There are 32 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2012 Subaru Outbackin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Subaru Outback. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 89,000. It was later discovered, when the title arrived, that the mileage on the title was 134,000.
The engine shuts off while driving, especially when switching gears or when braking too hard (such as when traffic ahead suddenly stops). I had the engine shut off while I was making a left turn at an intersection and lost control abilities of the steering wheel.
Coming to a stop, not super hard at a turn light. the engine just died! all the lights started flashing so I put the car in park and tried to not freak out. Turned the key off and tried to restart right away and it didn't work, gave it another minute then it started up again, no light on or flashing what the heck. Like nothing just happened, omg my heart was beating and I was shaken up. They need to fix this! this is very dangerous and nerve racking I'm afraid to drive it now because you don't know when this is happing again or not.
1. Over the past months at different times the dashboard lights all start flashing the check engine cruise control breaks Flash on and off 2. Our safety's at risk because we don't know if the engine is needing repair or if it's an electrical problem or if the car's just gonna stop dead 3. We took the car in and they charged me $1500 for a new fan coil and it's still doing it 4. Yes there were many warning lights it has been happening for the past year and I've taken it in twice and it's still happening and now they're saying they have to replace the engine strap which is another $3000 this is ridiculous
Have been driving my car on the interstate for 6 hours and when this problem happened I was in cruise control. Out of no where a bunch of dash lights come on, (E brake and cruise control lights start blinking, traction control light comes on, and my check engine light comes on). I tried turning my car off for a few minutes and turning it back on but the lights still are blinking. I Googled my problem and found other people that have posted the same issue. I have also copied the found ID number for this issue: 10465487
When driving normally on the road the car begins to flash the following lights in the dash( Engine check, Oil Temp Light, Brakes, ABS, Traction control light, airbag light, passenger airbag light indicator) the car continues to drive normally but I cannot know that for certain when almost every indicator light is flashing, I have had the car inspected at a Subaru dealer 4 times since last year for other repairs in which they indicated a detailed inspection of all components following the repairs( radiator, ABS module, Transmission Maintenance, Differential Maintenance, Brake Fluid flush,), spent roughly 6,000$ in repairs and nothing was ever mentioned about this issue, if an inspection was done how could they not find an electrical error.This has happened twice in 3 months I do not feel safe driving a car that cannot properly indicate what internal issues are happening. The car drives fine and is in good condition however only a battery reset and new battery have been able to halt this issue until it happens again. I hope this can be investigated and looked into getting it repaired.
The warning lights stay on constantly. I have changed the mass flow air sensor, O2 sensors, serpentine belt, gas cap, treated the fuel system and the lights are still on. This is a common problem with Subaru Outback Owners.
On October 27, 2021 while driving the car a number of vehicle light began flashing. We checked every thing we could and proceeded to drive it home, approximately 47 miles. First thing on 10/28/2021 it was examined by a Subaru dealer service department and they found no issues other than they replaced the serpentine belt and a few light bulbs. The car was driven again on 1o/29/21 and 11/1/21 with no incident. On the way home from work on 11/3/21 the same vehicle lights began flashing. We checked everything we could and found nothing wrong. We began travelling home and about 25 miles into the trip we heard what sounded like metal clanking. Shortly thereafter we began to lose power and the engine started smoking. The engine compartment was on fire by the time we were on the side of the road so we exited the car. In around 10-15 seconds the car was fully engulfed by flames and burned to the metal.
Rear view camera stopped working.
battery drains quickly. had to replace battery three times in two years
2012 Subaru Outback stalls when braking. It stalls going up hills, on flat roads, after high speeds and after city driving too. The vehicle has shut off at stop lights, on/off ramps, and stop signs putting me and my family at risk of being rear-ended. It also stalls when parallel parking, increasing risk of being hit on city streets. No warning or check engine light. Subaru issued a bulletin about the issue but the local dealer and local mechanic were unable to replicate stalling on test drives.
