2012 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, WHILE DRIVING OVER A BUMP THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING ABNORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DECIDED TO SEND A TECHNICIAN TO TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS FINE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100.

DRIVING STRAIGHT AT 40MPH, NO ACCELERATION OR DECELERATION. CAR WITHOUT WARNING SUDDENLY STOPPED, AS IF IT HAD SHIFTED INTO FIRST GEAR AND I HAD SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. WHEN I PRESSED ON GAS THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE BUT DID MAKE REVVING SOUNDS. I LOOKED AT GEAR SHIFT AND IT WAS NO LONGER IN DRIVE. I THINK IT WAS IN MANUAL. I DOUBT I HAD ACCIDENTALLY MOVED THE GEAR SHIFT BECAUSE I WAS NOT MOVING AROUND IN MY SEAT AND I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT, NOT TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS CAR IS AN AUTOMATIC (CVT). I'VE ONLY DRIVEN TWO MILES SINCE BUT IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING FINE NOW. *TR

SITUATION: TRAVELING AT 60MPH UP A STEEP HILL ON I70 WEST BOUND IN LEFT PASSING LANE. CARS FOLLOWING CLOSE, AND CARS IN THE RIGHT LANE. FOR THE FIRST TIME (NEW CAR) I USED THE DOWNSHIFT PADDLE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL TO DOWNSHIFT TO ACCELERATE. I TAPPED IT TO DOWNSHIFT ONE GEAR. IT INSTANTLY DROPPED TO 1ST GEAR. THE ENGINE RPMS WENT TO RED LINE OR ABOVE. THE CAR DECELERATED DRAMATICALLY, AND I WAS TOSSED FORWARD. I ATTEMPTED TO UPSHIFT USING THE RIGHT PADDLE BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE, AND THE CAR REMAINED IN FIRST GEAR. THE CAR BEHIND NEARLY HIT ME. THE ONLY USEFUL CONTROL THAT I HAD WAS THE STEERING WHEEL (BRAKES OR ACCELERATOR USELESS). FURTHER, I ASSUMED THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT LIT. DUE TO THE ALERTNESS OF THE DRIVER BEHIND AND THE DRIVERS TO MY RIGHT AS I SLOWED DRAMATICALLY AND GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER, A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED. DASHBOARD LIGHTS WERE LIT, BRAKE LIGHT FLASHING, ETC. CAR WAS TOWED TO FLATIRONS SUBARU IN BOULDER, CO. THERE THE COMPUTER DATA LOGGING CONFIRMED BOTH MY SPEED AND THE RPMS AT REDLINE OR ABOVE. THEY WERE UNABLE EITHER TO REPRODUCE THIS BEHAVIOR, OR TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WERE TOLD BY SUBARU THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAD BEEN KNOWN TO HAPPEN, AND THEN TOLD TO REINITIALIZE THE "ADAPTIVE" PORTION OF THE COMPUTER, WHICH I BELIEVE THEY DID. OVERALL, I WAS TOLD THAT "THIS COULDN'T HAPPEN BECAUSE THERE WERE SAFETY LOCKS TO PREVENT IT". WHEN THE RECORDED DATA CONFIRMED MY DESCRIPTION, I THINK THE MECHANICS WERE VERY SURPRISED, AND DID TRY HARD TO UNDERSTAND THIS. I WOULDN'T ACCEPT THE VEHICLE BACK BECAUSE I AM OF THE OPINION THAT IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHY SOMETHING HAPPENED, YOU CAN'T BE SURE IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

