What 65 owners told NHTSA about the 2025 Subaru Outback

April 3, 2026: my 2025 Subaru Outback Premium (VIN [XXX] , 2,052 miles) suffered simultaneous failure of multiple safety-critical systems due to corrosion on a CAN bus pin in the driver door wiring harness (Subaru part #XXX) at its dash harness connection, caused by water intrusion into the cabin. Trip start: EyeSight, collision avoidance, blind spot, and lane assist all offline; BRAKE indicator illuminated with no brake engagement. Minutes later, airbag warning activated. Dealer service advisor described the dash as "lit up like a Christmas tree." While reversing through a 3-point turn on a commercial drive used by heavy trucks, I LOST STEERING at single-digit speed. 60 seconds further would have placed me on an inclined high-traffic road near a freeway interchange. Vehicle was towed by Subaru from the failure location. Confirmed by authorized dealer Driveway Subaru of Moon Township (Invoice #680646, warranty claim). Subaru SSM4 scan recorded 17 unique DTCs across 10 control systems, including C1460 Brake Booster Abnormality; U1131 Lost Comm Power Steering Control Module; U0151 Restraints Control Module; U0122/U1122 VDC; U0126 Steering Angle Sensor; plus multiple EyeSight faults. Dealer documented moisture on both A-pillars, driver kick panel, standing water in cupholders and center console. Prior intermittent symptom: passenger seatbelt alarm on empty seat, two occasions in prior months, consistent with past-status U0151 on scan. Dealer cleaned the corroded pin but did NOT identify or seal the original water ingress point. Vehicle remains in dealer possession. Subaru of America Customer Advocacy Case #XXX-XXXhas declined repurchase/replacement, stating vehicle is "operating safely as designed." I dispute this conclusion: the ingress source is unremediated and recurrence risk has not been addressed. Repair invoice, full DTC scan, SOA correspondence, and owner statement available on request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11732342

Front passenger airbag does not turn on and/stay on when my adult wife is seated (5'7" 100lbs). Moving the seat up/down and/or back/forth sometimes allows the system to activate but it then turns off later on while driving. The Subaru owner's manual instructs the owner that when this occurs the passenger should sit in the back and Subaru Service should be obtained. Subaru Service has inspected the car and indicated the system is functioning properly, and there is nothing to repair. Afterwards, calling the Subaru Customer Advocate they indicated that they expect the system to turn on for my wife, and that there is no weight minimum for the air bag. They said that I should return to the service center with her so that they could witness the issue. A return appointment was made and completed today. Subaru Service center staff witnessed the passenger air back system ignoring my wife in the seat. Their response was comprised of confusion as to why we were there followed by the judgement that the system was working as designed (based on the previous visit) so there is no problem to be fixed. It appears that the Subaru air bag system does not protect all adult passengers. Also, the owner's manual instructing the driver to tell the passenger to sit in the back when this occurs, seems to indicate that this is not a normal situation and needs to be repaired.

NHTSA ODI 11675866

Front Passenger side icon shows airbag off when passenger is in passenger seat

NHTSA ODI 11669260

The front seat passenger airbag has an amber colored lighted alert indicator on the dashboard that is supposed to change from “off” to “on” when an occupant of sufficient weight is seated in that position. The dealer who recently sold me my new 2025 Subaru Outback advised me that this indicator is calibrated to trigger when a passenger weighing over 85 pounds occupies that seat. However, while I have found that it works for example when an occupant sits in the front passenger seat at a weight of 190 pounds it does not switch from off to on when a passenger weighing 97 pounds has occupied this seating position. This problem occurs only with the front passenger seat airbag alert indicator and works properly when a passenger of either exampled weight class occupies the driver’s seat.

NHTSA ODI 11648460

Shortly after purchasing my vehicle I noticed that the passenger airbag illuminated “off” indicator did not switch from “off” to “on” when an individual weighing under 100 pounds occupies the front passenger set in the vehicle. I could find nothing in the owner’s literature accompanying my car’s purchase addressing the threshold weight set by the manufacturer or dealer for passenger airbag activation/deactivation but was told informally by a dealer representative that the weight threshold for the vehicle is set at 100 pounds and cannot be adjusted to activate for front passenger seat occupants weighing any less—a potential safety issue for my wife who weighs less than 100 pounds and often occupies the front passenger seat position.

NHTSA ODI 11644733