What 208 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Subaru Outback Wilderness

I was driving home on a road I drive on regularly at 40 mph. The car unexpectedly accelerated to a high rate of speed causing me to go off the road. I was unable to stop. The brake pedal went to the floor. The car went airborne, just missing a huge tree. It slammed into the ground & continued on to crash into 3 cars & someone’s garage! The car continued to rev & was bouncing back & forth between the 2 vehicles in the garage. The engine continued to rev after I got out. The homeowner shut it off. He said my brake lights were flashing on and off on the dash. The air bags never deployed. I have a witness. I wasn’t able to do anything!! I’ve since learned there’s a class action lawsuit against Subaru for this problem. Please do something about this. I could be dead, that homeowner that was in his garage could be dead right now. All I want is for people to be aware of this & for Subaru to get held accountable. It’s not right that they are aware of this and doing nothing about it!!

NHTSA ODI 11481494

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INTERMITTENTLY WHEN IT WAS NOT PROMPTED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED BEFORE OR AFTER THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GANLEY SUBARU OF BEDFORD (123 BROADWAY AVE, BEDFORD, OH) AND DIAGNOSED, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED. *TT

NHTSA ODI 11079818

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHEN APPROACHING A RED LIGHT. THE CONTACT'S FOOT WAS NOT DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. ALSO, THE RPMS INCREASED TO 3,000. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT HAD TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO REGAIN NORMAL FUNCTIONALITY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY TWELVE TIMES SINCE FEBRUARY OF 2017. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO KINGS SUBARU OF MASON, OHIO TWICE, BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000. UPDATED 08/15/17*LJ *CN *TR

NHTSA ODI 11004884

WE HAVE HAD THREE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING THE SAME THING. YOU CAN'T SEEM TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN ENOUGH TO STOP IT. TWO OF THE TIMES, WE HAVE PULLED INTO A PARKING PLACE,GOING AT A LOW SPEED,AND WHEN YOU STEP ON THE BRAKE,THE CAR ACCELERATES AND JUMPS FORWARD INSTEAD OF STOPPING. ALSO THE AIR BAGS DOESN'T COME ON.

NHTSA ODI 11002734

PULLING CAR INTO PARKING SPACE AT SLOW SPEED WHEN CAR, WITHOUT DRIVER INPUT, SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. HEAVY PRESSURE ON BRAKES, DRIVER FELT THE ABS CYCLING, DID NT STOP VEHICLE. FINALLY, AFTER COLLIDING WITH A PARKED CAR, NOSE TO NOSE AND PUSHING OTHER CAR OUT OF ITS PARKING SPOT, DRIVER WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR MY MOVING TRANSMISSION GEAR SELECTOR TO PARK

NHTSA ODI 10884119

I NEED TO PURSUE A CRITICAL PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER IS UNABLE TO RE-CREATE/SOLVE. APPROXIMATELY A DOZEN TIMES(10 BY MY WIFE AND 3 BY ME), WE'VE TURNED LEFT FROM A STOP(TYPICALLY AT A RED-LIGHT) ONLY FOR THE CAR TO STALL FROM 3 TO 6 SECONDS. THE 3 TIMES I WAS DRIVING, MY WIFE AND A GRANDCHILD WERE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND NARROWLY MISSED A DIRECT SIDE IMPACT. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT, WE DON'T DRIVE WITH OUR LEFT FOOT ON THE BRAKE, AND WE ESTIMATE IT TO OCCUR ONCE OUT OF EVERY 60 TO 75 LEFT TURNS AND WHILE I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE DEALER STATING THE PROBLEM CANNOT BE RE-CREATED AND THE COMPUTER ANALYSIS SHOWING NO PROBLEMS THUS MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SOLVE, WHAT I WILL NOT UNDERSTAND IS WHEN ONE OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS ARE CRITICALLY INJURED BECAUSE "WE CAN'T RECREATE THE PROBLEM". YOU'RE PROMPT ATTENTION ON THIS MATTER WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED AS WE'VE ALREADY TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR THE SAME PROBLEM 3 TIMES(THE CAR IS AT THE DEALER NOW AND AGAIN NO PROBLEM COULD BE FOUND).

