551 of the
12,410 complaints filed about the Subaru Outback
are about the driver-assist systems —
100% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2020.
551
Complaints
100%
Share of all complaints
76
Crashes
1
Fires
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance complaints by model year
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.
NHTSA complaint #11764235 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11764235 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
My 2024 Subaru Outback rapidly deaccelerated/tried to stop in the middle of the highway twice! This is a safety issue and an accident waiting to happen. This car has been to the Subaru dealer 4 times for this issue and the dealer says they can’t figure it out. The last time the car slowed drastically and in the middle of the highway, we had three of our little grandkids (all under 6) in the backseat. It was very scary and it almost caused a very serious accident. I am now too afraid to ride in that car especially with my babies.
NHTSA complaint #11763288 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2024 Subaru Outback rapidly deaccelerated/tried to stop in the middle of the highway twice! This is a safety issue and an accident waiting to happen. This car has been to the Subaru dealer 4 times for this issue and the dealer says they can’t figure it out. The last time the car slowed drastically and in the middle of the highway, we had three of our little grandkids (all under 6) in the backseat. It was very scary and it almost caused a very serious accident. I am now too afraid to ride in that car especially with my babies.
NHTSA complaint #11763288 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I own a 2024 Subaru Outback Limited XT, VIN [XXX]. While traveling approximately 45–50 mph on a four-lane road with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged, my vehicle suddenly and rapidly decelerated and automatically applied the brakes as I approached a police vehicle traveling in the lane immediately to my right. There was NOTHING in my lane for at least one mile ahead of me. The police vehicle was not in my lane. It was traveling in the adjacent lane to my right. As I approached the police vehicle, my Subaru unexpectedly began rapidly decelerating and automatically braking. I did not apply the brakes. There was no warning beep before the automatic braking occurred. The vehicle behaved as though it had detected an imminent collision or obstacle directly in its path, even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, or other obstacle in my lane for at least a mile. The event occurred while Adaptive Cruise Control was engaged. I am concerned that the EyeSight/Adaptive Cruise Control and/or Pre-Collision Braking system incorrectly detected the police vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane as an obstacle or as being in my vehicle’s path. The sudden automatic braking at approximately 45–50 mph is a serious safety concern. A vehicle traveling behind me could have struck my vehicle because the deceleration was unexpected and there was no warning beep. This type of false or inappropriate automatic braking could cause a rear-end collision or other crash. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles equipped with EyeSight and Adaptive Cruise Control are experiencing unintended or inappropriate automatic braking, phantom braking, or rapid deceleration when vehicles are traveling in an adjacent lane. I would like this complaint associated with other reports involving sudden braking, rapid deceleration, Adaptive Cruise Control, EyeSight, and Pre-Collision Braking in 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles. I am willing to provide additional informati INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
NHTSA complaint #11763292 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I own a 2024 Subaru Outback Limited XT, VIN [XXX]. While traveling approximately 45–50 mph on a four-lane road with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged, my vehicle suddenly and rapidly decelerated and automatically applied the brakes as I approached a police vehicle traveling in the lane immediately to my right. There was NOTHING in my lane for at least one mile ahead of me. The police vehicle was not in my lane. It was traveling in the adjacent lane to my right. As I approached the police vehicle, my Subaru unexpectedly began rapidly decelerating and automatically braking. I did not apply the brakes. There was no warning beep before the automatic braking occurred. The vehicle behaved as though it had detected an imminent collision or obstacle directly in its path, even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, or other obstacle in my lane for at least a mile. The event occurred while Adaptive Cruise Control was engaged. I am concerned that the EyeSight/Adaptive Cruise Control and/or Pre-Collision Braking system incorrectly detected the police vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane as an obstacle or as being in my vehicle’s path. The sudden automatic braking at approximately 45–50 mph is a serious safety concern. A vehicle traveling behind me could have struck my vehicle because the deceleration was unexpected and there was no warning beep. This type of false or inappropriate automatic braking could cause a rear-end collision or other crash. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles equipped with EyeSight and Adaptive Cruise Control are experiencing unintended or inappropriate automatic braking, phantom braking, or rapid deceleration when vehicles are traveling in an adjacent lane. I would like this complaint associated with other reports involving sudden braking, rapid deceleration, Adaptive Cruise Control, EyeSight, and Pre-Collision Braking in 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles. I am willing to provide additional informati INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
NHTSA complaint #11763292 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Automatic braking applied without warning . It activated with no imminent threat and cause my car to stop on the road . It would not go forward pushing the gas pedal and I had to stop in the road completely and put it in park and then put it in drive before I could proceed down the road .
