What 65 owners told NHTSA about the 2025 Subaru Outback Wilderness

On 6/22/2026 we were driving on the highway that had no objects in the road and one oncoming car about 200 to 300 yards away when our brakes locked up and a crash indicator popped up on the drivers screen. My wife and I were thrown violently forward into our seat belts it felt like we had been in a crash. I feel that if someone had been following us we would have been hit from behind. We immediately took the car to the dealer to be checked out. The next day they said they found nothing wrong with the car and gave it back. The car did have an update load earlier in the day.

NHTSA ODI 11746765

Twice in one week I was backing slowly out of my driveway. No cars were in sight and the Subaru slammed on the breaks. The first time tweaked my back as I was looking over my shoulder when it broke so aggresively. I am fine.

NHTSA ODI 11743406

Traveling southbound onXXX in Virginia between the hours of 7-9am. Weather was clear with bright sunshine. While traveling at highway speed with the cruise control activated the emergency braking system activated on 3 separate occasions. Traffic was heavy but moving at a steady speed. I suspect the angle of the sun and the sunlight intensity caused the inadvertent activation.

NHTSA ODI 11728209

Crash avoidance Collision system randomly goes off with no cars in front or behind it. This is extremely dangerous as it will make the car stop on its own. Lane departure does not activate until completely over center line. Another big safety issue. This is a loaner car from Carter Subaru in Shoreline WA. My car is in their shop for exact same reasons and more issues. Obviously this is a systemic problem with the new Subaru’s.

NHTSA ODI 11725271

2025 Subaru Outback onyx edition purchased 3/2025. Approximate mileage at time of incident 7000. On 2/10/25 around 6am car is remotely started with Subaru app from iPhone on flat gravel surface. Car was in park. Go out car not there moved almost a car length down a hill left turn then over an embankment into a ditch where it finally rested still running in park when found it. Why or how is this possible when done this before no issues. Took to dealership checked visible damage snapped bumper back in get hood and grill shutters checked by body shop. Stating no malfunction and said safe to drive until we did that. One week later the car is started and all sorts of lights appear on dash took back to dealer additional problems found in front end and underneath. Told us we could still continue to drive it with lower core support damaged. Why did lights come on week later no airbags deployed when hit ditch. No notification or contact on app when crash happened and how was the steering affected when vehicle was in park. So many questions no definite answers yet? Definitely a major safety concern. Left with new vehicle damage at this mileage and we feel we are not at fault

NHTSA ODI 11721684

1.) Lane departure is not operating until way over the line on right side of vehicle. 2.) Collision Warning is going off regularly with no cars in front or behind. Randomly goes off. This makes it impossible to use the Automatic Emergency Braking feature if it went off in the middle of the freeway which would cause a wreck. 3.) Blind Spot warning goes off on driver side when there is no car there. 4.) Eyesight constantly turns off randomly meaning absolutely none of this "safe" driving stuff is working anyways. All of these items make this car very unsafe to drive and makes me wonder why I paid for them. It creates incredible stress and sometimes panic especially when the Collision Warning goes off for no reason. Yet my dealership denies any issue I've brought to them in the past but they magically get fixed and I'm referring to previous issues not the ones mentioned above. Yet after going through many of the service bulletins on your Website, my dealership has not notified me of any of these except the CCU update.

NHTSA ODI 11719139

1.) Eyesight constantly turns off on a whim. No reason or rhyme to it but just turns off. Meaning none of my "safety" systems (lane departure, crash avoidance, emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, collision warnings, collision braking) are functioning. Then it turns on when it decides it wants to turns back on after awhile but will happen in the middle of a 30+mile drive. When has this happened? Intermittently since I've purchased the car 11/23/2024. It's happened at least a dozen or more times. Dealership says nothing is wrong with car and they cannot replicate issue. This is just one of many issues with the new Subaru. Others are auto start stop does not function as it should per the User Manual. 12/4/2024 Passenger outside mirror does not defrost as stated it should in User Manual. 12/4/2024 Mileage for the Wilderness edition rarely hits minimum estimated MPG. constant

NHTSA ODI 11719168

We are having issues with the RAB, lane departure, collision assistance and other warning lights just randomly coming on. We put it to the dealer and they said it was a problem with a dead fob. They returned it to us and the first day back on the road it did it again. When it left the dealer after being "fixed" before it had 14625 miles on it. I also have a picture of when we were going 71 miles per hour when it cur out.

