10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
26,665 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2015 Subaru Outback miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2015 Subaru Outback Owner Comments (Page 1 of 6)

problem #104

Jan 202025

Outback

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My sunroof glass just shattered spontaneously while I was driving. Thankfully the door was closed or me and my daughter would have been showered by glass while in the road. Nothing hit the car, I just heard a loud bang over my heard and when I stopped to see what happened my sunroof was in pieces!

- Palmer, AK, USA

problem #103

Dec 022024

Outback

  • miles
A transmission that was replaced in July of 2023 went bad un December of 2024 and dealership won't give reasons why transmission went bad or what caused a almost brand new transmission with less than 50,000 miles on it went bad. They are demanding we pay $5000 dollars on a transmission that was replaced under the extended warranty on cvt transmission from subaru. Which also extends to the brand new transmission. They are demanding their loaner car back and refusing to honor extended warranty on new transmission which the gave us which is bad. They will not give us anything other than it is bad. No information what so ever is being given to my husband or I as to why, how or what happened. My car will not move unless it is pushed by someone. They are refusing to honor their recall warranty or provide a loaner while dealing with their corporate offices on this issue. This is after in the past 1 and a half years my car has been in their shop for well over 8 months and I am still making payments on this vehicle. They will not even provide paperwork on the issues with my vehicle.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #102

Oct 012024

Outback

  • miles
The horn stopped working on my vehicle. This puts my safety and other driver's safety at risk since I can not alert them if they are coming into my lane. I contacted Subaru Customer Advocacy but they are not willing to fix this problem. I checked the online forums and this seems to be a common problem.

- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA

problem #101

Aug 012023

Outback

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

iNFOMATION UNIT STOPPED WORKING AND HAS MOISTURE FOG INSIDE OF IT. I WAS USING IT FOR THE MAP ROUTE IN AN AREA THAT I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHEN IT STOPPED WORKING. I DO NOT KNOW HOW MOISTURE COULD GET IN A SEALED UNIT BUT IT IS OVER $22,000. TO REPLACE IT. PERHAPS THIS DOES NOT QUALIFY AS A SAFETY ISSUE BUT IT WAS FOR ME SINCE I NEEDED DIRECTIONS AS TO HOW TO GET HOME.

- Yorba Linda, CA, USA

problem #100

Nov 102022

Outback

  • miles
The child safety lock on the passenger side will not disengage. Our child is old enough now to operate the door safely but she cannot open the door from the inside. I feel that this is a great safety concern and the dealer should take care of the cost. When we asked if it could be fixed the dealer expressed that it would be on us for all charges. This is a manufacturer defect and should be rectified immediately. Thank you.

- Petaluma, CA, USA

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problem #99

Mar 092023

Outback

  • miles
On my drive in to work this morning, the sunroof on my outback shattered with a loud bang. Fortunately the inside sun shade was closed, otherwise I would have been showered with glass while driving 50mph on the expressway. How does this happen? There were no trees overhead, no cars or trucks near me, the temperature was not especially hot or cold. And, I would think the glass would have a film or something that would hold the pieces together in the unlikely event that it would break!

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #98

Oct 232022

Outback 4-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving on 55mph road, sunroof suddenly shattered for no apparent reason (no sudden impact from rock or other debris), producing a loud bang, startling driver. Driver momentarily swerved due to being startled by noise from next to head before correcting. No other cars were around on the road at the time and driver is sure no rocks or other objects fell onto sunroof (covered by rooftop cargo box, no trees near street to drop debris). Pieces of glass went upwards and ended up on roof of vehicle.

- Oak Creek, CO, USA

problem #97

Sep 212022

Outback

  • miles
The car experienced sudden reverse acceleration when the gear was switched to reverse. I had to floor the brake pedal to have the car stop. I was fortunate behind me was enough of grassy area for the car to stop. Yes, I am sure I wasn't pushing gas because eventually after hard pressing the brakes the car stopped. Afterwards I tried pushing both and it was impossible to push both hard as the foot slips off the brake pedal.

- Old Bridge, NJ, USA

problem #96

Jul 312022

Outback

  • miles
Purchased this car in 2019 from dealer as a pre certified vehicle. Replaced original battery(dealer said it was)in 8/2021. As I had to have it jumped, battery drain. 6 years old. So I replaced. I have had numerous battery drain since, jumped numerous times. Dealer will say I left something on, NO I didn't. They check and can't find issues. So, I purchased a battery jumper pack. I'm 64yrs old female. Don't need this worry, is my cr going to start. Please help. As I've read numerous other 2015 outback owners are having same issues and Subaru won't address them.

- Mineola, NY, USA

problem #95

Feb 092022

Outback

  • miles
The car regularly drains the battery. We are the original owners and have had to purchase 3 car batteries thus far. The car does not provide any warning messages or report any issues. Every time the battery has been drained it happens without explanation, over a dozen times since we-??ve owned the car. We-??ve always had the batteries inspected, and they-??ve been in good contention with life left in them, just drained, needing a recharge. Unfortunately, the car counties to drain the battery, leaving me stranded, including at night away from home. The details for the incident I will be providing below will be for the most recent, this morning.

