2016 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

THE IGNITION KEY KEEPS GETTING STUCK IN THE IGNITION. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE VEHICLE TO PARK, THE KEY CANNOT BE REMOVED. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM AS FAR AS INTERNET REPORTS GO YET SUBARU HAS NOT BEEN CALLED OUT ON THIS. THIS MEANS THAT THE CUSTOMER MY BE REQUIRED TO LEAVE THE KEY IN THE IGNITION SHOULD SOME OTHER EMERGENCY ARISE.

FOR A FEW YEARS OFF AND ON WITH THE CAR STOPPED AND ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE PARKING, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN FROM THE ACC TO OFF POSITION OR RELEASE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. OF THE SEVERAL TIMES WE MENTIONED IT TO MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS, WE WERE TOLD IT WAS OUR TECHNIQUE, NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. FINALLY A DEALERSHIP REPORTED THE SHIFT ASSEMBLY WAS NOT RECOGNIZING THE CAR WAS IN PARK THUS WOULD NOT TURN THE KEY PAST THE ACCESSORY POSITION TO OFF OR RELEASE THE KEY. THIS OCCURRED WITH MULTIPLE KEYS AND DIFFERENT PEOPLE. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT YOU CANNOT LOCK THE CAR WITH THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. ALSO, IF YOU CANNOT REMOVE THE KEY AND LEAVE THE CAR, YOU ARE HANDING THE CAR OVER TO WHOMEVER WANTS TO STEAL IT. ONLY WITH LOTS OF TIME, STARTING THE CAR, PUTTING IT INTO ANOTHER GEAR, THEN BACK TO PARK AND TURNING IT OFF AGAIN, WITH LUCK THE ASSEMBLY RECOGNIZES YOU ARE IN PARK AND ALLOWS THE KEY TURN TO OFF AND ALLOWS THE KEY TO BE REMOVED. THE DEALERSHIP WHO IDENTIFIED THE DEFECTIVE SHIFT ASSEMBLY STATED THE ONLY FIX IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY AT A COST OF $1100.00.

SOMETIMES THE KEY WON'T COME OUT OF THE IGNITION WHEN I TRY TO TURN THE CAR OFF (EVEN THOUGH THE CAR IS IN PARK). BASED ON WHAT I'VE READ, THIS IS A DEFECT WITH A SENSOR NOT RECOGNIZING THAT THE CAR IS IN PARK. I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS PARTICULAR DEFECT. I BELIEVE THE SERVICE BULLETIN THAT ADDRESSES THIS DEFECT IS TSB NUMBER 16-112-18R.

WE WERE DRIVING ON I5 NORTH THROUGH WASHINGTON ON A ROADTRIP (GOING ~65MPH), ABOUT TO ENTER A THUNDERSTORM, AND OUR MOONROOF UNEXPECTEDLY SHATTERED, MAKING AN EXPLOSION SOUND. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS HURT AND WE WERE ABLE TO GO TO A NEARBY FORD DEALERSHIP TO HELP US PATCH THE CAR SO WE COULD MAKE OUR 2+ HOUR DRIVE HOME, BUT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH, WE THINK IT'S IN RELATION TO THE PRESSURE DIFFERENCE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. THERE WAS LITTLE GLASS IN THE CAR, MAKING IT SEEM AS IF THE EXPLOSION WAS COMING FROM INSIDE. NO ROCK OR DEBRIS HITTING THE CAR WAS NOTICED. HERE'S MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ISSUE FROM AN ARTICLE LAST YEAR THAT REFERENCED NHTSA: HTTPS://WWW.KGW.COM/ARTICLE/NEWS/LOCAL/MY-SUNROOF-EXPLODED-GOVERNMENT-INVESTIGATING-EXPLODING-SUNROOFS/283-C529D7E5-F2C4-488E-AE34-96F781AD5466.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILED TO ALLOW THE REMOVAL OF THE KEY WHILE THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS IN THE PARK POSITION. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION WITH THE GEAR SHIFTER IN THE DRIVE POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000.

