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.
Noticed rust bubble in the inner and outer paint of the driver front door pillar December 2021. Noticed it was getting substantially worse and reported it to Subaru July 2022. They said there was no pinhole in the rust and would not be covered. Showed it to Subaru again in 2023, and said it is not covered under their 5 year rust plan. It is now January 2024, and the paint as well as base metal is peeling from the door. It is clear there is damage to the base metal, and represents a weakened location in the door/frame/pillar structure should there be a rollover accident. Bought this car for its safety reputation. Online forums have noted that Subaru has replaced doors for this same premature failure of the door in the same location on multiple vehicles.
Retractable sun roof exploded/disintegrated while vehicle was under power on an open road. Photo of damage exceeds the maximum size for uploading. Can be transmitted by email if desired
The power rear lift gate mechanism frequently does not work. Even when car is unlocked the rear lift gate refuses to open just giving a 3 beep warning. The back can be manually opened but not by me as it is extremely hard to lift. Sometimes the gate only opens partially, or only closes partially. After my husband manually moves the gate it does not close fully and does not lock so we have no guarantee objects from inside the vehicle will not fall out while moving. Additionally, if my dog is in the car and the gate is inoperable I cannot get him out. Today it only opened part way and I accidentally walked straight into the edge of the gate almost knocking me out! This is a problem that comes and goes - it worked today in Walmart parking lot but not when I arrived home. The dealer said to bring it in when it doesn't work, but then it works when you get to the dealer and he says there is no problem!!
Car back door won't open, despite 3 new batteries. Remained locked so that couldn't remove equipment from back--Dangerous. Have been through 3 batteries in 26,000 miles....all that the car has been driven since it's purchase, new, in 2017.
I have a 2017 Subaru Outback. It rained hard Monday night into Tuesday. When I got in my car Tuesday am to take my kids to school, there a small crack, maybe 3 inches, there was no crack previously. As I drove my kids to school we watched the crack grow larger and larger. There was no debris or anything near the windshield when we got it. It seems to me that a windshield should be able to withstand a hard rain. I googled it and it seems that Subaru's have problem with their windshields and it doesn't seem right. Thank you
- Topanga Canyon, CA, USA
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While driving on 9/14/21 at about 40 mph, we heard a loud crash and the sound of broken glass. I pulled off the road shortly after to inspect my vehicle and found that the sun/moon roof had literally exploded. The shade was closed and no broken glass entered the passenger compartment. Upon closer inspection, the remaining hole in the sun roof (measuring approx. 14 in. wide by 8 inches deep) indicated that the force breaking the glass had come from the inside rather than the outside as the rim around the hole was convex rather than concave. Also there was very little glass resting on the outside surface of the closed shade inside the cavity, with the majority of it on the roof toward the rear of the vehicle. I am now in discussion with both my insurance company and the dealer that I bought the vehicle from. I did take 3 pictures but am unsure how to send them with this report.
I had backed my car up to the front of the garage. I came to a complete stop. As I tried to put my car in park, my vehicle catapulted into the garage which was directly behind it. I believe my car experienced "sudden uninterrupted acceleration". my cinder block garage partially collapsed and need to be completely razed.
The windshield is cracking and it seems to be without any reason. There is a very tiny dink that can be seen, but the crack is significant compared to the slight dink. There was no incident that occurred prior to my noticing the crack.
Windshield is cracking without any cause. It cracked near the passenger side wiper while it was sitting in a parking garage under normal conditions. I had the windshield replaced today, weather was perfect (sunny, 65 degrees F), and it cracked again, while parked, only hours after the replacement in almost the same spot..
We were traveling South on interstate 15 and about 45 minutes into my trip to take my cousins back to the airport in salt lake city from Idaho falls the hood of the car just flew up and smashed into the windshield. The care was un-drivable and had to be towed. Ultimately the insurance company totaled the vehicle. The weekend after I was back in Colorado my brother and I saw another Subaru but different model that it looked like the same thing happened. Have pictures of that as well.