NHTSA ODI 11717987

CRITICAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE - HIGHWAY SAFETY HAZARD 10/23/2025: While driving 2025 Outback (11K miles) at highway speed on I-485 Charlotte, complete electrical system failure occurred without warning. ALL dashboard lights illuminated, COMPLETE LOSS of power steering (steering extremely heavy/difficult to control), all safety systems failed (ABS, brake sensors, traction control). SAFETY DANGER: Sudden power steering loss at 65mph made vehicle nearly uncontrollable. Required extreme force to steer to shoulder. Could have caused fatal crash during emergency maneuver or in traffic. IMPROPER WARRANTY DENIAL: Dealer claimed "cut wire" was "outside influence" but provided NO evidence how wire became accessible on properly designed vehicle. No photos, forensics, or proof. Vehicle never modified/damaged, only normal highway use. PATTERN DEFECT - SUBARU OUTBACK ELECTRICAL FAILURES: - 2020 Outback: 873 NHTSA complaints, electrical failures, battery drain, module failures - 2017 Outback: 893 complaints, "Do Not Drive" warning, steering control loss - NHTSA 23V-551: 35,357 Subarus recalled for wiring harness "insufficient clearance" causing wire damage, short circuits, power loss - 2019-22 Ascent: 271,694 recalled for electrical overheating from improper wiring COMMON DEFECT: Improper wire routing, inadequate protection, vulnerable placement - DESIGN/MANUFACTURING DEFECTS not owner damage. CONCERN: If critical wire accessible to damage after only 11K miles normal driving, this is design deficiency. Properly engineered vehicles protect wiring from road debris, vibration, weather. REQUEST: Investigate 2025 Outback electrical/wiring design. Review for pattern failures. Determine if recall warranted. Complete power steering loss on highway is life-threatening defect. Vehicle: New 2025, maintained per schedule, no modifications/accidents. Subaru denying valid warranty claims by falsely claiming "outside influence" without proof.

NHTSA ODI 11696638

Since October 2023, my 2019 Toyota Prius has developed severe and unpredictable driving behavior after a regular brake service, which may have triggered or coincided with a software or ECU update. The car, which had been driving smoothly since I bought it in 2021, suddenly began showing false braking, steering interference, and lane instability — as if the car were trying to “correct” problems that didn’t exist. These interventions often happen on highways or during turns, creating serious safety risks for both driver and passengers. I’ve spent months and thousands of dollars replacing parts, performing alignments, and recalibrating sensors, including at Toyota dealerships. The problem persists because it is software-based, not mechanical. I discovered that in mid–2023, the NHTSA announced upcoming rules requiring Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection by 2029. Around that same time, reports from multiple drivers (Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Ford, Subaru) began to appear describing the exact same issues. It seems manufacturers began silently updating vehicles to meet anticipated compliance standards. However, this introduced overly sensitive and malfunctioning driver-assist systems. The most alarming part is that the driver cannot fully disable these features — the “off” button only reduces their intervention. This means when the system malfunctions, the driver is forced to operate an unsafe vehicle. As a professional rideshare driver, this problem destroyed my ability to work. Passengers reported me for unsafe driving because of the car’s erratic behavior. I eventually lost my vehicle and income. I believe this is a systemic safety defect linked to premature or unregulated implementation of AEB software. Drivers deserve the right to fully disable malfunctioning systems that endanger lives. This is not just a car issue — it’s a public safety crisis that must be urgently investigated.

NHTSA ODI 11692655

1. Pre-collision warning system malfunctioned. On my vehicle it has activated 4 different times when there was no obstacle in the roadway -- one of which happened in front of a semi truck and the semi truck almost rear ended me. On the loaner vehicle while mine was being looked it, the pre-collision warning didn't activate at all when there was a significant obstruction in the roadway and I wrecked the vehicle. 2. My safety has been put at risk by having a pre-collision warning system activate randomly and then brake hard due to this. It was also put at risk by the pre-collision warning system not activated at all and causing an accident. My safety has further been put at risk by Subaru asking me to continue to drive my vehicle to help them figure out what is happening. I am not a crash test dummy. 3. The problem has not been able to be reproduced but I do have some pictures of the malfunctions. 4. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership. 5. My vehicle has been plagued with multiple electrical issues prior to the pre-collision warning activating for no apparent reason. The warning signs were came on and off too fast for me to see what they were other than the vehicle was braking hard for no reason.

NHTSA ODI 11687671

The EyeSight Assist appears to be working intermittently since the car was purchased. It stops working without any apparent reason, regardless of whether it is a sunny day, cloudy, or rainy. The assist stops working without any proper reason. The lane departure warning also appears to be either not working or malfunctioning at times. Even if I am within the lane, it still makes warning sounds at times and shows yellow lines on the screen.

