2017 Subaru Outback

917 complaints on file, page 1 of 46.

1. Filed Jul 8, 2026Failure Feb 22, 2026Indianapolis, INPower train, Unknown or other, Wheels

   The CVT failed at 62 miles per hour on a busy interstate, XXX. This caused the drivetrain to lock. The car has been repaired and traded locally in [XXX]. The car was very difficult to steer with locked wheels in traffic. This was a rapid evasive manuver on a busy interstate. An undrivable vehicle on an interstate is life threatening to many. Flat bed driver told me I was lucky to steer off of lanes onto shoulder with four locked wheels. This incident put me in mild shock. The Subaru dealer had to replace the transmission. The dealer and Subaru Regional Rep. examined the CVT failure. It was outside of the 100,000-mile warranty by about 895 miles. Repair invoice attached. I did not have advanced warning of CVT failure. There were no warning lights on before the CVT failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

   NHTSA complaint 11749073
2. Filed Jul 7, 2026Failure Jul 1, 2026Tulsa, OKUnknown or other

   Came out to car on the morning of July 1, 2026 and found windshield had cracked from the very bottom of the windshield (no impacts). This is the third windshield I will be putting in this car. Original windshield was replaced by Subaru 4/25 2025 for the same exact problem. 2015 &16 Outbacks had a settlement filed as did the 20-23 subarus. This is a known problem.These cracks limit visibility, interfere with all other safety systems: Lane change, cruise control, visibility, auto brake for emergency and other related safety systems. I could not go with aftermarket windshields (Safelite) because Subaru said they would not cover any malfunctions with the eyesight system unless it was Subaru glass. I have contacted my Subaru dealer and they said Subaru will more than likely not cover it. Their glass was put in by them 15 months ago and this not the result of a chip or impact. Came out in the morning and it was cracked. Go to any Subaru owners web sites and you will see this is a reoccurring, KNOWN problem for almost ALL Subaru models. How can safety items LIKE WINDSHIELDS ( which affects ALL other safety systems) not fall under NTHB?? So class action lawsuits cover the two PRIOR years and the next three model years, but not 2017?? jSame glass, same manufacturer, same know problem.

   NHTSA complaint 11748868
3. Filed Jun 22, 2026Failure Jun 8, 2026Englewood, COEngine, Service brakes, Steering

   On Monday [XXX] were driving on [XXX] going north up [XXX]. I was doing about 60-65 mph in traffic which was flowing in both directions. While ascending the pass, the car suddenly started to misfire, rapidly lost power, power steering failed and all dash lights lit up. With no shoulder to pull out this was a very scary experience. Eventually managed to limp to a spot where I could pull out off the pavement. Car was dead. Popping the hood showed significant battery corrosion. I had a toolkit with me. The voltmeter measured the battery voltage at 9.3V. Thinking maybe cleaning the battery terminals would allow the car to be restarted, I managed to get the cables off and cleaned everything with a wire brush. But still no power. After a while a state trooper passed by and hung on while I contacted a towing service. After another 1.5 hours, the tow truck arrived and towed the car the 60 miles or so to the dealership in Denver with my wife and I in the cab of the tow truck. Dealer repair invoice indicated Data Control Module (DCM) "causing excessive draw on electrical system." More significantly, the battery had drained below the the operating threshold voltage required for vehicle drivability (understood to be 10-10.5V). There was no mention of this by the dealer service adviser. Although dealer diagnostic was carried out, no computer codes were provided. Vehicle mileage at time of incident 73,456. I have owned the car since new and have all service records. Car was repaired and picked up from dealership on 06/10/26 with a replacement DCM. Battery was charged up but not replaced and left in corroded state. Battery will probably have been weakened by such a total discharge with reduced life expectancy. I have uploaded the dealer repair invoice. I have reported this incident to Subaru of America. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

   NHTSA complaint 11745736
4. Filed May 11, 2026Failure Oct 15, 2025South weber, UTElectrical system, Steering, Unknown or other

   Ignition key not releasing after turning engine off. Put shifter in park, foot on brakeii, turn Ignition key off. Key will not release. Have to cycle multiple times to get key released.

   NHTSA complaint 11737057
5. Filed Apr 24, 2026Failure Apr 23, 2026Petaluma, CAUnknown or other

   The front passenger window does not work correctly all the time. The driver is not able to put the window up when pressing button on driver’s side and the passenger needs to keep pressing button to have it go back up again. So if the driver puts the window down while driving, the driver cannot put it back up. It occurs every few months. It’s such a common problem that there are many sites on you tube on how to fix it. It is known on you tube that it happens with Subaru often.

   NHTSA complaint 11733593
6. Filed Apr 9, 2026Failure Apr 3, 2026Henrico, VAAir bagsCrashFire1 injured

   I was recently involved in a multi-car accident, where the vehicle rammed into my outback from behind, leading to a spin-up and hit again by the driver side, forcing me to collide into a vehicle that had side-lined on a highway. In this situation, I would expect the airbags to get deployed, but to my surprise and shock, none of the airbags were deployment (both frontal as well as side)

   NHTSA complaint 11730268
7. Filed Apr 7, 2026Failure Dec 1, 2023Carlton, ORElectrical system, Unknown or other

   I think recall work was not done, but says it was done (or is not open). Does it say when and where recall work was done? This car has a parasitic battery drain, 3 batteries in 3 years, required 2 jump starts, 1 call to AAA. There is a recall for such an issue, but I do not believe it was fixed and done. It showed NO open recalls, and just last week I had brake work for a recall done.

