NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
296 reportsMileage unknown · Jul 19, 2022
Visibility/wiper
Windshield spontaneously cracked while parked. I parked the vehicle around 3pm and at that time, no crack was present. I left the house at 5:30pm and in that 2.5 hours, a 12-18 inch crack appeared. There’s no visible impact point and it starts from the bottom edge of the glass on the passenger side. I have not brought it to …
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Windshield spontaneously cracked while parked. I parked the vehicle around 3pm and at that time, no crack was present. I left the house at 5:30pm and in that 2.5 hours, a 12-18 inch crack appeared. There’s no visible impact point and it starts from the bottom edge of the glass on the passenger side. I have not brought it to the dealer yet as I’m working through a claim center for windshield coverage. This is the third time since I purchased the vehicle (May of 2021) that the windshield has cracked.
NHTSA ODI #11474811
Mileage unknown · Jul 18, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineFire
The engine block of our car caught fire while it was parked and turned off. It melted the engine and hood of the car, totaling it. Thankfully, we were not in the vehicle when the incident occurred, so no one was injured. At the time of the incident, our car was parked outside our apartment building under a low-hanging tree, whic…
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The engine block of our car caught fire while it was parked and turned off. It melted the engine and hood of the car, totaling it. Thankfully, we were not in the vehicle when the incident occurred, so no one was injured. At the time of the incident, our car was parked outside our apartment building under a low-hanging tree, which was burned in the fire. Had a neighbor not noticed and called 911, the fire may have spread to the nearby apartment building and caused much more severe damage than what was already done to the car. We had no warning prior to the incident. To our knowledge, the car was in perfect condition. We had bought it brand new 16 months prior and had taken it in for its scheduled maintenance 3 times. We are unaware if the vehicle has been inspected yet or if they've discovered the origin of the problem. All we know is that the insurance company and firefighters confirmed it wasn't arson, as the fire was contained to the engine block and front end of the car, and they also confirmed we were not at fault. Vehicle caught fire while it was parked and turned off.
NHTSA ODI #11474565
Mileage unknown · Jul 14, 2022
Electrical System
Battery is draining for no apparent reason. As stated in several class action law suits, defects in these vehicles ( Subaru Outback 2015-2020) cause the batteries to drain, replacement batteries also drain. The Subaru Outback battery drains because of the Controller area network (CAN). When the vehicle is shut off, the CAN sy…
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Battery is draining for no apparent reason. As stated in several class action law suits, defects in these vehicles ( Subaru Outback 2015-2020) cause the batteries to drain, replacement batteries also drain. The Subaru Outback battery drains because of the Controller area network (CAN). When the vehicle is shut off, the CAN system should enter sleep mode so only a limited amount of electrical current is used. However, Subaru software errors prevent the CAN from entering sleep mode when vehicle is turned off. This software error will drain the original battery and every replacement battery installed in an Outback. Once the battery is drained, I am stranded. Reference law suits Daley v. Subaru and Tomasian v. Subaru. Subaru needs to fix all Subarus that are affected by this battery drainage issue. I have been experiencing this problem since we bought the car. First time, I thought I left something on, subsequent drainage issues I know that nothing has been left on. I now keep a trickle charge unit on the battery while in the garage at all times.
NHTSA ODI #11473993
Mileage unknown · Jul 5, 2022
Electrical SystemVisibility/wiper
Windshield has needed constant repair due to either small debris or even in one instance, self-cracking. On-board unit is constantly turning off.
NHTSA ODI #11472427
Mileage unknown · Jun 26, 2022
Electrical System
On multiple occasions I have had the infotainment system (the touchscreen) either freeze, go completely blank, or reset itself while driving. Most often this has happened while using Apple Car Play but that's not always the case. When this occurs, I also get a message that EyeSight is not available. While this has not caused me …
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On multiple occasions I have had the infotainment system (the touchscreen) either freeze, go completely blank, or reset itself while driving. Most often this has happened while using Apple Car Play but that's not always the case. When this occurs, I also get a message that EyeSight is not available. While this has not caused me to have an accident the potential is there. I have had the screen go blank while using navigation in an unfamiliar area, I've had it go blank while driving down the highway. It's very distracting and you can easily miss your exit or worse. Subaru has no fix for this other than updating the software approximately every 6 months in hopes it will solve things. To me this is totally unacceptable.
NHTSA ODI #11471042
Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceVehicle Speed Control
The Navigation system will randomly go blank and then restart while driving. This not only affects any navigation which is currently in progress, but also disables the Cruise Control, Eye Sight, Lane Departure and other Safety devices. This has occurred numerous times while driving on an interstate highway and is dangerous and l…
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The Navigation system will randomly go blank and then restart while driving. This not only affects any navigation which is currently in progress, but also disables the Cruise Control, Eye Sight, Lane Departure and other Safety devices. This has occurred numerous times while driving on an interstate highway and is dangerous and life threatening.
NHTSA ODI #11467274
12,500 miles · Jun 1, 2022
Engine
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The instrument panel lights illuminated then went dark. The police came but there was no police report filed. The police had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not …
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The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The instrument panel lights illuminated then went dark. The police came but there was no police report filed. The police had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 12,500.
NHTSA ODI #11467029
Mileage unknown · May 27, 2022
Fuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other
Since we bought our 2021 Subaru Outback in May 2021, the vehicle hesitates when accelerating mainly after filling up with gas but also at other times. We have taken the vehicle in 4 times for service, but Subaru cannot duplicate the problem. Another issue we are having is that every time it rains, there is a puddle of water tha…
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Since we bought our 2021 Subaru Outback in May 2021, the vehicle hesitates when accelerating mainly after filling up with gas but also at other times. We have taken the vehicle in 4 times for service, but Subaru cannot duplicate the problem. Another issue we are having is that every time it rains, there is a puddle of water that forms on the passenger side floor board. We have taken the vehicle in 4 times for service, but Subaru cannot duplicate the problem.
NHTSA ODI #11466335
Mileage unknown · May 23, 2022
Exterior Lighting
I have issues with the headlights on my Outback. They are very bright to the point that i get flashed on a regular basis by other drivers thinking i have my brights on. Just this morning coming to work I passed someone on the Ohio Turnpike and they must of been blinded by my lights because they then got right up behind me and s…
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I have issues with the headlights on my Outback. They are very bright to the point that i get flashed on a regular basis by other drivers thinking i have my brights on. Just this morning coming to work I passed someone on the Ohio Turnpike and they must of been blinded by my lights because they then got right up behind me and started following me with their brights on. These lights are a danger to other drivers and It makes me worried for my safety because of the actions of other drivers if they think I'm not turning my brights off. I told the dealer service department where I bought my car and they didn't take me seriously. I found a forum on line where other subaru drivers complain about the headlights and it goes back a couple years.
NHTSA ODI #11465681
Mileage unknown · May 17, 2022
Visibility/wiper
Crack in windshield, line of sight of driver.
NHTSA ODI #11464948
Official recalls
4Mar 22, 2024
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
Nov 9, 2023
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
Jul 8, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 24, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-22. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V-955.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Power Train:driveline:chain/belt
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 24, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-22. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V-955.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Consequence: An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 24, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-22. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V-955.
Jan 26, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2021 Outback and Impreza vehicles. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) select lever cable nut may not have been tightened properly, allowing the nut to loosen.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loose nut can lead to a lost of retention in the CVT select lever cable and the gear selector not functioning properly, increasing risk of crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and, if necessary, tighten the nut, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-21.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