2022 Subaru Outback engine problems

ENGINE

My 2022 Subaru Outback Premium has had repeated intermittent stall/no-start events. The exact failed component is UNKNOWN, but the issue appears related to the fuel system, engine control, electrical system, or heat-related sensor/relay failure. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The first event occurred while parked: the engine shut off/would not start, while the dashboard and screen remained powered. After about 30 minutes, it started again. A later event occurred while driving: the engine suddenly shut off, but the dashboard and infotainment screen stayed on. I could not restart the engine for about 10 minutes. When it restarted, the vehicle would not accelerate past about 30 mph, suggesting reduced-power/limp mode. This created a serious safety risk because the vehicle lost motive power while in traffic. The vehicle was taken to a Subaru dealership. The dealer diagnosed the high-pressure fuel pump as failing and replaced it under the powertrain warranty. About one month later, the same issue occurred again while parked: the vehicle shut off, all dashboard warning lights illuminated, and it took several minutes before it would restart. The dealer then stated the battery was weak and replaced the battery. The new battery tested good after replacement. One week later, the issue returned again. A consistent pattern is that the problem occurs when it is hot outside and the vehicle has been running for more than one hour. The vehicle has been inspected by a Subaru dealership multiple times. The problem has not been reliably reproduced by the dealer, but the dealer previously confirmed a failing high-pressure fuel pump and later a weak battery. Warning lamps appeared at the time of failure, including multiple dashboard lights/check engine-type warnings after the engine shut off. There were no consistent warning messages before the stall/no-start events.

NHTSA complaint #11757581 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the message "EyeSight Disabling" was displayed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle then lost motive power and was unable to restart. The contact called 911, and two bystanders assisted in pushing the vehicle to a Jiffy Lube. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the battery had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon research, the contact associated the failure with the engine. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

NHTSA complaint #11752666 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

On May 19th 2026 around noon time, while we (me and my wife passenger) were driving my 2022 Subaru Outback Touring (2.5L, non-turbo) in active congested traffic on our way to airport, the engine shut off as expected by the Auto Start-Stop system when I came to a stop. When I released the brake pedal to proceed, the engine failed to automatically restart. The vehicle became immobilized in a live traffic lane, creating a serious safety hazard with traffic backed up behind me and oncoming vehicles unable to predict my situation. No warning lights or alerts preceded the failure. After shifting to Park and pressing the ignition button multiple times, the engine eventually restarted. There was no prior history of stalling, no check engine light, and the battery and vehicle have been maintained per Subaru's schedule. This is a critical safety defect: a vehicle that disables its own engine in traffic and fails to restart on demand puts the driver, passengers, and surrounding traffic at immediate risk of rear-end collision. The Auto Start-Stop system should never leave a vehicle stranded in a live roadway. The vehicle is available for inspection. I have/have not yet taken the vehicle to a Subaru dealer for diagnosis.

NHTSA complaint #11746625 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

After highway driving for 50 miles, stopped for a red light. Engine died but all lights stayed on. Sat 5 minutes with dead engine and when I tried again, the car started. Drove 1 mile to next light and it happened again. Went to Auto Zone (it was a Sunday and dealerships were closed) and they tested the battery which was 100%. Two days later, drove car for 10 minutes then parked for errand; 15 minutes later, car wouldn't start. Let it sit for a minute and it started right up. This happened 8 months ago (engine died at stop light after having been driven 30+ miles) but Subaru dealership could find nothing wrong. Also, radio speakers randomly will blast so loud it startles and distracts everyone in the car.

NHTSA complaint #11739030 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a stop, there was an abnormal oil-burning odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that there was an oil leak coming from the lower oil pan. There was oil dripping onto the exhaust system, creating a potential fire hazard. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,400.

