2021 Subaru Outback Complaints

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 07/03/2026

I was already parked in a spot in a public parking lot. I tapped the accelerator pedal to move the car a few inches. The vehicle responded by violently accelerating, hitting a vehicle directly in front of me in another parking space. I applied my brake but the car would not stop. The force of the acceleration pushed the car out of the it's spot and it hit a curb and tree appox 30 ft away. In defensive move I turned my wheels to the right and continue to try and brake. This caused my car to hit the car on the right side of me. Property Damage occured. No injuries. Vehicle defect.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/08/2026

First battery drain in car. Bought a new battery and it drained again for the second time. Called Suburu to ask about a parasitic drain from the DCM and they said it was likely that and told me to call Suburu America. Did that but they wanted me to take it to a Suburu dealer to get the problem verified. I don’t have the $ to do that. I notice there is a class action in court right now for this exact problem.

AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/12/2026

We are VERY concerned about the failure of some very important safety features of our 2021 Subaru Outback Touring Edition. We were involved in a bad car accident caused by a person under the influence who was in handcuffs when we were taken away by ambulance. As you can see by the photos, there was MAJOR damage to the other car and significant damage to ours. What is most concerning is the fact that NONE of the airbags deployed and the safety and security plan also failed - it did not call 911. I had to find my phone on the floorboard and call 911 myself. I am not sure if the insurance company will call it a total loss but I really don't think I want the car back BECAUSE of the failures of these very important safety features. I truly feel like Subaru has some explaining to do on this.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 12/05/2024

The battery zapped out in December of 2024 in the wintertime and left me stranded. Subaru towed it the next morning and replace for free only bc I mentioned the previous law suit but the battery issue is the same

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 05/06/2026

Thermo Control Valve Failure- Contact Subaru of Cherry Hill, NJ for Inspection 177,4XX Miles P26A5 code Check engine Light on, Disabled Safety Systems (Eyesight System), Car may have overheated if not pulled over and turned off. Part of warranty extension but did not qualify due to mileage.

STEERING,SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 01/06/2024

I am filing this complaint regarding multiple serious safety defects in my 2021 Subaru Outback purchased in July 2021, currently at 48000 miles THERMO CONTROL VALVE FAILURE (26,307 miles) While traveling in the center lane on [XXX] southbound in [XXX] the evening of 1/6/2024 my vehicle suddenly experienced a complete loss of control. It seemed that the car was accelerating and braking at the same time without driver input making it impossible to operate safely. It started shaking and several lights were illuminated on the dashboard, power steering was not working. The car coasted to the right shoulder and starlink was used to call for help. The car was towed to the dealership for repairs. The diagnosis was a failed thermo control valve and related sensor circuit. There were no dashboard lights before the incident that fore shadowed this event. This failure rendered the vehicle completely inoperable at highway speed and posed and extreme risk to the safety of the driver, passenger and other motorists. I am aware that Subaru has extended the warranty on the thermo controls valve to 15 years/150000 miles for 2020-2022 Outback’s which suggests that Subaru had knowledge of the defect. Since the incident several other premature “wear” defects have presented under 48000 miles on a 2021 vehicle: - 41,402 miles: driver side rear strut replaced - 41,402 miles: rear brake pads and rotors - 41,402 miles: driver side front window motor, regulator and run Chanel - 41808 miles: rear knuckle assembly, rear wheel bearing and backing plate replaced - 45,768 miles: front brake pads and and rotors replaced - 48,000 miles: complete exhaust system - 48,000 miles: passenger side front window motor, regulator and run chanel This vehicle has proven to be uncharacteristically unreliable for a Subaru Outback. The intended use for this vehicle is for my children to drive to college nearly 600 miles from home in the fall. This car is not appropriate for this purpose. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 12/31/1969

