Home · 2016 Subaru Outback Wilderness · Complaints

What 638 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 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 (638)Crash / fire / injury (27)Electrical system (308)Visibility & wipers (91)Engine (51)Transmission & drivetrain (45)Steering (24)Speed control (20)Body & structure (19)Brakes (17)Fuel system (12)Airbags (10)

3 of 638 complaints match · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Aug 1, 2022Electrical systemBrakesFuel systemCrash

This incident occurred on Friday July 29, 2022 @ 5pm. I was pulling into a parking space while my foot was on the brake I proceeded to put the car in park when the car suddenly lunged forward into the concrete patio of the Market/Store. I was in disbelief at what just happened. I would happily make my car available for inspection. I want to find out what is wrong with the car. I believe this could happen again and I am fearful for my life and the lives of others. I was so lucky that the table and chairs were roped off that evening for some reason. People could have been sitting or walking there at the time of this incident. This incident has not been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer or independent service center. I brought the car to the Subaru dealer for them to do a diagnostic test and any other things needed to give me some answers & repairs. I was told no issues were found. They also told me they would like to have my car for a week so they could drive it & do more test. I asked for a loaner and they said they could not do that. I can’t afford to rent a car for a week. And I feel they will come back to me with the same answer of not being able to find an issue. I have had this car for almost 3 years and I park by putting my foot on the brake and then shift into park. There was a malfunction! What it was I don’t know. But I do know something went very wrong with the vehicle. There was never any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to this failure.

NHTSA ODI 11477046

Apr 1, 2018SteeringElectrical systemCrash

BATTERY DIES IF CAR IS NOT DRIVEN WEEKLY. STEERING COLUMN REPLACED TWICE AND STEERING RACK ONCE.

NHTSA ODI 11082397

Dec 22, 2016Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemCrash

THIS ISSUE IS A SAFETY ENHANCEMENT REQUEST AFFECTING TOP OF THE LINE SUBARU OUTBACK 2016 LIMITED/PREMIUM MODELS EQUIPPED WITH KEYLESS IGNITION SYSTEMS. THIS ISSUE IS SIMILAR TO THAT REPORTED IN NHTSA ID NUMBER:10881286. ISSUE: IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A DRIVER TO INADVERTENTLY TURN OFF THE ENGINE (WE ARE ONLY HUMAN) USING THE START/STOP BUTTON WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN DRIVE, PARK OR NEUTRAL. IF VEHICLE IS ON A SLOPE, THE VEHICLE WILL ROLL FORWARDS OR BACKWARDS ON IT'S OWN. THIS PRESENTS A SERIOUS RISK OF GRAVE BODILY HARM TO PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THE UNATTENDED MOVING VEHICLE. THIS ALREADY HAPPENED WITH MY VEHICLE, LUCKILY IT HAPPENED INSIDE MY GARAGE ON A VERY SLIGHT SLOPE AND MY CLOSED GARAGE DOOR STOPPED THE VEHICLE. IF MY CHILDREN HAD BEEN BEHIND THE VEHICLE, REMOVING THEIR SCHOOL BAGS, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN PINNED TO THE GARAGE DOOR BY A 3500 LB VEHICLE. UNACCEPTABLE. I REPAIRED THE SLIGHT DAMAGE BODY WORK ON THE VEHICLE AT THE DEALER BUT THAT IS IRRELEVANT COMPARED TO THE SAFETY RISK PRESENTED BY THIS "WORKS AS DESIGNED" BEHAVIOR OF THE CAR. POSSIBLE WORKAROUND: 1. SUBARU NEEDS TO CHANGE THIS BEHAVIOR AND ELIMINATE THE RISK BY AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGING THE ELECTRIC "PARK BRAKE" THAT IS ALREADY INSTALLED IN THIS MODEL VEHICLE, WHEN THE ENGINE IS TURNED OFF. 2. DISABLE ENGINE STOP UNTIL TRANSMISSION IS SET TO PARK. THE CURRENT AUDIBLE WARNING IS INSUFFICIENT. MY 15 YEAR OLD VEHICLE DID NOT ALLOW THE KEY TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION SLOT UNTIL PARK LEVER WAS ENGAGED TO PREVENT THIS EXACT PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10937164

Working with the data? Download all 638 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 2016 Subaru Outback Wilderness verdict →