- West Sacramento , CA, USA

problem #94

Dec 252021

Outback

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Outback 2015 Windshield cracked with no obvious reason even at about 30 mph.

- Salem, OR, USA

problem #93

Nov 192021

Outback

  • miles
I have had to have my battery replaced almost every year since I bought this car and there is always a large amount or corrosion no matter how often I clean it. I just read that this has been a known issue of Subaru. I literally just had the dealership in late November tell me at an oil change that I needed to replace my battery. When I informed them that I had just replaced it in February of of this year when I stopped for gas in the middle of the Texas winter storm and my car would not start back up (That battery was only about a year and a half old), they blamed the cold weather and suddenly backpedaled saying it just seemed low so I should keep an eye on it. Yesterday, my car took two tries to start so I am going to have the battery tested again but this means I haven't even gotten a full years worth out of it.

- Austin , TX, USA

problem #92

Nov 112015

Outback 6-cyl

  • miles
I previously wrote to you back in mid-Sept. 2021. It was a problem with battery drainage on my Outback and the fact that many other Subaru owners were having the same problem. #[XXX] was the case # that I was assigned. I have never heard from anyone at the NHTSA I don't want to repeat everything that I previously stated. I would appreciate a response as enough time has elapsed. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #91

Jun 092021

Outback

  • miles
I proudly purchased my 2015 Subaru Outback, new, in April 2015. I currently have less than 18,000 miles on it. During the time I have owned my Outback, I have had to replace the battery 5 times, through no fault of my own. Subaru USA and my Subaru dealership say that I do not drive it enough. B/S. I have done some research online and have found many other Subaru owners who are constantly having battery problems and dead batteries. I understand some have filed a Class Action Suit. The problem appears to be that the battery drains down on a regular basis. Now when I put my car in my garage at night, I turn the headlights off completely, the radio off, the A/C off, and I do not set my parking brake for fear all of the above will drain my battery overnight. I am even afraid to set my car alarm. I have had to call AAA each time the battery has gone COMPLETELY DEAD. They are tired of seeing me. Fortunately for me, each time the battery has died, I was at home and my car in the garage. I am a senior citizen who is afraid my battery will die when I am not close to home. I purchased a Subaru because of its so-called reliability. I am tired of Subaru giving me the runaround and trying to make it look as though I am the problem. I, for the life of me, don't understand how this problem has been swept under the rug by Subaru for so LONG. When I chose the Outback, I had done my homework and went first to the LA Auto Show and the Outback, back then, appeared to be my dream car, which has turned into a nightmare for me. I had a Sienna for 15 years and only replaced the battery twice. PLEASE have your staff seriously look into this Subaru battery drainage problem. I am certainly not alone with this problem. Each time I go to start up my Outback, I have to hold my breath and keep my finger and toes crossed. Subaru USA has given me little or no answer to my problem. My dealership again tells me I have to drive more. The other Subaru owners must not drive enough!!!

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #90

Sep 142021

Outback

  • miles
This car has had 5 batteries. The charging system tests fine. It-??s not safe.

- Riverside , CA, USA

problem #89

Jun 262021

Outback

  • miles
Excessive battery drain from open back hatch while parked and engine off. Having my back liftgate open while my engine was off for a 30 minute period drained my battery so that I could not start my vehicle. Had not my friends been there to jump me I would have been without transportation miles from home. No warning light was given by the vehicle. Others with this vehicle have had similar issues and it is an easy issue to find complaints about. A service center has not been contacted yet but I plan on speaking with my dealership soon. This problem blindsided me completely.

- Saint Cloud, MN, USA

problem #88

May 212021

Outback

  • miles
Windshield randomly cracked on its own. Similar issue as other have reported in past. Begins on passenger side in wiper park near heated zone and continues up across windshield for 12 inches or so. Car was parked, nothing hit the windshield.

- Columbus , OH, USA

problem #87

Feb 012021

Outback

  • 25,000 miles
Poor battery life has always been a problem. Windshield crack showed up suddenly very recently, right after we got a class action lawsuit notification.the car has very low milage.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #86

May 012020

Outback

  • 75,000 miles
Windshield cracked in the lower drivers side corner. The windshield cracked due to unknown reasons and blind spot warning stopped working for no reason

- Horsham, PA, USA

problem #85

Jul 312020

Outback

  • 88,000 miles
I was driving on the freeway and the vehicle stopped, rolled to a stop, and wouldn't start up again. This resulted in a serious accident. I pushed the hazard button but the other drivers account of the accident was that the lights were off. The car had its epb reprogrammed and sub relay replacement done according to the dealership. I had no prior problem with the car stopping unexpectedly. I was knocked out by the accident, so I didn't have much time to surmise what the problem may have been. It must have been like 30 seconds from the time it stopped until we were hit by 3 cars at freeway speeds.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

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