2016 Subaru Outback complaints

We have replaced about 5 windshields in this vehicle since we have owned it. The cracks form from the bottom of the windshield in the black area where a rock couldn't possibly chip the windshield. Subaru refuses to recognize this vin number as part of their class action law suit that was just settled and has refused to extend the warranty on this particular vehicle although they are covering replacement windshields for other 2016 Subaru Outbacks. They clearly recognize that there is a problem but are refusing to admit fault. You do not need to look far to find numerous complaints in forums on the internet with people describing this exact problem.

I OWN A 2016 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40:MPH ON A LOCAL MAIN ROAD (CT RTE 10) THE EYESIGHT PRE-COLLISION BRAKE ASSIST SUDDENLY ACTIVATED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY STOP. THE BRAKES THEN RELEASED AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING. THIS IS THE SECOND INCIDENT WITH IN A MONTH THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000 THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNING LIGHTS OR ENGINE LIGHTS ON. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY THE DEALER. THIS SUDDEN STOPPING CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.

I Had to jump start battery on several occasions, leaving myself and my family stranded. I took the car to my dealer on 12/3/2018. Dealer (Glanzmann Subaru) could not identify problem, performed two software updates. I received no information or explanation of the nature of the problem. A month later the problem repeated. I took the car to dealer on 1/16/2019 (mileage 25,941).They tried to tell me that the battery was leaking, but it was not. They replaced the battery and I had to pay the cost for a new battery, $123.97. On 1/27/2021 (mileage 39,172) the new battery failed in a similar manner. The dealership insisted that there were no problems with the charging system. They replaced the battery ( no cost) and performed an ECM update. They were insistent that there were no systemic issues with the electrical system. After the fact, I discovered that this is a universal problem with a number of Subaru vehicles. During a recent visit to my Subaru dealership I inquired as to whether a solution has been determined and will my car be fixed before the new battery also fails. They were very vague and non-informing. I am hesitant to venture far from home with this vehicle since I cannot trust the car or Subaru's support. I can provide dealer service records in support of this issue.

Multiple instances of the battery dying after being parked for a few days. New battery did not resolve the problem and diagnostics indicate that the battery is not the problem. Unable to use vehicle when it cannot be started. Most recent incident was 1/18/2022. First occurred shortly after I purchased the vehicle.

In January 2020 my Outback failed to start. Battery was totally discharged and had to be jumpstarted. Took the car to dealer where technician tested battery and said it was good.I had him recharge the battery and test it again. It failed and they installed a new exact same battery under warranty. I was very pleased. However, the battery failed several more times over the year and had to be jumpstarted every time.I am returning to the service dept on 01/18/22, when I am demanding a new stronger battery or fix the parasitic draw which I discovered is causing the problem. I will return here later to inform you of outcome. Thank you for providing a place to report this.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, her vehicle would fail to start up without warning. The contact had taken her vehicle to the dealer numerous times and had several battery replacements performed; despite each replacement, the failure persisted. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while approaching the vehicle in the morning, she noticed a L-shaped crack in the windshield which originated on the passenger’s side of the windshield. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that an issue with the windshield wiper had caused the fracture. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.

I'm having continuing issues with premature discharging of the battery even though I now have a heavy duty battery and also carry an emergency jump start battery in case. My Outback is equipped with Onstar so it does draw power at all times, my relatively new Optima battery has shown being drawn down to 25% charge on the Optima battery charger after only 24 hours. Of non use.

Oil leak from power train

On November 15, 2021 my car was in the garage as normal. I started my car and I heard a "pop" I was headed out my driveway is when I notice a crack at the bottom of the windshield that is about 3" high and then curves for about 4".

Replacement battery in under 35,000 mile Subaru discharged while sitting in garage for several weeks. There have been zero earlier problems with electrical system other than the original battery dying after about three years. When jump started the charging system seemed to work and the car started after sitting overnight. We are in a very cold northern environment and if the vehicle will not start it could strand us in an unsafe setting. Coming back to a parked car that may have been left at an airport parking lot to find it would not start would be very inconvenient and expensive to remedy.

Battery dies when parked for a few days or not driven enough. Needs to be jumped several times per week.

