Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Subaru Outback - part 1

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while idling at a red traffic light, the vehicle lurched forward twice and struck the rear end of another vehicle twice. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated upon impact. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. A police report was not filed. Both the contact and her husband were able to drive away from the scene. The contact's vehicle sustained damage. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that a field technician would be sent to retrieve information from the edr. The failure mileage was approximately 30,800.

See all problems of the 2021 Subaru Outback 🔎.

I was within the town limits so I was driving slowly. When I approached the first stop light in town I saw that it was red. There were of three or four vehicles stopped at that light. At that point I was probably only going 5mph. I took my foot off of the gas pedal and put my foot on the brake to make a slow stop. Instead, the car accelerated rather quickly. I continued to brake but the car seemed to speed up. I was able to avoid hitting the truck in front of me by going around it. No vehicles were coming towards me but there were some stopped at the other side of the light. I drove up on the sidewalk to avoid hitting anyone. At that point the front passenger side of the car hit & snapped a pole. The car did not stop immediately upon impact. It stopped acclerating and came to a stop about 10 feet past the pole. I am not sure how fast the car was moving when it hit the pole but I was only going about 5 mph when I put my foot on the break. I would estimate the distance my car traveled from the moment I put my foot on the break until the car stopped was approximately 100-120 feet. It felt like the car went into the cruise resume mode and was trying to accelerate to a predetermined speed. I had not been using the cruise control that day but that is exactly what it felt like. There was one other time this year that the car lunged forward without using the gas pedal. It stopped quickly for me and I just assumed that I had hit the cruise resume button, although I also hadn't been using the cruise that day. The insurance company took the car to an impound lot two hours away. I am sure there has been no inspection and my insurance has not informed me of the status of having my car totaled or repaired. Because of the age of the car, and damage, they think it will be totaled. Yes, my safety and the safety of anyone near me was at risk. The car malfunctioned and the fact no one was hurt was miraculous. There were no warning messages before this accident.

See all problems of the 2015 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after driving onto the driveway and pressing the brake pedal to park, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, drove forward, and crashed into the garage door. The contact shifted to the reverse position and the vehicle drove in reverse but would not stop while pressing the brake pedal. Eventually, the contact was able to shift to the park position, and the vehicle was stopped. During the incident garage door was severely damaged along with the rear end of a classic vehicle parked inside the garage. No injuries were reported, and no police report was filed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the incident. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 41,000.

See all problems of the 2017 Subaru Outback 🔎.

While slowly backing out of a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on it's own - I do not recall pressing on the accelerator but the engine surged and the vehicle rapidly reversed and struck 4 other parked cars. It felt as if the accelerator became stuck and would not respond to braking. No warning light or dashboard alerts appeared. Subaru eyesight and adaptive cruise control were not engaged at the time. There was no known obstruction under the petals. This felt like a serious malfunction and could have caused serious injury. I am reporting this in case it is part of a wider issue affecting this model and because I see that there are multiple complaints to you about sudden unintended acceleration, especially during low speed maneuvers like backing out a parking space.

2025 Subaru Outback has been to the dealership three times for software issues. Cruise control, back-up camera, rear collision system, eyesight system all operate some of the time and other times they do not work at all. Software recall in March 2025 and fix was not successful. In may of 2025, dealership reinstalled entire software system. Same safety functions are again not working all the time. Vehicle returning to dealership on July 15, 2025 to try and rectify safety issues associated with the software. No accidents. Safety functions just turn on an off over the past three months.

When braking the car shuts down!!!.

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 speed control (adaptive) doesn't work. The interior heater doesn't work. Several lights including the 'check engine' light come on the dash. The lane departure system doesn't work. (it appears the thermo control value subassembly may be at fault. ) the car has approximately 25k miles on it.

12/13/24 incident 1: I braked as I approached a stop sign, but instead the car accelerated, running the stop sign. 12/16/24 incident 2: I braked to slow down to turn right, but instead the car accelerated. There were no prior warnings or indications of the problem.