Parked my leased 2017 Outback in my driveway last night with nothing overhead, no trees, etc. This morning there was a large crack in the windshield which began at the bottom of the glass on the passenger side and continued on for over 15 inches. Total mystery.
I purchased a brand new 2017 Subaru Outback, in Nov 2019, windshield crack by itself without any external influence during normal driving @ 9200 miles, got new one replaced on 12/5/19, then after 3 months driving less 500 miles, it cracked again. Made report to Subaru of America, they deny the defective of their windshield and refuse to be responsible for the replacement cost..
My windshield developed a crack starting from the bottom center, right where the windhield heating element is. The vehicle was in motion but nothing hit the windshield, I just heard a pop and saw the crack appear and in a matter of minutes it was half way up. Ended up replacing the windshield with an aftermarket one after Subaru of America said they won't cover it.
My windshield cracked while sitting in a parking garage during a workday. The crack started off about 12", and about a month later spread all the way across the windshield.
Windshield developed a chip which turned into a 12 inch crack without impact from rocks or large road debris. The chip appeared will driving on the highway when the sound of sand or bugs was hear to hit the windshield but was not anything that would result in a chip that would lead to a 12 inch crack. The windshield had to be replaced. Cost to replace the windshield out of pocket was $675.73 plus tax
Sunroof exploded while vehicle was in motion at highway speeds. Not attributed to impact from foreign object debris. Conditions indicate that thermal shock has likely exposed defects in the manufacturing process and other vehicles may be susceptible to similar incidents. Vehicle was left in a parking lot for 1.75 hours. Outside air temperature was recorded at 92 degrees (F). Upon entering the vehicle, the air conditioning was engaged and the internal air temperature was set at 68 degrees (F). Approximately 15 minutes later, while driving at highway speeds, an explosive sound was heard. The sunroof cover was closed. Upon initial inspection, it was confirmed that the sunroof was shattered however largely intact. Upon further inspection, it is clearly discernible that the glass is now protruding outward beyond the roofline as a result of the explosive action.
Sunroof explosion. Driving straight at highway speeds we heard a loud pop as our sunroof spontaneously exploded into small glass fragments out of the top of the car.
Hello, see attached pics of our Outback sunroof that exploded while traveling southbound on I-95 in ga crossing South newport river in townsend, ga 31331 around 10:55 a.M on 11/19/17. All occupants heard a loud pop and sound of glassing exiting the rear of the vehicle prior to pulling over. I cleared to the side of the interstate, documented the sunroof damage and then drove 40 mph to next exit where I located a vacuum to clean up the mess so that we could drive 35 miles back home. There was a cold front passing through the area, so there were some gusty winds, but temps were only around 60 degrees. We had just refueled and were accelerating to 60 mph to merge with traffic. We were using a sear's X-cargo carrier on top for personnel storage. I have an appt with the dealer tomorrow to assess warranty, etc. The vehicle is six months old.
NHTSA id number: 11003485 I agree with this complaint as was completely surprised when I returned to the dealer to have the doors re-programed to "auto-lock" after accepting this automobile front driver and front passenger doors do not lock automatically and remain unlock when shift in drive when car is stationary and also when care in motion. No voice, light or any alerts that alert the driver to lock the doors manually every time you drive the car. This a safety issue as if you forget to lock the doors manually and by any chance snaps on the door handle, car door will open and fatalities can occur. Spoke with service advisor at my Subaru dealer and he stated that this issue is real and there is no way to program the vehicle to lock the front doors automatically when it is in drive or at certain speed. I am not aware of any other cars that have same issue, even older cars 10 plus years old cars has this safety feature as standard. This issue is not mentioned anywhere in the vehicle manual and sales persons do not talk about. In my opinion this is a safety issue and a key factor when choosing to buy Subaru Outback.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Saint Charles, IL, USA