Battery rapidly drains leaving me stranded. 4th battery that has been replaced by dealer and the same thing happens. No warning lights or low battery lights. Dies from 1 week to over nite. Remote won't even open the car. Dealer refuses to fix the battery drain and keeps saying it isthe battery that is bad but replaces with the same battery which fails ! I see where there are lawsuits against Subaru but I am not getting any help at all from corporate or dealer. Personal safety and being stranded and unreliable are my main concerns.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while stationary or while in motion, the tailgate would independently open without warning. The contact stated that due to the failure, the battery was drained. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicate or diagnose the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed; the contact was referred to NHTSA for further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

In my 2016 Outback, the OEM battery died after 3 years. AAA put in a replacement and gave me a 3 year full replacement warranty. That battery died after 2 years while in a gas station – had to get pushed away from the pump and luckily the guy behind me had jumper cables. That go me home and I got a brand spanking new AAA battery free of charge. One incident – stuff happens. Two? No way. I was at Subaru this morning for an unrelated item and the service guy said that everything electrically was okay. The problem is that if the car sits idle for more than 3 days the computer starts draining the battery and that can cause irreparable harm which can eventually lead to premature failure. SOLUTION: Make sure to run the car at least every three days. REALLY????

This is the 6th time this week the car starts fine in the morning, I stop at a gas station or store come out and its dead! Concerning safety this is a major deal for me as I take care of my mother whom is on oxygen at 2L if this happens with her in the car or by herself,, it could very easily turn into a life or death situation! This issue seems to be a recurring issue as I have replaced the battery already and used AAA more than a few times in the past year. Car was purchased new off the lot in 2016. There is currently less than 35000 miles on the odometer. This is beyond upsetting and a very dangerous situation living in Colorado. Hypothetically if it was below zero peoples lives are 100% at risk due to a issue that I feel is being covered up by subaru. What options do I have? Is this a potentially very serious issue that I should start thinking about getting lawyers involved?

Windshield got a very large crack from me trying to kill a bug inside the car. Windshield is thin. I didn’t hit it that hard with my hand. Had to be replaced. The repair service tech explained that the only replacements for my model are of the same thinness as the original, and to seek the recall glass replacement should it be thicker and safer.

Key sticks in ignition and won’t release. Takes from a few attempts to several minutes of restarting the car, putting car in drive and then park, turning the wheel etc.

Battery is dead every morning

New battery, less than 10K miles completely drained when vehicle was not used for 3 days. Similar problem with previous battery, died with 10minutes or radio use.

Battery corrosion on terminal post and drained for no reason, failed battery test and had to be replaced. Windshield has imperfections throughout and cracks easily. Shift mechanism will not release the vehicle key while in park. Squeaking sound emanating from passenger seat belt buckle. Excessive exhaust noise and odor from exhaust pipe. Rear hatch will not close completely unless slammed very forcefully. Belts under the hood squeak very loudly when started and subside when warmed up.

Our vehicle has factory-installed child safety locks incorporated into the rear passenger doors. The safety lock on the rear passenger-side has failed in the "engaged" position, and cannot be disengaged using the small black switch in the door. Consequently, the only way the door can be opened is by using the outside handle. We see this as a serious safety issue, since in an emergency egress situation, the only way a passenger in the right rear seat can exit the vehicle is if someone opens the door from the outside. Looking on online forums, there are many incidents of this same problem. However, Subaru has not chosen to correct this problem for cars that are outside of vehicle warranty.

The battery in my car has been replaced 3 times (twice by the dealer and once by me) and the alternator once due to deep discharge, in addition I have had to "jump" the car one or more times. Subaru has paid the cost of all repairs for this issue despite the fact they don't admit there is an issue. In addition to the battery replacement there was an ECM update done this last time to reduce battery drain. There is no warning or indication that a failure is about to occur. This last time I moved the car from my garage to my driveway and 4 hours later, the car would not start and the battery measured 4.25 volts--no lights were left on, doors open, seat heaters on etc. The concern is that it is impossible to tell if the car has drained the battery and it can leave us stranded anywhere we have turned it off. I contacted Subaru of America this last time and they said not even to "jump" it as it would possible loose valuable error codes. I have their roadside assistance and even though I received a call confirming that a flatbed would arrive within 60 mins. it never showed. This car has the potential to leave us stranded anywhere at any time and if locked the key fob does not work and even if I can get in, the car can't be moved due to no power to release the parking break.

Battery dies after car is parked for more than 3 days. Car is available for inspection. I have been stranded/inconvenienced at least 5 times. Problem was solved through AAA, family jumpstart help, etc. Verbally reported to dealer, service writer comment made it sound like it must have been my fault or just the needs of the computer components. No warnings or symptoms.

