2017 Subaru Outback complaints

My vehicle accelerated when I was at a red light. My foot was on the brake. It also accelerated when I was backing out of our driveway. This resulted in a type of “ lurching” motion. The incident at the red light happened once. The incidents while backing out happened 3 times. No warning light were displayed. The vehicle has not been inspected yet. My safety was at risk because it accelerated once when my foot was on the brake and excessively when I was slowly backing up.

Ignition switch fails to revert to last forward position, so unable to remove key. So far have been able to start, stop, and generally go forward, reverse, keep manipulating key and ignition position until it works again.

2017 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO ENGINE STALLING WHILE DRIVING.

Can not remove ignition key at times. Have tried all suggestions on line. It can take up to five minutes of various things to ge it out. It is never the same . Mary

Battery - Subaru battery failed. Purchased a new aftermarket battery that failed after 5 months. No warning. Completely dead. Taking to dealership for "diagnostic" test on March 20, 2022. This is a known issue with a class action settlement. I was told I did not qualify for reimbursement of any kind. Subaru does not have any "fix" for this problem and numerous owners of these vehicles are having battery drain problems throughout the US and Canada.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated towards a truck in front. The contact used excessive force to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the braking distance was extended due to the failure. Additionally, there was an abnormal thumping sound heard while the vehicle was coming to an abrupt stop. The contact pulled to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle but found no cause for the failure. After waiting momentarily, the contact proceeded to drive, and the vehicle operated as needed. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

Unable to remove key from ignition when vehicle placed in ‘Park’ and vehicle easily changes to ‘Reverse’ when unable to remove key, potential safety hazard to driver and anyone standing behind vehicle. Started around 40,000 miles, repair facility thought replacing the key cylinder would fix the problem but it recurred in less than 1,000 additional miles. Subaru Forums cite many, many owners with the same issue on multiple vehicle types resulting in replacement of the shifter mechanism due to a malfunctioning ‘Park’ sensor.

While car was in motion car just stalled. Upon reading recalls the maker of the fuel pump which produce these pumps has recalled other models. Denso and Subaru should check these other models and replace the known issue. Vehicle had to be towed for safety of myself and my son.

The 2017 Subaru Outback has been slowly leaking oil and it has been determined that the cam carrier seal is defective and needs to be replaced. The vehicle has 70k miles on it and it has been brought to my attention that this a common problem among this vehicle. The service costs and replacement are very high and the car isn’t that old to be experiencing this problem yet. If it’s a common problem with Subaru then the part should be recalled and replaced at the companies expense. The vehicles warranty has expired at 60k miles and i never got an extended. Please advise.

Yesterday the windshield began to spontaneously crack. This is the THIRD windshield in this vehicle to do this. All three windshields cracked starting in an area below the hood line, so stone chips are highly improbable. We bought this vehicle new. That windshield we replaced in 2018. Then we put another new windshield in in 2020. I believe, as I did when I filed a previous complaint in 2020, that there's a structural issue with the car that causes this undue stress.

Batteries have very short lives. 3 batteries in 18 months years. They drain while vehicle is parked and not being driven for a week.

Secondary hood lock lever not functioning, spring is missing.

I purchased my 2017 outback in 2018. Since owning the vehicle I have had to replace the battery 5 times in 5 years. It is about to be the 6th time as my battery is giving me problems already. I have been stranded twice because of the battery and both time were when I lived in a rural part of NV. I have brought this to the attention of Subaru in Henderson, NV and they said everything is fine. However, online there are a number of blogs and sites all with the same complaint and all say the same thing. Subaru does nothing.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as designed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer would was unable to retrieve a diagnostic code. No failure was found. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised that the vehicle be taken to a different dealer. The failure mileage was 25,000.

We have owned our previously owned Subaru Outback 2017 for 18 months and have replaced the battery 3 times. We are now on our 4th battery. That battery turnover seems rather excessive, doesn't it? My thoughts: 1. Phantom drain 2. Short (harness or wires cut by abrasion) 3. Programming (shut alternator off to increase mpg) 4. Faulty programming - see 3.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would not start. The contact had the vehicle jump started. The contact replaced the battery, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000.

