NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2022 Subaru Outback. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
My EyeSight device stopped working correctly when I had the interior cleaned and the front windshield was spray cleaned. "Obstacle Detected" warnings started popping up and slowing down the car. Per the dealership, this was caused by the backsplash from the cleaner and now the entire device has to be replaced at a cost of $3300. Subaru later offered to replace it for $1800. I wish I was told to only spray the cleaner on a cloth or this could happen. Now I have to replace it or it could suddenly stop the car on the highway.
1. The Subaru Outback OEM windshield has cracked and had to be replaced 3 times, so we are currently on our 4th windshield in just 2 years. The car has about 50k miles on it. 2. It is difficult to see through a broken windshield and puts us and others in danger. 3. Yes, the dealer has admitted that Subaru Outback windshields crack frequently and nothing has been done about it. 4. The manufacturer has ignored the issue. 5. No warnings that the windshield would break this frequently.
Last year, my car would not start up again after the start stop feature activated in an intersection. This is after leaving the dealer who told me the car was fine. I’ve since replaced the battery. It still is sluggish to start at times. It is especially bad starting when start stop is activated. I turn the feature off every time I start the car. I’m worried every time I take a long trip I will get stranded. The dealer cannot find anything wrong with it they say. The automatic braking system is also horrible. It goes on prematurely and I’m sure damages the car.
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.
After doing grocery shopping, I returned to the vehicle, loaded my purchases, and upon getting into the driver's seat, noticed a large "Y" shaped crack in the windshield. The crack wasn't there when I arrived at the store. I've owned the vehicle less than a week, bought it used with less than 14K miles on it.
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
The windshield cracked from bottom of passenger side to the center of glass for no reasons, while the car was fully stopped, without any external impact. There were no harms caused to passengers, but it is concerning because the windshield could crack anytime without external impact. This didn't get recognized by dealership as a defect, they claim it was due to external impact. Yes, dealership has inspected the vehicle. No warning lamps or messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
I live in New Jersey, I am leasing this vehicle and I have 9 more months to go for the 3 year lease to be over. I am planning to purchase the vehicle after the 3 years. On [XXX] my fiancé and I drove from New Jersey to Ohio and stood at my boyfriend's grandparent's home for 4 days. While being there we had not used the car for 2 days and it was parked at the family members drive way be we were using the grandfather's vehicle since he was showing us around. On [XXX], we were planning to go out and get some ice cream. As we walk to our car the windshield is cracked from the corner of the passenger side to almost the driver's side. We were not sure what to do, we call Subaru and the nearest Subaru was 1 1/2 away from where we were. We decided to go back home with the cracked glass and take it to a nearby dealer 9 hours away. We stood in a hotel half of the way and we didn't drive over 55 miles per hour because we were afraid to go any faster with a cracked windshield. We took our car dealer here in NJ on August 7th, they took at the vehicle, took pictures and they told us, they would probably get approval to replace it under warranty but that it would need approval. They informed us that the vehicle did not have any signs of being in an accidents or that the crack did not show any signs of the windshield being hit to by anything to cause the crack. As of now, August 19, 2024 we are still waiting for approval. I need my vehicle repaired by September, since I work as an elementary teacher. I also feel, this incidence should be placed under a recall for this vehicle. It is very dangerous and could have caused major injury or even death to ourselves. Based on research I have done this incidence has happen to many people owning the Subaru Outback. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I had my car parked at my boyfriend's grandfather house in Ohio on Sunday, August 3 and 4 without using the car for 2 days. Today Sunday, August 4 at around 5PM, my boyfriend and I went to our car, because we were planning to go out for ice cream. When we notice a long crack on our windshield. The windshield is cracked and nothing hit it, the cracked extends from the passenger side of the of the corner side all the way to almost the side of the driver side. I read that this has been a problem with many Subarus. I would not have leased this vehicle if I knew this was an issue. It should be identified as a recall. Since I am away from home (New Jersey) and far away from a Subaru dealer, I have to get this windshield repair to get back home. I am going through my insurance to repair it. Please help me in getting to know what to do to get a refund of my deductible. Thank you.
