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.
* I detected a noise in the front end and an instability in the handling. My independent service mechanic found the cradle on the right front severely rusted out at the point where the control arm attaches. He had to condemn the vehicle. * My mechanic says that it could have resulted in a total loss of ability to steer. He says that he is unable to order the part from the manufacturer because so many are on back order. He is also unable to find any used ones. Finally, he says that in the last 3 months he has had to condemn 3 other Outbacks due to the same problem. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE TO ME. *Problem confirmed by my independent service center
Power steering failed while driving. Power steering fluid had all leaked out. Luckily car was at a very low speed as steering was quite difficult. Repaired at Subaru dealer who discovered a leak in a metal high pressure line. There was no evidence of external damage to pressure line. Photo showed a hairline crack at the outside of a 90? bend, thus probably a manufacturing defect. Dealer replaced entire steering rack.
Directional stability; difficult to keep car centered in lane; wanders off from where steering is set; steering will not center, but will stay in a gentle curve by itself until corrected, then will wander off center again. Contributing to problem is too much force is required in a steering action to correct a wander causing a slight overshoot which no matter how carefully controlled, cannot keep the car going in the correct direction, whether in a curve or keeping straight. The faster the car is going, naturally the more intense the problem becomes. The constant attention required to adjusting steering is fatiguing and hence the car is inherently unsafe. Dealer and independents have always said no problem found; alignments make no difference, new tires make no difference. This is a safety issue, an engineering flaw, and/or an attempt to hide another more serious safety or drivability issue. Subjectively it seems to be getting worse over time.
When driving over 40mph the car seems to jerk out of the blue it even seems like one side of the vehicle lifts or tilts as if it has hydraulics makes it hard to control continuously grip the steerg wheel in order to keep control is unbearable. There is something seriously wrong after readg online&on this website obvious somethings wrong. Why R U waiting for crashes& possible deaths to raise this issue? when driving on the highway at normal highway speeds all of a sudden you feel a quick pull as if a magnet just pulled your car and it also starts to lift when driving on the highway at normal speeds. Car lifts the front right side of suspension as if it's going to roll over and at the time it drops like it's going to fold under and you're going to crash. Like it has hydraulics but only on one side. This is very scary when your driving at normal highway speeds. This makes you slow down out of nowhere and causing others around you to suddenly avoid you. This is a nightmare. Subaru needs to acknowledge there is a problem. See all the other complaints and there is a lot more online by others that don't know how to go to this website and place a formal complaint because I did not even know about it. Came across by mistake. This car is meant for driving long distances and I am afraid to do so. When your afraid to drive your own car scarred of the quick jerk and the possible rolling of your car due to the "real" actions the car is performing while driving is and should be a vehicle safety concern prior to accidents and deaths taking place. Just because the "manufacturer" says it's in specs does't mean nothg wrong plus its the manuf sayg this, not an independent company.boweing their airplane had hard time stating plane's fault. You can not put the manuf in charge of making the right choice when it comes to money.
From the day we bought it, the car wanders left and right, noticeably at speeds above 40 mph, requiring constant steering wheel corrections in both directions.
- Raleigh, NC, USA
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Steering wheel visible vibrates at 70+ mph on the highway despite multiple realignments and mechanic visits to various dealers. Car sometimes fights driver to veer left/right. It is difficult to drive (sometimes even exhausting). Has been an ongoing issue for last 5 years, progressively getting worse. Car has never been involved in an accident and has been maintained properly.
Our 2013 Subaru Outback was two years old when the tilt steering feature would not stay locked into place. The steering column for the tilt steering would not stay locked and the steering wheel would drop while the car was in motion. The car was taken to the dealership for repair where we were told that internal locking mechanism had broken and the entire steering column needed to be replaced. Which it was replaced and had held in place. In March of 2018 the tilt steering would once again not stay locked into place causing the steering wheel to drop while in motion. It was taken back to the same dealership, where we were told the same exact thing had happened again and would require the entire steering column to be replaced. The biggest concern here is safety. The steering column dropping while the car is moving puts the driver and anyone else on the road at risk. We were never provided a plausible explanation as to why this happened to the car not once but twice. The explanation given for the reoccurring problem was 'normal wear and tear from using the tilt feature too much.' We have had other Subaru Outbacks with the tilt steering feature and have not experienced any problem with the steering wheel not locking into place.
We purchased this vehicle 2-7-16 used with 28,000 miles.when driving on the highway over 50 vehicle wandered all over the road we constantly had to correct the steering to keep between the white lines.dealer said this was the way rack and pinion stealing worked.after doing some investigation on your web site this seems to affect many of these vehicles.seems that Subaru has denied any problems with the 3013 Outback.we put up with this problem for two weeks and traded this lemon in at the same dealer that sold us this junk.we lost about 5 K in this transaction but our safety is much more inportant then the money.in 40 years purchasing and driving all types of vehicles this is by far the worst ever.we will never look for a Subaru again. Hopefully our government will look into this serious safety situation.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. While driving approximately 30 mph in inclement weather, the vehicle began to slide while driving downhill. The contact attempted to control the steering, but it would not move. The vehicle did not respond and struck a delineator post, slid in the opposite direction towards a concrete wall, and suddenly stopped. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.
