Home · 2015 Subaru Outback Wilderness · Complaints

What 505 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Subaru Outback Wilderness

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (505)Crash / fire / injury (29)Visibility & wipers (143)Electrical system (125)Engine (47)Transmission & drivetrain (37)Body & structure (33)Brakes (28)Speed control (26)Fuel system (18)Airbags (14)Steering (13)

6 of 505 complaints match · Speed control · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 22, 2025Speed controlBrakesEngineCrash

I was within the town limits so I was driving slowly. When I approached the first stop light in town I saw that it was red. There were of three or four vehicles stopped at that light. At that point I was probably only going 5mph. I took my foot off of the gas pedal and put my foot on the brake to make a slow stop. Instead, the car accelerated rather quickly. I continued to brake but the car seemed to speed up. I was able to avoid hitting the truck in front of me by going around it. No vehicles were coming towards me but there were some stopped at the other side of the light. I drove up on the sidewalk to avoid hitting anyone. At that point the front passenger side of the car hit & snapped a pole. The car did not stop immediately upon impact. It stopped acclerating and came to a stop about 10 feet past the pole. I am not sure how fast the car was moving when it hit the pole but I was only going about 5 mph when I put my foot on the break. I would estimate the distance my car traveled from the moment I put my foot on the break until the car stopped was approximately 100-120 feet. It felt like the car went into the cruise resume mode and was trying to accelerate to a predetermined speed. I had not been using the cruise control that day but that is exactly what it felt like. There was one other time this year that the car lunged forward without using the gas pedal. It stopped quickly for me and I just assumed that I had hit the cruise resume button, although I also hadn't been using the cruise that day. The insurance company took the car to an impound lot two hours away. I am sure there has been no inspection and my insurance has not informed me of the status of having my car totaled or repaired. Because of the age of the car, and damage, they think it will be totaled. Yes, my safety and the safety of anyone near me was at risk. The car malfunctioned and the fact no one was hurt was miraculous. There were no warning messages before this accident.

NHTSA ODI 11689049

Dec 13, 2019Speed controlCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AT LOW SPEEDS WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED, JUMPED THE CURB, AND CRASHED INTO A HOUSE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AT THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE CONTACT CALLED STOHLMAN SUBARU OF STERLING (21736 AUTO WORLD CIR, STERLING, VA 20166, (888) 811-7714) AND INFORMED THEM OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

NHTSA ODI 11288897

Nov 29, 2017AirbagsSpeed controlCrash1 injury

THIS CONCERNS A 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK LIMITED 6 CYLINDER. AT APPROX 21,000 MI I WAS SLOWING TO SPEED TO PARK IN A PUBLIC PARKING SPACE ON A CITY STREET AND THE OUTBACK SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THE OUTBACK HIT A CITY METAL POST/SIGN, JUMPED THE CURB AND COLLIDED WITH A BUILDING AND DAMAGING A STORE FRONT WITH GREAT FORCE. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE AUTOMATIC COLLISION PREVENTION FAILED TO WORK. ONCE BEFORE THE CAR HAD AN ACCELERATION SURGE WHILE DRIVING A PUBLIC CITY STREET AT LOW SPEED BUT DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT I'VE ALSO EXPERIENCED SLIGHT HESITATION IN ACCELERATION WHEN I FIRST ACCELERATE FROM A STATIONARY POSITION AND PROBABLY UNRELATED, THE GEAR SHIFT OFTEN GETS STUCK IN PARK AND I HAVE TO USE FORCE THE GEAR SHIFT TO REVERSE. HAVING TROUBLE WITH TURNING NECK FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND NEED TO SEE DOCTOR FOR EVALUATION SO, NOT SURE IF THIS IS CONSIDERED INJURY?

