What 638 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Subaru Outback Wilderness

On 05/08/2026 the brakes failed while in a queue at a drive-up restaurant. The car was steered away to a flat part of the parking lot. After a restart the brakes returned to operation and the car was taken to the dealership where the brake line were flushed and the brake fluid replaced. On 05/25/2026 the brakes failed after backing out of an inclined parking space in a parking garage. The car came to a stop when it backed into a concrete wall. The car was towed to the dealer. The dealer inspected inspected the car and reported that the brakes were working as they should.

NHTSA ODI 11740555

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

I LEFT MY HOME TO GO GET GAS A FEW MINUTES AWAY. AFTER I FILLED UP AT THE PUMP, MY CAR WOULD NOT START. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES, AND ASKED A GAS STATION ATTENDANT FOR HELP. HE SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE THE BATTERY OR ALTERNATOR. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, AND HE PUSHED MY CAR BACK INTO A PARKING SPOT SO I COULD CALL SOMEONE FOR A JUMP. HOWEVER, WITHIN THE FEW MINUTES OF TRYING TO START MY CAR AND BEING PUSHED, THE BATTERY DRAINED SO QUICKLY THAT THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DEAD AND INOPERABLE. I COULD NOT GET THE CAR BACK INTO PARK, AND THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE DIDN'T WORK EITHER BECAUSE THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO ELECTRICITY LEFT IN THE CAR. THIS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HAVE BEEN ANY LONGER THAN A 5 MINUTE TIMESPAN. THE PARKING SPOT I WAS IN HAD A SLIGHT SLOPE TO IT, SO SINCE I COULDN'T PUT THE CAR IN PARK OR USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, I HAD TO KEEP MY FOOT PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL UNTIL SOMEONE ARRIVED TO HELP ME. I COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR TO EVEN CHECK UNDER THE HOOD. LUCKILY I HAD A PASSENGER THAT COULD GET OUT AND ASSIST, ESPECIALLY SINCE I COULDN'T OPEN ANY WINDOWS EITHER. WHEN HELP ARRIVED, THEY WERE ABLE TO JUMP THE CAR SO I COULD DRIVE BACK HOME. HAD I BEEN ALONE THOUGH, I WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY OUT OF LUCK - I WOULD HAVE BEEN STUCK IN THE CAR PRESSING THE BRAKE, OR RISK GETTING OUT AND HAVING THE CAR ROLL AWAY. IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS SITUATION - I CANNOT BELIEVE THE POWER COULD DRAIN SO QUICKLY TO THE POINT THAT I COULDN'T EVEN PARK THE CAR. I PURCHASED A NEW BATTERY AFTERWARDS, BUT I'M NOT EVEN SURE THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I'VE NEVER SEEN A BATTERY DRAIN SO QUICKLY - IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE MORE OF AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE WITH THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11416650

UPON SLOWING DOWN & PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE, TO PARK MY CAR IN FRONT OF A BUSINESS, MY VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY ACCELERATED FORWARD, UP OVER THE SIDEWALK. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED A 2ND TIME AS I TRIED TO STOP THE VEHICLE WITH THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP UNTIL IT IMPACTED THE WALL OF THE BUILDING.

NHTSA ODI 11387050

MY 2016 SUBARU OUTBACK ALL OF SUDDEN HAD WARNING LIGHTS SUCH AS: BRAKE, ABS, AND STABILITY TRACTION CONTROL POPPED UP ON THE DASHBOARD WHEN THE CAR WAS IN PARK ANS WHEN I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND WILL NOT GO AWAY. IT HAS MADE MY STEERING WHEEL REALLY HARD TO TURN.

NHTSA ODI 11343247

WHILE TRYING TO COME OUT OF DRIVE WAY ONTO THE STREET, I TRIED TO STOP BY PRESSING THE BRAKES, BUT THE VEHICLE HAS ACCELERATED

NHTSA ODI 11195331

BRAKES ARE SOFT AND HARDLY WORK WHEN CAR IS FIRST STARTED IN COLD WEATHER. ONCE CAR IS WARMED UP, BRAKES WORK NORMALLY. IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS LESS THAN 40 DEGREES.

NHTSA ODI 11151555

THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE APPEARS TO BE FAULTY. THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE LOCKED UP FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT TURNED ON. WHEN MY VEHICLE MOVED IS CREATED A LOUD METALIC SOUND.

NHTSA ODI 11141955

IN HOT WEATHER AND BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, BRAKE PEDAL BECOMES VERY SPONGY AND SLOWLY INCHES TO THE FLOOR WITH CONSTANT PRESSURE APPLICATION. THIS ISSUE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL HOT DAYS, WITH OBSERVED TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 80-100F. ON ONE RECENT OCCASION, THE BRAKE PEDAL HIT THE FLOOR WHEN STATIONARY AT A RED LIGHT. THE VEHICLE'S OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE GAUGE REGISTERED 100F AT THE TIME OF THE MOST RECENT EVENT.

NHTSA ODI 10990495

3 SEPARATE EPISODES OF ENGINE RACING WHEN STEPPING ON BRAKE PEDAL AND CAR LURCHING FORWARD. BRAKE PEDAL VERY SPONGY AND WITH CONTINUOUS PRESSING GOES ALMOST DOWN TO FLOORBOARD. OCCURS WHEN VEHICLE MOVING SLOWLY IN CLOSE QUARTERS. ONE EPISODE OF BRAKE PEDAL GOING ALMOST TO FLOOR WHEN STOPPED AT LIGHT

NHTSA ODI 10983173

THE EYESIGHT SYSTEM FAILED TO BRAKE THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY.