NHTSA ODI 10816416

PERIODICALLY THE VEHICLE WILL NOT ACCELERATE FOR 3-5 SECONDS FROM A STANDING STOP WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED . THIS IS WELL DOCUMENTED IN SEVERAL SUBARU USER GROUPS ON THE INTERNET. WHEN PULLING INTO BUSY TRAFFIC THIS PROBLEM IS TERRIFYING. THE CAR WILL JUST NOT ACCELERATE. THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND, AS EXPECTED, HE COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. WE TOLD THE DEALER THAT THE PROBLEM MAY ONLY OCCUR ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK, AND THAT HE WOULD NOT EXPERIENCE THE PROBLEM WITH A TEST DRIVE. THE DEALER SAID THAT SUBARU BUILT IN A "SAFETY SYSTEM" THAT MAY CAUSE THIS IF ONE WAS DRIVING WITH TWO FEET. IN OTHER WORDS IF I HAD ONE FOOT ON THE BRAKE, AND ONE ON THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR WOULD "DIE". I TOLD HIM I DON'T DRIVE WITH TWO FEET. HE INSISTED THAT THAT MUST BE THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 10810913

THREE TIMES ENGINE HAS FAILED TO RESPOND TO ACCELERATOR INPUT. DURATION, 3 TO 15 SECONDS. HAPPENS AT LOW SPEED (<20MPH) JUST AFTER COASTING FOR A FEW SECONDS AND AS ENGINE IS HEATING UP. LAST INCIDENT, 9/27/2015, BACKED OUT OF PARKING SPACE, THEN SHIFTED INTO FORWARD, DID NOT USE ACCELERATOR BECAUSE COLD ENGINE SPEED WAS HIGH ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN 5MPH THROUGH VERY CONGESTED PARKING LOT. 20 SECONDS LATER ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE TO 35MPH, ENGINE SPEED NEVER RESPONDED FOR THE NEXT 15 SECONDS, THEN ENGINE STARTED RESPONDING NORMALLY. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THESE FAILURES STARTED 4 MONTHS AGO, AND HAPPENS WHEN CVT TRANSMISSION IS IN AUTO OR MANUAL MODE. I CHECKED INTERNET AND FOUND SEVERAL SIMILAR REPORTS. DEALERS AND SUBARU CORP., NO HELP AT ALL. IN CERTAIN DRIVING SITUATIONS, LOSS OF ENGINE CONTROL COULD BE JUST AS DANGEROUS AS LOSS OF BRAKES.

NHTSA ODI 10778864

I WAS PULLING UP TO PARK BEHIND A TOYOTA PRIUS ON A ROAD THAT WAS PARTIALLY COVERED WITH SNOW & ICE. THE WHEELS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WERE ON SNOW & ICE AND THE WHEELS ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE CAR WERE ON DRY ROADWAY. I WAS DRIVING SLOWLY TO PARK WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED INTO THE REAR BUMPER OF THE TOYOTA PRIUS. THE ENGINE WAS RACING WILDLY AND MY ATTEMPT TO BRAKE WERE INEFFECTIVE. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE REAR TRUNK & BUMPER OF THE PRIUS AND DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OF THE SUBARU. I SUSPECT THAT THE SUBARU TRACTION/SPEED/STABILITY/ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROLS HAD MALFUNCTIONED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10692840

