Other Fuel System Problems of Subaru Outback - part 1

Car stalled in traffic. The engine was cranking but it would not start. Had aaa tow off the road and to my home. Car sat for 10 days waiting for a fuel pump (thought this was the problem). After sitting for 10 days the battery was totally dead! new fuel pump installed battery was jumped but could not start the car. After 2 hours on the charger the battery still did not have enough energy to turn over the engine. Car is in a certified service shop (wilhelm). Battery replaced and same starting issues with the new battery and the new battery is discharging at a very high rate even though the car is not starting. Bought the car used in 2023 so I have no knowledge of the history of the car. Service provider running factory diagnostic testing but so far no determination as to cause of the high rate of discharge. Verified that the fuel pump is fully operational. What we know is that with a fresh fully charged battery and a working fuel pump the car will not start and remain running. The engine stops and the battery drain is excessive.

See all problems of the 2020 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Within the last few months, my 2015 Outback has been unreliable with the fuel gauge indicator, causing me to run out of gas three times, stranded roadside, with supposedly 30 miles in rank. Fortunately, there were no accidents, but two out of three times, I was left stranded on highways, that put me at risk of being struck.

See all problems of the 2015 Subaru Outback 🔎.

My car had an unintended acceleration that caused me to go in a ditch and hit a tree. I could not get car to stop when I realized it was increasing speed. It all happened very fast. My car was totaled. All airbags deployed. Front right side of car was completely destroyed. There were no warnings. My insurance company has the car on their tow lot. I have sprains and bruises on my right side and a slight concussion. So thankful that I was not in a parking lot or in heavy traffic or near any walkers.

See all problems of the 2023 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Only one issue was witnessed, that being when a fuel dispenser's auto shutoff clicked, fuel would shoot out and run down the side of the vehicle.

Had my recalls completed and started having jerking on my way home from the dealership. Didn’t have any issues prior and I drove 2 hours to the closest Subaru dealership. Had transmission serviced and still doing it. Read the fuel update and head unit updated could take a bit longer to learn and could cause jerking but still happening 3 weeks later. Transmission was serviced last week. The shop to do it stated didn’t notice metal shavings nor sounds in the transmission or the oil and suggested it be the computer problem with the recall fixes.

See all problems of the 2018 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The left front drive axel cracked while we were driving on an overpass connecting two highways. We didn’t hit or bump anything. The car just stopped, like the brakes were slammed on, except the brakes didn’t work. As we were on an incline, the car started rolling backwards, but fortunately the emergency brake worked. It happened so abruptly, I wasn’t able to fully pull off the road and my children in the back seat were screaming for their lives as truck after truck whizzed by rattling our car with their horns blaring missing us by inches. The police and fire trucks eventually blocked us from traffic until we could get a tow. The engine worked, but we couldn’t get into any gear. The mechanic said it must’ve been a faulty part to have gone like that. When the axel broke, it damaged the front differential and the transmission so the car isn’t very drivable. On a less dramatic note, a month earlier, both back doors stopped working on the same day!! the child locks failed and the doors couldn’t be opened. I consider this a safety hazard, so we spent $$$ to fix it. As we take good care of our car, I am very curious why it’s failing so spectacularly all at once.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Delay from time accelerate until car moves. This has happened 10 or more times.

See all problems of the 2019 Subaru Outback 🔎.

After driving approximately 240 miles since our last stop, we stopped for gas. The car would not start. It sounded like it was trying to turn over but couldn't. Even when we let up on the start button the vehicle was still trying to start until we hit the button again (this is not normal). All battery functions were still working. The car only had about 38,500 miles on it. After trying multiple times to start it and googling, we suspected a fuel issue. We had the car towed to a local Subaru dealer. The dealer confirmed the fuel pump was the problem and replaced the part. More research revealed a fuel pump recall for certain production dates of the 2019 Subaru Outback, but ours is not currently part of the recall. We contacted Subaru and reported the issue. They opened a case for it. When we picked up the car, Subaru had paid for the repair. In hindsight, we are lucky the car did not stall while driving on the interstate at 70mph as that could have caused serious issues and injury to ourselves and/or others. There were no warning lights or other symptoms on that day. There had been some starting issues approximately 1-2 months earlier, but we had replaced the battery and thought that fixed it. We asked for the part but the Subaru dealer where the repair was made kept the part. In addition to the safety concerns, this incident also resulted in personal financial burden as we were around 600 miles from home enroute to a vacation destination and had to uber to a car rental place, rent a car and pay for one night in a hotel. We believe the recall needs to be expanded to include more production dates. By expanding the recall, we hope this would prevent others from having to go through this situation and be at risk. We also hope Subaru would be required to reimburse us for the out-of-pocket expenses that resulted from this issue and provide an extended warranty.

