2022 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

The component that failed is the cowl panel weather stripping/seal located at the base of the windshield on my 2022 Subaru Outback. The material is visibly peeling and deteriorating despite the vehicle having only approximately 23,000 miles. The defective component is still installed on the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. While this issue has not yet caused a direct accident, it creates a potential safety concern due to possible water intrusion and degradation of sealing integrity in an area critical to protecting components beneath the windshield. Over time, this could lead to visibility issues, corrosion, or damage to surrounding systems. The issue has been confirmed by an authorized Subaru dealership, which inspected the vehicle. Subaru of America also reviewed the case in coordination with the dealership. Subaru of America has acknowledged that design changes were made to the cowl panel in later model years, but denied assistance for my vehicle. The manufacturer concluded—without providing specific evidence—that the failure was due to “outside influence and environmental factors.” The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives, as no accident has occurred. There were no warning lamps, messages, or prior indicators before the failure. The deterioration appears to have developed prematurely under normal usage conditions. Given the low mileage, the visible material failure, and the existence of design revisions, I believe this issue is consistent with a premature failure and potential design or material defect, rather than environmental wear.

I am reporting a critical safety failure involving an improperly installed (wrong year) passenger-side airbag in my 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness, which was negligently missed for nearly two years by multiple Subaru service departments. This is a pervasive life-safety defect and an extensive failure in manufacturer inspection protocols. Chain of Negligence: 1. Initial Misleading Certification: Shortly after my purchase, the vehicle underwent a "certified" multi-point safety inspection at a Subaru retailer in Ohio, which negligently certified the vehicle as safe with a critical safety defect present. 2. Systemic Dealer Misdiagnosis: Over the subsequent nearly two years, I took my vehicle to multiple other Subaru dealership service departments, actively showing them a persistent visual misalignment of the passenger-side trim. Despite active complaints, no dealership took the proper time to diagnose the underlying cause, and they missed the critical safety defect. 3. Discovery by Chance: Critically, there were no warning lights, messages, or other electronic indicators. The only symptom was the visual misalignment. The true cause was only traced back to the wrong part after I personally spoke with a Subaru parts department team member who was resourceful enough to figure it out. This finding was subsequently officially certified as correct by the service team at Mike Shaw Subaru, which finally provided documentation that the component was incorrect. Safety Risk: The incorrect airbag component poses an immediate and incalculable life-safety risk, as its deployment behavior is unknown and potentially compromised. This unaddressed safety risk was allowed to continue for nearly two years due to repeated inspection failures. Manufacturer Response Failure: Subaru of America has been formally notified of this systemic safety defect and the complete failure of their retailer network’s inspection protocols. After missing multiple self-imposed deadlines, they continue t

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated after starting the vehicle and driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment system inadvertently reset or went blank, causing the Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB) System to become inoperable. The RAB System warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

I have multiple malfunction codes on my car. without any incident in the car I have 4 separate codes of airbag ECU malfunction (3) and airbag ECU power supply voltage. B1149 Airbag ECU Power Supply Voltage History B1195 Airbag ECU Malfunction Current B1196 Airbag ECU Malfunction Current B1185 Airbag ECU Malfunction Current This has caused failure of safety components in my car. Warning lights caused me to pull the codes and evaluate the problems. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Seems to be a problem with these components in older vehicles as well.

Hood became unlatched while driving. Significant vehicle damage to hood, windshield and roof. No other vehicles involved or bodily injuries.

the screen will just not come on or cut out and not turn on after a call or text comes in. Sometimes it says no AUX detected even though a phone is plugged in. It will randomly stop maps and randomly connect to my maps. the sound will go from being very good to being just bad.

I am writing to report what I believe is a significant ergonomic issue with my vehicle. Every time I drive the car—even for short trips—I experience pain on the right side and toward the back of my knee. I have owned the vehicle for several weeks and have made numerous adjustments to the seat position in an effort to resolve the issue, but the pain has persisted. After researching reviews and feedback from other owners of the same model, I believe the problem may be related to the design and placement of the center console and pedal alignment. Specifically, the center console appears to be quite large and positioned very close to the gas pedal, and/or the brake pedal seems to be shifted further to the left than expected. This positioning appears to cause my right knee to overextend when braking. Because I live in a city environment and frequently encounter stop-and-go traffic, this issue is constant and has become unmanageable. Although I truly enjoy every other aspect of this vehicle, the ongoing pain makes it impossible for me to continue driving it comfortably or safely. As a result, I will be trading in the vehicle for a different model, despite my overall satisfaction with its other features. I wanted to formally document this concern in case it is helpful for future design considerations or evaluations, particularly if other drivers are experiencing similar discomfort. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

- Engine failure. Yes. - At a stop light the auto-restart function failed, following this event the vehicle began making a knocking noise, we towed it to the dealership for evaluation and their diagnosis was that it needed a new engine. - Dealership stated they too heard the knocking noise in the vehicle and it is engine damage due to low oil. However, the dipstick read fine when we took it into the dealership and we did not have a low oil warning. - Inspection completed by dealership - Received no warning lights nor messages regarding symptoms of the problem prior to failure. Initial event happened on 12/26 when at a stop light following the auto-off during braking function the car did not restart automatically. Car was turned off, and restarted. Following that event the vehicle had a knocking noise that increased in volume with driving. Did not drive the car after arriving to our destination. Towed the car to the dealership where we were told it needed a new engine.

Car infortainment system producing annoying and distracting advertisements while driving, overriding the the entire infotainment system and requiring human intervention that distracted me and almost caused an accident. No driver should have to deal with forced fucking ads while operating a vehicle, what fucked up dystopia are we living in?

I experienced two serious electrical failures within a few days that caused the vehicle to stall without warning. At Nov 29, 2025, after parking for about 20 minutes, the car would not start. Symptoms included: • Very weak clicking from the starter • Dashboard flickering and dimming • Unable to shift out of Park without manual override • Jump-start did not work even though power was delivered The vehicle was towed to the Subaru dealer. The dealer reported: • Battery “low but fine after charging” • Alternator “normal” • Starter “normal” • No warning codes On Dec 2, 2025 the vehicle had been released without repairs. Only a few minutes after leaving the dealer, the car stalled in live traffic during an Auto Stop/Start event. Symptoms: • Immediate loss of all electrical power • All warning lights flashing erratically • Hazard lights did NOT illuminate externally • Gear shifter locked again • Vehicle would not restart on battery • Subaru roadside assistance jump-started the vehicle With Auto Stop/Start disabled, it was barely drivable and returned to the dealer. This appears to be a serious electrical or charging-system failure, possibly involving: • intermittent alternator failure • voltage collapse during Auto Stop/Start • BCM or power distribution fault The vehicle can stall unpredictably in traffic without warning, creating a significant risk of collision.This is not normal battery discharge — the battery was fully charged at the dealer minutes before the second failure. I am filing this complaint because this issue is dangerous and the dealer cannot reproduce or diagnose it. A formal investigation or recall may be necessary.