WHEN DRIVING A 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK I EXPERIENCE A 2-4 SECOND HESITATION UPON ACCELERATING. IT FIRST HAPPEN WHEN TURNING LEFT, CROSSING TRAFFIC. I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL AND NOTHING HAPPENED FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN SUDDENLY ACCELERATED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT JUST HORNS BEEPING FROM THE CAR I CUT OFF. IT HAPPENED AGAIN WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP ONTO A HIGHWAY. THAT TIME I APPLIED THE BRAKES AS IT LUNGED FORWARD BEFORE ENTERING TRAFFIC. IT HAPPENED A FEW MORE TIMES AT A STOP LIGHT IN THE 1 WEEK I DROVE IT. THE ENGINE SEEMS TO STAY AT AN IDLE AND THEN AFTER THE 2-4 SECOND DELAY SUDDENLY ACCELERATES ACCORDING TO THE LEVEL THE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. THIS IS MY DAUGHTER'S VEHICLE AND I AM CONCERNED ABOUT HER AND HER FAMILY'S SAFETY. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ON LINE REGARDING THIS PROBLEM WITH SUBARUS, NOT JUST OUTBACKS. I ACTUALLY BROUGHT THE CAR IN TO GET THIS CHECKED OUT AND THEY TOLD ME THERE ARE NO SERVICE NOTIFICATIONS REGARDING HESITATIONS SO THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING! THEY STATED THAT IS NORMAL WITH A CVT TRANSMISSION. BELIEVE ME, THAT IS NOT NORMAL AND IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. PLEASE REVIEW THE ON LINE COMPLAINTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10689951

ENTERING A MAIN STATE HIGHWAY FROM A RURAL ROAD I PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR RESULTING IN NO RESPONSE PLACING MYSELF IN JEOPARDY FOR A A COLLISION FROM RAPIDLY APPROACHING CARS BEHIND ME THIS INTERMITTENT STALLING PROBLEM ALSO OCCURRED PREVIOUSLY AT SLOW SPEEDS UPON EXITING A SHOPPING MALL ON TO A BUSY LOCAL HIGHWAY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10664538

DRIVING WITH CRUISE CONTROL (CC) ENGAGED ON ROLLING TERRAIN, THE VEHICLE SPEEDS UP ON A DOWNHILL SLOPE UNTIL BRAKES ARE APPLIED (BY CC), THEN AT BOTTOM OF HILL PICKUP IS SLUGGISH AND SPEED FALLS OFF 2-3 MPH BELOW SET POINT. THEN THE POWER COMES ON LATE AND HARD, AND THE VEHICLE GOES OVER THE CREST OF THE HILL ACCELERATING AT PEAK POWER LEVEL, 2-3 MPH ABOVE SET POINT. AN ASSOCIATED ISSUE, OBSERVED SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW, IS THAT WHEN CLIMBING A UNIFORM 3-4% GRADE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE ENGINE RPM CYCLES CONSTANTLY OVER A RANGE OF 800-1000 RPM AT A FREQUENCY AROUND 4 CYCLES/MINUTE. THIS IS ANNOYING TO THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS, AND INCREASES THE STRESS LEVEL ON THE DRIVER. WE HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES, AND A FACTORY REP HAS EVALUATED IT, THE RESPONSE WE GET IS THAT THE VEHICLE IS OPERATING WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS, AND NO ACTION WILL BE TAKEN, NOR WILL ANY ADJUSTMENTS BE MADE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10650088

DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 20MPH, THE CAR SUDDENLY BEGINS TO SMELL OF GASOLINE. SOON THEREAFTER, ACCELERATION BECOMES HESITANT AND THE LOW-FUEL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES. THE VEHICLE QUICKLY BECAME INOPERABLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROAD. THE VEHICLE IS A MODEL YEAR 2014 AND WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW, LESS THAN SEVEN [7] MONTHS AGO (FROM THE DATE THIS COMPLAINT WAS POSTED). THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY APPROXIMATELY 9,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN UNDER ANY ESPECIALLY SEVERE WEATHER CONDITIONS OR THROUGH TREACHEROUS TERRAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10629818

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DECELERATED. THE CONTACT HAD TO PUMP THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD RESPOND AND DRIVE NORMALLY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, THE VEHICLE STALLED AS THE CONTACT PROCEEDED THROUGH A BUSY INTERSECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10560426