I was driving down the street, stopped at an intersection, and made a u-turn. Immediately after I made the u-turn a message came up on the screen saying "eye sight disabled. " from that point on the cruise control stopped working, the lane deviation stopped working, the forward collision system stopped working, and several other things malfunctioned (I can't seem to connect to the bluetooth system with my cell phone). The local Subaru dealer told me they are aware of the problem, but, have not notified anyone, they told me that I needed to make an appointment to get the problem fixed and it would take four to five hours.

See all problems of the 2024 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The last incident? I couldn't recover my intentions. (incidents of random acceleration seem to only happen when I am turning). The last incident occurred in my mall parking lot. . I was about to turn and suddenly the car shot forward. I could have fought to maintain my turn but that would have been aggressive maneuvering. Nothing, thankfully, was in front of me, so this was the first time I was deviated off course. 1 - random acceleration 2 - if my reflexes were not quick enough, there would have been vehicular accident and/or pedestrian being struck 3 - no. . . Not able to duplicate. 4 - no check engine lights prior. One instance, as I avoided a collision, that threw a code (cel) but scanner didn't see any codes. Cel went away 3 days later. Note: I am in north bay, ontario, canada.

See all problems of the 2012 Subaru Outback 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2018 Subaru Outback 🔎.

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).

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.

See all problems of the 2019 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while making a right turn into a parking space, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and lunged forward. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 70,000.

I experienced sudden acceleration in downtown and almost hit three cars, caused me to run three red lights and almost hit pedestrians. I had the car, 2017 Outback Subaru towed to the dealer and was told there are no recalls, but saw many problems listed on the NHTSA website. It was terrifying and still shakes me up when I think what could have happened. Subaru told me this was the first they have seen this and that I do not have the extended warranty and I would be held for the cost. I am beyond upset. They tried to have me pick up the car after finding nothing. I told them they are to keep it until they find the issue. I have a loaner from them.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was shifted in reverse with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle independently accelerated. The vehicle rapidly reversed, however, the contact's wife regained control. The contact's wife stated that the failure recurred while shifted in drive with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle was going under 5 mph when the vehicle independently accelerated forward. The contact's wife stated that the second failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

While going 65-70 mph on the freeway the car began braking on its own with no cars nearby. It almost came to a complete stop but then started moving, then hesitated once more before releasing. I reported it to the dealership. They said they could try to recalibrate but otherwise I should contact Subaru of America because I no longer felt safe on busy California freeways.

My horn only works if car is stopped steering wheel turned to the left. Subaru dealer says it’s in the steering column mechanism that affects airbag and cruise control also. Says it will cost over $600 to repair. If it preventsthe airbag working, wouldn’t it be a car defect and considered dangerous?.

I slowed down to approximately 5 mph to pull into a parking space in front of a building. Without warning, the car suddenly accelerated toward the building. The car jumped over the parking block and onto the sidewalk in front of the building. I attempted to stop the car but the brakes did not function at that point. The car stopped when it hit a pole. There was damage to the front of the car and the pole. No people were injured. There was no warning before this happened.

My vehicle is equipped with eyesight. I was driving to my home after work at night and suddenly the infotainment system screen went blank; including braking assist, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, emergency braking etc including navigation, also the hvac shut off and eyesight that controls these as well, shut off. It was suffocating in the car due to no a/c and thusf I tried to pull over at a remote text-stop place and tried restarting the car but in vain. All screens were dark, no warm air, I couldn’t see what direction I was driving to, as well as I solely relied on navigation. I brought this car for it’s safety features and warmth in this cold temperature in upstate NY and this happened. I waited for 20 mins, charged my phone for only 4-5% with a fellow citizen who was waiting there as well and checked online just to see a lot of people reported the same issue with 2021 Subarus with eyesight. And there is no way one can fix it. I tried contacting the dealer but in vain. I am afraid that if this would happen again, I wouldn’t be in a situation to face this scary experience.

The automatic braking system detection the rb system as it’s identified on the Subaru dash heater, failure airbag deployment, all disabled repeatedly removal of the battery connections for a period of 30 minutes reset it but failure has repeated.