My 2017 Subaru Outback has a parasitic battery drain. The battery dies after one day of non-use. It has to be jump started. The battery is less than two years old and is the second battery since we purchased this car in 2019. Took it to a auto repair service to be checked and the technician found a parasitic draw that continually cycles between .05 mil amps to .14 mil amps. This may be the CAN system not going into sleep mode and draining the battery. This is a potentially hazardous situation and can leave me stranded in remote or dangerous locations. Subaru is well aware of this problem and yet has not addressed this problem.

I experienced 2 incidences of sudden unexpected acceleration (SUA), the second one led to an explosive collision. Subaru asked that I sign the EDR release but refused to give me (rightful owner) a copy. With significant effort I obtained a copy of the EDR for myself. It is near impossible for the consumer to obtain their rightful copy, significant because it stinks of poor transparency for Subaru to investigate Subaru (see below). Once I obtained my copy, I released the EDR to Subaru and my vehicle was inspected by SOA at our local dealership. For some untold reason, the vehicle would "not to be released to me" at the end of the day but was held for additional time at the dealership. Later Customer "Advocacy" informed me that the results of the investigation was that the throttle was active 1.5 seconds prior to impact and that it was a case of "pedal misapplication". Because I also had the data I was acutely aware of how SOA cherry picked data to match their own narrative. I know for a fact what happened considering all the data, together with the actual facts of this potentially fatal accident. I was pulling straight into the parking spot, yet the EDR MISTAKENLY "thinks" that the car is turning sharply to the right the entire time (EDR shows this and why PBS not active). The electronic sensors are being fed ERRONEOUS information. With the steering wheel 'supposedly' at full lock, the power steering pump is told to spin faster to maintain pressure. The computer tries to pick

ISSUE: Battery dies rather expectantly. Recently died in subzero temps here in Denver CO, on 1/30/2023. AAA was called, no issue with battery, rather there is a parasitic drain (0.46amps) occuring without any lights or visible signs of electrical on when the car is turned off. All signs lead to this being an issue with cars CPU draining the battery in a matter days. Becomes a major safey issue if you are stranded in cold weather as it sometimes the case here in the mountains of colorado after a day of skiing, for instance.

Hello, I am making a complaint about my 2017 Subaru Outback's windshield. I am frustrated that my windshield has cracked for the second time in just over 2 years. In early October 2020, I purchased the vehicle as a used car. Three weeks later a small rock hit the windshield on the driver's side and a small chip became a large crack that spread across my vision over 1 ft long. I brought it to the Subaru dealership I purchased the vehicle from to have it replaced, which cost over $500.00 for parts and labor which included recalibration of the eyesight technology installed with the vehicle. I recently (January 2023) replaced my windshield wipers and as I was doing so the passenger side wiper arm slipped from my hand and struck the windshield and immediately formed a 5 inch crack. The wiper arm was about 3 to 4 inches away from the windshield when this happened. I cannot believe this happened at all. In both cases the cracks traveled well over a foot across the windshield within 2 days. My vehicle is equipped with eyesight technology and I have come to understand that the windshields on these vehicles are made thinner than usual to accommodate it. I believe this is a defect in their windshield manufacturing and/or design. I find it unacceptable the windshield is that fragile. Subaru vehicles are touted as very dependable, rugged and capable of off road use. My confidence in this notion is low and everytime something strikes the windshield I pray it doesn't crack. I will be spendi

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the windshield was cracked. The vehicle was not diagnosed, inspected, nor repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

I was pulling into a space in a parking deck, foot on brake. Just as I was shifting into Park, the car lunged forward and slammed into the guard rail. Popped the fender and did some paint damage. Thankfully no one was hurt, but frightening to think that this could have happened in an intersection.

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

On January 24th, 2022, during a regularly scheduled maintenance services appointment at a Subaru dealership, the service technician discovered that the steering rack on my 2017 Subaru Outback needed replacement. At that time, I was advised it would be unsafe/dangerous to continue to drive my vehicle, unless I immediately replaced the steering rack. Therefore, at the guidance of the Subaru dealership, namely Freehold Subaru, I gave my consent for them to proceed with replacement of the steering components, which cost $2,223.86 (plus tax). Evidence of the cost is a copy of the detailed invoice and proof of payment is available upon request. At the time when the steering components were replaced, I was not aware of the Subaru Outback recall which involved steering components, nor did the Subaru dealership bring it to my attention, perhaps because they were also not aware of this specific recall. The recall I’m referring to is described under NHTSA Campaign Number 16V292000 (dated May 11th, 2016). As I paid for the steering rack replacement out of my own pocket, on November 29th, 2022, I contacted Subaru of America to seek reimbursement because this should’ve been covered under the steering components recall mentioned above. On December 15th, 2022, I received a message from Subaru of America stating that my particular Subaru’s VIN was not included in the recall. In my mind, this may have been an unintentional oversight on the part of the Subaru dealership by not including my Suba

