10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
19,090 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2016 Subaru Outback Owner Comments (Page 3 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #75

Apr 012017

Outback

  • miles

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

I have replaced the battery 4 times since buying the car in 2016. I can't let it sit more than 3 days if its cold out or the battery dies. I have to jump the batteries quite frequently. I can't let the car sit more than 7 days if it is warm outside. I have called the dealership twice and they have told me this is normal. I asked what could be constantly draining the batteries. I had thought the car was a lemmon when I first bought it. The battery problem has been ongoing since I bought it. It was a brand new car.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #74

Mar 102021

Outback

  • 40,000 miles
The car was parked in the garage and it was above freezing. None of the lights had been left on/doors open... the car doesn't have a fob kept too close... the car wouldn't start. This isn't the first time this has happened and we're not sure if it's a battery, alternator, electrical issue or what. We've had the battery replaced once already. It first happened within a week of purchasing the car in 2017 in the summer time, and has happened several times since without excessive electrical components in use.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #73

Mar 182021

Outback

  • 60,000 miles
Battery drains after the car sits for a few days. I had the battery replaced last year, and had the new battery checked recently at the dealer. They (dealer) said it was fine and saw no parasitic drain. They told me I should drive the car every day to keep the battery charged, which I find to be very odd and extremely inconvenient. I also own a 2020 Subaru ascent and don't have to drive it every day to keep the battery healthy. The car sat for one week recently and the battery drained again. I jumped it yesterday it and drove it for 30 minutes and today the battery is dead again.

- Glen Mills, PA, USA

problem #72

Mar 162021

Outback

  • 100,000 miles

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

Battery often goes dead. Have replaced battery 3 or 4 times since we purchased in November 2015. Battery died in garage and in parking lot.

- Hamtramck, MI, USA

problem #71

Jan 012019

Outback

  • 40,000 miles
The ignition key doesn't come out when in park. The gears can manually slip while in park (while moving the gear shaft). It's like the car doesn't recognize the gear 'park', while also the key gets stuck and will not come out. This happens numerous times a day.

- Minnetonka, MN, USA

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problem #70

Feb 012021

Outback

  • miles
Key gets stuck on ignition switch when I turn car off and put it in park. Key will not release from the steering column. It takes several minutes, some times up to 20 minutes for the key to release from the column. Vehicle needs to be started and turned off several times before key releases. This has been happening for a few weeks now, very frustrating and dangerous as having to start and stop the vehicle has drained the battery twice now and I have had to get the vehicle jump started. Hopefully this does not happen in the middle of no where.....

- Duarte, CA, USA

problem #69

Dec 092020

Outback

  • 48,500 miles

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

Key will not release from ignition switch when parked after driving. Requires multiple shifting from park to drive and back to park before key will release. Frequency of occurrence is now every other day. Vehicle has 48,500 miles on it currently.

- Kingston, RI, USA

problem #68

May 022019

Outback

  • miles
Multiple cracked windshields unexplained. Windshields cracked with minimal stress mostly while in motion at low and high speeds.

- Mooresville, NC, USA

problem #67

Nov 132018

Outback

  • miles
Multiple cracked windshields unexplained. Cracked under minimal stress in heat and cold while in motion. Insurance did not cover deductibles or alternate transportation during repairs

- Mooresvilles, NC, USA

problem #66

Oct 152020

Outback

  • 25,000 miles
Battery has died twice in the last 5 months when nothing was left on and the car has been driven at least once a week. It continues to drain even when we replaced with a high level battery

- Morton Grove, IL, USA

problem #65

Mar 172019

Outback

  • 25,000 miles

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

Windshields keeps cracking. Repairs are expensive because of eyesight calibration. Windshield cracked shortly after purchase in early 2018, repaired it immediately, then cracked again within 2 or 3 months. Crack both times spread more than 6 inches in less than an hour.

- Sumner, WA, USA

problem #64

Aug 312020

Outback

  • 51,000 miles
Without warning the sunroof glass spontaneously exploded while driving 40 miles per hour

- Grand Forks, ND, USA

problem #63

Aug 032020

Outback

  • 126,000 miles
When you shut the vehicle off they key gets stuck in accessory mode and you are unable to remove the key. Problem occurs intermittently.