In heavy traffic, we were rolling slowly along, when all of a sudden the engine began revving on its own, against the brake. I quickly moved the shifter into neutral, and the engine revved wildly without my pressing on the accelerator. We couls have easily slammed into the car in front of us had I not moved the selector to neutral.

On Thursday night at about [xxx] I was driving in the carpool lane going north. In the [xxx] , with full tank of gas ; suddenly I felt and here a noise, and the vehicle (2021outback base) start losing power, at the point that totally stop. Call 911, and few minutes after the hway patrol came and push us out of the freeway, there was not any shoulder to be safe out. When the police officer try to turn it on the vehicle star but no power was available even when the vehicle was on. . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2021 Subaru Outback 🔎.

While turning into a parking spot my wife had foot on the brake and vehicle accelerated over parking bumpers and into a fence and ultimately was stopped by a combination of a tree and the fence car drove through. This collision prevented her from crossing pedestrian sidewalk and continuing into southbound traffic lane of state hwy. This incident put not only my wife at risk but also potentially any pedestrians or southbound vehicles. There were no system failures or warnings prior to my wife's arrival to her appointment. As mentioned this occurred within an approximate 5 second time frame. It is unknown as to what if any warnings occurred prior to/during the crash as my wife was pushing the brake to park when the sudden acceleration occurred. The braking system seems to have failed along with the sudden acceleration. The automatic braking system didn't engage, nor did the parking collision system. All our other Subaru's (including this vehicle have the collision warning and automatic braking systems) the dealership did not try to replicate the incident but all warning systems appear to be functioning correctly at this time. Following the accident I first reported the incident to my dealership where I purchased the vehicle. The initial damage estimate is forthcoming but Subaru tech indicated it will be may thousands of dollars to repair. I will follow-up next with Subaru's national customer care (per conversation with dealer) at the dealership (southern oregon Subaru) I had a safety/drive-ability inspection performed. Vehicle was given a clearance to drive, but obviously my wife refuses to drive it. Subsequent to the accident, we learned there are over 200 similar reports to NHTSA for this exact issue. We will also submit claim to insurance provider usaa.

Today while waiting at a stop light the auto start stop engaged. When the light went green I put my foot on the gas and the vehicle stalled. The car was on but not running, several alarms were on the dashboard. I had to put the car in park, turn it off and then restart the car. This is a repeated issue and has been going on at least once a month since we purchased the car in 2021. We've brought it to the dealer and they said there was nothing wrong because there was no obd code. I have checked myself and I have not found any code. This is extremely unsafe.

The engine, running at idle in and out of gear, did not respond to input from the gas pedal. Pushing the gas pedal did not have any effect on the engine revs. This was dangerous because I was attempting to enter a busy roadway and suddenly was faced with zero throttle response although the engine was still running and was in gear. The car has 5,300 miles. The transmission failed at 1,300 miles and was replaced by the dealer. The present incident began when, for unknown reasons, the car battery did not have enough power to start the car after being parked for 30 minutes. I got a jump start, and after letting car run for several minutes, attempted to leave the parking lot as described above. The car would move in forward and reverse at idle speed, but there was absolutely no response to gas pedal input. The car was towed to the dealer who will look into this.

See all problems of the 2024 Subaru Outback 🔎.

I experienced a fuel leak while driving my car. It was leaking from the fuel lines in the engine bay. My fuel gauge was showing low and I had just refueled several days before. I didn't know it had a leak in the line. When I tried to put more gas in, the fuel ran out under the car. I had my car taken to the dealer where I had bought it less than two years ago. They called me and said it was a bad fuel line caused by squirrels biting the line. They said the insulation around the line had soy in its making which attracted them. I I got it back after a week. This is most certainly a safety hazard. They also said other makes and models have used these same components since 2010.

See all problems of the 2022 Subaru Outback 🔎.

