2017 Subaru Outback Complaints

POWER TRAIN,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 02/22/2026

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)

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 07/01/2026

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.

STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE — Filed 06/08/2026

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)

STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 10/15/2025

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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 04/23/2026

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.

AIR BAGS — Filed 04/03/2026

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)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 12/01/2023

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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 03/30/2026

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.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 03/20/2026

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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 03/02/2026

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.