothing hit the car , I just heard a loud bang over my heard and when I stopped to see what happened my sunroof was in pieces!.

This is a recurring issue that has started significantly impacting my infotainment system. The screen malfunctions by pressing random buttons, hanging up calls, changing the radio station, and repeatedly attempting to connect and disconnect bluetooth. When this happens, there's nothing I can do to stop it because the screen is entirely unresponsive to my touch. It's not only frustrating but also dangerous and very distracting while driving.

I drive 2. 5miles to work, Tuesday [xxx], I was turning into the parking lot and my car just cut off. I couldn't use flashers, restart it, put it in park or anything else. I called my husband to come help. I thought maybe the battery cable might have come loose. It was dead. I couldn't get out, if I let my foot off the brake it would roll backwards, going into the road and I didn't want it to hurt anyone. It started smoking from the drivers front side of engine. I called my husband back and said please hurry. It took approximately 7 minutes for him to arrive. I was on the phone about the smoke when he drove up behind me. He told me to get out of the car it's on fire. He tapped my bumper to keep my car from rolling backwards. I jumped out, called 911. He had sandbags in the back of his truck. He put them under the back tires so it couldn't roll into the traffic. A lady stopped that had a fire extinguisher and [xxx] attempted to put the fire out. It was getting quite large. We couldn't open the hood, he could only spray it in the wheel area up front. He had to get back the fire was getting big. The car then exploded. It was so loud, fire and smoke. I went into work and asked to be let off for that day. I smelled like smoke and my lungs hurt. I inhaled so much smoke. My daughter got me a breathing treatment setup to help with breathing. The fire department came and put the fire out. They were so kind. No police showed up, so we only have a fire department report. The tow truck showed up and took my car away. When we got home we notified our insurance agent. :engine failed, if I had been on a busy street I would have been hit. The car just stopped where it was. Yes our insurance adjuster said it could be looked at by anyone. :yes my safety and the ones around me were put at risk. My lungs are still suffering. :no it's not been reproduced by anyone I know of. :no, there was no indications that pointed at something being wrong. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informati.

See all problems of the 2017 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The thermo control valve on the vehicle failed. This has been such a consistent problem, that Subaru has extended the warranty for this item to 150k miles. I realize that alone is not a safety problem, but the issue is that when there is a check engine light error, the system shuts down the cruise control, lane departure, collision avoidance (eyesight), and xmode (all wheel drive). The safety issue is shutting down these unconnected safety features because of a check engine light. I will say that the dealer promptly fixed the problem at no charge under the extended warranty. My concern was the loss of the 4 wheel drive right as major snow was hitting the mid atlantic area.

The head unit on the vehicle has an issue where it bubbles and it’s causing the touch screen to spaz out, change sources, etc creating a terribly distracting driving experience and you are unable to turn it of. The screen flashes, the radio changes stations, it messes with the navigation rendering it useless, etc. It’s a known issue and Subaru settled a class an action lawsuit related to it for 2018 models but has not issued recalls to for any year models. They should fix the issue on all models. It has been going on for months.

Horn stopped working. When I lock the car the horn makes noise notifying it is locked. I took it into the dealership they think it’s is the clock spring. Then I looked online and found this information. “the 2017 Subaru Outback was subject to a recall related to the steering column, specifically the clockspring. This recall (NHTSA campaign #10v-283 / wvr-28) addressed potential issues with the electrical wiring in the steering column that could lead to steering wheel component malfunctions. ” why is my vehicle not included in the recall?.

The infotainment system has been glitching repeatedly with each drive I take; I am unable to operate any functions. This interferes with carplay. I reported this to the dealership and they informed me I would get a notice of recall in the mail. That was almost 2 months ago.

My battery continues to die leaving me stranded every winter for the past several years. It is a known issue I believe with the wiring/ fuse for the trunk hatch door. Subaru only offers a new battery - so every year I replace the battery and then end up stranded somewhere again.

I own a 2019 Subaru Outback. I have had to replace the windshield four times, every time it was replaced with Subaru glass, as recommended by Subaru. The windshield cracks at not centered, they appear from either the top or bottom of the windshield with not impact site. I have asked for them to review the framing and have been continually told it is fine. The windshields have all cracked within a two year period. The last one which occurred a couple days ago appeared after the car going through a pot hole on the street.

The infotainment system or head unit has gone haywire! the car calls random people from my phone book and hangs up, plays the radio changing channels every 5 seconds switching to the map and then to settings and changing dash from mph to kph and so on and so forth. This is dangerously distracting and there is no way to turn it off. I have to disable my phone to drive the car. None of my buttons on the screen work. Unfortunately no warranty and the cost is almost $2,000 to replace the unit…but will it just happen again in 4 years? completely unsafe for my teenage son to drive and I thought I was buying the safest car on the road at the time. This is unsafe and unnecessary…. We would be happy if we had a way to just turn it all off!.