NHTSA complaint #11734535 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

- Engine failure. Yes. - At a stop light the auto-restart function failed, following this event the vehicle began making a knocking noise, we towed it to the dealership for evaluation and their diagnosis was that it needed a new engine. - Dealership stated they too heard the knocking noise in the vehicle and it is engine damage due to low oil. However, the dipstick read fine when we took it into the dealership and we did not have a low oil warning. - Inspection completed by dealership - Received no warning lights nor messages regarding symptoms of the problem prior to failure. Initial event happened on 12/26 when at a stop light following the auto-off during braking function the car did not restart automatically. Car was turned off, and restarted. Following that event the vehicle had a knocking noise that increased in volume with driving. Did not drive the car after arriving to our destination. Towed the car to the dealership where we were told it needed a new engine.

NHTSA complaint #11709008 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Lower oil pan leaks oil. Started leaking oil right after warranty expired. This is a known issue for Subaru cars with the 2.4 turbo engine. Seats ripped right after warranty expired.

NHTSA complaint #11687315 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

We had had no issues at all with our 2022 Subaru Outback until June 2025. Mileage at the time of the incident was approximately 52,000. We were driving one evening in June and all of a sudden the engine stopped and we could not drive it. It only produced a knocking sound when we attempted to turn the engine on. We had the car towed to the dealership and after taking the engine apart, they reported that an intake valve broke, flew and split one of the pistons causing the motor to seize up. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the engine failure. Regular oil changes had been performed on the car. This issue came completely out of left field as we had previously had no engine issues.

NHTSA complaint #11682830 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

While stopped at a yield sign waiting for traffic to clear so I may proceed with my left turn, I stepped on the accelerator pedal to make my left turn; however, my car did not go because the engine had turned off due to the auto stop feature. Once the engine restarted, I was no longer clear about proceeding with my left turn and had to apply the brakes very hard immediately to stop my vehicle. The auto engine stop is a dangerous feature that should not automatically be applied when starting the car.

NHTSA complaint #11661946 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Automatic auto off-on began to fail and car didn't start well. I began to disable the automatic auto on off while driving because it began to sound like it would stall out while stopped at a traffic light . Then I forgot to disable the automatic auto off on and car stalled out while stopped at a traffic light. I took it to dealer, Rafferty Subaru, they couldn't find anything wrong with it. Then a few days later check engine light and other icons started flashing on dashboard. I took it to dealer, they said the gas cap was off. For the next week the automatic auto off on sounded like it would fail so I disabled it, the car didn't start normally every morning, and it began to feel like it didn't shift correctly as I accelerated or slowed down. About one day later it suddenly lurched to almost a stop while driving, check engine light was flashing, other icons on dashboard were flashing, the Park Brake icon started flashing. The engine continued to run but I couldn't go more than 2 mph. I put it in park and it started to smell like something was burning so I turned it off. I had to have it towed to the dealer, Rafferty Subaru.

NHTSA complaint #11619999 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Was just driving when I noticed my car was sounding louder than usual. Then when I stared it after running some errands it sounds like a bad engine nock. So I took it in for an oil change and they told me it was a cracked exhaust manifold. Also told me it fine to drive and shouldn’t cause further problems. Then I started to smell heavy exhaust smells inside the cab of the car. Now I have to drive it with windows down or risk passing out or dying

NHTSA complaint #11611002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Thermal control valve became inoperable at less than 40,000 miles. Engine shut down and began to overheat. Part is known to easily fail by Subaru. Has been examined by dealership. All warning lights came on at once, and cruise control and Eyesight were disabled. NHTSA Recall Number 23V755000 We have been on the list for this recall repair since 12/28/2023, we were told when we scheduled the service appointment for the TCV that the dealership was not doing any more recall repairs any time soon as they could not get parts.

NHTSA complaint #11579616 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine started sputtering with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle started losing motive power. The accelerator pedal was depressed, and the engine revved and responded as needed. The contact stated that the power steering and power brakes failed while attempting to pull over to the side of the road. The contact continued to rev the engine which appeared to stabilize the instrument cluster view; however, the power steering and brakes were inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle was shifted into park(P) but while attempting to shift into drive(D), the gear shifter failed to move. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited for approximately one hour and when the vehicle restarted, all functionality had returned. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.

