What 83 owners told NHTSA about the 2024 Subaru Outback Wilderness

While driving normally on the highway, the sunroof glass exploded with no warning or previous signs of wear. After reviewing dash cam footage, determined that it was not caused by foreign object.

NHTSA ODI 11621090

Windshield cracks spontaneously

NHTSA ODI 11619443

MagSafe charger cause my iPhone to overheat every time I try to use it. My iPhone typically shuts down. This seems to be a disaster waiting to happen.

NHTSA ODI 11619353

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the ABS, All-Wheel Drive, Auto Start/Stop, Auto Vehicle Hold, Brake System, Traction Control, Parking Brake, and CTA warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the steering wheel became firm, making it difficult to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800.

NHTSA ODI 11617734

Driving on a slightly curving road next to a lake a car started to pull from the left of the road so he could see. This was slow And I started to brake and then to continue when he stopped. He did not enter past the double yellow. Yes he was facing the wrong way. The car locked its breaks and I was shocked but the other driver was waiting still. I could not move!! It did release finally and I continued. Not able to move was terrifying that I was going to be rear ended.. But on Labor Day 3024 9/01/2025 , I went through a construction area and it locked up at a stop sign. I had floor the car to move. Pulled over and tried to fathom why the car was saying the brakes were on. The engine light on. The eye sight light on.... basically everything. . These brakes should not remain locked and I find the idea of locking brakes is not healthy. This can not be logical. Other problems of stupid risks. 1. The turn signal continues on after turns on less they are sharp? If a wheel is turned and straightens out the light should go off. Automatically. 2. The cruise control takes a 3 second wait for a response. Then it will decide to go not to 70 bit right up and past 80. It it not an easy set. Poor and distracts even trying to get it set. Maybe get used to slow. 3. The dynamic steering is a problem in that it is not adjustable. It drives what it considers the middle of the road. Trucks are in the right lanes and trying not to be so close I fight the controls and have a a sore steering arm muscles. Get used to being in the hands of truckers is not my thing. The idea they cann't adjust it is bizarre and illogical. I hate the pull to the right. Yeah. Don't use cruise and turn off the safety systems was the statements from Subaru. 4. The hatchback opens unexpectedly but not when you have hands full. Final: This car is too risky for me. I do not want to drive this machine ever again.

NHTSA ODI 11612727

When Apple Carplay is utilized the operator's phone is muted all though they are unaware of this until notified whereas to correct the call must be disconnected then reconnected. This happens continuously and dealer denied any problem and blamed all kinds of other culprits. Upon contacting Apple then Subaru Corporation Headquarters we have discovered that this a problem for many of these models. Subaru said they are trying to resolve this issue yet no one is notifying car owners of this problem and worse denying it exists. This is a grave safety concern as when this happens it distracts the driver trying to correct and if in an emergency the receiver (911) of the call isn't being informed with vital information.

NHTSA ODI 11604125

This vehicle was purchased in April 2018. It was noticed that, when an adult passenger weighing between 100 and 105 lbs sits in the passenger seat, the occupant airbag system does not activate all the time. According to the manufacturer this is normal for the design of this protection system and this situation cannot be corrected.the problem has reoccurred several times.

NHTSA ODI 11603043

String wheel locked and couldn't start engine. Called dealer, who said to jiggle the transmission while attempting to turn the steering wheel. After three or four tries, everything freed up and everything ran normally. The dealer rep in the service dept said that that had happened to her "a few times"and there wasn't any way to fix it. Dealer doesn't want to see or inspect, no warning lights or anything else associated with this failure. First happened on Friday 13 July 2024. Hasn't happened since. What would prevent the steering wheel from locking up while driving? The dealer service rep said if we couldn't fix it by jiggling things, we would have to have it towed in. This doesn't seem to agree with the prior statement that there wasn't any way to fix the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11602284

Problem with phantom reverse automatic emergency braking. Backing up from my driveway causes uncommanded full braking once the vehicle is into the street, except when continuous brake pressure is applied while backing out. This has caused the vehicle to come to a full stop while blocking both lanes of traffic and caused an oncoming vehicle to have to also stop during the time it took the vehicle to be able to resume movement.

NHTSA ODI 11601523

Windshield cracked unexpectedly

NHTSA ODI 11600798

The engine, running at idle in and out of gear, did not respond to input from the gas pedal. Pushing the gas pedal did not have any effect on the engine revs. This was dangerous because I was attempting to enter a busy roadway and suddenly was faced with zero throttle response although the engine was still running and was in gear. The car has 5,300 miles. The transmission failed at 1,300 miles and was replaced by the dealer. The present incident began when, for unknown reasons, the car battery did not have enough power to start the car after being parked for 30 minutes. I got a jump start, and after letting car run for several minutes, attempted to leave the parking lot as described above. The car would move in forward and reverse at idle speed, but there was absolutely no response to gas pedal input. The car was towed to the dealer who will look into this.

NHTSA ODI 11600165

In the 5 whole days of ownership, our windshield chipped pretty easily from a small rock kicked up by another vehicle on the freeway. I’ve had a number of rocks and other things hit the windshield of plenty other cars i’ve had or have driven and non of them have ever chipped or cracked. We barely heard a pop, but all of a sudden a crack appeared. This event happed going maybe 50 mph at the most and caused great alarm for my wife who was driving. We were worried she would lose control of the vehicle. The outside temperature was 114 degrees, maybe that had something to do with it. Either way, we’re worried the crack will quickly expand on our way home to the Bay Area from San Diego. My neighbor and friends hav the same vehicle and mentioned having to replace their windshields multiple times from cracks. They all mention they have models with EyeSight technology.