Windshield Cracked for no apparent reason. Parked the car in front of the house for a few hours. When I came out the windshield had a 6" crack (starting at the bottom of the windshield going up then towards the passenger side of the vehicle). by the next day it was more than 12".

Paddle shift levers--which are positioned on the steering wheel as opposed to the steering column--are too square-edged (shape), which is a design defect that can cause loss of steering control. Specifically, the sharp corner can catch on coat zippers. I was driving East, took a right turn, and intended to procced with driving South. When I attempted to straighten out the wheel, however, I was unable to do so. The paddle shifter corner "hooked" my coat zipper, along the track. This caused me to lose control of my vehicle steering, which resulted in collision with a bus stop/stand and a citation for failure to stay within my driving lane. The coat was a bit longer since it was fairly cold that morning. The zipper mechanism was made of a plastic material. The zipper was fully zipped, not half zipped and half unzipped. If the paddle shift levers were more round in shape/design, then the risk of the lever "hooking" onto clothing decreases significantly. I found examples of where other Subaru Outback drivers expressed concerns about the positioning and shape of the levers posing as a safety hazard, too.

The battery on numerous occasions goes dead. Some thing causes the charge to drain. This has occurred while the car is parked overnight as well as when the car is on a long drive and stops at a rest stop.

Upon turning off my 2017 Subaru Outback Touring, the engine turned off via the push start/stop button. However, when I went to use the vehicle later the same day, the car would not start (starter would not engage). I determined that the steering wheel was NOT locked. The transmission was in Park, and I could not move the shift lever out of Park. I attempted engage the steering wheel lock by moving the steering wheel back and forth, but without success. Vehicle now totally inoperative. Vehicle is available for inspection at my residence upon request. The safety of owner and others is compromised as follows: Because of living in a semi-rural area, I rely on this vehicle to safely transport me and my family members everywhere (grocery store, doctor appointments, emergency room visits, etc.); Failure of the vehicle to operate property could expose operator and/or passengers to extremely cold weather, such as that recently experienced in December 2022. This is the second occurrence of the same malfunction. First was in July 2022. Vehicle was serviced by Subaru of Georgetown who informed me that the problem (car would not start because steering wheel lock was not engaged) was "fixed", but that they could not duplicate. No other entity, other than the dealer, has examined the vehicle. No warning lights, messages or symptoms prior to either occurrence. Driving was normal, engine shutdown appeared normal, but subsequent restarts were not possible due to the steering wheel lock not eng

Front windshield cracked spontaneously during extreme cold while front defroster was running set on high. no overhead objects. no other cars or vehicles on the roadway. 15 mph. crack is in the windshield wiper resting area extending from the black edge to the center, in a horizontal crack, bilaterally.

My 2017 Subaru Outback will not start after sitting all night I’ve had diagnostics ran on the battery and it shows 100% charge. After charging the battery it held until the next day it was drained again. It was snowing with winds 50 mph, and I had to jump my car to start it. The faun doesn’t work when the battery is dead and that causes the theft alarm to go off once the battery is charged. Now my check surroundings before backing up sensor stays on well after shifting into Drive and beeps incessantly while driving, the back up camera also stays on while in drive. Now I have to drive 2 hours to a dealer and pay $130 in diagnostics. I feel this is the same situation thousands of Subaru owners are experiencing and why they have filed a class action law suit. Subaru should be liable for my expenses to repair this known systemic issue in a product they manufacture that is not safe, it it leaves you stranded on the side of the road in the cold. Thank you

2 yo 2017 Subaru Outback was left untouched for 2 weeks. When trying to start, it had a dead battery. 2 years later, 2017 Subaru Outback was left untouched for 1 week. When trying to start, it had a dead battery. 2017 Subaru Outback was left untouched for 2 days. When trying to start, it had a dead battery with a 1 - and 8 month old battery. Basically, when this 2017 Subaru Outback hasn't been started every day, it will have a dead battery.

