Skip to content
KLUNK
KLUNK

Subaru Outback Engine Problems

976 owner complaints filed with NHTSA across 20 model years.

Complaints by Year

Worst year: 2011. Best year: 2023.

Owner Reports

A representative sample of complaints filed with NHTSA.

Engine · 2008 4

Unknown why car sparked & ignited. Car was driven to grocery store 5min away then sat for approx. 2hrs before catching fire.

Engine · 2009 4

I purchased fuel injectors from Ebay on 5/25/2026 who guaranteed direct replacement fit for my specific vehicle. The injectors failed within a few days of use causing a catastrophic fire and total loss of vehicle on 6/3/2026

Engine · 2025 4

I just bought my Subaru outback brand new in October 2025. I’ve maintained my oil changes at the dealership. I bought it from in the last one was last may 26. I filled up my tank with a full tank of gas June 1. On June 2 when I was dri...

Engine · 2011 4

Purchased my 2011 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited from the dealership, new. Since 2013, the Subaru dealer has discovered multiple oil leaks, replaced the head gaskets 3 times, thermostat 4 times, the alternator 3 times, timing belt 4 times, ...

Engine · 2018 4

Driving slowly in a parking lot, I applied the brakes as I approached a parking space. Instead of slowing down, the car inexplicably accelerated quickly and did not respond to increased pressure on the brakes. The car was propelled into ...

Engine · 2020 4

No warning lamps or messages. A driver in a pickup truck behind me came up close and signaled me to pull over. He got out of his truck, ran up to my window and yelled to me "get out of your car, it is on fire". I was completely unaware ...

Engine · 2009 4

The contact owned a 2009 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle had failed to accelerate above 60 MPH without warning. The contact soon began to notice heavy white smoke in her rear-view mirror as th...

Engine · 2020 4

A fire started under the hood of my car while I was driving. There were no warning lights on in my car and the temperature gauge was in the middle where it usually is. Earlier in the day, I smelled gas, but I thought it was a different c...

Engine · 2022 4

Driving on the highway, engine started making a rattling noise, then began to labor and eventually stopped being able to accelerate at all. Oil pressure warning light came on around the time the acceleration gave out altogether. We pulle...

Engine · 2015 4

I was within the town limits so I was driving slowly. When I approached the first stop light in town I saw that it was red. There were of three or four vehicles stopped at that light. At that point I was probably only going 5mph. I t...

Engine · 2021 4

While slowly backing out of a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on it's own - I do not recall pressing on the accelerator but the engine surged and the vehicle rapidly reversed and struck 4 other parked cars. It felt as if ...

Engine · 2023 4

My car had an unintended acceleration that caused me to go in a ditch and hit a tree. I could not get car to stop when I realized it was increasing speed. It all happened very fast. My car was totaled. All airbags deployed. front righ...

Report a Klunk