NHTSA complaint #11762961 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On at approximately XXX 5:30am, while driving my 2024 Subaru Outback Premium Northbound on [XXX] right in front of the [XXX], the EyeSight Driver Assist / Pre-Collision Braking system engaged with hard/sudden braking despite no vehicle, pedestrian, or object present in or near the roadway. There was a vehicle following behind me, and the sudden braking created a near rear-end collision. Road conditions were dry, weather was dark but clear, and traffic was light to moderate. I am concerned this represents a false-positive activation of the automatic emergency braking system that poses a collision risk. I am requesting this be logged as a safety complaint against the vehicle's Collision Avoidance/EyeSight system. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11762971 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
New car with only 965 miles. At 580 miles the car when I started it said safety eyesight system not working. I shut off car and restarted it and system connected itself. Today I was on highway doing 62mph and the entire dashboard, information and safety features displays went completely black without any warning. I was able to control car and system rebooted itself after a minute or so. I Contact Subaru and have a case number #260909-1500526. Called dealer and was told not to drive car and have it towed to dealership. Since I need a rental car the dealership will notify me when a rental car is available. It scared the hell out of me when it happened. I went online and see now that this is an issue Subaru is having with 2026 Outbacks (many reported) even though Subaru of America and dealership said they had not heard of any complaints.
NHTSA complaint #11763152 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I own a 2024 Subaru Outback Limited XT, VIN [XXX]. While traveling approximately 45–50 mph on a four-lane road with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged, my vehicle suddenly and rapidly decelerated and automatically applied the brakes as I approached a police vehicle traveling in the lane immediately to my right. There was NOTHING in my lane for at least one mile ahead of me. The police vehicle was not in my lane. It was traveling in the adjacent lane to my right. As I approached the police vehicle, my Subaru unexpectedly began rapidly decelerating and automatically braking. I did not apply the brakes. There was no warning beep before the automatic braking occurred. The vehicle behaved as though it had detected an imminent collision or obstacle directly in its path, even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, or other obstacle in my lane for at least a mile. The event occurred while Adaptive Cruise Control was engaged. I am concerned that the EyeSight/Adaptive Cruise Control and/or Pre-Collision Braking system incorrectly detected the police vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane as an obstacle or as being in my vehicle’s path. The sudden automatic braking at approximately 45–50 mph is a serious safety concern. A vehicle traveling behind me could have struck my vehicle because the deceleration was unexpected and there was no warning beep. This type of false or inappropriate automatic braking could cause a rear-end collision or other crash. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles equipped with EyeSight and Adaptive Cruise Control are experiencing unintended or inappropriate automatic braking, phantom braking, or rapid deceleration when vehicles are traveling in an adjacent lane. I would like this complaint associated with other reports involving sudden braking, rapid deceleration, Adaptive Cruise Control, EyeSight, and Pre-Collision Braking in 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles. I am willing to provide additional INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
NHTSA complaint #11762881 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I own a 2024 Subaru Outback Limited XT, VIN [XXX]. While traveling approximately 45–50 mph on a four-lane road with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged, my vehicle suddenly and rapidly decelerated and automatically applied the brakes as I approached a police vehicle traveling in the lane immediately to my right. There was NOTHING in my lane for at least one mile ahead of me. The police vehicle was not in my lane. It was traveling in the adjacent lane to my right. As I approached the police vehicle, my Subaru unexpectedly began rapidly decelerating and automatically braking. I did not apply the brakes. There was no warning beep before the automatic braking occurred. The vehicle behaved as though it had