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What 291 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 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 (291)Crash / fire / injury (10)Visibility & wipers (107)Electrical system (72)Driver assistance (29)Engine (20)Speed control (18)Airbags (16)Transmission & drivetrain (11)Fuel system (10)Body & structure (7)Brakes (7)

1 of 291 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 5, 2023Electrical systemBrakesFuel systemCrash

On Sunday, August 20, 2023 I was pulling into a parking spot in front of an Anytime Fitness at a local strip mall. As I applied the brake, the motor raced and accelerated driving me into a pillar outside of the fitness center. I was in shock, not understanding what had happened. Had I chosen to park one stall to the right, the car would have gone through the window of the business instead of the pillar. Considerable damage was done to the pillar and to my 2021 Subaru Outback, but I was not injured, and no one else was injured. I had the brakes checked at my vehicle service center and was told the brakes were functioning as they should be. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. No warning was provided by the vehicle. The crash occurred in two seconds.

NHTSA ODI 11542645

Working with the data? Download all 291 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 2021 Subaru Outback Wilderness verdict →