As I was approaching a t intersection and preparing to stop at the stop sign, I started to apply my brakes when all of a sudden my car accelerated and lunged forward almost into the path of oncoming traffic on the intersecting road. As I had originally started to apply my brake, it felt as if the brake dropped slightly under my foot but, as the car lunged forward, I immediately jammed on the brake so I am not 100% sure about that dropping sensation. It all happened within a matter of seconds. Anyway, jamming on the brakes stopped the forward momentum and the car stopped before actually entering the path of an oncoming car. If I had started to brake any closer to the intersection, I may not have had time to stop the car in time to avoid a broadside collision with the oncoming car. I have owned this car about a year and a half and this is the first time anything like this has happened. There was no warning lamps, messages etc at the time or prior to the incident. After the incident, my husband checked online and saw that others have described a similar experience with their Subarus and, apparently, there is an ongoing lawsuit involving this problem. This just happened last evening so I have not yet taken my car to the dealer to be inspected but plan to do so soon.

Our 2015 Subaru Outback occasionally accelerates sharply without the driver's foot being on the gas peddle. It always happens when decelerating and applying the brakes. Suddenly, the engine roars and revs up, all while the driver is depressing the brake pedal, desperately trying to bring the vehicle to a safe stop. In our case, we've always been able to stop without hitting anything, but we've had some near misses. It seems to happen in the winter. The Subaru dealer we purchased the vehicle from denies any knowledge of this particular problem, even though numerous drivers have reported similar incidents.

My son was traveling at an appropriate highway speed when the truck in front of him stopped suddenly. He braked immediately and was able to slow down significantly, but not enough to avoid colliding with the back of the truck in front of him. He was going approximately 20 mph, still braking, when the collision occurred. His best recollection is that the vehicle's pre-collision system did not engage until after he collided with the truck. There was damage to the front end of the vehicle but it was not severe. My son moved the vehicle onto the shoulder of the highway and put it in park. The driver of the truck called the police. My sons got out of the vehicle. While they were talking with the other driver and the police, a fire started under the hood of the vehicle and within several minutes the entire vehicle was consumed. The wreckage was towed to 1022 shannon court, livermore CA 94550. In July 2023 we were involved in an accident that impacted the front bumper, left front quarter panel, and Subaru eyesight system of the same vehicle involved in this accident. Repairs after the July 2023 accident were performed by kraft body shop in santa clara, CA. Repair and calibration of the Subaru eyesight system were performed by santa cruz Subaru after that accident.

On 1/12/24, I was backing up my vehicle in the driveway, the vehicle suddenly stopped, thinking I was going to backup into the gate. I was surprised because I didn't think I was that close. I slightly tapped the gas pedal to move slowly forward when the car suddenly accelerated and lunged forward. I couldn't stop the car, by braking, for 56 feet. I was able to avoid hitting another car, parked on the street, by driving into the large bushes along the sidewalk of my home. The only damage that occurred was the destruction of some bushes and the damage to the vehicle is to be determined. No injuries. The Subaru dealership had eyesight adjustments on 1/08/24.

On 12/28/2023 my 2018 Subaru Outback without warning suddenly accelerated on its own, causing my vehicle to hit the curb and ran into a building.

On 12/6/2023, as I slowly turned right into a parking space, my car suddenly surged forward and accelerated without my input to the gas pedal. The brakes did not work, and there was no resistance from the brake pedal when I repeated to push it. The car continued to accelerate for about 80 ft as I focused on steering to avoid hitting other cars parked in the lot. The car ran over a curb, up a grassy area, and crashed into a row of trees. The airbag did not deploy. I sustained neck muscle strain/whiplash, and bruises to my chest and right knee. My safety was at risk, as well as anyone or anything that was in the car's path since I had no control over the acceleration or the brakes. The car is a 2020 Subaru Outback with about 44000 miles. It is in a body shop and they have not yet determined if it is safe to work on. So far, they have observed the engine race when the car was turned on. There were no warning signs prior to the acceleration. When I called the Subaru dealer service department, I was told that they never heard of this before and it had to have been my fault. They said I could bring it in after the body damage is repaired, and that I can pay for a diagnotic report. However, they expect that the report will not show anything.

On three different occasions after starting the car in the cold weather and putting in drive it accelerated by it self. All three times it lasted about 5 to 7 seconds. Once I stepped on the brake and then the accelerator pedal it was back to normal. It’s been about a month with this issue.