Windshield cracks easily. On my 5th windshield, just replaced 2 weeks ago and it’s cracked again. The windshield cracks easily even with minor rock chips. This is the 5th windshield on this car.

I have just had to put my fifth battery in my 2016 Subaru outback. I have experienced a dead battery twice. The first time this happened I was at a remote campsite and had the stock battery in the car. That battery lasted 25k miles. I brought my car to the dealer and they did a software update. Since then I have had two new batteries.

For months, there have been incidents of battery drain where the vehicle is unable to be started without a jump charge. I have replaced the battery several times; electrical testing by the dealership does not diagnose any problem.

Windshield cracked without any cause

I am about to replace battery in my 2016 subaru outback for the fourth time. obviously an ongoing problem with this vehicle . my wife had to wait 4 hours for subaru roadside assistance to respond with tow. All replacement batteries done by dealerships. No warning signs. .

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.

The windshield cracked without receiving any kind of impact to it. No rock chip, sudden jolt, extreme temperatures or other weather event precipitated the cracking.

I drove my car several miles to a ferry without any problems. I turned off the ignition and the car sat on the ferry for less than five minutes. When I tried to start the car, the battery was completely dead. The ferry driver had to return to the island side with just my car, which they pushed off the ferry. My husband came and jump started the battery. The car was driving very jerkily after that for about ten minutes. We immediately took the car to an independent service center technician, who tested the battery and said the battery was fine. We stopped to fill it up, thinking maybe there was air in the fuel tank or something. When we restarted it, the problem was gone. I researched online and discovered that electrical/battery problems are common with Subaru Outbacks. This was/is a safety problem because apparently I could be stranded anywhere. This car has died in the driveway many times in the five years we have owned it. This was the first time it died on a trip. There was no warning message or symptom of any kind - car was driving fine, then completely dead after five minutes of being off.

2016 3.6 Subaru Outback has required battery replacement 4 times. If the battery dies while operating the car a dangerous shutdown of various electrical systems. This has happened twice, one instance no power steering, the next time the braking systems engaged. In both instances I was fortunately at a stop. If this happens while the car is moving especially at a high rate of speed, the results would be catastrophic.

Two different batteries have been completely drained in the last two weeks. The first time I thought it was that the the current 27 month old battery had failed. There were no warning lights or symptoms of electrical issues either time. We just came out to a completely drained battery. After installing a new battery two weeks ago, the battery was drained down to 1.2 amps yesterday morning after 16 hours of non use. A mechanic diagnosed it as a parasitic draw and we were able to recharge the battery overnight. Now the brand new battery has been weakened by the complete draining. We also no longer have confidence in leaving the car idle for any length of time. Isn't there a software update to fix this issue?

The contact's wife owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that since owning the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start up after multiple attempts without warning. Since owning the vehicle, the battery was replaced four times. The contact initially had the vehicle jump-started and taken to the dealer. The battery was replaced once by the dealer and replaced out of pocket three times. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

Shift mechanism is not releasing the vehicle key while in Park

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently started shuddering and jerking. The contact also stated that the vehicle was making abnormal sounds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that she was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission had failed. Then, the vehicle was taken to the dealer who tests drove the vehicle and diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would replace the transmission, but she would be responsible for the cost of the labor. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

Car has 66,000 miles on it. vin#[XXX]--- HORN DOES NOT WORK IN ANY POSITION. Is available for inspection at any time. Nearest dealer is State Line Subaru - Somerset, MA Have contacted dealer and have received no response. Almost caused an accident by failure of the horn. No warning lights or messages. No indication of problems prior to failure. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Incident occurred on Interstate 25 Northbound at approximately mm 190. My speed was approximately 70 mph. Weather was dry and about 70 degrees. I was in the next to left lane in 4 lanes of traffic. The moonroof on my 2016 Subaru Outback exploded violently sending glass outward into traffic. I had never heard of this phenomena so when I saw black material from the top of my car going into traffic I thought it was pieces of my roof rack. I pulled over to the shoulder to examine my car and saw a massive hole in the moonroof. Knowing that if I continued shards of glass would continue to be expelled onto the interstate I pulled the remaining pieces of glass into the interior of the car. Not that it mattered, that's where they fell anyway when I opened the moonroof. The pieces of the moonroof fell into the slots for the seatbelts, rendering the drivers side inoperable. It was a miracle that no other car was seriously impacted and that I was able to get home safely. Subaru and any other car manufacturer that is involved with this problem needs to be held accountable for the damages and remedial repairs. This problem should be addressed by the NHTSA immediately.