This 021' outback XXX purchased in 023'/ 24k Mi Freehold subaru. freehold NJ 'if purchased new would've been on the desk of a local lemon law attorney by now. Over the few years the lock unlock function of key fobs stubbornly, randomly & repeadedly dont work. Freehold subaru saw no problem. Front passenger window months ago wouldn't go up. Freehold subaru supposed repaired at a cost to me. Recent cold weather with a brand new battery of 6 Mos old rendered the car unable to start or boost. Vehicle towed to Freehold tire center st freehold NJ, replaced a $400 battery. brought the 6 mo. old battery back to auto zone who load tested and advised nothing Wrong w battery? Not to mention the sub standard BS feature of coming to a stop, foot on brake & engine stopping-starting when proceeding? this is something of concern of being rolled over by an approaching truck in the rear of this 021' outback because 3 times when stopping at a red light the engine shut off and when proceeding, foot off the brake the engine wouldn't re-start & all the indicators on instrument cluster lit up, had to restart the car. Recent event where my wife, [XXX] old legally disabled- primary driver comes out of a store, starts the outback, puts in reverse to back out of a spot and the car dies. This vehicle is being brought into Freehold subaru south st. Freehold NJ Tues morning Apr. 21st 026' south st and is not being picked up due to it being unsafe to operate. Until all the issues are corrected. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE — Filed 02/26/2026

The failure involves the engine (powertrain), which was under warranty. The vehicle has experienced four catastrophic engine failures resulting in sudden loss of power, including at highway speeds (65–75 mph). The most recent failure also involved an oil-saturated catalytic converter. These failures occurred between 06/25/2024 and 03/16/2026. During this ~629-day period, the vehicle was only in my possession for about 184 days, as it remained at the dealership for diagnosis, repairs, and repeated engine replacements. The issue remains unresolved. The vehicle is currently in my possession, available for inspection, and is not being driven due to safety concerns. All failures occurred during normal driving and caused sudden loss of power with no prior warning, leaving the vehicle inoperable and stranded. This created a significant safety risk due to inability to maintain speed or safely merge, increasing the likelihood of rear-end collisions. The failures have been confirmed by an authorized Subaru dealership, with multiple engine replacements performed under warranty and most recently as a goodwill repair. Both the dealership and Subaru of America have acknowledged they cannot determine the root cause. The dealership’s Operations Director stated the vehicle is not safe and he would not allow his family to drive it. The vehicle has been inspected multiple times by the dealership and Subaru of America. However, no inspection reports, diagnostic data, or detailed findings have been provided despite repeated requests. Additional issues (including a broken axle and oil-saturated catalytic converter) were only identified during a third inspection after being missed previously. Requests for explanation were not answered, and further details were withheld as “internal.” There were no warning indicators prior to the first three failures. During the fourth, a temperature warning appeared only seconds before failure.

AIR BAGS — Filed 12/23/2025

The airbag light came on in my car even though the cars airbags have never deployed. The code that the scanner is bringing up is B1784. The description for this error is Right front occupant detection sensor collision detection, Subaru has a safety recall for this exact issue for this exact year and type of car but are stating my vin does not have the recall. I have contacted them and they stated there is nothing they can do for me to fix this recall because my car's vin is not showing to have this recall.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION — Filed 11/25/2025

On 10/29/25 the car lost power once it got to 3500rpm. Multiple warning lights came on. On 11/06/2025, the Thermo Control Valve, high pressure fuel line, and gaskets for intake manifold and EGR were replaced. On 11/24/25, when backing up slowly in a small parking lot, the rear camera detection picked up a raised cement walkway with metal railing. The brake was applied by the driver, however the car accelerated quickly and slammed into the railing and cement. The vehicle was placed into drive after the collision and continued normally. The brake was on once the warning light beeped and prior to the collision. The foot was not removed from the brake pedal until it was in drive. It could not have been placed into drive without the brake pedal being pressed. I asked the dealership if they could pull data from the car at the time of the incident, and was told they weren't sure they would get any information. It has not been inspected by a dealership or insurance. There was no damage done to the cement and railing was already bent. Only the car sustained damage.