I was warming up my car and clearing it off after a snow storm. The windshield had no problems when I wiped it clear of the snow with the wipers up (I always leave them up before a storm to prevent damage to the blades). When I put the drivers side wiper down, a large crack formed on the windshield starting at the blade on the passenger side and crossing over the driver's side. This was clearly caused by some part of the wiper and is unacceptable. Since it happened on a Saturday morning I had to drive to get my daughters (2 hours away) and ride with them with the cracked windshield until I can get it in for repair on Monday. This is clearly unsafe because there is greater chance for the crack to expand in the cold weather and if an accident should happen our safety is severely compromised. I will report this to my dealer on Monday (I have a scheduled oil change). No problems with the windshield had been found in any previous appointments or inspections.

On December 1, 2022, as I jockeyed my car out of my garage it accelerated as I tried to break and I slowly drove into a stack of boxes at the back of the garage. No damage and I was able to back out and continue my journey. My wife was in the car with me. I continued on my trip to North Carolina without incident. On Dec 5, 2022, on our return home I exited the highway in southern Pa. to get supper. After I entered the off ramp and then prepared to obey a yield sign, the car again accelerated despite my attempt to brake. I swerved to the right to avoid any traffic and the car did eventually stop. Again no damage. Subsequently we resumed our travel and arrived home with no further incident. On December 6, 2022, as I backed out of the garage again it accelerated as I tempted to brake. Fortunately no damage and the car did finally stop in the driveway. I called the dealer and drove the car in for a checkup. They found no problems and reported the car ran as designed. While in the service department they replaced the muffler, put in new spark plugs and replaced a wheel bearing. I have had no further problems since I picked up the car on December 12, 2022. The dealership was very cooperative but I wanted to issue this concern with your agency in case there have been other complaints of this nature. I drive my car with some anxiety that another incident may recur. Thank you for your review and anticipated response. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AC

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to jump start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the battery was replaced; however, the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the contact would be notified of what the manufacturer was responsible to cover. The failure mileage was 70,000.

Despite a replacement and multiple visits from AAA, the battery in our 2017 Subaru Outback dies constantly and leaves us stranded. Mechanics insist the batteries (both the original and the replacement) are fine and there must be a greater issue with the car itself. We drive regularly, run the engine in the driveway otherwise, and still continue to wake up and find the car dead.

On June 27th, 2022 my 2017 Subaru Outback developed a large crack on the windshield extending from the passenger side diagonally up the windshield to the driver side. Obviously I had to replace the entire windshield to keep myself and others safe. Today, December 2nd, 2022, a crack has developed while the vehicle was parked starting at the same point as the June incident and extending in the same direction. Having the windshield crack in the same place twice in one year with no apparent impact from debris is highly suspect.

Battery goes dead, known problem with unusual drain on battery due to electrical issue. If car sits unused for a few days, battery dies.

I have had the battery replaced 4 times in less than 6 years. There seems to be something wrong with the electrical systems ability to keep a battery charged, or something draining the battery constantly.

We have replaced the battery every 2 years.

I was driving my 2017 Subaru Outback on a trip from New York to Florida. On I-95 in heavy traffic I hit a bump in the road, and at that instant, nearly every warning light on my dash came on, including EyeSight, lane departure, and emergency braking. My adaptive cruise immediately disengaged causing the vehicle to suddenly slow (this incident was at highway speed). The "brake" light was also illuminated. Not knowing what happened, I pulled over on the side of the highway and found that the wire to the electric parking brake on the passenger side had disconnected from the brake module. I tried to plug it back in, but it would not stay. I secured the cable with a hair tie and continued on the trip. Approximately 500 miles later, I hit another bump or pothole, and the same thing happened. I checked under the car again, and discovered that the driver side had failed in the same manner. I secured the cable with another hair tie and was able to complete my trip. When I returned home, I discovered that this is a known issue and there is a Subaru TSB published, 06-63-18R. There is no warranty on this issue, and I was charged nearly $750 to fix a KNOWN PROBLEM caused by a plastic retainer. In my opinion, this issue should be treated as a safety defect and subject to a recall to replace with the newer part. Having all of your vehicle assists suddenly fail at highway speed in heavy traffic is a disconcerting and dangerous event.

