What 454 owners told NHTSA about the 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness

Multiple occasions of dead battery or stalling in an intersection have occurred since the car was 6 months old, with mileage of only 3,000 miles. Dead battery accompanied by electrical malfunctions such as loss of nav system, climate control system, and driving safety systems. Battery failure in cold weather in Michigan winter resulting in long waits for tow truck. Loss of heat in very cold temps on a road trip.

NHTSA ODI 11529149

1. Vehicle doesn’t start when sitting just for a couple of days. Battery isn’t dead as lights, radio, etc work. The vehicle will start if jumped. Happened last year and was in and out of the dealership 3 times with this issue. They replaced the battery, but issue still persisted. They ended up doing a “software update “ which seemed to fix the issue. But just a year later I’m having a very similar issue with the vehicle not starting. This vehicle only has 14,000 miles on it. Do their batteries only last 1 year/ 7l miles? 2. The information screen freezes quite a bit we’re you’re not able to control the radio, air/heat etc. there seems to be electrical issues with this vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11525148

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated he had taken the vehicle to the dealer for standard maintenance. When parked, the contact noticed that smoke was coming from underneath the vehicle. A loud popping noise occurred then a fire started underneath the hood of the vehicle. The fire quickly spread. The fire department extinguished the fire. There was no damage. There were no injuries and medical attention was not needed. A fire/police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and is with insurance waiting for the condition of the vehicle to be determined. The vehicle had not been officially diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,260.

NHTSA ODI 11517827

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she entered the vehicle to start the vehicle; however, the engine failed to turn over. An unknown electrical system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery tray and battery holder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,322.

NHTSA ODI 11516719

battery failure

NHTSA ODI 11515488

On January 28, 2023 at approximately 1930 hours, vehicle battery was dead after being in a parking garage for a week. Vehicle was jump started and being driven on a highway for about 10 miles at highway speeds. At a location on the NYC Harlem River Drive, traffic came to a stop for a minute or so. The 'Auto Start Stop System' stopped the motor as designed. When traffic started to move again, the motor would not restart and the battery was dead. We were disabled in the left lane of an unlit high speed, high volume highway in the dark with our emergency flashers rapidly going dim. After about 45 minutes and numerous near serious collision misses, a tow truck arrived to tow us off of the highway. The system that failed was the 'Auto Start Stop System' and the vehicle is available for inspection. I have 40 years of investigating and reconstructing fatal and serious motor vehicle collisions and this defect put the safety of the motoring public at a serious risk. It is unknown if the problem has been reproduced and the component has not been inspected by the manufacturer. There was not any warning indicators or other symptoms of the problem. To the contrary, the vehicle operator had the false assumption that all systems were operating properly. This defect presents a high risk of serious injury to highway users.

NHTSA ODI 11504271

Main Wiring harness / Main Electrical system malfunction, causing all dash lights to consistently be on. which in turn prevents all of the ADAS functions to no longer work. Vehicle has now been in 2 accidents which could have been prevented by these safety features. vehicle had had main harness replaced at dealers cost at dealership , and one at cost of insurance, problem remains unfixed/unfixable. vehicle is specifically 2022 Subaru outback Onxy XT.

NHTSA ODI 11498979

Subarus forward looking eyesight and rear auto braking functions will stop working periodically also the stereo/infotainment system will go blank causing you to no longer access the the safety features of the car or any controls for the heating/AC system.

NHTSA ODI 11497833

Battery is draining without cause. It's required two jumpstarts in one week.