When I sit in the front passenger seat, the airbag sensor icon sometimes says off and sometimes says on--even during the same trip. and even if I have not changed positions. This means I am at risk of bodily injury when the system does not recognize that I am in the seat because the airbag is not operative while I was in the seat. On 7/22/24 the Subaru technician found "no active or stored codes and "recalibrated passenger side front seat. Rechecked to verify air bag warning system is operating as designed." Nevertheless, the sensor does not always recognize that I am in the seat so I am still at risk. I am, by the way, an adult who is over 5 Ft but weighs 90 pounds. I bought the car for safety because Subaru touts safety in advertisements. I find that I am not safe because there is no airbag working much of the time. We have owned the car since mid-June 2024 and this happens multiple times in the car when I am in the passenger seat (I am adding a date for only one date below) but this happens multiple times--the majority of times I am in the passenger seat.
I am reporting a critical safety failure involving an improperly installed (wrong year) passenger-side airbag in my 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness, which was negligently missed for nearly two years by multiple Subaru service departments. This is a pervasive life-safety defect and an extensive failure in manufacturer inspection protocols. Chain of Negligence: 1. Initial Misleading Certification: Shortly after my purchase, the vehicle underwent a "certified" multi-point safety inspection at a Subaru retailer in Ohio, which negligently certified the vehicle as safe with a critical safety defect present. 2. Systemic Dealer Misdiagnosis: Over the subsequent nearly two years, I took my vehicle to multiple other Subaru dealership service departments, actively showing them a persistent visual misalignment of the passenger-side trim. Despite active complaints, no dealership took the proper time to diagnose the underlying cause, and they missed the critical safety defect. 3. Discovery by Chance: Critically, there were no warning lights, messages, or other electronic indicators. The only symptom was the visual misalignment. The true cause was only traced back to the wrong part after I personally spoke with a Subaru parts department team member who was resourceful enough to figure it out. This finding was subsequently officially certified as correct by the service team at Mike Shaw Subaru, which finally provided documentation that the component was incorrect. Safety Risk: The incorrect airbag component poses an immediate and incalculable life-safety risk, as its deployment behavior is unknown and potentially compromised. This unaddressed safety risk was allowed to continue for nearly two years due to repeated inspection failures. Manufacturer Response Failure: Subaru of America has been formally notified of this systemic safety defect and the complete failure of their retailer network’s inspection protocols. After missing multiple self-imposed deadlines, they continue t
I was driving to work and a car kicked up a small rock that struck the lower left portion of my windshield. There was no chip created at the time. Several minutes later, I heard an audible pop and 4 - 6 inch long crack appeared in the same area. Within minutes, the crack traveled across the windshield and extended about one foot further. Within a few days, the crack extended to the middle of the windshield and traveled upwards towards the attachment point for the rear view mirror. It's long enough now where I'm worried about it interfering with Eyesight. When I examined the area where the stone impacted, I can see several very small pits where the rock hit, but each pit is probably no larger than 1/64th of an inch in diameter. Given the behavior of the crack and reports I've heard from others, I suspect that the glass is too thin and under stress the way it's mounted to the car. This fault has been reported over and over on social media and has cost owners many thousands of dollars to correct.
Second windshield cracked with no impact. This I’d the second time within a year that this has happened to me. Like last time the crack isn’t on the outermost layer, and if you run your finger along the crack it feels completely smooth. This is quite frankly unacceptable with how expensive these windshields are to replace.
A tiny crack started at the top of the window butnothing impacted. Thenit slowlyintwo weeks crackeddown quickly on the windshield of the driver from passenger side. Again no rockhit itor anything else.It appeared quickly and spread. Our extra warranty shield protection doesnt coveritbutit seems almost like a factory defect.
Windshield glass broke spontaneously and randomly with no impact associated with the crack. The crack extends all the way across the windshield.
Went out to driveway and started car. Heard a ping. a few minutes later the windshield started to crack from drivers side bottom corner upward across the field of vision. At first it was about a foot long but spread to about 3 feet. No sign of impact.
My subaru outback windshield seems to use low quality glass or have poor windshield mount/frame design. Since purchasing the car new in April 2022, I have had 3 significantly cracked windshields; all of which propagated immediately after getting hit by a pebble mid-drive (not giving any opportunity to fix the chip). I am filing this complaint because I don’t think it should be standard for a windshield to propagate a crack so easily and consistently every time it gets chipped (this seems statistically improbable compared to other cars) - and it’s a legitimate hazard to visibility if I don’t have ample opportunity to get the chip repaired to prevent it from propagating to a crack. Essentially I’m saying that it’s almost guaranteed that getting a chip will result in a foot long crack during the same drive (I say almost because I have been able to repair a chip before it was too late once). Furthermore, the crack will often double in size over night (presumably due to temperature changes) - which leads me to speculate that the windshield glass accumulated internal stresses during install due to poor design. I have only replaced my windshield through official Subaru dealerships with their recommended glass vendor. I’ve attached two photos from my most recent cracked windshield; the first is the crack that propagated immediately after the pebble hit while driving, and the second is after leaving the car overnight stationary. Also note that this is usually at highway speeds; and i have effectively had 1.5 broken windshields per year of driving the car. The first broken windshield happened at ~200 miles driven on the brand new car (5 days in).
