2025 Subaru Outback

Rear Automatic Braking (RAB) system conducted an emergency , neck snapping stop while backing out of a sloped driveway at 9PM local time, zip 94596, walnut creek, California. There was no vehicle traffic, pedestrian traffic or other movements nearby to trigger the RAB system. There was a local rescue ambulance parked on another intersecting street, well over 300 feet away, with emergency flashing lights. As the driver, I immediately checked for traffic, pedestrians, etc, found nothing; rolled down windows to check again, found nothing. The vehicle was still held by the RAB system, I applied pressure to the throttle and the car slowly started to backup and the brakes then released. I believe the RAB system responded to the flashing lights, categorizing it as a moving vehicle rather than as a stationary rotating beacon over 300 feet away. Subaru needs to adjust/modify/include in the software a better way to handle this type of warning lights into the RAB system.

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving on the freeway in stop-and-go traffic with the automatic braking system activated, the vehicle erroneously reversed and failed to immediately stop while depressing the brake pedal. The contact shifted out of drive(D) and then back to drive(D), and the vehicle stopped. The contact stated that the failure had occurred a second time during a trip before returning to normal operation, and the vehicle was driven to the residence and parked. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 14,500.

July 4, 2025 car had about 4100 miles Severe dangerous phantom braking on highway CA 280 N just prior to foothill expressway exit at about 7:30 pm. Suddenly while traveling 60 MPH on mid lanes of freeway car auto braking caused car to brake/slow to 1/2 speed with no visible obstacle seen by any of 4 adults in car. Multi[ple Dash lights up with eyesite failure and all red , green and yellow lights. Gas pedal ws unresponsive no power. Eminent crash danger. Driver responded trying to hit gas then brake to steer off freeway. After several seconds the car gas pedal eventually responded and I was able to exit freeway at next exit. Taken to dealer July 23, 2025 Reported to Subaru of Santa Cruz . Tech could not duplicate state"The cameras will pickup objects and may brake if the freeway or road turns sharply". Manager of Service also indicated that this can happen if sun is setting. Since that time had P1894 cv transmission code at 12,567 at regular maintenance, techs local and Subaru engineer unable to identify problem erased codes to see if it repeats. 16,034 miles Aug14,2026 Hi pitched engine noise. Dealer diagnosed head gaskets leaking, engine idler pulley failure, pct value and hose leaking. repaired. Lemon claim denied by Subaru 2x cases filed with manufacturer no repair of automatic braking forward or rear collision system or transmission. Engine repair at this mileage indicates defective vehicle. I was hoping to resolve this with the manufacturer . but the safety issues with phantom braking and power trains early failures are unacceptable.

The brakes failed and could be inspected upon request. My safety and the safety of two other passengers was put at risk because my vehicle rear ended an another vehicle at a red light. The problem has not yet been confirmed or reproduced by the dealership or inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representative of others. There were no warning messages, or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

See attached document for complaint.

While traveling along I-94E outside of Macomb County on September 10th at around 8:30AM, forward collision warning triggered twice while facing the direct sun. It triggered for around 6 seconds. Shortly after getting off the Shook Rd exit at around 8:45M and turning right, I had a full AEB activation while again facing the sun, almost causing the vehicle behind me to rear end me.

The large LCD screen infront the shifter just goes blank. Been to the dealer the reload the operating system to no avail.

Lane-keeping/lane-centering: The system repeatedly pulls the vehicle too far to the right. More seriously, while driving on the freeway, it has randomly and suddenly jerked the vehicle to the right with a rapid steering input. This is not simply a matter of the system being imperfect—it creates a serious safety concern because the vehicle can move abruptly toward the edge of the lane or toward an adjacent lane.

Car battery has been failing since June it will not stay charged it started out losing power over weekends now it is every day. It is so bad I purchased a portable battery charger from auto zone to jump my car.

Needed to move quickly out of way of oncoming traffic, but delay/hesitation in CVT made it almost impossible to avoid traffic.

When engine auto-restarts after Auto Start-Stop has started engine, steering wheel jerks violently if it is not completely straight, dislocated my 5th finger.

GPS goes out..dealer has tried to fix numerous times

NHTSA Complaint Narrative — Draft On July 9, 2026, in the evening, my leased 2026 Subaru Outback Touring caught fire while we were driving home. We were stopped in a left-turn lane waiting on a left-turn signal. When the light turned, the vehicle in front of us moved forward — which, in hindsight, was fortunate, because molten metal was sprayed across that exact spot moments later. The engine effectively exploded, throwing molten metal from the melted hood and engine components into the air around the car. We exited the vehicle immediately, leaving it burning in the left-turn lane. The fire department, based only about half a mile away, arrived within approximately 4 minutes, but it still took them roughly 35 minutes to fully extinguish the fire given its intensity. The vehicle had just been returned that day (or very recently) from a 3.5-week internal engine repair at the dealership. This was the third time I had reported the same underlying engine problem to Subaru — the recent lengthy repair was the first real attempt by the dealer to address it, and it failed within days of the vehicle being returned to me. My spouse and I were in the car moments before the explosion. Had we been delayed even briefly — for example, had the car ahead of us not moved forward when it did — we believe we could have been seriously injured or killed by the explosion and flying molten debris. The vehicle was a total loss. I am filing this complaint because: This was the third report of the same engine issue prior to the fire, indicating a recurring, unresolved defect rather than an isolated incident. The failure occurred immediately after a dealership repair specifically intended to fix this problem, suggesting the underlying defect was not — or could not be — properly corrected. The nature of the failure (explosive engine fire while driving, throwing molten metal across an active traffic lane) presents a serious risk of injury or death to occupants, other drivers, and bystanders

