This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
My car just dies on it's own while driving and it has trouble starting back up or somedays it just won't start up but after it dies while going down the road but after cranking it a few times it finally starts the check engine light comes on the traction control light starts flashing the brake light starts flashing and the cruise control light starts flashing I took it to a dealer and no codes were thrown in my car and after a few days of all the lights on and flashing they suddenly go away on their own this is extremely dangerous I can't control when or where this happens on the road I've almost been hit several times from this happening it does the exact same thing when I'm sitting still in park trying to start my car I get all the lights on the dashboard lit up and blinking on and off just like when it dies going down the road but nobody can find a cause or a reason why they say it's a manufacturer issue and subaru can't even figure it out
My son was driving the car when without warning the car shut down. I had the car in previously for a check engine light problem, which they diagnosed as a bad pin retention in connector in the bulkhead wiring harness. They replaced the harness but then found that the Unit EGI Con needed to be replaced probably due to the fault in the wiring harness (there words not mine). Previously I had the blower motor replaced, but it ended up being a bad connector. I asked to see the bulk head wiring harness, but the Subaru shop said they had already thrown it away. Previously I was told that wiring harness would be sent back to Subaru. I don't know if the wiring harness jacket/cover could have perhaps been damaged when it was installed when the car was assembled? There has not been any previous collision damage to car which I could see would lead to an issue with the wiring. I tried reaching out to Subaru about this problem, but they never responded.
I have owned this 2011 Subaru Outback since I purchased it brand new. Over the past 10 years, I have had to put approx 7 or 8 new batteries into the vehicle. The current mileage is approx 75,000. Over the past 10 years of owning this vehicle, I have kept the vehicle very well maintained almost exclusively at the dealership. I have been left stranded twice now in the past 2.5 weeks. I have been left stranded MULTIPLE times over the past 10 years. The battery cables have always corroded quickly the entire life of the vehicle in a way that I have never experienced with any other vehicle before. 2.5 weeks ago I arrived home from a 4 day trip to find my Outback dead at the airport. The battery was 3 years old at that time and had given no indication 4 days earlier that anything was wrong. AAA came out and attempted to jump start it without success. They then charged the battery but that also did not work. The engine didn't even attempt to turn over. The technician offered to put in a new battery and said he highly doubted it would help. Somehow it worked and I paid for the $150 brand new battery. But now 2.5 weeks later, the car is totally dead. AGAIN. There is nothing wrong with the battery, we charged it back up fully and yet the car will not work. I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle due to the fact that it's not only left me stranded multiple times but yesterday without warning the battery light started to flash on the dashboard followed by the the rest of the dashboard lights flashing while I was driving to pick up my child. As soon as I was able to pull over, the car stopped working and it was dead as a doornail. AGAIN. The vehicle is being towed to the dealership tomorrow. AGAIN.
The manufacturer, Subaru, admitted they have an issue with the ECU setting false error codes (P0128) when they issued a TSB, # 11-102-11R, calling for a software upgrade to fix the problem. This is an emissions related issue, in that it turns on various warning lights, including the SES light, making the car impossible to pass the routine smog check. So why should I, the owner, be required to pay the dealer to update the software for a problem Subaru has admittedly identified as a manufacturer error?
I have being experiencing shuddering and a few stalls on the highway and at red lights. While I have been able no maneuver through this, I find it do be extremely dangerous for myself and others, and in one instance it came really close to be a coalition.
- Deland, FL, USA
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This is a recurring problem with my vehicle. I was driving on the highway, when suddenly my dashboard lights up. I'm going 70 mph, and my emergency brake light is flashing for no reason. It's was not on when I started the car, just suddenly started flashing 5 minutes into my trip. The check engine light also came on. I pulled over as soon as I could and tried reset my E brake. It would not turn off no matter what I did. Once in park on the side of the road, my car would not move. That's when I had to call for roadside assistance to tow my car home. My mechanic used a scanner tool to diagnose the problem, and they described that it was an electrical issue. This has happened previously, about a year beforehand. I was almost home from work when my brake light came on at 50 mph. Turns out the E brake had engaged without it being touched, and the light didn't come on until so much damage had been done. My breaks had completely blown out and had to be replaced. Not only was this a very unexpected and expensive fix, but also put me and others in an extremely dangerous situation. If my beaks suddenly lock on me or go out in the middle of traffic again, somebody could get seriously injured or even killed. Please, I really don't want to go through this again. I need my car to work.
The head lights to this vehicle are constantly going out. Sometimes if I hit a bump the light will turn back on. Today I drove nearly fifty miles in the dark with either the high beams on or the lights completely off.