This summer, my 2012 Subaru Outback began shuddering and stalling when slowing down. This has happened approaching stop signs and stop lights, but has also happened going up steep hills and on the highway as traffic slows. Cars behind me have gotten incredibly close, and it seems only a matter of time before an accident occurs. We brought the car to the mechanic, who told us it was the torque converter, which would cost upwards of $5000 to replace. Subaru extended the warranty on 2010 - 2015 Outbacks because of the faulty torque converter - but the warranty expires at 100,000 miles, which we've surpassed. I'm not sure how this works - the manufacturer had a defect but we're responsible? It's scary when the car stalls out and I'm not sure it's safe to continue driving the vehicle. Our mechanic said the issue would get worse over time.
I BOUGHT THIS CARD AT THE END OF MARCH AND ONLY FOR ONE WEEK IT REGISTERED THE CAR GOT FIRED AND BURNED WHILE DRIVING LAST FRIDAY AROUND 10PM. WHEN I CHECKED THE VIN#. THIS CAR HAS OVER 16 RECALLS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE AT A STANDSTILL WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT COULD NOT REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION AND WAS UNABLE TO UNLOCK FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. AFTER ACTIVATING THE HORN FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 SECONDS, THE KEY WAS ABLE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO METROWEST SUBARU (948 WORCESTER ST, NATICK, MA 01760, (508)651-2000) WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED TO BRING THE VEHICLE THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 56,000.
BATTERY DRAIN VEHICLE MAY SIT 2 DAYS AND BATTERY IS DEAD EVERYTHING IS OFF IN THE VEHICLE AND HAVE CHECKED THE VEHICLE OUT AND CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG, BUT IT STILL HAPPENS AND HAVE TO CHARGE THE BATTERY UP AGAIN AND AGAIN.
WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WHEN LIGHTS ON DASH STARTED FLASHING ON & OFF, CRUISE, BRAKE, CHECK ENGINE, THE TEMPERATURE LIGHT WAS FLASHING BLUE & RED. I PULLED OVER TO MAKE SURE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS OFF. TURNED CAR OFF AND ON AND CHECKED GAS CAP WAS TIGHT AS I HAD GOOGLED WHY IT MIGHT BE FLASHING. I CONTINUED FOR ANOTHER MILE AND ENGINE STARTED MAKING CLICKING NOISE WHEN I PRESSED GAS. I PULLED OVER AND STOPPED, CAR LIGHTS WERE STILL FLASHING AND IT BEGAN TO SMOKE UNDER HOOD. SMOKE STARTED COMING THROUGH AIR CONDITIONING VENTS AND WE GOT OUT IMMEDIATELY AND ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE.
MY CAR OFTEN GETS STUCK WITH THE PARKING BRAKE ON AND I CANNOT MOVE THE CAR FORWARD OR BACKWARD. MOST TIMES I HAVE A CARLOAD OF GROCERIES AND NEED TO GET THEM TO THE FREEZER OR REFRIGERATOR. COMPUTER ENGINE ANALYSIS...... ABS C0054 BRAKE SWITCH ON MALFUNCTION C0057 ECM CONTROL...... EPB C0252 MOTOR MALFUNCTION DETAIL CODE 50A0 ..... C0234 VDC FAILURE DETAIL CODE C111..... C0242 POWER SUPPLY VOLTAGE FAILURE DETAIL CODE. I HAVE REPLACED BRAKES, REPLACED TIRES, CHECKED FLUID, CHECKED FUSES, ETC.
VEHICLE LIGHTS (ABS, CHECK ENGINE, CRUISE, ETC) REMAIN ON OR BLINKING AT ALL TIMES.
ONE DAY DRIVING HOME I NOTICED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT AND THE PARKING BRAKE LIGHTS WERE FLASHING. ALONG WITH THE STABILITY CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS BEING ON STEADY. THE LIGHTS STAY ON WHILE DRIVING ON ANY ROAD OR STATIONARY. UNHOOKING BATTERY TERMINALS CLEARS THE LIGHTS FROM ANYWHERE BETWEEN A COUPLE HOURS TO SEVERAL WEEKS. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND SEEN THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES AND NOTHING THAT IS DONE FIXES IT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CRUISE CONTROL, BRAKE SYSTEM, CHECK ENGINE, AND OIL TEMPERATURE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE ONLY OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 136,000.
Showing 1–20 of 32 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026