NHTSA complaint #11552963 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The relatively new car (2022) stalls out randomly at intersections and red lights. This is a major safety issue as we have had the car totally shut down in the middle of 2 busy intersections. We had to dial 911 and have the police come to assist. We brought the car to the dealer and they did not find a problem but it continued to happen. There were no warning lights or messages - stalling happened randomly. May be related to the gas saver engine stop feature when at a complete stop.

NHTSA complaint #11549526 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Lower oil pan leaks due to poor QA/QC at the factory so I’m told. And possibly the upper oil pan leaking to. Researched forums and it’s a requiring problem. So is the problem big enough for a recall? One issue is that the dealership didn’t notice it during last inspection and service. Or is the dealership being told to remain silent ? Never less the end user suffers with worrying about if it’s going to happen again and cause bigger issues. Please check forums on this issue. Thank you

NHTSA complaint #11549304 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

This has happened many times since my vehicle ownership in May. Today for example I am on the highway cruising along (cruise control set) and alarms start going off, the vehicle lurches as it self-disables safety features one by one - Cruise control shuts off automatically - check engine light on, reverse auto breaking disabled, lane assist disabled, Collision avoidance disabled, entire eyesight system disabled. (and I'm sure more I am missing) I have contacted Subaru of America many times about this fault, they have yet to respond appropriately to my inquiries (usually they dont respond at all or simply tell me something about the factory stereo?). The only fix I've found is removing the gas cap tapping it a few times and resetting (to the "one-click") tightness. After multiple start/stops the codes will clear and life will resume with safety features. This incident today was 204.3 miles into my gas tank, not sure how the gas cap is related but something is definitely wrong. If it truly is the gas cap they could simply have a small icon on the 11" display vs disabling every safety feature- While I am DRIVING!

NHTSA complaint #11507558 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

On January 28, 2023 at approximately 1930 hours, vehicle battery was dead after being in a parking garage for a week. Vehicle was jump started and being driven on a highway for about 10 miles at highway speeds. At a location on the NYC Harlem River Drive, traffic came to a stop for a minute or so. The 'Auto Start Stop System' stopped the motor as designed. When traffic started to move again, the motor would not restart and the battery was dead. We were disabled in the left lane of an unlit high speed, high volume highway in the dark with our emergency flashers rapidly going dim. After about 45 minutes and numerous near serious collision misses, a tow truck arrived to tow us off of the highway. The system that failed was the 'Auto Start Stop System' and the vehicle is available for inspection. I have 40 years of investigating and reconstructing fatal and serious motor vehicle collisions and this defect put the safety of the motoring public at a serious risk. It is unknown if the problem has been reproduced and the component has not been inspected by the manufacturer. There was not any warning indicators or other symptoms of the problem. To the contrary, the vehicle operator had the false assumption that all systems were operating properly. This defect presents a high risk of serious injury to highway users.

NHTSA complaint #11504271 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The initial incident occurred on July 31, 2021. I used the push button start to start the car, put the vehicle in reverse, and the vehicle proceeded to roll uncontrolled down my driveway, which is on a slope. I had no power steering or power brakes. I was able to safely stop the vehicle with no incident other than damage to the plastic over the right rear taillight. I turned the vehicle off and restarted it, and everything seemed operational. It seemed that the car's engine had not turned on, only the electrical system. The same issue happened repeatedly over the next few days. In observing what was happening, I have noticed that the push button ignition requires a significant press in order for the vehicle to start correctly - quite different from my experience with our previous two push-button start vehicles. In the "Getting Started Guide, Outback 2022", p. 41, instructions clearly state "briefly press and release the Engine START/STOP button." I submit that this is inaccurate, and that new vehicle owners should be advised as to what to do, and what to look for in the dashboard to understand that the vehicle engine has, in fact, started properly. I am a user experience researcher, including in automotive research, and we have an expression that there's no such thing as user error, just poor design. This is a clear example of poor design.

NHTSA complaint #11429109 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.