NHTSA ODI 11680299

Several incidents: 1) I was on a 3 lane road and gained some speed to get around a car, when I got into the other lane the car collision warning came on and slowed the car down significantly b/c it detected a car that was at least 300 feet in front of me. That is too far for a car accident. I was told by the dealership that the alogorithum between speed and object detection is what made the car react that way. Essentially it calculated that at the speed I was at I would have overtaken the car in front of me despite the fact that it was hundreds of feet away. This is dangerous and in no way would I have kept that speed and overran that car, besides I was getting back in the other lane to get on the interstate ramp in less than 100 feet. 2) I have small kids, in the morning I unlock the car and load them up into the car while I go back and forth to the house to get the rest of my things. I then started the car heading to my destination. While on the interstate my car kept trying to drag me back into a lane despite me wanting to change lanes. Turns out while I was loading my kids in the car they were searching for their "Kids Bop" radio station and hit all sorts of buttons, changing my button selection. I did not know how to change it back without reading the book. I had to pull over to the side of the interstate to google how to change the features. I was late to work and completely stressed out. The buttons shouldn't be that easy to change. And frankly shouldn't exist, they are dangerous. 3) Today I pull into my parking space at work and the bush in front of me is overgrown, the collision detection system detects the leggy limbs of the bush and slams on breaks flashing the collision notice. My head jerked forward and all of my belongings in the front seat of the car fly forward. This car has a mind of its own. I'm not driving the car, its driving me. These features are dangerous and I want them removed. This car is going to kill me!!!!!!!!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11675831

2025 Subaru Outback has been to the dealership three times for software issues. Cruise control, back-up camera, rear collision system, eyesight system all operate some of the time and other times they do not work at all. Software recall in March 2025 and fix was not successful. In May of 2025, dealership reinstalled entire software system. Same safety functions are again not working all the time. Vehicle returning to dealership on July 15, 2025 to try and rectify safety issues associated with the software. No accidents. Safety functions just turn on an off over the past three months.

NHTSA ODI 11672078

The Car will not stop if another vehicle is in front of it and I don't hit on the brakes. I have taken it in for this problem more than three times and they put it on the computer and it can not find anything wrong with it. And once they reset it works until I turn it off and start it back up the system goes back to the default setting I have reached out to the dealership to let them know that It is still not working properly and the thing that has happen is that they have call me once tell me that they will look in to but as now June 12, 2025 I have heard nothing. The car is new and when I received it the car had a big squirrel nest in it which I had to take it back the next day for that and yes the car is new. I purchased it from Classic Subaru Atlanta Corp.

NHTSA ODI 11666660

There are a couple of issues. 1. The car keeps applying the brakes at lower and higher speeds even though there is literally nothing in front. This is both annoying and risky, especially at higher speeds happening at the interstates. When I asked at the dealership, they said the car is not equipped to do something like this. But that does not mean this is not happening. At lower speeds, it feels like massive pressure forced on the stomach. 2. The lane departure warning system is subpar at best. It cannot comprehend the real-world lane markers- if modified, and is constantly forcing to go through the work areas and seemingly trying to make a collision. If I were not aware and attentive, I would have crashed to the barriers on the highway. 3. The Rear Cross Traffic Warning system does not seem to capture the presence of cross traffic unless it is directly behind in most cases, specifically if the vehicle is coming from the right side of the vehicle. It is not helpful at all.

NHTSA ODI 11640157

Three primary issues of major concern on this vehicle: 1. Phantom emergency - braking at random, both low and high speeds. The most dangerous of the three. 2. Lane keep assist - unaware or unable to compensate for real driving conditions, construction areas, pedestrians walking a dog, heavy machinery on a semi-truck as examples. 3. Infotainment blinding - A large, HIGH GLOSS screen at a 45-degree angle, placing it in the direct reflective angle of three windows: Sunroof, passenger front, passenger rear. Absolutely blinding even with sunglasses on during the right time of day. The Sunroof can be pulled closed with a shade but the other two will still cause complete blinding. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? 1. Emergency braking at slow speeds is annoying for sure, but it has also occurred at 65MPH and almost caused an accident had the nice lady behind not forced herself off the road to compensate. It braked for no reason (Rain? Splash? Not sure) and nearly caused an entire row of cars to crash into me. 2. Lane keep is highly problematic because it simply doesn’t know really what it’s doing or aware of surroundings. Per the above, examples had I NOT intervened: it would have happily crashed me into concrete following the wrong lines in construction areas, run a woman’s dog over as we tried to cross the lines to give passing space. 3. The screen is set up so that it is directly in line to reflect the sun at different points in the day. When I say blinding, I mean REALLY blinding (It’s the SUN after all). You lose visibility on the road and become a danger to yourself and others. We carry a towel to toss over it during certain points in the day, it’s that bad. I have more detailed information, but the character limit is low on this form. Contact me if you want more.

NHTSA ODI 11625239