Yesterday, I was accelerating at a reasonable rate from a stop. My Outback stopped responding to the accelerator pedal and kicked up to 3500-4000 rpm. My brakes could barely hold the vehicle back and it forced me to slip my transmission in and out of neutral to prevent a crash. I pulled over twice to restart the car, hoping to reset something and address the issue, but it was still present when I pulled into my driveway and stopped the car for the evening. This morning, I started the vehicle and to my surprise, it started normally. I took it to my local mechanic who checked for codes or lights ( and carpets on the accelerator, etc,) and there were none. He also went under the hood and checked air filters and the entire intake system and found nothing. This is the third time I have experienced this issue. The first time I was making a right hand turn into a parking lot. I restarted the car and the issue went away. The second time it lasted a little longer but also was resolved by restarting the car. This third time, I was also making a right turn, but this time from a parking lot to the road, where I continued to drive. Two attempts at restarting did not resolve and it remained in this out-of-control condition until I turned it off.

Battery dead and needing replaced within 2 months

I have had to replace the battery multiple times since purchasing the vehicle in 2017. Each time the battery was determined to be unusable by qualified service staff. Battery replacements occurred on (1) 2019-10-18 at 34,877 miles and on (2) 2022-02-24 at 67,339 miles. The first occurrence left me stranded at a hotel on a sub-freezing day. The second occurrence left me stranded in a parking lot. Both required me to obtain commercial service to get on the road. Both occurrences were subsequently diagnosed by a reputable service shop (Les Schwab) as a battery failure and replacement was recommended. The battery failures occurred without warning from the vehicle (no lamps).

The battery consistently "dies". It doesn't matter how often I drive it. I never know when it won't start. In 5 years, I've had 2 batteries & about 6+ jump starts.

I purchased a used 2017 Subaru Outback in December 2020 from a friend whose mother had owned the car before her death in Nov. 2019. That owner purchased it used from dealer in Sevierville TN in 2019 and had to replace a battery at least once according to records. The battery has failed three times since Dec. 2020, totally drained and would not recharge so a replacement was needed. I replaced the first battery then took it to dealer for other two replacements. The previous owner had a garage under her mountain house. She was found dead in her den chair. After her burial the family later found the 2017 Subaru Outback parked in her garage underneath the house was totally empty of gas. I believe from reading issues other Subaru owners have had that this car did not turn off and this lady died from carbon monoxcide poisoning. This is an issue well documented over many years and it is way past due for a recall by the manufacturer. Since it continues even to 2020 models there should at least be a stop production order until this issue is corrected. It is not just an inconvenience but a very real danger for owners who park in a home garage. As the government agency trusted to oversight of manufacturing defects presenting a danger to the safety of the public it is way past time for you to act.

When the car is not driven the car battery is drained completely and requires replacement. I have replaced the car battery three (3) times in less than one year. Alternator is functioning properly. This costs $165 each time I replace a car battery. I cannot see mileage as car is dead (approx 12,000).

While driving, advance driver assist systems became disabled, car intermittently stopped and resumed responding to accelerator, power steering became inoperative, car eventually lost all power. Gear would not shift out of drive. Emergency brake would not engage. Fortunately, I was able to coast the car to the shoulder of the road. Had to keep foot on brake until roadside assistance arrived. Car was towed to repair shop where battery was replaced. Similar system failures occurred while my wife was driving a couple of weeks prior. She was able to coast car into a parking lot just off the road. In the past month, the dealer has replaced parts that diagnostics said created parasitic drain. The alternator has been replaced and the battery has been replaced twice in the last couple of months. Car had body work performed last week and the car will not start without being jumped. We are going to drive it to the dealer with fingers crossed that the electrical system will not shut the car down while in transit.

The Vehicle's electrical system is actively draining the battery of power. This is a known problem by Subaru.

I have been stranded repeatedly by my subaru since it was purchased with drained batteries, no explanation from subaru. Safety issues arise from the stranding. There is a lawsuit now with subaru but they are not acutally fixing the cars? No warnings were given and I now have a unreliable vehicle with no proposed fix from the manufacturer.

Battery is not holding a charge, causing electrical issues (windows not working properly, locks not functioning) and for the vehicle to fail to start. The battery is brand new and this is still an issue. 45,000 miles on the vehicle, there were no warning lights indicating a bad battery. This has not been confirmed yet by a dealership/mechanic/insurance.