I washed my car the night before and put it in the garage where it usually is parked at night. Upon getting in to start it and go to work noticed a 6inch crack start from the lower center part of the windshield. There was no impact as it was literally sitting inside my garage all night long. It looks like it stars from below the trim.
Windshield cracked on passenger side starting below the lower interface to the plenum. Crack was not caused by impact by debris nor a collision.
My husband bought this vehicle in 2021. It was brand new and since we have had it we have had to replace the windshield many times! We are now going in for its 6th replacement this week! This will be the 4th one that we have had to pay a deductible. The first time it happened the dealership replaced it because it happened within a short time of purchasing it. The second time, we were told to contact Subaru of America and they said to go back to the dealer. When we did, the dealership says it would only cover the first one so we had satellite do it through an insurance claim. Fast forward 2 years and like I said earlier in this complaint we are getting a 6th one put in on Friday! Just ridiculous from my standpoint. My husband loves his car and usually doesn’t like to be confrontational so I am the one doing this complaint! I also use the Outback every so often.
I have replaced the windshield for a second time resulting from a (non-impact) stress fracture coming from the passenger side A Pillar. It seems to be exactly the same spot as previous. The crack is large enough to put a credit card in at the start then wanders in varying directions with a finer crack. This time an aftermarket glass was available which I was told is thicker and more durable that the OEM glass. I am told Subaru has extremely thin OEM glass which they are having industry problems with. If it has any significance there is a dent in the passenger door jam B-Pillar which was there from new and painted over. It seems to be a result of manufacturing robotics possibly. I do not know if this is a clue to two windshields stress cracking.
On may 13, 2024 windshield on the Outback I own sustained a stress crack and the satellite and Subaru retailer confirmed it is a stress crack. Upon my research I noticed I’m not the only one there are hundreds of other people who have faced same safety problem and Subaru Customer Advocate department doesn’t do anything about it.
I’ve been reading about easily cracked windshields on Subarus, and sure enough, my windshield cracked this morning. To be clear, there is a tiny impact point from probably a pebble or something, but the glass should not have cracked that easily. Probably about an 8 inch J crack right in the center bottom of the windshield. I’m in the process of talking with Subaru to see if it will be covered.
1. 2022 Outback windshield, on passenger side, has cracked twice in the same spot. We bought the vehicle brand new. It currently has 9300 miles on it. The vehicle is driven approx. 8 miles a day and sits in our garage 95% of the time. 2. Safety & visibility is affected as the crack spreads across the windshield. 3. Yes, I paid a Subaru service center $1600 to repair the windshield in January 2024. By May, it was cracked again in the same spot. The problem has been reproduced SEVERAL times as confirmed by this Reddit chat [XXX] . Yes, the first crack was inspected by Subaru service technicians. 5. No warnings. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the windshield cracked without impact. The contact stated that the failure was a known issue with the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.
Several months ago Subaru updated the software in the above mentioned systems. Ever since the systems have become overly sensitive to the point of locking breaks up on the highway, at highway speed, for no obstruction. This has taken me from highway speed to a complete stop in the middle of the number 2 lane on several occasions.
While driving on a Saturday heard a popping sound and watched a crack start at bottom center of windshield travel up about 7" and arc to the right. Has now spread about 13" towards passenger side. No impact occurred to cause this. On Monday took vehicle to our dealership so they could take pictures and check it out. Said they would talk to the Subaru District Manager and let me know about replacement. Dealership called me to say they agreed to replace as long as I paid a $250 deductible. This doesn't seem right when this is an issue that many many people are having. This was my third Outback and will now be my last. I can't support a brand that won't step up to take care of something that is obviously a serious issue.