NHTSA ODI 11486859

Rab system not working, no foward or reverse cameras work. No climate control access, no radio, no GPS, can't access any touch screen controls

NHTSA ODI 11485958

On or about April 28, 2022, while traveling on route 95 North (an interstate highway) utilizing the Factory GPS system which is in the center console, the entire console went blank. I immediately grew concerned the vehicle steering or acceleration was about to fail and pulled over on the shoulder of the interstate. I turned off the vehicle and restarted it, yet the screen remained blank, which meant I could not control the heat, defroster, air conditioning, GPS, radio, the USB ports, the telephone connections, and etcetera; all were inoperable. As I continued to drive the screen remained blank or blacked out. I pulled into a rest area and waited 20 minutes with the vehicle turned off, and when I restarted the vehicle, it operated normally. On April 29, 2022, vehicle mileage 10,389, I took my 2022 Outback to Subaru, while at the dealership the dealership diagnosed the problem as follows: a new center console Cockpit Control Unit Assembly-Navigation and Display Assembly was ordered. I was told the dealership would contact me when the part arrived. I did not hear from the dealership and on June 27, 2022, vehicle mileage 16,282, I returned to Subaru for the third (3rd) time, and I informed them the problem with the center console continued. I was advised that additional testing was needed. According to the service records a miscellaneous check for the latest software was completed, issue was not resolved, the console failed to accept the updates and a new console was ordered. No warning lamps, codes or errors were noticed, the screen goes blank and the driver wonders what will occur next. In this model, 2022 Outback XT Limited, the screen is over 12 inches tall and is the predominant electrical system in the vehicle. The problem was replicated by the dealership on 5 service visits, it is available for inspection, although the concern occurs daily it is intermitent. After 6 visits the problem has not been repaired/rectified.

NHTSA ODI 11483936

The car was not used for two weeks (parked at home garage). When we came back from our trip, the battery died. Everything (lights etc.) had been turned off. The tow service came to jump started my car, and I drove to the dealership. I took it to the dealership, they inspected the car, recharged the battery, sent me home. The service person suggested I put in a battery tender to keep car outback charged while being away for a while. The car was purchased in late May 2022. If we had driven the car to park at airport while we were on vacation, we would have been stranded at the parking lot. A safety hazard! Apparently the dead battery issue with Subaru Outback is an known issue.

NHTSA ODI 11481217

Battery drained, car would not start. First occurrence with new car at 831 miles, battery diagnosed as defective and replaced by manufacturer. Second occurrence at 4620 miles after sitting unused 8 days at airport parking, battery drained and most "check engine" lights on after jump-starting. EyeSight and most safety features disabled until checked and reset by manufacturer. Manufacturer quote "CAUSE: Problem due to vehicle sitting for more than a week low battery voltage concern. Recharged battery and it passes test. 100009 No problem found." Maintenance rep said car is working to specs. However a periodic dead battery to seniors who do not drive daily but desperately need a reliable car in case of sudden emergencies is cause for a safety concern.

NHTSA ODI 11477590

Battery dies or runs so low the vehicle won’t start, if a door/hatchback is left open just a short time with the engine turned off. Or if the key fob is in the cab more than a few minutes with the engine off, or the accessory function is used more than a few minutes with the engine off. I bought the car on July 21st 2022. On July 26st 2022 I was driving it on a Jeep road and pulled over and stopped for 10-15 minutes, car/engine turned off. When I returned the car wouldn’t start. I tried to start it repeatedly. It appeared to be a low battery. I may have left the door ajar but don’t believe so. I did sit in the car a few minutes with the engine off. My phone was plugged in to the car and I used it for a few minutes. I possibly could have left the key fob in the car but don’t think so. About 15 minutes later, after exiting the vehicle, I got back in and it started. I researched online and found this has been a problem with Subaru Outbacks. Lawsuits have been filed. I called the dealership and talked to the salesman and he said he had no idea why my car hadn’t started. Which I find hard to believe. If this had happened a few miles further out in the desert and I was gone from the car longer and the battery completely failed it would have been a life threatening situation. It was a 100 degree day and phone reception was spotty. I’m 67 and had water but a 6 mile walk back to civilization wouldn’t have been easy. I’ve read that many Outback owners carry a jump-start device-battery. I’ll get one, they’re cheap. But still the dealerships and Subaru should inform/warn customers of this issue BEFORE they buy or leave the premises. I wouldn’t have bought the car if I knew. Subaru’s are marketed as outdoor friendly and this model, the Wilderness, supposedly designed just fit that. How many people are being stranded in dangerous situations? Leaving the hatchback open while camping as they unload the car engine off-dead battery. I’ve heardrumors online of a software fix