Unable to turn key to off position when in neutral and unable to remove key from the ignition. In order to get the key out of the ignition, the car needs to be restarted and turned back off or the gear shift needs to be pushed as hard as possible into the neutral position multiple times. With the inability to turn the car totally off and remove the key, there are multiple safety issues that can arise. Was informed that the entire select lever assembly needs to be replaced due to a known issue by Subaru. The issue was reproduced by an independent service center. No warning lamps are illuminated.

Model Year 2016 Outback vehicle purchased new in Dec.2015. The OEM 2015 battery was replaced gratis by dealer ( Flemington Subaru) in Feb 2020 at 26,016 mileage. The Feb. 2020 replacement battery was changed Jan.27,2021 by Flemington Subaru due to ‘dead check’ found during a recall service for telematics updating. The Jan.27, 2021 replacement has failed on multiple occasions since installed ~7 months ago. The dealer performed a Battery/Electrical System analysis on 4August,2021which alleged the battery to be “GOOD” with measured 12.63 volts and CCA 571 vs. its CCA 550 rating. Despite adequate miles driven and only several days since the 4 August test the battery is again dead on Aug.8,2021. I possess all pertinent service record invoices relating to battery changes and testing.

Ignition does not release key in a reasonable manner. Must wiggle key, start/stop car multiple times, and wait for 15-20 minutes before the key releases from the ignition. Started as an occasional issue, but has become more and more constant.

Parking shifter sensor is failing intermittently. This prevents removing the key from the ignition. Seems to react better when you throw the shifter into park forcefully.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback The contact stated that after placing the vehicle into PARK, the key could not be removed from the ignition switch. After turning off and restarting the vehicle several times, the key was removed from the ignition switch. The vehicle was diagnosed but was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,104.

Battery drains - just goes dead. In the past six months it has happened @4 times. Checked twice at my garage and no problem found. Electrical system and battery checked out. After it is jumped it runs rough and not drivable until computer resets and windows have to be reset by hand. No warning lights of low battery.

Multiple jump starts due to battery dying, even after replacement battery. Car is not reliable, not able to start after not driving it for 2 days.

We purchased this vehicle as a private sale in Nov 2018. In May 2020, the battery failed and was replaced, thinking it had reached end of life.. One month later, in June 2020, this new battery was dead, and was replaced under warranty under the premise that it was a bad battery. In addition, at the time of this 2nd battery replacement, the vehicle was inspected by our dealership to assess why the battery died, and though no direct cause was found, the battery cables were replaced. This July 11th, 2021, the battery was dead once again, and replaced under warranty, again thinking it was a defective battery. Yesterday, July 25th, two weeks after this 3rd new battery replacement, the battery was dead again. No user error was ever noted (no internal light left on, vehicle had been driven regularly every day of the week, etc.). Upon research online, there appears to be a class action lawsuit against Subaru regarding electrical problems that rapidly drain batteries in several Subaru models 2016-2020, which includes our 2016 Outback. We can never know when our battery could fail, and clearly cannot trust this vehicle to start on any given day, which is a serious safety concern. We have been unsuccessful in our attempts to communicate with Subaru customer support. Please investigate this complaint as appropriate. Thank you.

My Outback lost AC/Heat and even after repair at an Outback dealership, it still goes out intermittently. My car battery seems to drain for no reason at all, without any consistency to the drainage of power either. I have it looked at, and the dealership said there isn’t a cause and there isn’t anything that can be done. Back rear door doesn’t lock and unlock with the key fob designation; sets off the alarm when we don’t pay attention to it. Hatch door only lifts about 14 inches upon designation. Has to be manually lifted the rest of the way. Has been fixed once at a dealership, but since returned to the aforementioned diagnosis.

Battery has failed repeatedly, at least 4 or 5 times over the last year. Took to dealer who checked it out and said they found no issues. Please note no lights or doors were left open that would have resulted in a batter drain. Concerned as I have been stranded due to this issue.

The adjustment of the passenger side side view mirror has malfunctioned. The mirror can not be adjusted properly for visibility of cars to the side of the vehicle. Only the driver-side window is operable. All other windows fail to open from the driver side control. The passenger window will no longer operate from the passenger side either. These windows would have to be broken in order to escape the vehicle in some situations (flooding). My mechanic says that this is a common problem in 2016 Subaru Outbacks. No warning lights were activated. A mirror not able to be adjusted for optimum sighting of other vehicles is surely a safety issue.