2014 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

my air bags didn't deploy when I hit a tree, and the seat belt gave loose. A police report was filed, and the car was evaluated by a collision center. The insurance company has not yet evaluated the vehicle. The air bag indicator light indicated the air bags were in good working order. I slid off the road in snow and hit a tree dead on and my entire front end crumpled, but my air bags didn't deploy and my seat belt was fully extended when I exited the vehicle to get into the ambulance.

The ODS in our 2014 Subaru Outback has failed, and there is a constant beeping indicating that the air bag system is not functioning properly. This was definitely an issue the last two winters, too, but with covid quarantine and illness, we were not able to address it then. The airbag warning lights and sounds persist whether the seat is unoccupied or occupied by a child (14 or 16) or adult. The dealer has diagnosed that the passenger seatbelt switch is also not working properly. Their recommended remedy is replacing the entire seat base (~$1,300). This vehicle also had a recall of the passenger side airbag inflator, which was replaced in May 2019 when our mileage was 88,000. The issue started when weather turned cold in the winter of 2019. When it is below about 45 degrees, the beeping starts, and it only ceases when the vehicle is warmed up and the engine is turned off then on again. Our temperatures here in Eastern Washington get up to 115 in summer and down to 10 in winter. We are thinking that this ODS defect may be due to a loosening of the components during the airbag service or the exact same faulty ODS component that was recalled in the Subaru Forrester recall (NHTSA campaign number 19V701). It is important to us to have a functional airbag in case of a crash.

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while the vehicle was at a standstill when the contact saw unknown warning lights were flickering on and off. The contact parked the vehicle and went inside a store when approximately 10 minutes later the vehicle was on fire. Fire marshals and police extinguished the fire and a report was taken; no one was injured. The vehicle was then towed to an insurance lot where the contact was awaiting a diagnosis. The manufacturer was informed of failure and was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

Driving at highway speeds with over half a tank of gas and car just shut down, no warning lights, no noise just shut down and lost all control. Fortunately was able to safely move to shoulder. Sat there for a few minutes, called subaru dealer (no suggestions though i now know there is a recall (NHTSA 21V587000) for an identical problem in newer subaru outbacks and also plenty of online sites suggesting this has happened to other outbacks. Car restarted and we were able to complete our ride home, very scary to think of what could have happened if we were in a different situation of traffic or highway conditions.

Horn malfunctions. Press horn on steering wheel is dead silent. However, if I enable the Panic button on key, the alarm sounds. When I start the car after pressing Panic button, the horn I steering wheel works. Sporadic operation.

The center differential or Viscous Coupling locks up after any extended highway driving. The car lurches when turning sharply. This is a 6-speed manual transmission. This started at around 70,000 miles and is getting progressively worse now at 80,000 miles. The tires have always been all the same, inflated according to spec. New tires at about 72,000 miles. From online research, the Viscous Coupling on Subarus fails very frequently. This is a defective design resulting in a safety hazard, and requires expensive replacement.

THE REAR VIEW CAMERA WAS NOT DESIGNED OR MANUFACTURED PROPERLY AND IT ALLOWS MOISTURE TO GET INTO THE CAMERA ITSELF. AFTER A WHILE THE CAMERA WITH FUZZY PICTURE AND EVENTUALLY YOU CAN NOT VIEW THINGS PROPERLY OR SEE THEM AT ALL. THERE ARE MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS BY OTHERS ON THE INTERNET. THIS MAKES IT UNSAFE TO BACK THE CAR UP IF TRYING TO USE THE CAMERA TO ASSIST IN CLEARING THE PATH ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT.

1. REAR LIFTGATE WILL NOT OPEN WHEN USING REMOTE OR SENSOR ON VEHICLE. ONLY WAY TO OPEN IS TO CRAWL FROM INSIDE TO THE BACK, POP A LID AND THEN MANEUVER LATCH RELEASE. NO WAY TO OPEN LIFTGATE FROM OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. I'M 66 AND DISABLED. 2. EXCESSIVE OIL USE REPORTED BY TECHNICIANS DURING OIL CHANGE.

ORIGINAL FRONT BRAKE PADS HARDLY WARN AFTER 100000 MILES. REAR BRAKE PADS WARE OUT AT ABOUT 30000 MILES. CHECKED TEMPERATURE OF FRONT ROTORS AFTER DRIVING BARELY WARM, REAR BRAKE ROTORS EXTREMELY HOT.

I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY, AFTER DRIVING A LITTLE MORE THAN TWO HOURS. THE DASH BOARD LIT UP WITH MANY OF THE "TROUBLE LIGHTS". THE BRAKE LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING, EYE SIGHT WAS LIT, MEANING THAT IT WAS NO LONGER ENGAGED. AT OIL TEMP. CHECK ENGINE TRANSMISSION. ALL OF THE ABOVE. I AM LOOKING AT A PICTURE THAT I TOOK SHOWING THE MILEAGE AND THE WARNING LIGHTS. THE CAR CONTINUED TO OPERATE, WITHOUT ANY HESITATION AND I FELT THAT IT MUST "JUST BE AN ELECTRONIC ISSUE". IT HAPPENED TO ME ONCE BEFORE, ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. I TOOK IT TO AN AUTO PARTS STORE FOR A QUICK DIAGNOSTIC AND THE GUY SAID IT WAS FINE TO DRIVE UNTIL I COULD GET BACK HOME TO THE DEALERSHIP. TWO DAYS LATER, THE WARNING LIGHTS DISAPPEARED! I UNDERSTAND NOW FROM VARIOUS THREADS ON THE INTERNET, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE SUBARU'S CVT. IT IS SAD BECAUSE THEY APPARENTLY HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THIS ISSUE AND THEIR ONLY RESPONSE IS A REPAIR TO THE CVT ($1500-2000) OR A NEW TRANSMISSION ALL TOGETHER ($5- 8K). I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE AS NEW... I HAVE NOT OWNED A SUBARU BEFORE BUT WANTED THE "SECURITY OF A RELIABLE CAR". I DID PURCHASE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, BUT THIS HAPPENED AFTER THE 100K MILES SO I HAVE NO RECOURSE. PLEASE HELP ALL OF THE SUBARU OWNERS OUT THERE!! IT'S NOT JUST THE OUTBACK MODEL, BUT SEVERAL OF THEIR VEHICLES AND IT SEEMS THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING OVER THE YEARS BUT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN MADE TO ADDRESS THIS DESIGN FLAW. SAFETY WISE-- I DON'T KNOW IF THE VEHICLE WILL JUST QUIT IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, OR WHAT. WE TRIED THE "GENERAL FIXES" .... UNPLUG THE BATTERY FOR A FEW HOURS; WE PURCHASED A NEW GAS CAP SEAL; BUT NEITHER OF THOSE DID THE TRICK. I WANTED TO SEND MY CASE TO YOU BUT, ALSO, THIS COMING WEEK, I WILL BE DROPPING IT OFF AT THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.