See all problems of the 2020 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Received error code p2682, a faulty thermo control valve. This happened on 11/17/2023. Car potentially could have quit running in traffic. Subaru has identified the issue with TSB 09-80-21r. They have changed the design of the valve due to the many failures. My car has 74,000 miles. My brother in law has the same vehicle with 57,000, and his car is in the shop today for the same issue. The service tech working on his vehicle stated that he does a couple of these repairs a week, and that Subaru knows this part will fail and should issue a recall.

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while pulling into a bumpy parking space, the vehicle shuddered violently, unintendedly accelerated, and crashed into a stone wall. As a result, the hood of the vehicle was bent and the bumpers were damaged. The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The contact was able to drive to an unknown dealer, where the vehicle was inspected, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would follow up in two business days. The failure mileage was 13,947.

See all problems of the 2022 Subaru Outback 🔎.

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 driving and car accelerated without warning. Hit partially open garage door, only stopped after hitting and damaging back wall of garage. Significant damage to car, items in the garage and garage wall. There was no warning whatsoever. As of yet the car has not been assessed as to the cause of the malfunction.

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.

While I am driving my cruise control will just stop working causing the auto braking feature to stop also.

I was driving and suddenly 13 flashing lights and codes from check engine to loss of cruise control and rab -dealer says it needs a new thermo control valve (thermostat). This failed part has been common on Subarus for 3 years-reported on internet and even to the point where a guy sitting next to me today with same car and year and same $1800 bill and diagnosis. Should be a recall. Part was redesigned in 2022 I read.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while their wife was pulling into a parking space, uphill, when the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The vehicle jumped the curb and crashed into a sign, breaking the sign. The vehicle continued accelerating approximately a car length of distance causing it to jump another curb onto grass and eventually come to a stop. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle had damage to the front end and bumper of the vehicle. The contact had no injuries and medical attention was not needed. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the scene. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who had not diagnosed the vehicle and it had not been repaired as of yet. The contact stated they found an article regarding the year/make/model experiencing the same failure due to a failure of the low-pressure fuel pump. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 41,000.

While we were at a speed of about 55 mph on a state highway, I had just selected cruise control when all the lights went on in the dash--including the warning lights for the brake, the check engine light--and power shut down in the vehicle as if we'd run out of gas. We were able to keep a very slow speed of about 20-25mph, but had to activate the 4-way flashers to alert other drivers that we were losing speed. We managed to get over to the shoulder and call for a tow. We feel this was a catastrophic failure of the vehicle, which endangered both of us. At least we still had power steering. At the dealer, the techs advised us that the issue was likely due to a failure of the electronic thermostat control. The car was in the shop for a week, and was repaired at no cost to us. The thermo control valve and all related parts were replaced. If not under warranty, this would have cost over $2k. We had no warning that this component was failing.

Driver experienced an unexpected uncommanded sudden acceleration upon application of the braking system in the driveway, which caused a collision with the garage/house. The safety of the driver and other were put at risk. Significant damage to the house/garage occurred. This is a first time occurrence. Owner has not yet had the opportunity to have the vehicle inspected by dealer, independent service center, manufacturer, police or insurance rep due to timing of the accident. No warning lights message were displayed. Driver slowed the vehicle in anticipation of putting the vehicle in park when uncommanded brake release occurred, vehicle accelerated and struck the house. Reason for incident is unknown. Vehicle remains parked pending further inspection.

Accelerator dangerously increased and could not slow down. I pressed the ignition button(to kill the engine and was "jamming on the brakes to no avail. To my knowledge Subaru has not recalled vehicles for these reasons. No warning lamps or other symptoms. My car traveled approximately 1/4 before it stopped. I took out a tree or trees knocked down a light pole which slowed me down, hit a utility trailer. Owner of trailer estimated my speed at 40mph. I was driving approximately 20mph when it violently accelerated. She witnessed my ride.

While driving on the highway at about 60mph my 2016 Outback suddenly accelerated much faster. The only way to avoid collision with another car or cars or end up in a ditch was to drive around them. The brake did not work! after a minute or more(?) I eventually was able to stop using the brake.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Outback 🔎.

While driving my Subaru Outback, I encounter a problem where the starlink multimedia system abruptly goes black. Shortly after, the driver information center also goes black. Although the car continues to run, the cruise control, if engaged, and the eyesight safety system shuts off as well. Both systems then undergo a reboot.