2017 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

PER SUBARUS BULLETIN 02-192-25 POSED ON 10-26-2024 THEY PROVIDED DETAILS ON HOW TO FIX A LEAK FROM ZONE 4 FOR CAM SHAFT CARRIER AND VALVE COVER. I HAVE A LEAK FROM THESE TWO ITEMS NOTED. I HAVE BEEN BREATHING THE OIL FUMES FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG. I HAVE HAD THESE ISSUES CONFIRMED BY BOTH SUBARU DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER AND AN INDEPENDENT SERVICE CENTER. NO ENGINE LIGHTS HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED OR CAME ON TO INDICATE ANY OF THESES ISSUES. THE ODOR OF STRONG OIL JUST GOT WORSE OVER TIME AND MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 87000 ORIGINAL MILES ON IT AND HAS PROPER DOCUMENTED OIL CHANGE AND SERVICE EVERY 3000 MILES.

Headlight lenses fill up with water on interior of lenses causes headlights to distort lighting and reduced visibility.

I drive 2.5miles to work, Tuesday [XXX], I was turning into the parking lot and my car just cut off. I couldn't use flashers, restart it, put it in park or anything else. I called my husband to come help. I thought maybe the battery cable might have come loose. It was dead. I couldn't get out, if I let my foot off the brake it would roll backwards, going into the road and I didn't want it to hurt anyone. It started smoking from the drivers front side of engine. I called my husband back and said please hurry. It took approximately 7 minutes for him to arrive. I was on the phone about the smoke when he drove up behind me. He told me to get out of the car it's on fire. He tapped my bumper to keep my car from rolling backwards. I jumped out, called 911.He had sandbags in the back of his truck. He put them under the back tires so it couldn't roll into the traffic. A lady stopped that had a fire extinguisher and [XXX] attempted to put the fire out. It was getting quite large. We couldn't open the hood, he could only spray it in the wheel area up front. He had to get back the fire was getting big. The car then exploded. It was so loud, fire and smoke. I went into work and asked to be let off for that day. I smelled like smoke and my lungs hurt. I inhaled so much smoke. My daughter got me a breathing treatment setup to help with breathing. The fire department came and put the fire out. They were so kind. No police showed up, so we only have a fire department report. The tow truck showed up and took my car away. When we got home we notified our insurance agent. :engine failed, if I had been on a busy street I would have been hit. The car just stopped where it was. Yes our insurance adjuster said it could be looked at by anyone. :Yes my safety and the ones around me were put at risk. My lungs are still suffering. :no it's not been reproduced by anyone I know of. :no, there was no indications that pointed at something being wrong. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI

On 08/17/17 I purchased a new Outback off a Subaru dealers' lot. The fall of 2023 I noticed rust starting on the column portion of the driver's side door. It is on the CAR INTERIOR, ABOVE THE WINDOW. This is a highly unusual area for rust to start. Typically rust starts on the bottom of a car, not 2/3 of the way up from the bottom. I was told by the dealership that it was not covered under warranty, and I was on my own. On 10/22/24 I went to an autobody shop to have the rust repaired. I was told that based off of the bubbling that was occurring on the rust, the rust is not surface rust but occurring on the interior of the door. He said that this was a flaw in production as this should not be occurring. This is evident by the fact that there is no rust on any of the other doors or anywhere else on the car. I called the Subaru dealership and had them look at it. They did not have an autobody shop but the appointment clerk submitted a request for a review to Subaru of Americ. The outcome of the review was a rejection due to being beyond the warranty of the car. This was a production error. I drove out of the lot with a defective door. This resulted in the door being completely rusted on the interior as is evident by the rust through on the INTERIOR of the door. Also, the rust is now presenting itself on the bottom seam. To have this patched is a waste of money as the whole door interior is rusted. I am concerned about the integrity of the door. If I was T-boned or in a roll-over accident, would this door provide the safety I am expecting from a fairly new car? I believe it will crumble in a pile of rust. Subaru is aware of this issue as there are a couple of forums about this reoccurring problem. I hope enough people file a complaint so some action can be taken to keep us safe. I am now forced to pay out $3,368.53 in order to replace the door so I and my passengers have the safest auto construction this car should offer. Car is available.

Horn stopped working. When I lock the car the horn makes noise notifying it is locked. I took it into the dealership they think it’s is the clock spring. Then I looked online and found this information. “The 2017 Subaru Outback was subject to a recall related to the steering column, specifically the clockspring. This recall (NHTSA Campaign #10V-283 / WVR-28) addressed potential issues with the electrical wiring in the steering column that could lead to steering wheel component malfunctions.” Why is my vehicle not included in the recall?

This has been a constant problem with this car. The battery is dead within 3 days. Has a constant battery drain. Subaru service can’t find it. Big safety problem in cold weather. Car leaves wife stranded. The problem is clearly evident on the web blogs.

12/13/24 Incident 1: I braked as I approached a stop sign, but instead the car accelerated, running the stop sign. 12/16/24 Incident 2: I braked to slow down to turn right, but instead the car accelerated. There were no prior warnings or indications of the problem.

My battery continues to die leaving me stranded every winter for the past several years. It is a known issue I believe with the wiring/ fuse for the trunk hatch door. Subaru only offers a new battery - so every year I replace the battery and then end up stranded somewhere again.

I have had to replace the windshield three times in this vehicle since purchasing it. I've had it repaired one other time. The most recent incident was this past week when I came out of work and found a large crack near the Eyesight/rear view mirror area for no apparent reason

THE LANE KEEPING ASSISTANCE FEATURE IS TURNED OFF IN MY VEHICLE BECAUSE I LIVE WHERE THERE ARE MANY TWO LAND ROADS AND OTHER DRIVES CONSTANTLY CROSS THE MIDDLE LINE, INCLUDING LARGE LOGGING TRUCKS. LATELY IT HAS BEEN COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY AND NUDGING MY CAR BACK TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE EVEN WHEN I WOULD LIKE TO DRIVE VERY CLOSE TO THE SHOULDER OR WHITE LINE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. WHEN IT NUDGES THE CAR TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE LANE AND I ATTEMPT TO CORRECT, IT IS A BATTLE AND MAKES ME FEEL VERY UNEASY. I HAVE CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA BECAUSE WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY TOLD ME IF I COULD NOT RECREATE IT, IT WAS UNLIKELY THEY COULD FIX IT. AFTER SEEING A POST ON REDDIT, I THINK I AM NARROWING DOWN RECREATING THE EVENT. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS THAT SHOW LANE KEEPING ASSIST BEING ACTIVE DESPITE THE LIGHT SHOWING IT IS ALSO TURNED OFF.