A transmission that was replaced in July of 2023 went bad un December of 2024 and dealership won't give reasons why transmission went bad or what caused a almost brand new transmission with less than 50,000 miles on it went bad. They are demanding we pay $5000. 00 dollars on a transmission that was replaced under the extended warranty on cvt transmission from Subaru. Which also extends to the brand new transmission. They are demanding their loaner car back and refusing to honor extended warranty on new transmission which the gave us which is bad. They will not give us anything other than it is bad. No information what so ever is being given to my husband or I as to why, how or what happened. My car will not move unless it is pushed by someone. They are refusing to honor their recall warranty or provide a loaner while dealing with their corporate offices on this issue. This is after in the past 1 and a half years my car has been in their shop for well over 8 months and I am still making payments on this vehicle. They will not even provide paperwork on the issues with my vehicle.

This vehicle, and many others as I've read in forums, experiences uncontrollable radio station and apps changes automatically and will not stop. Why it's not safe: the radio screen flashes between several screens on it's own. It changes stations, it changes to different apps, then the screen locks and you cannot reset it. It also beeps with every change, over 100 beeps per minute, like a morse code message. Imagine that on a 9-hour road trip. It is a major annoyance and distraction as the driver is constantly focused on trying to get this radio/equipment to work properly. It forces your attention off the road. And it will not stop! it changes radio stations, if powered off, it turns itself on. And Subaru refuses to acknowledge the issue, or offer a replacement. They pretend they never heard of the issue, yet its easily found in forums. For $1000 I can get a different oem radio, from the same manufacturer, and who knows how long it will be before it happens again? we (Subaru owners) need help with this and a recall. I can't tell you how many times I've drifted out of my lane trying to make the beep beep beep stop after hour after hour! navigation and apps are useless, as the radio will change them to different input sources without notice, and all day long. Yes, this is a safety issue. You cannot just turn it off. It turns itself back on. Even if you turn down the sound from the radio, the beep beep beep of the apps changing cannot be silenced. It only occurs when the vehicle is on. All the time. Everytime. Every day. Every trip. Please help.

Defective windshields. The vehicle has been in my possession for 4 years. During these 4 years I've had 5 windshield replacements. 2 of which have been from rocks. 3 of which I have no idea what caused the damage, it seemingly happened out of nowhere while driving. This is well known (but not well dealt with) issue with Subaru vehicles with eyesight. People on multiple forums have the same issue, as do many people I know personally. Its a shame nothing has been done about this despite countless reports and complaints. This is a safety hazard.

I purchased a 2024 Subaru Outback in July 2024 brand new. With less than 1,500 miles, I noticed an unexplained crack in the windshield one morning. The crack originated from the bottom with no visible impact and quickly spread. I wasn't event driving it and had not been driving it. Within a week, another crack appeared in an entirely different location, again with no sign of impact. When I initially brought this to Subaru’s attention, I was told it was due to a small chip from impact. However, I strongly disagree, as there was no such impact. Since that visit, four additional windshield cracks have formed, all originating from the bottom of the windshield, and none show any signs of external impact. I will be taking it back to Subaru for a fair resolution. There have been over 3,000 comments on just this issue with the NHTSA for Subaru Outback years 2022 through 2024.

Problem component: exterior mirror on driver side it was raining, I was driving, I heard what sounded like a loud explosion by my driver side window. After the initial shock, I thought a tire had blown out, but car drove ok and no tire warning light came on. It was a rural road with no shoulder, only deep stormwater ditch along the roadside, so there was no place to safely pull over in traffic to assess what may have happened. I drove about 2-3 miles before I could pull over at a safe spot. There I saw that the back side of my driver side mirror had completely disappeared. Wires were exposed. It appeared to have exploded off for no apparent reason. The body of the car was completely fine, the white exterior paint of the car was perfect, the actual housing of the mirror showed no marks, there are no dings or cracks in windows. No sign of any debris hitting the car. I reported it to Subaru general headquarters, and gave them all the info. I have an appt with local Subaru dealer this week. The mirror and housing are still on the car, minus the back, which is gone. My husband returned to the scene a few minutes later and searched for the piece that had propelled off the mirror or for any debris that could have caused the mirror to explode. There was nothing on the road, so wherever the back of the mirror went, it must have propelled far off the road. Safety issue: because an explosion like that nearly caused me to lose control of the car. And the piece that propelled off the mirror could have hit another car. Additional info. At the time of mirror exploding: my windshield wipers were on, it was a warm day so my air-conditioning was on, good chance my front dehumidifier was on. Car is equipped with heated mirrors, but heat was off.