While pulling into a parking spot with my foot on the brake and preparing to stop, the car continued to move up over the curb and then began to accelerate even after I applied both of my feet pushing down on the brakes until I hit our condo building. The car and building received extensive damage, and although the car was not totaled it will cost over 7,000 dollars to repair. Personally I was not injured. The air bags did not imploy at impact. There were no warning messages or prior failures with the vehicle before this day. The car was taken to a body shop and not the dealer so we have not had the dealer look at the systems that broke down, but our insurance adjuster will be.

On 9/28/23 I was driving in a 2-lane construction zone with my daughter. While going through the construction zone, my car lost all power and just shut off completely. No warning signs just went completely dead. I almost got rear ended, thankfully the car behind me went to the left of the center, but almost had a head on collision into oncoming traffic. Thankfully, no wrecks were involved. It did eventually start back up and has yet to happen again. However, back in July/August of 2021, I received a recall notice on my vehicle NHTSA campaign #21v587000. When I called to check on the recall it was stated that my vehicle did not have a current recall. I believe this is inaccurate to the fullest. When I bought the vehicle, I took my Outback in several times to the dealership with what I thought was transmission and some electrical issues. They could find nothing wrong, how convenient for them, they weren't the ones almost killed because the vehicle would stall at intermittent times during acceleration. I took it in on 1/24/19, 4/26/19, 10/24/19, and 7/27/20. The mileage range was from 1k to 55k, now at 111k my car just has a complete system failure. Honestly, they didn't seem enough to care and treated me like I didn't know what I was talking about. I drove it 7 days a week and they drove it for 15 minutes and said there were no issues. That is not a fair assessment. I would like to resolve this matter before someone gets killed because of a defective issue on Subaru's part that was documented several times. I have the receipts and work orders to support the evidence. I have notified my family of the issues in case something does happen because of the vehicle, and I am, or others are injured or killed in an accident. Like I said, I have all the documentation to support any claim henceforth. I bought a Subaru because of its safety ratings. Now, I'm afraid to have passengers or my grandkids ride with me out of fear for their safety and others.

1. Propulsion, acceleration, brakes, transmission- no longer available for inspection 2. The vehicle went completely out of control; I stood on the brakes as hard as I could but would not stop or slow the car at all. We careened down a hill and head on into a large tree 3. Not reproduced or confirmed 4. Vehicle was inspected by insurance company and was declared a total loss 5. No signs of any malfunction prior to wreck.

See all problems of the 2011 Subaru Outback 🔎.

I was pulling into a parking space very slowly when the car went into overdrive and suddenly accelerated at a high speed. It plunged down a slight decline and hit a large tree. My airbag failed to deploy although I was thrown violently forward, and the car sustained severe front end damage. The car is considered a total loss and I spent a day at a hospital emergency room. The sudden unexpected acceleration and the lack of airbag inflation is going to be assessed by Subaru on 10/24/23. I understand that there are two class action lawsuits against Subaru (in NJ & CA) for this same unanticipated acceleration issue.

See all problems of the 2013 Subaru Outback 🔎.

As I was pulling slowly into a parking spot in a busy lot that serves a lot of small businesses, my Subaru suddenly accelerated forward, over the concrete parking bumper and raised sidewalk area, and into the side of the building. While I was uninjured and had no passengers in the vehicle, the car sustained damage to the apron and tire area on front passenger side of the car. The airbag did not inflate. Tiling on the exterior of the building was impacted, but not greatly damaged, and I had been able to avoid the plate glass entry to the business. A few customers were greatly alarmed by the Subaru's proximity to their lunch tables by the windows. I was able to put the vehicle into reverse and carefully move it off the sidewalk. I exited the car and went in to share my insurance information with the empathetic employees and manager of the business. I was able to drive my vehicle about two blocks to a larger lot, so that the towing company my husband contacted could access it, but not for several hours. The vehicle was taken to an auto body shop where it remains until they are finished with it. The claims people seem to have reached the conclusion that since I was driving, I must be at fault in this accident. I immediately, and still, continue to think over that incident, trying to determine how parking carefully and without distraction could turn into such a collision. I believe that I am not to blame. In reading the reports that have been made to your agency on Subarus of this vintage, there are marked similarities to the narratives on sudden unintended acceleration caused by Subaru equipment faults. I have lost confidence in what has been my favorite car. I'm hoping that some clear path exists for me to drive it again without anxiety.