detected an imminent collision or obstacle directly in its path, even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, or other obstacle in my lane for at least a mile. The event occurred while Adaptive Cruise Control was engaged. I am concerned that the EyeSight/Adaptive Cruise Control and/or Pre-Collision Braking system incorrectly detected the police vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane as an obstacle or as being in my vehicle’s path. The sudden automatic braking at approximately 45–50 mph is a serious safety concern. A vehicle traveling behind me could have struck my vehicle because the deceleration was unexpected and there was no warning beep. This type of false or inappropriate automatic braking could cause a rear-end collision or other crash. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles equipped with EyeSight and Adaptive Cruise Control are experiencing unintended or inappropriate automatic braking, phantom braking, or rapid deceleration when vehicles are traveling in an adjacent lane. I would like this complaint associated with other reports involving sudden braking, rapid deceleration, Adaptive Cruise Control, EyeSight, and Pre-Collision Braking in 2024 Subaru Outback vehicles. I am willing to provide additional INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
NHTSA complaint #11762881 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11761969 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on the highway I had my cruise control on with my driving assist turned on. My car tried to veer to the left, hard, almost into the guardrail. It had happened before but not as severe as this time. Going highway speed, I was lucky enough no one was next to me. Someone could have got seriously injured!
NHTSA complaint #11761486 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera was inoperable. The maps and radio were glitching and then seized stuck. The screen was difficult to read. The screen was pixelated due to the brightness outside. The camera was inoperable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall coverage for the head unit. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case, but declined any further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 73,022.
NHTSA complaint #11757943 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I'm new to this automotive technology. When I was introduced to the car, one of the "features" indicated was the ability to sense and slow down for curves, if the system sensed the need, when operating under the cruise control option. In testing my different options of my new car, I was using the cruise control on a 65 mph road in TX set to 60 mph. As I entered the curve the car did not slow down. This was a surprise to me. I contacted a Subaru dealer about this. I was told that my trim level did not have this "option". Before I contacted the dealer I did look in the Subaru EyeSight Drivers Assist Technology Owners Manual. On pages 280 and 281 of this manual in the Cruise Control, Pre-curve Speed Control*, ON/OFF. The *note is "if equipped". My car is not equipped. I was not informed or cautioned about this when I went through the delivery process. I did not know I did not have this feature. My complaint is this. If the car is equipped to assist steering when in cruise control, for safety, all models should come standard with the Pre-curve Speed Control. It only takes one instant for a new driver to loose control if expecting this feature to be present. I am an experienced driver. I was able to take corrective action to avoid trouble. But, I did anticipate the car to slow and was startled when it did not.
NHTSA complaint #11757505 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Phantom Braking of Pre-Collision Braking 2023 Subaru Outback Turbo Wednesday, July 29, 2026. 9:30 am, sunny day Driving south on local city street. Brakes slammed on, car stopped, flashing yellow lights on left Combination Meter stating that Pre-Collision Braking was activated. There was no vehicle/obstacle/animal in the road. No parked cars, no cars backing out of a driveway. Road was completely clear. No strange shadows, no cracks in street. Pre-collision braking system hallucinated an obstacle and activated, throwing me forward into steering wheel, and dog in the back seat thrown forward into back of driver’s seat. Restarted car and drove off. Turned off system every time I drove the car until I took it to the dealer 2 days later. Problem was not reproduced by dealer . No messages or warning lights prior to incident. The repair order stated that there was a "sticky" substance on the windshield, but I had just had the car washed. I didn't notice anything on the windshield.
