Home · 2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness · Complaints

What 85 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 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 (85)Crash / fire / injury (9)Driver assistance (21)Visibility & wipers (19)Electrical system (17)Brakes (6)Lights (6)Transmission & drivetrain (4)Latches & locks (3)Speed control (3)Airbags (2)Body & structure (2)

3 of 85 complaints match · Speed control · clear filters

Apr 15, 2026Speed controlCrash

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. While turning into a parking spot, the accelerator pedal was slightly depressed, and the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, crashing into a parked vehicle on the driver's side. The contact stated that the vehicle continued to move forward after the crash into the next parking spot. No warning lights illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,300.

NHTSA ODI 11731476

Jan 27, 2025Speed controlEngineCrash

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that his wife was driving the vehicle and as she was entering into a parking spot and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle experienced sudden unintended acceleration. The contact's wife reported that the vehicle had made an abnormal revving sound as if she had applied the accelerator. The front end of the vehicle jumped the parking bumper and crashed into the store's glass front. The wife stated that she had not noticed any warning lights or alarm chimes before the abnormal revving noise. The wife was not aware of the speed of the vehicle. The wife stated that the vehicle stopped and she had shifted the vehicle into reverse (R) and was able to reverse out from the storefront. The wife stated that she had not suffered any injuries. The police were called and issued the wife a citation. The vehicle had damage to the front bumper and the hood. The contact stated that there were some broken pieces of plastic missing and there was some deformation of the front edge of the hood. The contact stated that the vehicle was drivable. The contact stated that a similar incident had occurred to him last August as he was pulling into his residence garage. He stated that he heard an abnormal revving sound from the engine and he was able to stop the vehicle before it had crashed into the garage. The vehicle had been taken to a local dealer, however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,800.

NHTSA ODI 11638907

Jan 23, 2024Electrical systemSpeed control

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the Eyesight feature of the vehicle was no longer operable. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH uphill, the accelerator pedal was released; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 63 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that she continuously pumped the brake pedal until the vehicle responded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that no issues were found. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH around a roundabout, the failure recurred, and the front passenger's side tire struck the curb. The vehicle then decelerated and bounced. The contact depressed the brake pedal and stopped the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and test driven. The dealer informed the contact that due the vehicle striking the curb, the steering wheel was off center, the front passenger's side wheel was bent and imbalanced, and there was an abnormal wheel bearing sound. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the ball joint had detached from the knuckles, the brackets were shifted, and the tie rod and control arm showed marks. A Subaru field inspector inspected the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the unintended acceleration. The manufacturer later informed the contact that there were no abnormalities found. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

NHTSA ODI 11567364

Working with the data? Download all 85 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 2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness verdict →