On Sunday, August 20, 2023 I was pulling into a parking spot in front of an anytime fitness at a local strip mall. As I applied the brake, the motor raced and accelerated driving me into a pillar outside of the fitness center. I was in shock, not understanding what had happened. Had I chosen to park one stall to the right, the car would have gone through the window of the business instead of the pillar. Considerable damage was done to the pillar and to my 2021 Subaru Outback, but I was not injured, and no one else was injured. I had the brakes checked at my vehicle service center and was told the brakes were functioning as they should be. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. No warning was provided by the vehicle. The crash occurred in two seconds.

At this point I dont know what to do. This has been a reoccurring problem since I initially purchased the car. - electrical issues have been a problem since the day we purchased the vehicle. Initially thought it was our toddlers fault. Raised multiple times at multiple dealerships. I have yet to find a service center that can tell me why my car will not start other than they can tell something is draining the battery. No warnings. Safety is of concern, because one never knows when the issue will occur. For example, brand new battery died in parking lot of my kids school. - fuel pump issues - took car on drive from la to las vegas, with child. Car struggled to maintain speed. Exited in barstow, CA. Parked at a midas, which was closed, and was stranded with a toddler. After 3 hours of waiting in parking lot, was able to get car started. Drove to closest hotel. The following day, was able to get car back to midas where it was determined the fuel pump broke. Safety was at risk as my 3 year had to sit in 110 degree weather heat. Subaru did tow the car back to the closest dealership and fixed the fuel pump, and reimbursed me for the rental car. Car was in shop for over 2 weeks. Was not reimbursed for hotel or midas diagnostics.

Driving in pouring down rain on a highway during rush hour. Car starts to loose power, gets worse and worse. Difficult to change lanes to pull over nearly causing several accidents. Car eventually just stops. Will not restart.

My wife turned into a parking spot slowly with her foot on the brake and the car suddenly accelerated with warning. It went up on the curb while my wife slammed on the brake and stopped the car. She then put the car in reverse and backed into the parking spot. Came home without further incident but very upset. I intend to question the dealer parkway Subaru in wilmington nc. I see articles online that relate problems like this in a number of different models and makes. My wife does not want the car anymore but how can I be sure any car I replace it with does not have the same problem?.

Car experienced unintended acceleration and the pre-collision safety system failed to engage. Car accelerated into a building and the driver stopped car's attempt to continue forward progress by taking the car out of drive mode. The pre-collision system failed completely. The electronic control units seemed to fail entirely. This happened while pulling into a parking space at a very low rate to speed (until the car "took off").

Car stalled in a busy intersection. No warning lights occurred when this happened diagnosed as a faulty fuel pump.

While car was in motion car just stalled. Upon reading recalls the maker of the fuel pump which produce these pumps has recalled other models. Denso and Subaru should check these other models and replace the known issue. Vehicle had to be towed for safety of myself and my son.

See all problems of the 2017 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Traveling toll road /fwy at approx 70mph at rush hour and lost all power with check engine light , emergency brake, lurching engine, all flashing at the same time!!! coasted through 4 fwy lanes to offramp and service station- extreme danger!!! how was there no pile up with me going from 70-10 to coasting on a busy 15 northbound fwy at 7:30 am?????? was in toll lane and crossed toll 3 foot sticks to exit at first available exit. 2 cars followed me off as they were concerned for my safety towed to shop where they put in new thermo valve, gasket intake manifold, pipe ay- fuel and gasket egr pipe 56000miles, 2 year old car 3 replaced windshields in last 6 months they said they've done 10 cars with this problem in the last year???? insurance covered windshields , service center at Subaru inspected car.

I went to reverse, then drive and left turn into a parking spot inside a small flattop parking lot. My car made a popping noise and grating sounds after the reverse and turning of the steering wheel. I turned off my car once in the spot and looked under the car is it sounded like something was grating against the ground. I didn’t see anything. Upon restarting the car, the sounds continued when I tried to accelerate or turn. I could not accelerate past 10 mph and all my warning lights lit in the dash. I turned the car off and put in park. The car would roll forward unless I had the emergency brake on.