This is in response to your boilerplate letter of May 25, 2024. That correspondence stated that my 2022 Subaru Outback’s inspection of May 21, 2024, did not reveal any manufacturing defect that caused the unanticipated acceleration of my vehicle on April 26, 2024. That inspection was conducted by a third-party engineering firm. In amplification of this, the following is provided: • My vehicle on 26 April 2024, at approximately at 0845 AM experienced unanticipated acceleration, in my garage where it had been parked overnight. It was a cool morning. This occurred without any direct body movement from me, whatsoever. The fast forward motion I directly experienced in my vehicle was like if one put their gas pedal to the floor. The vehicle crashed about five feet into a garage shelf with me simultaneously providing braking. This directly caused about $3,000 worth of damage to the vehicle, and I will probably incur higher insurance cost because of this. •Environmental factors have been a contributing factor in unanticipated acceleration in the past. •Time to extract the data from the EDR in my vehicle took almost one month for SOA to complete the inspection (accident occurred on April 26 and the vehicle inspection took place on May 21). •Starlink, Subaru’s automatic collision notification system, did not activate on 26 April 2024, the day of the accident. •“As a rule of thumb, if the crash is sufficient to cause the air bags to deploy the EDR data are usually captured.” From the National Highway Transportation Safety Board’s website under, “EDR Q & A). My vehicle’s air bags did not deploy, and another key word is “usually”. •On May 16, 2024, five days before the inspection was completed on my vehicle I wrote the CEO a letter. Part of that letter is quoted, verbatim, for your review: “It is now my understanding, according to SOA, that what happened to me is referred to as unanticipated acceleration. Being a Subaru owner for over ten years, such in inc
Windshield suffered a large stress crack while parked overnight. Came out to an 18” stress crack in the morning. A long, single, curved crack with no point of impact. Later in the day, still while parked, the stress crack extended half the width of the windshield. Took the car to the dealership and was informed that the windshield is not covered under warranty.
In the two years I have had this vehicle, I have had to replace the windshield twice. The first time, a pebble hit the windshield and a 6-8 inch crack immediately appeared, The crack increased in size over days and nearly went across the whole windshield. Because this was a few months after purchase, Subaru replaced it. Now in March 2024 and another pebble hit the windshield, this one so small i didn't even see it and a 8 inch crack immediately appeared. The crack increased in days as well. Subaru would not cover it and told me to go through my insurance. I waited to get it repaired and during this time another pebble hit the glass. Again, another 6-8 inch crack. Subaru refuses to take responsibility that this is a manufacturer issue. I've had 3 other Subaru vehicles and this never occurred.
I experienced a fuel leak while driving my car. It was leaking from the fuel lines in the engine bay. My fuel gauge was showing low and I had just refueled several days before. I didn't know it had a leak in the line. When I tried to put more gas in, the fuel ran out under the car. I had my car taken to the dealer where I had bought it less than two years ago. They called me and said it was a bad fuel line caused by squirrels biting the line. They said the insulation around the line had soy in its making which attracted them.I I got it back after a week. This is most certainly a safety hazard. They also said other makes and models have used these same components since 2010.
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 23V755000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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.
My brakes failed as I was pulling up to a curb as I attempted to break to put my car into park my breaks failed to engage. My vehicle is also equipped with emergency braking system that did not engage my vehicle crashed into and through a 7/11 while I was breaking the entire time manuall! The vehicle would not stop and did not stop until it hit the back wall of the store inside.
While parked and without impact from any object, the windshield cracked causing visibility issues for the driver leading to unsafe driving conditions for those inside and outside the vehicle. The problem is a common issue among many Subaru vehicles. The issue has been reported but not yet inspected. There were no warnings before the issue appeared.
A crack developed in the windshield on the passenger's side spontaneously. We got in the car in the morning and noticed it. There are not any chips/indents where a stone/rock may have started the damage, but starts at the edge of the windshield. It started about 8 inches and now it is about 20 inches in less than 24 hours. We called our insurance company to ask about repairing it. Our deductible is $1000 so we will need to pay most all of it out of pocket. They let us know that unfortunately they've been seeing similar issues with other policyholder's subaru windshields the past 5 years or so and for us to contact the Subaru corporate office. We will be having it replaced by Safelite.
Windshield cracked when vehicle was traveling at a slow rate of speed, in the rain while on an on/off ramp. It has already been repaired. Crack went across the windshield right in my line of vision. The dealer examined the car and stated that at some point, the windshield was hit and that it just eventually cracked. There was no warning prior, I had not noticed any nicks prior to the crack.
2 Spontaneous damaged windshields.
While on highway 880 north bound. A rock was thrown towards our windshield while going through construction zone.
I parked at a store, i came out an hour later and there was about a foot long crack in my windshield. I asked to look at the security footage of the store and there was no contact from anything or anyone with the windshield. There is not point of impact, the windshield simply cracked on its own on the passenger side. There was absolutely no sign of any damage before this and i had recently had inspection at the dealership and there was no mention of any issues with the windshield. I reached out to the salesman who sold me this car from the Subaru dealership about 3 months ago and he said they could not help. I reached out to Subaru Customer Advocacy and they are contacting dealership, I have not heard back.