NHTSA ODI 10966529

THE BREAKS LOCKED UP ON ME AS I WAS ABOUT TO PASS A TURNING CAR. THEY ALSO LOCKED UP ON ME ONCE WHEN A CAR WAS GETTING IN MY LANE. I SAW BOTH OF THESE CARS AND WAS NOT IN DANGER OF HITTING ONE OF THEM.

NHTSA ODI 10956992

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE INCREASED IN SPEED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE COLLIDED INTO AN EMBANKMENT AND CRASHED INTO A POLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 25,000.

NHTSA ODI 10956290

THE SUBARU EYESIGHT SYSTEM IS DANGEROUS. I'VE HAD TWO INSTANCES WHERE THE VEHICLE ACTIVATED THE FORWARD-COLLISION WARNING AND STARTED TO BREAK FOR REASONS UNKNOWN TO ME. ONCE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. FORTUNATELY, THE CARS BEHIND ME WERE NOT TOO CLOSE TO REAR END ME. THIS HAPPENED AROUND 2 P.M. IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER WITH THE SUN BEHIND THE VEHICLE. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR RECALL WORK TO THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP SEVERAL MONTHS LATER AND ASKED THEM TO PULL ANY RELEVANT DATA FOR THE TWO INCIDENTS. BY THEN, THE SYSTEM CLEARED THOSE TWO EVENTS. THE DEALER SAID I SHOULD PURCHASE A VIDEO CAMERA AND RUN IT IN THE CAR WHILE DRIVING TO CAPTURE ANY FALSE ALARMS IN ORDER TO HELP THEM TROUBLESHOOT IT AS ACCORDING TO THEM THE SYSTEM DOES NOT CAPTURE ANY VIDEO/IMAGE DATA WHEN IT RECORDS AN EVENT. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS. SUBARU HAS CAMERAS IN THE EYESIGHT SYSTEM AND FLASH MEMORY TO STORE DATA IN - STORING AN IMAGE SNAPSHOT IS NOT OVERLY STORAGE INTENSIVE, AND YET I AM SUPPOSED TO INVEST SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS IN AN INDEPENDENT VIDEO CAMERA TO HELP SUBARU DEBUG THEIR SYSTEM. THE DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED NOT USING EYESIGHT ON SUNNY DAYS WHERE THE CAMERA COULD BE BLINDED BY THE SUN. HELLO - I LIVE IN NEVADA, IT'S SUNNY HERE OVER 300 DAYS PER YEAR. THIS WOULD MAKE THE EYESIGHT SYSTEM PRACTICALLY USELESS AND I'LL LOSE CRUISE CONTROL. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHEN IT'S TOO SUNNY FOR THE SYSTEM THAT IT WILL MALFUNCTION?

NHTSA ODI 10926585

I EXITED THE EXPRESSWAY. I WAS APPROACHING A RED LIGHT. THIS WAS WHERE I USUALLY MAKE A RIGHT TO GO HOME. OBVIOUSLY I WAS TRYING TO SLOW DOWN THE CAR, AND I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE. AND THE CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN. I CONTINUED PUMPING THE BRAKES BUT THE BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK. MY WIFE WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, AND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW WAS RIDING IN THE BACK SEAT. AS THE BRAKES FAILED, I CONTINUED ATTEMPTING TO SLOW THE CAR. ULTIMATELY, WE WERE INVOLVED IN A TWO-CAR COLLISION IN WHICH THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL-WELL OF MY CAR WAS CRUSHED. MY WIFE, MY MOTHER-IN LAW, AND I SUFFERED SEVERE INJURIES. MY WIFE SUFFERED FRACTURED RIBS, A FRACTURED STERNUM, A FRACTURED PELVIS, AND HER ANKLE WAS CRUSHED. MY MOTHER-IN LAW SUFFERED FRACTURED RIBS AND A CONCUSSION. I SUFFERED FRACTURED RIBS, AND THE TRAUMA HAS LED TO A FLAIR UP OF MY PREEXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS. FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT, WE WERE RUSHED BY EMS TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE WE RECEIVED TREATMENT FOR OUR INJURIES. WHILE MY MOTHER-IN LAW AND I WERE RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL NEXT DAY, MY WIFE CONTINUES TO RECEIVE TREATMENT AT THE HOSPITAL. SHE HAD ON HER ANKLE EXTENSIVE RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY THAT REQUIRED THREE METAL PLATES TO HOLD HER BONES TOGETHER WHILE THEY HEAL. SHE WILL SOON BEGIN REHABILITATION, LEARNING TO WALK AGAIN. MY WIFE'S RECOVERY IS EXPECTED TO TAKE MANY MONTHS. SHORTLY AFTER BUYING THE CAR, IT WAS RECALLED DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE CAR'S STEERING COLUMN. RECENTLY, MANY MORE OF THE SAME CAR HAVE BEEN RECALLED DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE CAR'S BRAKE CALIPERS. I BELIEVE MY CAR MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE BRAKE ISSUES TOO. I WOULD APPRECIATE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE BRAKES OF 2016 SUBARU OUTBACKS. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10909511

A FEW TIMES WHILE SLOWING DOWN OR PUTTING ON THE BRAKES I FOUND MY FOOT WAS ALSO ON THE GAS PEDAL. I FIND THAT THE GAS PEDAL AND BRAKE PEDAL ARE VERY CLOSE AND AT THE SAME HEIGHT. THE LAST TIME AT THE DEALER I ASKED TO CHECK OUT THE BRAKE PEDAL AND WAS TOLD EVERY THING WAS IN ORDER.

NHTSA ODI 10886151

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE, IT ACCELERATED AND BRAKED INDEPENDENTLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED VARIOUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,300. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED.

NHTSA ODI 10861245