THE KEY CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE APPROX 50% OF THE TIME. KEY STAYS IN THE "ON" POSITION WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING. THE CAR HAS TO BE RESTARTED, SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, THEN FORWARD SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE KEY CAN SAFELY BE REMOVED. IF LEFT IN THE IGNITION THE BATTERY IS STILL ON, AND A CHILD COULD INADVERTENTLY START THE CAR. THIS IS CLEARLY IDENTIFIED AS A PROBLEM IN SUBARU SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: 16-112-18R DATE: 03/15/18 REVISED: 11/06/18 THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL! THEY HAVE CHANGED THE PART TO PREVENT THIS IN NEWER MODELS. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER A YEAR

MY 2016 OUTBACK ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO HAD A DEAD BATTERY WHILE OUT ON A FAMILY TRIP TO ARKANSAS. JUST TOOK A BATTERY BUMP FROM ANOTHER VEHICLE AND WORKED FINE. THEN THIS FRIDAY IT RAN FINE FOR FIVE HOURS AWAY FROM HOME. SATURDAY MORNING RAN SEVERAL ERRANDS WITH IN A 60 MILE RADIUS SUNDAY MORNING STARTED THE CAR, MOVED IT TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION TO MAKE LOADING LUGGAGE EASIER THEN GOT IN TO GO AND THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. WAS SUPPLIED WITH A 2AMP HOUR CHARGER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT MIGHT TAKE AN HOURS FOR IT TO BUILD UP ENOUGH JUICE TO START. SAT FOR THIRTY MINUTES, HIT THE KEY AND IT FIRED OFF JUST FINE. DROVE BACK FOR FIVE HOURS STOPPING AND STARTING WITH NO ISSUES, RAN THE CAR BY OREILLY AUTO PARTS AND THEY TEST BATTERY AND SAID IT LOOKED FINE AND THAT IT WAS CHARGING GOOD. BACKED CAR IN GARAGE AND UNLOADED IT AND MONDAY MORNING, IT WAS DEAD, WHILE HOOKING MY CHARGER UP TO IT I NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY WAS WARM. STARTED UP JUST FINE WITH CHARGER ON BUST, NO ISSUES COMING TO WORK, KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED WHEN I GO OUT TO LUNCH.

MY 2016 OUTBACK'S HORN STOPPED WORKING. OVER A YEAR AGO, IT STARTED WORKING ONLY WHEN I WAS TURNING THE WHEEL, THEN EVENTUALLY IN JULY 2019, IT STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER. IT IS MOSTLY AN ANNOYANCE, BUT I CAN'T USE IT TO WARN OTHERS. I CALLED AN TOLD MY DEALER'S SERVICE DEPT, BUT THEY NEVER GOT BACK TO ME. LATER ON, I TALKED TO THEM, BUT WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING BECAUSE MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. THEY DO KNOW THE PART ON IT THAT "GOES". I THOUGHT THAT IF I GOT AN EXPENSIVE MILEAGE CHECK UP SERVICE THAT THEY WOULD FEEL BADLY THAT THEY KNOW THEY HAVE A "PART THAT GOES" AND FIX IT, BUT THEY DIDN'T OFFER TO DO ANYTHING. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT SINCE THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT PART "WENT" WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT THE CAR, THEY HAD A BADLY MADE PART. I HAVE A HISTORY OF DRIVING CARS UNTIL THEY ARE OVER 20 YEARS OLD AND CAN HIT 200 MILES ON A CAR AND I NEVER HAD A HARD JUST STOP WORKING AND DON'T THINK THIS SHOULD HAPPEN. I DO NOT WANT TO PAY SUBARU TO FIX THIS SINCE THEY KNOW THEIR PART GOES WRONG AND IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT A NON-SUBARU MECHANIC WILL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO, THOUGH SINCE OUTSIDE MECHANICS WON'T BE FAMILIAR WITH THIS ISSUE.

IN 6 MONTHS, I GOT MORE THAN 10 TIMES OF LOW LEVEL ENGINE OIL LIGHT ON. FIRST TIME, IT WAS ON JAN. 2020, IT WAS 3,000 MILES FROM THE LAST OIL CHANGE. SO I CHANGED THE ENGINE OIL WITH NEW OIL. AFTER 2 MONTHS, I GOT LIGHT ON AGAIN. I REFILLED SOME OIL THEN GOT LIGHT ON AFTER ONE MONTH. I REFILLED SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE LIGHT IS ON LATER. THERE IS DROPPED OIL ON THE FLOOR AT ALL. I COULDN'T FIND WHERE THE OIL IS GONE.

CAR DIES FREQUENTLY, KEEP REPLACING WITH NEW BATTERIES . MANY REPORTED LAWSUITS ONLINE FOR ELECTRICAL ISSUES IN SUBARU OUTBACK 2016. *TR