NHTSA complaint #11754558 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle Component Affected: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM / FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE / BACK OVER PREVENTION Description of the Safety Defect: The factory infotainment touchscreen in my 2015 Subaru Outback Limited (VIN: [XXX]) has suffered a severe manufacturing defect where the internal chemical gel adhesive has melted, creating large, oily liquid bubbles across the display. This physical degradation causes the screen to suffer from continuous "ghost touches," registering non-stop phantom inputs while the vehicle is in motion. This hardware failure creates three active, severe driving safety hazards: DANGEROUS OPERATOR DISTRACTION: The ghost-touching triggers a loud, high-pitched, non-stop audible dinging sound through the speakers that cannot be muted, severely compromising driver focus on the roadway. INOPERABLE NAVIGATION CONTROL: The system recently registered phantom touches that autonomously programmed a random destination into the factory GPS. The system then overrode all driver controls, preventing me from canceling the navigation instructions or turning off the screen audio while driving. OBSCURED BACKUP CAMERA VISIBILITY: The large, oily chemical delamination bubbles create a severe visual distortion on the screen. In direct or bright sunlight, the backup camera image is completely unreadable and obscured, creating an active striking hazard to pedestrians and vehicles behind me. This manufacturing defect began approximately in Jan 2023 and has gotten progressively worse over time, transitioning from minor cosmetic bubbling to severe, non-stop hardware malfunctions. This component failure is an active driving hazard that completely compromises driver attention and vehicle safety systems. Subaru of America is aware of this chemical breakdown across this generation of head units but is refusing to remedy the safety defect out of warranty. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11751408 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle Component Affected: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM / FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE / BACK OVER PREVENTION Description of the Safety Defect: The factory infotainment touchscreen in my 2015 Subaru Outback Limited (VIN: [XXX]) has suffered a severe manufacturing defect where the internal chemical gel adhesive has melted, creating large, oily liquid bubbles across the display. This physical degradation causes the screen to suffer from continuous "ghost touches," registering non-stop phantom inputs while the vehicle is in motion. This hardware failure creates three active, severe driving safety hazards: DANGEROUS OPERATOR DISTRACTION: The ghost-touching triggers a loud, high-pitched, non-stop audible dinging sound through the speakers that cannot be muted, severely compromising driver focus on the roadway. INOPERABLE NAVIGATION CONTROL: The system recently registered phantom touches that autonomously programmed a random destination into the factory GPS. The system then overrode all driver controls, preventing me from canceling the navigation instructions or turning off the screen audio while driving. OBSCURED BACKUP CAMERA VISIBILITY: The large, oily chemical delamination bubbles create a severe visual distortion on the screen. In direct or bright sunlight, the backup camera image is completely unreadable and obscured, creating an active striking hazard to pedestrians and vehicles behind me. This manufacturing defect began approximately in Jan 2023 and has gotten progressively worse over time, transitioning from minor cosmetic bubbling to severe, non-stop hardware malfunctions. This component failure is an active driving hazard that completely compromises driver attention and vehicle safety systems. Subaru of America is aware of this chemical breakdown across this generation of head units but is refusing to remedy the safety defect out of warranty. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11751408 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While day driving on a clearly marked interstate in slightly hazy weather from fires, the car suddenly, unprompted, steered to the left without any warning or any indicators going off. This caused the car traveling at highway speed to crash into a barrier wall, drive half way up before driver could regain control of the steering and then spun out across 4 lanes of traffic. Driver said cars lane assist was on and it was ping ponging for a moment before it suddenly steered to the left unprompted causing the crash. A witness behind stated they saw the car behave the same as did the two passengers in the car.
NHTSA complaint #11751418 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While day driving on a clearly marked interstate in slightly hazy weather from fires, the car suddenly, unprompted, steered to the left without any warning or any indicators going off. This caused the car traveling at highway speed to crash into a barrier wall, drive half way up before driver could regain control of the steering and then spun out across 4 lanes of traffic. Driver said cars lane assist was on and it was ping ponging for a moment before it suddenly steered to the left unprompted causing the crash. A witness behind stated they saw the car behave the same as did the two passengers in the car.
NHTSA complaint #11751418 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.