I parked the vehicle at a local restaurant in the sun. The windshield cracked from midpoint passenger side to middle and f windshield. No impact from rock or other item and I had the car in sight at all times while in the restaurant. This is a defective part. When I bought the car I paid extra to have a special coating put on at the dealership due to a known thin glass problem on Subarus.
Windshield has cracked horizontally without an impact in the same spot two times now. Both times the car was sitting in the driveway. The first was in April of 2022 and began on the passenger side about 1' up from the bottom of the windshield. I had it repaired but was not told how the crack appeared. Now in February of 2024 I have the same crack beginning in the same spot with no sign of an impact again. I plan to have it repaired again, but will assume the crack will happen again in the next few years.
Purchased my 2022 Outback Premium March 2022. In less than a year, the Star Link Console was restarting at least once a day. Then it began restarting more frequently. The Subaru Dealership updated the software and the restarts slowed to maybe once every few weeks instead of the 3 to 4 times in 30 minutes. Then the restarts began again. The Subaru Dealership updated the software a 2nd time in less than 9 months. Then the restart began more frequently; again. The 3rd service visit to the Subaru Dealership upgraded the firmware to a newer version. In less than 6 months, the screen is rebooting with more frequency and Eye Sight is causing Subaru to email and text notices of an issue. This is now February 2024, my 4th visit for the same issue. Although, this time is worse. The screen is restarting every 2 to 3 minutes, but the screen won't stay when it shows the logo and the screen is completely black. Now, the electronic driver's controls screen and the Star Link screen ae malfunctioning. It doesn't matter if the vehicle is travelling (any speed) or idle when it restarts or goes completely black. Once the car was turned off for about 1 hour after reaching my destination. I returned to my Outback, started the ignition and it took more than 2 miles for both the black screen to boot up and show any information. Several codes and symbols showed up, but then the screens rebooted again. My 2022 Outback has been at the Subaru Dealership for nearly 7 days and service is informing me that Corporate has to collect digital information to confirm replacement of the Star Link Consoles.
On 03Feb24, immediately following a 4-wheel alignment of my 2022 Subaru Outback Limited, my vehicle’s suspension feels unstable over patched potholes or rough/broken pavement. I can best describe the condition as similar to the movements felt while hydroplaning but it does it on dry road. It jerks side to side; 3 or 4 times; in rapid succession; just enough to command the driver’s full attention. The condition happens periodically at highway speeds. I’m afraid my vehicle might lose grip and crash. I have brought my vehicle in twice to my local Subaru dealership for inspection. The mechanics have been able to witness the condition. A few measures were taken to remedy the condition including, vehicle re-alignment, installation of one shock absorber on the rear suspension to no avail. The mechanic report, issued 10Apr24, states the condition may be due to the brand new tires installed on 19Feb24. However, this assessment is inconclusive and requires expensive trail and error tied to buying a new set of tires. The condition started on the OEM tires and still occurs with the new set of tires. The condition began 03Feb24, immediately following it’s first ever 4-wheel alignment at the dealership. I have been trying to get this fixed since then. The condition persists as of the date of this writing. On 16Apr24, I submitted a formal complaint through Subaru of America web form.
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed with the defroster activated, within two hours, the contact observed that the front windshield had cracked just above the defroster vents. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the temperature difference between the interior and exterior of the vehicle resulted in thermal shock. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 14,000.
Windshield constantly cracks after no or hardly any impact. I’m constantly holding my breath even if it’s hit by a bug, bird poop, or even a rain drop. The windshields are terrible. I’ve gone through 2 replacements and one sealed crack.
Windshield cracked spontaneously while parked in the garage. Started at the base near the driver's side wiper and goes mid-way up the windshield.
Low beam headlights are aimed too high from the factory. I have asked the dealer to adjust them, but there are only two options for aiming and the lower position only casts light about 20 feet in front of the vehicle. During nighttime driving my car is consistently blinding oncoming traffic as evidenced by oncoming traffic flashing their high beams regularly.
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, there was a smoke odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed smoke coming from the battery. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Windshield cracked by itself, was not hit by rock or anything. Was parked in my garage came out next morning and their was crack. Started from middle outside edge passenger side and extends to middle of windshield under eyesight. Calling dealer in the morning and insurance.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026