Steering on this vehicle is so heavy that it causes orthopedic problems. The steering drag tension is set so high that it is difficult to control the vehicle at highway speeds, and difficult to maneuver the vehicle into parking places at low speeds. Parallel parking is painful. I had other people drive it to eliminate my subjective view of this, and every person thought it was hard to drive. Subaru thinks this is normal, and refuses to allow its service departments to adjust the tension if it's within it's "specs" even when the driver of this expensive vehicle does not feel safe driving it. Subaru service department's reasoning was that "it felt like every other Subaru Outback." This doesn't make it ok; it just confirms that Subaru is selling more than one dangerous car. This is an unsafe condition that Subaru is allowing to persist rather than actually addressing the other issue the unreasonably tight tension is masking - steering wheel shakes. This is my second Subaru and is the last one I will ever purchase - not because the car couldn't otherwise be a good vehicle, but because this is a legitimate safety issue that Subaru is ignoring and will continue to ignore until forced to change, probably after a large lawsuit brought by the estate of a Subaru owner who was killed in their vehicle. And, because Subaru has such terrible customer service that it thinks it's fine to tell someone who just bought a $30K+ car that they just have to live with an unsafe condition because Subaru doesn't see fit to fix it.
Steering was making a noise (as if steering wheel was turned all of the way to one side) with only slight movement but it worked. This noise occurred with every turn. After running an errand with approximately 5 miles of use, I returned to the parked car and backed out of parking to find that the steering wheel was turning but the wheels were not! I had the vehicle towed to dealership. Note: A recall of the steering was done by the dealership in Oct 2013 and no issues had occurred with that repair until now.
Wonders from side to side. Took back to dealer they check alignment. Said everything was in spects. There was no charge this time for alignment but would not do it again for free. We purchased extended warranty at time of purchase. What a waste! my daughter and son-in-law borrowed it last summer. Put 8000 miles on it driving across country. Had a terrible time keeping it on the road. They where going to buy a Outback but quickly changed their mind. Called dealer again and the service manger told me to change tires and cross rotate them. I told him we already did that and my husband cross rotated them. He said that there would be a charge to look at it. Since they didn't do anything the first time why pay them more to tell me it is in spects? I think they are waiting for someone to get killed or be killed. This is most definitely a safety issue.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the steering wheel drifted to the left and had to be constantly turned to the right in order to keep the vehicle in its appropriate lane. The failure occurred while driving 65 mph and also at local speeds. The dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that the steering wheel was operating as designed and the alignment was normal. The dealer did not replace any parts. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,500. Updated 10/22/14 updated 08/28/2017
While driving at speeds over 40 it is very difficult to keep the car centered in a lane. The dealer checked and corrected the alignment with little or no improvement. The service rep did admit that Outbacks do wander. Email sent to Subaru has apparently been ignored. This is an unsafe condition in our crowded interstates.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the steering wheel was extremely unstable and needed constant adjustment. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure, but performed a four wheel alignment and increased the tire pressure. The failure recurred. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V194000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated the he purchased the vehicle 2012. He noticed his steering wheel would drift while driving. The contact took his vehicle to a Subaru dealership for a diagnosis and the dealer stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The problem persisted after the diagnostic test was performed. The contact located recall NHTSA campaign number: 13V194000 (steering); however, his VIN was not included in this recall although is experiencing the same defect listed. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 1000 miles. The vehicle was not repaired...updated 04-23-14 the consumer stated the vehicle was to be repaired under waranty. Updated 04/25/2014.. updated01/20/15
Shortly after I purchased vehicle I noticed difficulty keeping it centered in lane. Continuously having to correct steering and hard steering. I drive on interstate often and I have checked tires continuously and no difference in the handling of the Outback. On first service I told the service rep about it and said they would check it out, I believe they checked the alignment, when picked up the vehicle and was told everything was normal. Is it unsafe, yes. Now I have 25000 mile on it and still continues. Still mention it at service time but they don't really even respond anymore.
The new Outback is exhibiting lane wandering as others described in good detail. Other vehicles I've driven go in a (more-or-less) straight line with minimal effort and minimal corrections. The ob is all over the road, able to stay in the lane with a lot of effort and correction. There is a big flaw in the steering (maybe not all but a lot of them) and it is a safety issue. Is it going to take a major accident and/or a death before NHTSA and Subaru takes a look at this issue??
I have owned over 20+ cars ranging from 4runners, S2000, to lancer evo. My 2013 Outback is by far the hardest car to steer on the highway. It wanders to both directions at highway speeds and its difficult to correct it back to center. Some owners have been accused of driving drunk in a Outback, Subaru needs to fix this before loosing your most loyal owners! many 2012 2013 Outback owners have been calling this issue stiff, heavy, hard, not return to center steering. Here are my observations after some research: -2013+ new FB25 engine 2nd gen cvt returned suspension -I also own a 2014 forester with electric steering (drives normal), Outback has hydraulic steering -I test drove couple other 2013 Outback 2.5I same firm steering -I test drove a 2013 Outback 3.6R (steering feels normal much softer) -check steering effort should not have more than 6.6 lb (measured with scale) -some owners had success readjusting their gearbox backlash to less than 3 lbs go to: www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/31638-ob-lane-wandering-122.html -on page 114 there are 3 picture attachments posted by J delman -steering column recall for 2013 legacy/Outbacks manufactured from 2012 feb15-jun15 (I don't think this will fix the wandering issue)
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA