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.
in 2023 my car started overheating. took it in and it was the headgasket. even with the age of my car, it only had just over 105,000 miles on it. looking at other subarus for sale out of curiosity, I saw that quite a lot had their engines replaced. even newer than mine. i do see this as a expensive problem, which I know first hand. the headgasket went while i was on the freeway. tried to make it home, wasn't to far away, but had to be towed.
Vehicle engine/transmission/torque converter dies when coming to a stop. This is especially an issue when having to stop suddenly and get going again quickly as the vehicle has to be put in neutral, restarted, and put back in drive. It is a safety issue at traffic lights, traffic signals, and in stop and go traffic that has resulted in a multitude of near-miss rear end collisions that put my life and my families lives in danger. There is a service bulletin from Subaru (Bulletin Number: 16-90-13R; Revised: 02/15/18) that addresses a similar issue, but fails to mention the vehicle engine dying and the inherent safety issues that comes with the engine shutting off.
The front lower subframe cracked where the driver's side front wheel attaches to it in our 2011 Subaru Outback. This resulted in loss of steering control of vehicle. The issue has been confirmed by independent mechanic. Vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance agent. It is available for inspection at [XXX]. There were no warning lights when this failure occurred. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
While driving the car and stepping on the breaks really to avoid something in the road, the engine stalls and loses power requiring the driver to turn the key and restart the vehicle. My safety is a risk because if this happens on the street or highway with other vehicles around it could cause a major accident. This issue has not been confirmed by a dealer or independent service however, a call to my local dealership confirmed they have heard of this issue in the past and suggested it was the torque converter. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance or others. There were no warning lamps or any other indicators of this issue prior to the issue. They first started to appear a few years after owning the vehicle.
- Roseville, CA, USA
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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
Vehicle is failing to shift correctly causing low acceleration and road safety issues. Cruise control and manual shift paddles not working, multiple warning lights on.
The car got overheated on 8/20/2022, because of the mechanical and design issue, specifically the coolant pipe and hose connection which got disconnected and blew up with force ejecting hot coolant liquid. The incident almost killed my husband. The hot liquid burned his abdomen and my face. He got transported by an ambulance, got admitted to a hospital, and got a 2nd-degree burner. This entire incident endangered my entire family members while we were far from home on a road trip adventure. My kids are under 10, and they were worried and crying. The incident definitely was reproducible, because, within a 3 hours window, the hose got disconnected 4 times, where the 4th time it hit my husband and me. A Yosemite Park Ranger was helping us inspect the car on the 3rd and 4th failure. For our safety, we have not been driving the car since 8/21/2022. So, the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer.
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?
My 2011 Outback had a head gasket failure at 98,000 miles. The car overheated which forced me to pull over in heavy traffic. There was no prior warning or symptoms until the engine temperature warning light appeared. The car was repaired by the dealership at a hefty price. They said this problem is common on these vehicles, though no recall has been issued on the part. I filed a complaint with the manufacturer.
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.
While driving on expressway, to avoid a sudden accident, I was forced to hit my brakes. My vehicle turned completely off. I was in a near collision myself. The next day when coming to a complete stop at light, my vehicle again completely shut off.
Our 2011 Subaru Outback had a radiator leak with no warning signal. The car overheated, the radiator cracked, and we blew the headgasket. Only after the damage was done did a warning light come on. The car only has 100K miles and has been carefully maintained.
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph approaching at a red light, the vehicle stalled and was almost rear-ended by another vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving to her residence. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to bowser automotive - power of bowser (1001 clairton blvd, pleasant hills, pa 15236) and was diagnosed with a torque converter failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,000.
Occasionally, perhaps 4 times in the last year, when I put my car into 'drive', the engine engages and lurches forward. It feels as though the car with take off forward at a high speed.
Durning hard/quick stops the car will shake just before stopping as if the engine wants to stall. More then half of the time the car will stall. It will start right back up but this is a huge safety issue having your call stall in the middle of the road. Subaru has issued a service bulletin 16-90-13R for this issue. Basically they need to replace the torque converter. They also extended the power train warranty to 100,000mi from 60,000mi. Cars that are outside the extended warranty are out of luck for any no financial assistance from Subaru for a known safety issue. My local sabaru dealer just quoted me $2500 to fix a known safety issue. There should be a recall for the estimated 1.5 million Subaru's that the service bulletin addresses.
Engine stalling. When stopping at red light, engine shut down a few times. Once I lost all electricity and maneuverability of the car. I also had ignition problems. The car won't start sometimes. I brought to dealership 4-5X and my car spent a month at dealer. They cannot find the cause. I read this could be due to cvt transmission. I bought my car from a Subaru dealer two and a half years ago and only drove 7K miles. Current mileage is 95K. Subaru extended warranty of my model to 10 years for transmission. But so far they couldn't do anything. I think this should be a recall. When my car stalled, I had to call police as my car blocked the road and cause traffic jam. This is a road hazard. Thank you.
When stopping the car stalls and dies on streets, highways, etc. I have almost been rear ended and it even died while obstructing oncoming traffic. Subaru issued a technical services bulletin (tsb 16-90-13R) which describes the issue perfectly, however due to milage (40K over 100K) they will not correct the bad part, which is no longer even availaable to purchase through them! part # 31100ab170. The new part 31100ab171 and 31100ab172 should be issued to all 2010-2012 Outback owners as a recall. If they will not even sell the original part anymore because they know it is garbage and then play the feel good best car ever commercials, that is misleading and fraudulent. Help NHTSA, you are our only hope.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Clinton Township, MI, USA