NHTSA ODI 11476827

1. Front Windshield cracks easily instead of chipping. Appears to be under pressure in a strange way and it cracks then starts to delaminate. I had 2 windshields replaced within 30 days. Water also starts to enter the crack and it impacts the wiper blades when in use. 2. Center Info-Tainment system in underpowered to the degree that touch response is laggy to the degree to be dangerous. With all the climate controls, radio, gps, and other controls now on the touch screen this slowness is dangerous to the point that should warrant a recall. I've had a system update done and this did not fix the slow touch response. It appears to be underpowered hardware.

NHTSA ODI 11473665

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that whenever the weather was below 15 degrees, the vehicle would fail to start up as needed. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that an unknown sensor needed to be replaced however, the part was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000.

NHTSA ODI 11456851

We have a Brand New 2022 Subaru Outback premium We parked it in our indoor garage for 1 week. We left no lights on, etc. We came back and could not start the car. The dashboard lit up, a lot of flashing icons, the radio and lights came on. We called service they charged battery fully, we drove car for over an hour. Parked in garage. Today, next morning, same thing Had it towed to local dealer. They said would replace battery, no charge (of course) I checked on line and saw an article about this issue affecting Many Subaru owners, that Subaru is well aware, and has not solved the issue. So people have to replace battery fairly often. I can not rely on this car. I am going to join the Class Action Lawsuit now.

NHTSA ODI 11456087

Battery completely died on a nearly brand new car overnight, after being parked for less than 48h at temperatures around 5°F. Took it to a dealer who claims that the LED dome light was left on, draining the battery. However, the dome light is an LED light rated at about 100mA @ 13V, and the battery is rated over 100 Amp-hours (de-rated to 45% at ~0°F, so a single dome light by itself should take around ~450 hours to drain a fully-charged battery. It seems like even brand new Subaru Outback 2022s are affected by major parasitic drain battery issues.

NHTSA ODI 11453807

Car is suffering from "Parasitic Drain". Car is brand new with only a little over 200miles on it. Dealer has had to tow in the car twice already. Battery has been replaced. Car has so far been DOA 3 times in Driveway with a weeks' time.

NHTSA ODI 11443172

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle would independently accelerate without warning. The contact would be forced to place the vehicle into neutral to stop the acceleration. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and recently became more frequent. The contact also stated that an abnormal grinding noise would emit from the vehicle when the vehicle would independently accelerate. The contact called the dealer and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer kept the vehicle for almost two weeks and was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 700. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11434035

2022 Subaru Outback is new as of June 2021. 2 times I have had to get a jump start. No light were left on and doors and hatchback closed

NHTSA ODI 11426401

Vehicle was purhased in early June 2021. Vehicle was being operated on State Highway Route 55 at Milepost 46.7, in Elk Township, Gloucester County. Traffic was heavy, with southbound transient traffic traveling to New Jersey Shore points. Vehicle simultaneously lost power and began to display several error/warning messages on dashboard at approximately 13:52 hours. Vehicle was pulled to the right shoulder of the roadway and I began to smell something burning. As I removed personal effects from vehicle I exited and saw smoke coming from the passenger's side wheel well. I walked back approximately 100 feet and called 911, by time a dispatcher came answered, the engine compartment of the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames. No modifications of any kind were done to the vehicle since its purchase. I was the sole occupant of the vehicle and not injured. The vehicle is fully insured and payments are current. It's mileage at the time of the incident are 3,042. That information along with the error messages were provided through the Subaru Starlink App.

NHTSA ODI 11424796