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving during heavy rainfall, the front windshield displayed a distorted view while the windshield wipers were activated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not identified. The front windshield was cleaned. Upon further investigation, the contact associated the failure with the manufacturing of the windshield glass. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

The passenger seat airbag light does NOT always come on when my wife, 93 lbs, sits in the passenger seat. It will come on with someone heavier. This also happened in the loaner car I was given, 2026 Forester, by the dealer while they investigated my car. The airbag light did not come on when my wife was in the seat. Dealer says thereshold switch is operating according to factory specification. I say the specification needs adjustment. This was NOT a problem with my 2021 WRX.

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start while attempting to start it. There were no warning lights illuminated. A tow truck company successfully jump-started the vehicle, and the vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact returned to retrieve the vehicle, and the key fob failed to operate, and the vehicle failed to start. The dealer provided a loaner vehicle. There was no indication that the battery had failed; however, the dealer replaced the battery. The dealer had not yet determined the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

On May 16, 2026, I was driving approximately 65 mph northbound on the Glenn Highway near Anchorage, Alaska, in my 2025 Subaru Outback Wilderness. Traffic was light, and there were no vehicles within approximately 150 yards of my vehicle. Without warning, my wife and I heard a loud bang followed immediately by the sound of rattling glass. The factory-installed moonroof suddenly shattered while the vehicle was traveling at highway speed. I did not observe any object strike the vehicle, and there were no nearby vehicles or adverse weather conditions that would explain the failure. Fortunately, the interior moonroof shade was closed. Had it been open, shattered glass could have fallen directly onto the driver and passenger, potentially causing eye injuries, distraction, or loss of vehicle control while traveling at highway speed. After safely pulling over, I documented the damage with photographs and contacted Continental Subaru of Anchorage two days later to schedule a warranty inspection. When I brought the vehicle to the dealership on May 28, the warranty claim was dismissed before any inspection findings were explained to me. I was ultimately told that Subaru does not cover shattered moonroof glass under warranty and that only cracked glass may be covered. I was directed to file an insurance claim instead. I asked the dealership to identify evidence of an external impact that would explain the failure, but no impact point or other physical evidence was shown to me. I was required to pay for replacement of the moonroof despite the vehicle having only approximately 30,000 miles. I am submitting this report because a spontaneous failure of a factory-installed moonroof while driving at highway speed presents a significant safety hazard. I am also aware of numerous publicly reported incidents involving similar sudden moonroof failures in Subaru Outback vehicles, which I believe warrant further investigation.

The back passenger seatbelt does not retract. It stays loose after use and there are safety concerns. I don't feel safe having any passengers in my car.

The seat belts in the backseat get un-aligned when you sit in the seat buckled up. when this happens the seat belt will not retract. This happens every time I sit in the backseat and I have to remember to refeed the belt into the guide.

I bought a brand new 2025 subaru outback in April of 2025. At first service (oil change and tire rotation) in Jan 2026, I complained that the vehicle keeps swerving left and right and Subaru of Ann Arbor said they will diagnose the i-Sight vehicle system and correct it. But right after delivery , i realized the steering had to be held at ~5 degrees to the right (off centered) to get the car go straight. I complained and I was made to bring the car in 3 times to Subaru of Ann arbor - only to go without a fix. The car fishtailed, the traction control system malfunctioned in normal roads and highways due to the steering angle error. I was asked my Subaru of Ann Arbor to not come there anymore and take it to a different dealership. I complained to Subaru of America (Customer advocacy) and they asked me to pick a different dealer - Lafontaine Subaru. Even there the technicians argued that the car is good and just did an alignment without fixing the steering angle error issue. The steering angle sensor is tied to the vehicle safety software controls, traction control system and safety systems such as lane keep. I have to keep the steering tilted to keep the vehicle in lanes and I am struggling to keep it safely within lanes since January 2026. Subaru of America has not intervened even after the 6th repair in 3 months as the problem is not fixed. the lives of my family including a [XXX] infant for whom I got the car is being threatened on a daily basis. I keep telling the urgency and grave danger and the last response from the second subaru dealer was this is the maximum we can do. I am feeling threatened as I paid a fortune for a new car and wanted to secure my infant and my family. Our safety has been disregarded despite multiple complaints and repairs in the first year of ownership. Mileage now is 6100 miles total. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)