Home · 2019 Subaru Outback Wilderness · Complaints

What 1,029 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 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 (1,029)Crash / fire / injury (29)Visibility & wipers (386)Electrical system (362)Engine (39)Driver assistance (36)Steering (35)Fuel system (31)Body & structure (27)Speed control (26)Brakes (20)Lane Departure (18)

29 of 1,029 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Feb 5, 2020BrakesCrash

ON THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 23, 2019 I HIT A DEER GOING APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES/HOUR. THE DEER DARTED OUT IN FRONT OF. I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE GAS. HOWEVER, THE AUTO-BRAKING FUNCTION ON THE CAR INITIATED. THE COLLISION DID DAMAGE TO THE FRONT GRILL AREA AND RIGHT FRONT QUARTER PANEL. THE AIR BAGS (DRIVER'S AND SIDE CURTAINS) DEPLOYED. AFTER THE COLLISION AND INITIAL AUTO-BRAKING, I LOST ALL ABILITY TO BRAKE USING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CAR CONTINUED FOR APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER QUARTER MILE BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. BEFORE THE CAR CAME TO A STOP, I JUMPED/ROLLED OUT OF THE CAR BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE IF THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. THE WHITE DUST AND SMELL (FROM AIR BAGS) HAD ME CONCERNED. MY MAJOR CONCERN NOW IS THAT I LOST NORMAL BRAKING ABILITY. THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED AT. THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE REPORT NUMBER IS PA 2019-1706182. INSURANCE COVERAGE WAS BY NATIONWIDE. MY CALIM NUMBER IS 022305-GK. THE CAR IS BEING REPAIRED BY CAR CARE COLLISION IN HONESDALE, PA.

NHTSA ODI 11307342

Oct 28, 2019Speed controlDriver assistanceCrash

2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DESIGN OR MALFUNCTIONING OF TECHNOLOGY. THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO MAINTAIN ADJUSTED SPEED. *AS THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET TO 45MPH AT WHICH POINT, THE VEHICLE SPEED UP AND CRASHED INTO THE CAR AHEAD. THE PRE-COLLISION BRAKE SYSTEM DID NOT ACTIVATE. *JS

NHTSA ODI 11270790

Aug 16, 2019AirbagsSpeed controlBrakesCrash

SLOWLY PULLING STRAIGHT INTO PARKING SPOT AT GROCERY STORE. APPLIED BRAKE WHEN CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL STEERING, BUT BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK. STEERED CAR INTO EMPTY PARKING SPOT IN FRONT OF ME THEN TURNED HARD RIGHT TO AVOID HITTING PARKED CARS IN ROW ACROSS. SUBARU HIT A PICK UP TRUCK THAT WAS REVERSING OUT OF A DIAGONAL PARKING SPOT. THE CAR DIDN'T STOP UPON IMPACT, INSTEAD BOTH RIGHT SIDE WHEELS CLIMBED UP THE SIDE OF TRUCK AT AN ANGLE. AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY ON IMPACT. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE ACCELERATION WAS UNCONTROLLABLE AND I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11244551

Jan 20, 2019BrakesCrash2 injuries

I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT AN ISSUE WITH WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE THE BRAKING SYSTEM IN THE 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING NORTHBOUND ON THE DALLAS NORTH TOLL WAY, AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 65 TO 70 MPH, I TAPPED ON THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN FOR THE UPCOMING DECLINE. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PUT MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR SUDDENLY AND ABRUPTLY STOPPED. IT WAS AS IF THE BRAKES "LOCKED", I WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE. WE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP ON THE TOLLWAY AND WERE UNABLE TO ACCELERATE THE CAR. WE WERE HIT FROM BEHIND. THE STOPPAGE WAS SO SUDDEN THAT IT RESULTED IN A THREE-CAR COLLISION. THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING AFTER THE COLLISION. THE POLICE OFFICER INSTRUCTED ME TO TRY TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE OFF OF THE ROAD, BUT DESPITE MY PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR WAS STILL UNABLE TO MOVE EVEN A SMALL DISTANCE. *DT *AS

NHTSA ODI 11171019

← Newer

Working with the data? Download all 1,029 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 2019 Subaru Outback Wilderness verdict →