10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
46,149 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.

2016 Subaru Outback engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Subaru Outback Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #42

Jan 212025

Outback

  • miles

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

Original owner of a 2016 Subaru Outback 2.5L, took in to Midas for small exhaust leak. Midas found that the Exhaust Pipe Front Bellows was cracking. They sent me a quote to repair the bellows and also a print out of Service Program Bulletin Number WUJ-95R n the 2015-2016MY Outback 2.5L referring to the Exhaust Pipe Front (EPF) Bellows Cracking. I called to speak with Subaru's corporate recall center and they said my VIN was not part of the recall, however, my car was manufactured in 2015 and is having the exact same issues as the other 2016 Subaru Outback 2.5L. Our safety is being put at risk as CO (carbon monoxide) is leaking into the vehicle due to the cracking in the Exhaust Pipe Front Bellows.

- Frazier Park, CA, USA

problem #41

Oct 122024

Outback

  • miles
The left front drive axel cracked while we were driving on an overpass connecting two highways. We didn-??t hit or bump anything. The car just stopped, like the brakes were slammed on, except the brakes didn-??t work. As we were on an incline, the car started rolling backwards, but fortunately the emergency brake worked. It happened so abruptly, I wasn-??t able to fully pull off the road and my children in the back seat were screaming for their lives as truck after truck whizzed by rattling our car with their horns blaring missing us by inches. The police and fire trucks eventually blocked us from traffic until we could get a tow. The engine worked, but we couldn-??t get into any gear. The mechanic said it must-??ve been a faulty part to have gone like that. When the axel broke, it damaged the front differential and the transmission so the car isn-??t very drivable. On a less dramatic note, a month earlier, both back doors stopped working on the same day!! The child locks failed and the doors couldn-??t be opened. I consider this a safety hazard, so we spent $$$ to fix it. As we take good care of our car, I am very curious why it-??s failing so spectacularly all at once.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #40

Aug 132024

Outback

  • miles
Excessive oil consumption. Have to add a quart every 3300 miles. Twice in last two months on highway and city street, low oil warning came on. Mileage on auto is 72000 miles. All scheduled maintenance performed by Subaru dealer.

- Niskayuna , NY, USA

problem #39

Jun 012024

Outback

  • miles

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

There is a strong smell of engine exhaust in the cabin as other people have submitted similar complaints.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #38

Jun 162024

Outback

  • miles
Recently, My daughter noticed the strong smell of exhaust in the car. It turns out the there is a leak in the exhaust manifold. Subaru issued SERVICE PROGRAM BULLETIN WUJ-95R to address a issue where a bellows in the exhaust cracked and allowed the leakage of exhaust gases in front of the CC, releasing noxious gases into the air and into the driver compartment. Problem is they only applied this to a small amount of the production of the 2016 outback. This issue has been occurring on 2015 to 2019 models since and they did not include them in the recall. To fix this issue because of a design flaw the CC (Catalytic Converter) also needs to be replaced at a cost of over 3000 dollars. My ask is that they should extend this recall to cover all the cars with this design as it is a serious health issue to drivers of the cars. This is not an issue where rust is causing exhaust to break out, This is a manufacturing design issue where cars are having the issue which were only a couple years old. In my case, the Bellows in question were replaced by the previous owner at less than 4 years old and I did not know about that. So when that repair failed(not the permanent fix offered in the service bulletin) Subaru told me I am on my own though the CC should be covered to 150K in New York State. I feel they should be responsible to address this issue for all the models with the defective design.

- Orchard Park, NY, USA

problem #37

Apr 022024

Outback

  • miles
Car exhaust inside the vehicle when driving at low speeds, idling, or parked into the cab of the vehicle. Only way to stop the exhaust fumes is to use the recirculate interior air. Rear hatch hydraulics are failing, hatch will not open completely and partially shuts when opened. When driving very loud squeaking from vehicle.

- Clark Fork, ID, USA

problem #36

Sep 222023

Outback

  • miles

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

- Leaking exhaust at bellow - I had to replace the catalytic converter. - I have a bad sense of smell. I did not notice it was an issue until a passenger of mine noted a smell of exhaust while we were driving. - I read a bulletin on your websites that there was a recall of other 2016 Subaru Outbacks for this same issue. I understand that my car was not a part of this recall because of the manufacturing date, but I found it to be an odd coincidence that my car has the same issue. When I visited another mechanic initially, he immediately alerted me that he has seen many Subaru vehicles with this same issue and directed me to a Subaru dealership. - My car was finally diagnosed and repaired at Marin Subaru of CA.

- San Rafael, CA, USA

problem #35

Apr 042023

Outback

  • miles
Cam Carrier leak due to a factory design. Yes it is available for a inspection. This causes a lot of oil to leak, oil is flammable and the dealer told me there is a high risk of an engine fire due to this. Yes the dealer confirmed the problem, this is a common problem with Subaru Outbacks, there are tons of reports and complains about this. The vehicle has been inspected by Subaru dealership No warnings or lamps, Subaru dealer has known about this issue with oil leaking from the cam carrier since back in 2019 when they first brought it up to me, they only wiped the leaking fluid and never proceed to complete warranty repair to fix the issue.

- San Marcos, CA, USA

problem #34

Apr 112023

Outback

  • miles
At 59,000 miles, engine developed -??heavy leak from cam carriers-?? by dealer service department. It was recommended that it be resealed. Engine was removed and serviced. At 112,000 miles same diagnosis was observed, along with a recommend reseal. It appears that the dealer repair was not done properly, or the repair was only temporary. This is a very labor intensive and expensive repair that needs to be done to avoid leaking oil that could ignite and cause engine fire. This seems to be a chronic problem and redesign of the repair and cam carriers are needed immediately. Subaru of America has offered to cover about 1/3 of the cost.