NHTSA ODI 11051133

Feb 8, 2017Speed controlCrash

WHILE PULLING MY FATHER-IN-LAWS SUBARU OUTBACK INTO MY GARAGE I PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE. THE CAR IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATED WHILE MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE. THE CAR PROCEEDED INTO GARAGE FIRST HITTING THE SIDE OF THE GARAGE DOOR FRAME AND THEN INTO THE BACK OF MY OTHER CAR WHICH WAS PARKED INSIDE THE GARAGE. I INSTINCTIVELY APPLIED GREATER PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE BUT THIS DID NOT STOP THE CAR. WHEN THE CAR WEDGED AGAINST THE RIGHT SIDE COLUMN OF THE GARAGE I RELEASED THE BRAKE AND REAPPLIED IMMEDIATELY. THIS ACTION CAUSED THE CAR TO DECELERATE TO AN IDLE MODE. I'VE BEEN DRIVING A LONG TIME AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED AN ISSUE LIKE THIS BEFORE. I NOTICED OTHERS HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED SIMILAR SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEMS AS REPORTED ON THIS SITE. THERE WAS NO FLOOR MAT OBSTRUCTION SO I CAN ONLY CONCLUDE THERE IS A POSSIBLE SOFTWARE ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10950390

Apr 29, 2015Seat beltsSpeed controlCrash1 injury

I WAS SLOWING PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND JUST STRAIGHTENING OUT THE CAR WHEN I HEARD A STRANGE SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT I HEARD A VERY LOUD ENGINE REVVING SOUND AND THEN SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE SHOT FORWARD LIKE A ROCKET, WENT OVER THE CEMENT BARRIER AND INTO THE WALL OF A BUILDING. IT SEEMED LIKE A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED, THOUGH THE DISTANCE WAS ONLY ABOUT 8 FEET. THE SEAT BELT DID NOT RESTRAIN ME AND MY CHEST SLAMMED INTO THE STEERING WHEEL. IT WAS DETERMINED LATER AT THE HOSPITAL THAT I HAD A CRACKED STERNUM AND SEVERAL BROKEN RIBS. I BELIEVE THERE WAS SOME SORT OF MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL OR SOFTWARE PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THIS UNINTENDED ACCELERATION, AND THE SEAT BELT ALSO WAS DID NOT FUNCTIONING AS INTENDED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10713619

Feb 26, 2015Speed controlCrash

I HAVE 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK WITH EYESIGHT AND BLIND SPOT DETECTION. I HAD STOPPED THE VEHICLE IN THE DRIVEWAY, ABOUT 10 FT FROM THE GARAGE, WAITING FOR MY HUSBAND TO CLEAN THE FLOOR. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. WHEN MY HUSBAND CAME OUT OF THE GARAGE AND SIGNALED ME TO PARK THE VEHICLE INSIDE, I WAS ABOUT TO MOVE THE VEHICLE SLOWLY IN THE GARAGE. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STARTED LIKE A BULLET, AS IF IT WAS TRYING TO ACCELERATE TO THAT SET SPEED, QUICKLY. MY HUSBAND HEARD THE WHEELS SCREECHING AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATING. HE JUMPED ON THE SIDE AND SURVIVED BY AN INCH OR SO. WITHIN A FRACTION OF A SECOND, THE VEHICLE HIT THE CENTER SUPPORT WHICH SUPPORTS THE GARAGE DOORS, THEN THE SNOW BLOWER AND FURTHER STRUCK THE ITEMS KEPT AGAINST THE WALL BETWEEN THE HOUSE AND THE GARAGE, BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. IT APPEARS THAT, IN ADDITION TO THE BRAKE I APPLIED, EYESIGHT MAY HAVE HELPED STOP THE VEHICLE. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING IN THE US FOR OVER 18 YEARS WITHOUT A SINGLE INCIDENT. PARKING IN THE GARAGE IS THE SIMPLEST OF ALL THE TASKS. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THE VEHICLE MAY HAVE ACCELERATED ON IT'S OWN DUE TO SOME MALFUNCTION.

NHTSA ODI 10690859

Working with the data? Download all 505 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2015 Subaru Outback Wilderness verdict →