IN EARLY DECEMBER OF 2011 MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK WITH A 4 CYLINDER ENGINE, CVT TRANSMISSION. WE HAD TO WAIT A DAY FOR OUR OUTBACK BECAUSE IT WAS BEING REPAIRED DO TO A BRAKE SYSTEM RECALL. EVER SINCE PURCHASING THE OUTBACK WE HAVE HAD A SERIOUS ISSUE WHEN USING THE PADDLE SHIFTERS TO SLOW DOWN FOR A STOP. WHEN THE TACH SLOWS TO ABOUT 1100 RPM IN FIRST OR SECOND GEAR THE ENGINE THEN ACCELERATES TO UP TO 2500 RPM, SLOWING DOWN AND THEN SPEEDING UP AGAIN THEN REPEATING THE CYCLE OVER EVEN IF YOU APPLY THE BRAKES. SOMETIMES IT WOULD JUST RUN AT 2500 RPM UNTIL YOU BRAKED TO A STOP. I TOOK THE OUTBACK TO OUR DEALER AND THE SUBARU SERVICE ADVISOR WAS VERY SURPRISED WHEN I DROVE IT TO DEMONSTRATE THE VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. IT DID EXACTLY AS I HAVE DESCRIBED AND EVEN STAYED AT 2500 RPM. THE SERVICE ADVISOR AND WHO I PRESUME WAS THE OVERALL MANAGER OF THE DEALERSHIP TOOK IT FOR A DRIVE WITHOUT ME. WHEN THEY RETURNED I WAS TOLD THAT THE WAY IT OPERATED WAS THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO OPERATE BECAUSE OF THE ENGINE NEEDING TO BE MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. I STATED I DID NOT REALLY BELIEVE THAT EXCUSE AND LEFT. SINCE THAT FIRST VISIT, THE OUTBACK HAS STARTED DOING THE VERY SERIOUS ACCELERATION ISSUE ALSO IN AUTOMATIC DRIVE AT LOW SPEEDS. I RETURNED ON JULY 19, 2012 TO GET MY FIRST SERVICE DONE. I LEFT THE CAR FOR THE SERVICE AND TESTED AN EXACT (EXCEPT FOR COLOR) 2012 OUTBACK. THIS OUTBACK HAD NONE OF THE VERY SERIOUS ACCELERATION ISSUES THAT MY OUTBACK HAS. WHEN RETURNING TO PICKUP MY OUTBACK I TOLD THE SERVICE ADVISOR OF THIS OUTCOME AND HE STATED I WOULD HAVE TO CONTACT SUBARU OF AMERICA TO ELEVATE THE ISSUE. RESPOND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS TO WHERE I CAN TAKE THE OUTBACK FOR REPAIR OF THIS VERY SERIOUS ACCELERATION ISSUE. MY WIFE AND I WILL BE TRAVELING VIA THE OUTBACK VERY SOON AND NEED THIS VERY SERIOUS ISSUE RESOLVED BEFORE WE LEAVE. *TR

VEHICLE STOPPED CRUISE CONTROL & FLASHED BRAKES & NO TRACTION CONTROL UNEXPECTEDLY. CAME CLOSE TO A WRECK SHUTTING THE VEHICLE DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD HITTING VARIOUS TIRE RECAPS & DEBRIS ON THE SIDE. OF THE ROAD. NOT TOLD THAT THIS IS A REGULAR OCCURRENCE WITH THIS VEHICLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE DRIVER THEN TURNED THE LIGHT SWITCH TO OFF AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED INTO HIS DRIVEWAY WITH THE SWITCH STILL TURNED TO THE OFF OPTION AND ALL OF THE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 4,100. UPDATED 08/01/12*LJ THE SUBARU TECHNICIANS STATED THE CONSUMER MA HAVE ACCIDENTALLY TURNED OFF THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS, WHICH WAS LOCATED ON THE LEFT SIDE, BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL. UPDATED 08/02/12

DROVE THE CAR FOR APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES, MADE A QUICK STOP WITH CAR TURN OFF, WHEN RESTARTING CAR, AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND ALSO THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT SAID IT WAS OFF EVEN THOUGHT THEIR WAS AN ADULT PASSENGER ON THAT SIDE OF THE CAR. LIGHT STAYED ON EVEN AFTER RESTARTING CAR, READJUSTING SEATBELTS, ETC. DROVE WITH WARNING LIGHT ON FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, STOPPED FOR A MINUTE, TURNED OFF CAR AND WHEN STARTING CAR, THE WARNING LIGHT WAS OFF AND THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SAID IT WAS ON. TOOK TO DEALER NEXT DAY, GOT CODE DTC29. OCCUPANCY DETECTION SYSTEM GOT RECALIBRATED AND ZEROED AND DID NOT COME BACK ON. *TT

WANDERS, VERY DIFFICULT TO HOLD STRAIGHT LINE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DANGEROUS, VERY TOUCHY STERING. *TR

WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE EXHIBITS VERY POOR STRAIGHT LINE STABILITY. VEHICLE WANDERS WITHIN THE LANE AND REQUIRES EXCESSIVE STEERING WHEEL CORRECTION TO MAINTAIN STRAIGHT DIRECTION. VEHICLE 500 MILES ON IT (350 DRIVEN BY OWNER) BUT IS NOW SITTING IN DRIVEWAY FOR FEAR OF PERSONAL SAFETY IF EMERGENCY MANEUVER IS NECESSARY ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

I WAS SETTING THE HOMELINK MIRROR ON MY CAR TO RECOGNIZE A PARTICULAR GARAGE DOOR OPENER. THE MIRROR IS POWERED SO I NEEDED TO LEAVE THE CAR IDLING. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND BEGAN THE PROGRAMMING PROCESS. THE LAST STEP IN THE PROCESS IS TO ENGAGE THE GARAGE DOOR OPENER FROM THE MOTOR HEAD. TO PREPARE TO DO THIS, I EXITED THE CAR AND MOVED ON FOOT INTO THE GARAGE TO LOOK FOR A STEP LADDER. AS I WAS SEARCHING FOR A STEP LADDER AND AFTER A PERIOD OF AT LEAST ONE FULL MINUTE, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO "DRIVE" AT WHICH POINT THE UNOCCUPIED CAR DROVE INTO THE GARAGE AND HIT THE REAR WALL. *TR