2020 Subaru Outback

The Subaru front camera incorrectly detected a hazard. The automatic braking system engaged and locked the steering. I skidded off the pavement, causing damage to the car. At the time of the accident, the blind sight warning lights flashed on the dash signaling that they were disabled. I was going very slow in a driveway. No personal damage just property damage and damage to the car. I have let the insurance company know about the issue and the collision center. I have had periodic instances where the warning signals of blind sight disabled have come on the vehicle. I informed Subaru in August 2024 about the issue at my last maintenance appointment. There is also a software update required on the vehicle. I asked Subaru to update the software in August 2024, but I was told by a service technician that it was not possible to update . I had to make a separate appointment for the software update as it took a long time.

I purchased the lease for the vehicle in January 2020. I first notified Subaru in Austin of an obvious "glitch" with the computer operating system in April 2020. The "glitchy" OS challenges came and went, I would notify Subaru and they would remedy the issue with a "patch" update at the service center. On April 29 2022 a clear night and a suitably clean vehicle, the RAB system completely failed to recognize/notify/respond to a mailbox behind me, upon impact the mailbox broke the rear windshield. on June 28 2022 the vehicle fails to start, and is "surging" completely draining a new jumper box, and then promptly burning it out, the box will no longer operate. Put in a new battery(#1), make an appointment for service on the vehicle. The dealership replaces the battery(#2), computer updates are completed. Vehicle goes to the body shop for the rest of the work to be completed. 28 days later, I arrive to pick up my vehicle, all work is complete. However the vehicle will not start (again) Auto body shop replaces the battery(#3).on 9/23/2022 after dark, my Subaru Outback 2020 Limited, stops and puts its Parking break on., all dials spike, then dies, rear hatch signal goes off continuously, regardless of its actual state of open/close. The vehicle refuses to jump with a new jumper box. Outback 2020 is successfully jumped by a newer vehic. New battery installed(#4). 9/29/2022 another appointment at Subaru service center to look at my vehicle, they swap out the battery(#5) and update computer. Upon pickup vehicle is without trailer lights, 3 airbag lights on, ABS light on/off. 10/17/2022 appointment at a different service center for an Oil change service, 10/18/2022 diagnostic check appt, 3 blown fuses found. 11/16/2022 Austin service, found many lost comm. codes.- reprograms , engine control module. Outback 2020 intermittently has problems opening and closing hatch/windows, display loading issues, many warning/hazzard lights & signals on/off (from April 2022- present day.)

Electrical problems cause frequent battery replacement and for the battery to drain at an alarming rate. The car has to be jump-started to be used, and the car battery will drain immediately as soon as the drive is over( even if it's hours). There is/was a class action lawsuit against Subaru of America, as the action says that Subaru failed to recall the vehicles and fix the problem. I'm paying a note on a 28k car that I can't get out of the driveway without jump-starting the car, and if I stop to run in a store when I return, the vehicle will not start. It's completely unsafe and ridiculous. I've taken this to the dealership (Ken Fowler of Ukiah, CA) and other mechanics, and no one has known about this issue or been able to fix it. Someone, please help.

Blind spot warning does not turn on when there is actually a vehicle truly in the blind spot. Visibility in new cars via windows is blocked and insufficient, and the blind spot warning does not activate at the right time. Drivers could easily cut someone off with less than a foot in front of the car in the blind spot, because there is no proper warning. Warning only turns on when vehicle could hit another car when switching lanes. Not before when visibility is limited by vehicle structure and mirrors. Also, touch screens are a huge hazard in cars. Having to look at a touch screen in order to control air or other items is a huge safety hazard. Tactile controls and buttons are much safer. Not to mention touch screens and screens do not work during heatwaves. Car sitting in temperatures above 80 degrees, have major issues with computer screens working. Forward collision and driver monitor warning is also a hazard. Forward collision warning occasionally turns on when there is fog or smoke. Additional warnings distract drivers from actually looking at the road. Driver monitor warning turns on when looking through turns, causing drivers to be distracted and look at why the vehicle is beeping at them instead of paying attention to where they are driving.

Purchased the vehicle new and from the beginning the passenger side blind spot detection has been inconsistent in alerting for vehicles in or approaching the blind spot. Had it checked when new and on 11/2/21 and the dealer reported it was operating according to specifications and no fault codes were shown. The dealer did not test drive the car. In a recent test of about 100 miles, about 20% of the time the BSD FAILED TO EITHER DETECT, or detected too late, a vehicle that was being passed or one approaching from behind on the passenger side. Remarkably it seems to fail more often when passing a semi. It caused a near miss at night when it was difficult to see through the deeply tinted windows and when the BSD failed to recognize a vehicle squarely in the blind spot as I tried to merge into the right lane. An internet search found at least one post which matches the experiences I have had. The driver's side BSD works fine.

I heard a pebble tap the windshield and I immediately saw a crack from the passenger side to the middle of the windshield. I just had the windshield replaced on 6 Aug 2021. It costs $600 just to calibrate the cameras. Then the cost of replacing the windshield. This isn't right. I've had plenty of vehicles and this is the worst windshield I have seen. The windshield didn't last 1600 miles. And this is the first time I have been back on the interstate since getting the windshield replaced in August. I am not happy and I think this is a safety hazard.

Without warning or repeatable cause the "infotainment" system will reboot causing the Bluetooth, LKAS, forward watching camera, emergency braking, and RAB to also stop working and reboot. This problem has occurred numerous times over the past several months. It happens without any predictability and I have not been able to find a common factor that triggers it. In May it happened once on a 4 hour drive west, but on the return trip it happened 4 times in a 2 hour window. The problem did not occur again until the first week of June and happened multiple times over a 3 day period. The software for the car has been recalled and reinstalled twice and the problem still occurs without warning or explanation. I have reported the issue in mid-August to Subaru's customer service and was told "a software update" was 2 weeks away. I do not believe this report from their customer service because no other documentation was provided other than a call back. I followed-up with a call back and an email to Subaru asking for more details for which I have not gotten an answer. The incidence of it happening on Aug 20, 2021 occurred as I was entering into traffic from Baggage Road to Hwy 220 South in Rockingham County, NC. The system rebooted as I was entering traffic and created a distraction at a crucial moment I was crossing 4 lanes to turn left to proceed south on Hwy 220. Presently the system's issues seem to be limited to a reboot of Bluetooth, radio and all safety related systems. If the system had triggered a shutdown of the car or if the safety systems had caused the car to stop I would have been in the middle of a US Highway with traffic approaching from both directions at 60+mph. I am disappointed by Subaru for not addressing this issue with a formal company statement and promises of an update have not materialized.

When passing semi’s on highway they are not detected by the blind spot detection (the light on the mirror does not turn on). It does not pick up the semi even when I am only halfway passed the semi. The blind spot detection does work when passing cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles on the highway. I reported this issue to the dealer (CleoBay Subaru, Killeen,TX). They tested the vehicle and told me they did not experience any issues. I immediately left the dealership and went out on the highway and still experienced the same issue. I believe this is a significant safety issue. Thank you for you time