Low headlamp bulb housing melted so bad it must be replaced at estimated dealer cost of $650. There is an extended warrantee for replacing the bulbs that have been burning out every 6-9 months. I believe they have been burning up due to a manufacturing defect in the housing that is not being addressed. There should be a recall on the low-beam housing unit as it poses a fire risk. The extended bulb replacement warrantee is a band-aid that did not address the underlying issue.
My car went in for repairs for stalling at a light or stop sign, the day after I got the car back it stalled again and this time cut out the electricity to the vehicle, I could not engage the emergency break nor could I put the car in park. I held my foot on the break because of a small downhill and I was afraid the car might run into other cars at the intersection. The person at Subaru was walking me through the process of how to manually put the gear in park, while I was attempting to do this a woman yelled at me to get out of the car because it was on fire, according to Subaru's investigation, the fire started at the left rear of the engine.
Have had the low beam headlights blown multiple times on my Subaru Outback, 2011, at least 3-4 times each ones, left and right. Don't remember if I received a notification from Subaru or saw it online about the same complaint from many owners and Subaru having a fix for it. Took it to the dealership in 2017 and they replaced the blown bulb and told me that it was a improper contact that caused the issue. Unfortunately, the problem continues. I have replaced the headlights at least 2 times since and have one blown again. Suspect that this is a design issue and needs a through fix. It can cause a dangerous situation if both headlights blow at the same time.
Noticed that dome/map lights not working and front time clock out. Then when going to put it in park the engine revved and the brakes would not engage and ran into a fence causing damage to front end of vehicle. Parking break has not worked for some time either.
When we were driving the 2011 Subaru Outback on the road on July 5,2019, the fuel gauge suddenly shifted from almost full to zero. The car stopped and we placed it in park. Subsequent attempts to start the car did not even ignite the engine, even when we added another gallon of gas and tried jump starting the car. There were no visible signs of a gas leak. Our insurance company towed our car to nearby coleman Subaru NJ, where the dealer has now assumed it was a computer issue and have asked to order another computer to fix it. This was an incredibly scary experience for us. There were five people in the car when we were driving and thankfully no one was hurt. If it happened on the high way, I don't know what would have happened. We are concerned this is a safety issue which can get people hurt.
Dome light, clock, sunroof, remote key fob, garage door opener on rear view mirror, etc. Not working. Fuses blow within a day or 2 of being replaced. Origin of problem unknown in spite of many attempts at fixing it. This has been an ongoing problem for over 5 months. These devices don't work whether the car is running or in park.
I was driving home tonight and the car stalled everything quit working, the car jumped a few times and turned back on. I lost brakes and no steering coming down a 8 % grade. I turned the car back on and it kept doing it. I was out of cell service range so I could not call for help. It was scary. I got home and I see there was a recall but my car is out of that recall range at 100000 miles. I just paid 11,000 for this car. I believe I should not have to pay for this known issue.
Multiple warning lights appeared on the dashboard while driving. When sitting in the car, in the garage, the minute the key is turned, although the car is not started, all the dashboard warning lights went on although the car was stationary. Picture uploaded taken when car was in garage.
Headlight and other exterior light bulbs die prematurely. I received a letter from Subaru about a warranty extension and that they would cover the costs. So far I've had 3 headlights go out in the last two years (after 85K miles) and also was told by a Subaru dealer yesterday that 5 other exterior lights were out. The general consensus is that it's a power surge in the lighting/electrical system that Subaru isn't addressing. The replacement of headlight bulbs is extremely difficult and recommended that a shop or dealer do the work, making it very inconvenient to replace lights. It is dangerous to have the headlights go out so often when driving at night and visibility is reduced. There has been no recall or technical service bulletin issued by Subaru, that I know of, and a lawsuit pending. Https://legalnewsline.com/stories/510725171-complaints-about-Subaru-Outback-S-lights-preceded-class-action
Tamara recall I have had my 2011 Outback for 4 months now and have gone through 3 sets of low beam headlights. Not sure why they keep dying prematurely. I have gotten more expensive bulbs every time and now the $60 bulbs are doing the same thing. I feel there is an electrical issue and I have seen multiple forums describing the same issue from other people with the same year, make, and model.
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. While pulling in the driveway, the vehicle stalled and all the warning indicators illuminated. The contact also stated that the failure occurred daily for at least five months, but went away when the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle had been at garavel Subaru (10 tindall ave, norwalk, ct 06851, (203) 642-0620) for months due to an internal oil leak that was impacting the engine. The contact stated that the oil warning indicator failed to illuminate in a timely manner to alert that the oil level was low. The dealer also replaced the wheel bearings several times. The radio, speaker phone, and gps were also serviced several times, but the failures recurred. The contact was informed by the dealer that the warranty had expired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Monticello, IN, USA