- Roseburg, OR, USA

problem #62

May 262020

Outback

  • 75,495 miles
My 2016 Subaru Outback all of sudden had warning lights such as: Brake, ABS, and stability traction control popped up on the dashboard when the car was in park ans when I was driving down the road and will not go away. It has made my steering wheel really hard to turn.

- Laporte, MN, USA

problem #61

Jun 162016

Outback

  • miles
Since purchasing vehicle on 6/16/2016 we have had a recurring problem with drivers side window engaging the auto-reversing (anti-entrapment) feature causing an inability to close window. We have mentioned this issue to dealership numerous times sometimes documented, sometimes not. They reset switch, only for the problem to return. On our last visit6/31/2020 we were told there was a tsb (12-272-19R) but we would be charged $276.22 for the repair. This is a safety issue and should be covered. We also purchased an extended warranty for $2547 good until 6/16/2026 or 126000 miles and were turned down on coverage from them as well.

- Ocean View, HI, USA

problem #60

Jun 012020

Outback

  • 85,000 miles
The car is stationary when this happens. The ignition key gets stuck in the ignition after turning the car off. Besides being annoying, this prevents the car from being locked thus introduces a theft risk. Eventually, we are able to remove the key but there is no consistent method of doing so. It's a matter of time and messing with turning the car on and off, moving the shifter, jiggling the key, or moving the steering wheel before it comes out. Google indicates this is a common problem with Subaru so I don't know why there is not a recall. This happens sporadically and has been ongoing for the past several months.

- Poynette, WI, USA

problem #59

Jun 222020

Outback 4-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
Sometimes the key won't come out of the ignition when I try to turn the car off (even though the car is in park). Based on what I've read, this is a defect with a sensor not recognizing that the car is in park. I think there should be a recall for this particular defect. I believe the service bulletin that addresses this defect is tsb number 16-112-18R.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #58

Jul 092020

Outback 4-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
We were driving on I5 North through Washington on a roadtrip (going ~65mph), about to enter a thunderstorm, and our moonroof unexpectedly shattered, making an explosion sound. Thankfully no one was hurt and we were able to go to a nearby Ford dealership to help us patch the car so we could make our 2+ hour drive home, but it was absolutely terrifying. After further research, we think it's in relation to the pressure difference inside and outside of the car. There was little glass in the car, making it seem as if the explosion was coming from inside. No rock or debris hitting the car was noticed. Here's more information about the issue from an article last year that referenced NHTSA: Https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/my-sunroof-exploded-government-investigating-exploding-sunroofs/283-C529D7E5-F2C4-488E-AE34-96F781ad5466.

- Snoqualmie, WA, USA

problem #57

Jul 262019

Outback 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
My 2016 Outback's horn stopped working. Over a year ago, it started working only when I was turning the wheel, then eventually in July 2019, it stopped working all together. It is mostly an annoyance, but I can't use it to warn others. I called an told my dealer's service dept, but they never got back to me. Later on, I talked to them, but was told they would not do anything because my car is out of warranty. They do know the part on it that "goes". I thought that if I got an expensive mileage check up service that they would feel badly that they know they have a "part that goes" and fix it, but they didn't offer to do anything. It is obvious that since they know exactly what part "went" without even looking at the car, they had a badly made part. I have a history of driving cars until they are over 20 years old and can hit 200 miles on a car and I never had a hard just stop working and don't think this should happen. I do not want to pay Subaru to fix this since they know their part goes wrong and is a safety issue. I am not confident that a non-Subaru mechanic will know exactly what to do, though since outside mechanics won't be familiar with this issue.

- White Plains, NY, USA

problem #56

Nov 192019

Outback 4-cyl

  • 62,000 miles
Key sticks in ignition when parked and turning off the vehicle. Key turns, but not to the point where it reaches the position of removal. It often takes several starts and turn off's to achieve removal of the key. Often requires very firm forces of the shift lever in the park position to achieve release of the key.

- Lexington, KY, USA

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