NHTSA ODI 11599913

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was revving, and the RPM became elevated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

NHTSA ODI 11597569

On Sunday [XXX] around 10:00 am I stopped to gas up my car while I was going to church with my [XXX] baby in a car seat in the backseat. I closed the car door leaving my car keys and cell phone in the center console and as I went behind the car to gas up it unexpectedly locked. I panicked and ran into the gas station and had them call 911 because I knew my daughter would die if I could not quickly get her out of the car. An off duty Lee County, Florida Deputy happened to be gasing his car and heard the commotion and attempted to assist with a hammer to break the drivers side window but that did not work. The gas station owner came rushing out with a glass breaking safety tool and Deputy Angell (Badge # 21-182) was able to break the window and I safely got my baby out of the car. I took my car to Subaru of Naples where I had purchased the car several months previously. The Service Manager, Victor Hyer and the Service Consultant, Larry Carsi were very helpful and had the window replaced at no cost to me. They researched the problem and told me that was how the car locking system was supposed to work. This does not make sense to me since if the Deputy had not been able to break the window my baby would have died! I'm hoping you can look into this further as I want to prevent this happening to some other mother, who could have a catastrophic outcome. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11596140

I was traveling on highway 97 in Oregon and encountered a stretch of highway that had been recently graveled. I slowed down and was immediately passed by a long string of 18 wheeled trucks. By the time the string of trucks passed I had three separate chips in my windshield. The windshield should not break nearly so easy. The gravel used to resurface roads is very small and should never have caused that much damage. I believe the windshield in my Subaru Outback is far too flimsy and should be considered a material defect. They should be recalled and replaced with a more substantial windshield.

NHTSA ODI 11594444

When backing up at night in the dark, the backup camera is useless as the display is too dark to tell where I am going. There have been several times when I almost backed into the ditch or into a pond. My 2017 Subaru Outback backup camera was quite clear even on a dark night, so I never had an issue with backing up at night. My new Outback is dangerous when reversing at night. This needs to be fixed!!!

NHTSA ODI 11588119

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 72 MPH with no other vehicles nearby, the Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking system engaged inadvertently, and the vehicle came to a complete stop. The contact stated that he was able to continue driving; however, the vehicle started jerking and was hesitating while driving. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure related to the Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking system. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 100.

NHTSA ODI 11583539

Two times already the driver side door of the 2024 Subaru Outback opened while driving. One time it was on the freeway, at freeway speeds. The second time happened today 4/6/2024 while driving on a city street. Both times once the vehicle was in motion, there was no indication, no chime, or anything that suggested that the door latch wasn't closed. To be specific, the door actually opened, free from the latch. This was concerning and a safety issue especially when this happened on the freeway, as I was on the left lane. I was able to safely pull to the right and close the door. No lights, no warnings. Nothing.

NHTSA ODI 11581488

In my first “road trip” with the vehicle I experienced a cracked windshield. Less than 2000 miles from new. I was told by dealer nothing can do and that’s why they stress “extended warranty packages”. Sold a >$1,000 package that replaced windshield and converter several more. It seems that this is a very common occurrence from reviewing online forums. It should not be the customers fault for normal driving and the windshield be so thin / incapable of normal rocks etc not causing damage.

NHTSA ODI 11580959

This vehicle has severe CVT problems. It shifts back and forth with a clunk on level roads at a steady speed. I have a 2015 Murano with over 80,000 miles that does not display this type of behavior. I am driving a loaner which is a 2023 Subaru with the same engine and transmission as mine and it has none of my safety problems. The additional safety problems are: very poor resolution on backup camera and incorrect guidance lines; we are a hands free state and my voice command will not properly make calls; built in nav is horrible and Android Auto doesn't work; Adaptive headlights don't work; lane centering hugs the left side of the lane to a degree that I have to pull to the right if a vehicle is passing me; Auto rear braking does not work properly. The rest of the items are more of a nuisance than safety oriented. I have owned over a dozen Subarus without having any issues.

NHTSA ODI 11579793

Both front headlights cast a tabbed rectangular shadow into driver's field-of-view creating two potentially dangerous disruptive shadows/dead spots at certain longer distances and in open flat terrain areas. These tabbed rectangular shadow/dead spots often tricks the driver into falsely responding/over-reacting unnecessarily. The dead spots in the driver's field-of-view can be potentially dangerous while driving at night and around turns/corners where the LED headlights automatically track and follow based on the steering inputs by the driver. These projected tabbed rectangular tabs often startle my wife and or I often tricking our eyes into seeing what appears to be an object darting out in front of the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11579168

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ODI 11577274

While going 65-70 mph on the freeway the car began braking on its own with no cars nearby. It almost came to a complete stop but then started moving, then hesitated once more before releasing. I reported it to the dealership. They said they could try to recalibrate but otherwise I should contact Subaru of America because I no longer felt safe on busy California freeways.

NHTSA ODI 11576944

Windshield cracked after a tiny pebble hit at around 35mph. Dealer and Subaru of America refuse to take responsibility for their defective and poor quality windshields.

NHTSA ODI 11574732

The pre-collision braking system has engaged twice during normal traffic flows and came close to causing an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11573691