- Bremerton, WA, USA

problem #33

Apr 062023

Outback

  • miles
At low rate of speed, while parking vehicle accelerated without warning and damaged 3 cars. This happened previously with separate family drivers without damage. This is a serious defect and could potentially cause serious injury or death. This was not driver error. the car lurched forward with absolutely no gas pedal involvement. The previous times it happened at a stoplight with enough room in front to hit the brake. Not this time.

- West Hartford, CT, USA

problem #32

Feb 132023

Outback

  • miles

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

Subaru dealer diagnosed oil leaks on the valve cover gaskets. I took the car to an independent repair business and the problem was diagnosed as a camshaft carrier oil leak. Upon removing the necessary parts, the company reported to me they found chunks of silicone around the carrier. I first noticed a smell of something burning after Subaru had done an oil change about 2 months prior. I was also getting the Check Oil lamp about 2 months after the oil change. It was losing oil. That-??s when I had Subaru diagnose the problem. The loss of oil could have started a fire. Parts are available for inspection.

- Santa Fe, NM, USA

problem #31

Jan 052023

Outback

  • miles
I was in a parking lot at a near-complete stop. I needed to nose the car about 18 inches to move it all the way into the spot. I lightly touched the accelerator to inch the car forward, and it shot forward as if some outside force had stomped on the accelerator. The car jumped the sidewalk and slammed into the wall of the building. The car inner body bent and the car is totaled. The airbags did not inflate. The passenger in the passenger seat sustained a fractured sternum and two broken ribs from going into the seatbelt. The driver sustained a sore neck and dizziness.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #30

Dec 232022

Outback

  • 110,000 miles
The contact called on behalf of his mother who owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there were abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that he was informed at a State Inspection that the vehicle was included in Subaru Campaign Numbers: WUJ95 and WTH68. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine intake manifold was fractured. The contact stated that he informed the dealer that he would not pay a fee for the maintenance of the vehicle and the dealer informed him that the parts to repair the vehicle under Subaru Campaign Number: WUJ95 were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #29

Sep 182022

Outback

  • miles
Exhaust manifold cracked completely through, causing exhaust fumes in the interior of the car. There is a recall on this part for 2015/16 outback, but only includes certain manufacture dates, my car is not currently included in the recall. This part is clearly defective as the break occurred suddenly under normal driving conditions, pipe is clean, no rust.

- Meriden, CT, USA

problem #28

May 082022

Outback

  • miles
The cam tower sealant failed, allowing a leak at less than 70,000 miles driven.

- Mill Creek, WA, USA

problem #27

Apr 222022

Outback 4-cyl

  • miles
I bought this used 2016 Subaru Outback about a year and a half ago from McCords Vancouver Dealership. I've had the battery dying problem ever since I got it. I have had to call AAA for jump starts. I took the car into my mechanic because the "change warning light" had been on when I turned off the ignition the night before, and it was still blinking the next morning when I came out to start the car. He suggested that I go to Costco to get the battery replaced because it was down to only 22% efficient. They declined for several reasons. It wasn't the battery fault, it was the car! I am 92 years old and disabled. I can't get stuck on a freeway with a dead battery. I am still looking for someone to fix it. I bought this car because I assumed that a newer car would be more dependable. Boy was I wrong! I have already spent a lot of money trying to fix it. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Central Point, OR, USA

problem #26

Feb 242022

Outback

  • miles
NUMBER: WUJ-95 - Exhaust Pipe Front (EPF) Bellows Cracking recall that affects cars produced as below Model Year Carline Affected Production Dates 2015-2016 Legacy 12/16/2013 - 9/30/2015 2015-2016 Outback 12/09/2013 -?" 9/30/2015 Affects cars outside this date. My 2016 Subaru Outback was built in March of 2016 and the exact same part broken at the exhaust bellows, requiring a $2600 repair. Instead of a issuing a recall Subaru is offering allowances to the repair. The service advisor stated that he has performed many of the same repair outside the production dates listed on recall WUJ-95 - Exhaust Pipe Front (EPF) Bellows Cracking, The production dates need to be extend to include all cars that have defective exhaust bellows and catalytic convertors. I have images and video of the inspection.

- Livonia, MI, USA

problem #25

Jan 292022

Outback

  • miles
My car spontaneously burst into flames after I parked it. I had left the car parked and locked in a parking lot next to a rental house and went in to prepare dinner. 20 minutes later my friends arrived at the scene and alerted us to the fact that my car was engulfed in flames. It seems that the fire originated in the engine somehow, but exactly what started it is unclear. There was no accident or collision, and no foul play. Security cameras in the area couldn't see much, but indicate that the vehicle burst into flames pretty much just after I had left it parked and locked.

- Sammamish, WA, USA

problem #24

Dec 202021

Outback

  • miles
Issue with the vehicle's exhaust being loud - upon dealership's multi-point inspection, cracked bellows was identified. Issue that was identified and fixed is described in NHTSA ID Number: 10199936, Exhaust Pipe Front (EPF) Bellows Cracking, however the VIN of my vehicle was not included (although it is the same make and model year). Request that this issue be investigated to determine if additional VINs should be included.

- Northville, MI, USA

problem #23

Sep 012021

Outback

  • miles
We have experienced slight acceleration issues when at standstill. For example parking in our garage, nosing to the front and the car will lurch forward. We always been able to control it but we do have to watch out. Decided to report after reading issues by other owners.

- Valley, NE, USA

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