   NHTSA complaint 11729625
8. Filed Apr 6, 2026Failure Mar 30, 2026Clinton Township, MIUnknown or otherFire

   My car caught on fire while I was driving in 3/30/26. The far started somewhere in/near the front driver’s side, initial observed flames were coming from just above the front driver’s side tire. There were no warning lights on at the time the fire started. The car was a total loss by the time firefighters arrived.

   NHTSA complaint 11729434
9. Filed Mar 24, 2026Failure Mar 20, 2026129,000 milesCovington, WAAccelerator pedal

   The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact lifted her foot off the brake pedal and then firmly depressed the brake pedal another time. The vehicle was able to come to a stop. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle had stalled while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer, who were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

   NHTSA complaint 11726792
10. Filed Mar 16, 2026Failure Mar 2, 2026Rural Retreat, VAEngine, Fuel/propulsion system, Unknown or other

    Total of 3 incidents when my car had approx 1/8 to 1/4 of a tank of gas....as going up incline on interstate....car like stalls and slows down, will not speed up....get it over to the side to avoid being hit and it finally starts going again...close call with vehicles behind us in the passing lane. Below listed the last time it happened... Did not use to do this...first time was same area listed below in November 2025.

    NHTSA complaint 11724776
11. Filed Feb 22, 2026Failure Feb 20, 2026New York, NYUnknown or other

    While driving, the car suddenly shut off while in motion. It came to a stop at the bottom of hill where we were able to put it in neutral, and push it into a parking lot. After that we attempted to start it 4 or 5 times, and the engine would turn over and shut off after a couple of seconds. After leaving it off for about 5 minutes, it was able to start. Additionally, it occasionally feels jerky while driving, usually at lower speeds.

    NHTSA complaint 11719746
12. Filed Feb 5, 2026Failure Feb 1, 2026Lexington, KYLatch

    The contact's sister owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the hood unlatched, flew open, and struck the windshield, causing the windshield to shatter. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. It was unknown whether the driver was able to close the hood. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the driver was provided a loaner vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. It was unknown if the manufacturer was contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

    NHTSA complaint 11715835
13. Filed Jan 5, 2026Failure Jan 1, 2022Cottonwood Heights, UTElectrical system

    If the car engine does not run for more than 4-5 days, the battery is drained completely dead and the car needs to be jump started to get the engine to run and have the alternator recharge the battery. Ongoing issue.

    NHTSA complaint 11708730
14. Filed Dec 29, 2025Failure Dec 26, 2025Douglassville, PAUnknown or other

    Driving on a flat dry road with cloudy conditions we heard what sounded like a shotgun. Pulled over and found our Moonroof exploded. I have dashcam video with audio of the explosion as well as photos and video of the damage immediately after

    NHTSA complaint 11707487
15. Filed Dec 10, 2025Failure Dec 5, 2025Midland, NCVisibility/wiper

    My Outback has been through 5 genuine Subaru windshields this year, and 7 since 2019. Only one was impact damage, the rest developed cracks after installation. One only lasted 3 days after being replaced. Others have lasted 3 months. There is something defective with the current Subaru replacement windshields and the dealers can't help. These are $1,300 insurance claims each. Subaru needs to figure out what is happening with the poor quality before someone gets hurt from shattered glass or impaired visibility from cracks.

    NHTSA complaint 11704138
16. Filed Dec 3, 2025Failure Dec 3, 2025University Park, MDVehicle speed control

    While in a parking lot moving at very slow rate speed the car suddenly accelerated on its own. I had just slowly turned within a parking lot in preparation to backing into a parking space. I had just removed my foot from the accelerator and the car was almost at a stop and I was about to brake and put the car into reverse when it suddenly and rapidly accelerated on its own. My foot was not touching the accelerator at the time (it was over, but not yet touching, the brake). The car felt as if someone had suddenly slammed on the accelerator, but my foot was not on the accelerator at the time. Luckily my foot was over the brake when the rapid unexpected acceleration occurred and also luckily there were no cars in front of me. I was able to immediately slam on the brake so that the car did not hit anything. Before I was able to brake, the car quickly lurched forward at a surprisingly rapid rate of speed for a short distance. Quick application of the brakes stopped the sudden and rapid forward movement of the car. I did not notice any warning lights or messages on the car. This could have been a very dangerous situation. If someone had been walking in front of the car, they would have been hit and potentially seriously injured. If there had been cars parked in front of the space I was about to back into, the car would have hit them and caused damage. This happened earlier today and I have not yet reported it to the dealer. No police or insurance personnel were involved as I managed to avoid an accident. The event occurred today, Wednesday December 3rd at about 11 am. There were no other witnesses. To my knowledge this is the first occurrence of this rapid unexpected acceleration for this car.

    NHTSA complaint 11702736
17. Filed Nov 3, 2025Failure Nov 3, 2025Pinckney, MIUnknown or other

    The key gets stuck in the ignition when turning off the ignition.

    NHTSA complaint 11697184
18. Filed Nov 2, 2025Failure Jun 30, 2017Greenville, SCElectrical system

    battery drains consistently after a few days of not driving/

    NHTSA complaint 11697044
19. Filed Oct 30, 2025Failure Aug 16, 2025New York, NYEngine

    I been hearing a loud humming sound like a sports car and smell of fumes inside the cabin.

    NHTSA complaint 11696612
20. Filed Oct 8, 2025Failure Oct 6, 2025Redding, CAElectrical system

    Since purchasing this Subaru in 2017 there has been multiple incidents where the car battery drains overnight. Causing the car not to start due to a dead battery.

    NHTSA complaint 11692082