2010 Subaru Outback electrical problems

Filed Jul 28, 2026 · Body, Electrical · OR · fire

I own a 2010 Subaru Outback. While parked at a college in Medford, Oregon, it suffered a spontaneous electrical fire that originated inside the driver's door. This is the exact failure described in Subaru Safety Recall Campaign WQE-41. the federal safety agency website states the recall was completed on this VIN, meaning the recall repair itself has failed and caused a total loss of the vehicle at this time as we are unsure if it’s fixable or even worth fixing. Fire dept did come out and confirm fire was out completely and instructed me not to drive car at all until it could get looked at.

Filed Mar 12, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · CA

This car is a very well-maintained, low-use vehicle with regular oil changes and routine maintenance performed on schedule. Early in this drive, I noticed an unusual hissing sound as I approached a stop. When I tried to brake, I realized my brakes didn't seem to be responding. I pressed the brake pedal harder and realized that with 50-100 pounds of pressure (guess), I could slow the car down. As I came to a stop, the engine died. I restarted the car, and it died again immediately. After the following restart, I realized I could manually keep the RPM up in neutral while at stops, and press with significant force to get the car to stop. Had I not been comfortable two foot driving or understood the issue, this surely would have resulted in a crash of some sort. The car indicated a check engine light, loss of traction control, a flashing BRAKE light, and a flashing cruise control light. I took the car immediately to a local shop where they identified the problem as a vacuum leak at the brake booster. The plastic piece that the hose clamps onto had cracked off, leading to this problem. This make and model does not seem to have a check valve downstream of this component.

Filed Jan 11, 2022 · Electrical · 100,000 miles · OR

The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. Additionally, the vehicle would make abnormal sounds and the gear shift indicator light would disappear from the instrument cluster. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to four independent mechanics. The last mechanic diagnosed that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V297000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Oct 5, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · TX

Total engine failure at just 75k miles. Barely driven, maintenance schedule always kept up to date, out of nowhere engine stopped and I was told the oil was completely empty. They were unable to resolve by adding oil. Also, transmission light has been on for 3+ years. Have been told by every repair shop who has checked this that it’s just a glitch in the electrical system and the transmission is fine. A few weeks prior to engine failure, the car began to have trouble accelerating and made a sort of “race car” sound. Barely could go past 40 mph without slamming on gas. Finally, doors have randomly decided to stop locking and unlocking while using key fob. Batteries have been replaced. Some doors work, some do not (namely, the driver side door). Other misc electrical issues like USB failure.

Filed Feb 26, 2021 · Electrical · 129,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, she noticed that the horn made no sound when depressed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnosis. The manufacture was notified of the failure and provided minimal assistance to the contact with offering a partial payment for the repair. The contact felt that she should not be responsible to pay for the repair. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 129,000.*dt*dt*dt*jb vehicle was taken to the dealer.

Filed Jan 21, 2021 · Acceleration, Brakes · 121,000 miles · WI

Multiple times over the past 6 years I will be driving and if using my cruise it stops working and I have flashing lights , brake and cruise light flashes on and off, check engine and traction control light stay on. These lights stay on from 1 day to almost 2 weeks before they go out. I have had them checked many times by subaru dealer and other mechanic shops with no resolution except to clear the codes

Filed Dec 12, 2020 · Electrical · 105,000 miles · PA

While driving all the warning lights on the dash lit up. Brake, skid control, cruise control and check engine. This happened during the summer and I stopped at a repair shop and they reset the computer and it worked fine until today. I googled this problem and seems many other subaru owners are having the same problem. Seems dealers have many expensive repairs but even after repairs, owners are still having the same problems. I just returned my care twice for a recall on the airbags. This seems to be a reoccurring problem with subarus.

Filed Nov 30, 2020 · Electrical, Fuel system · 125,000 miles · WA

Drove my car a few miles and then stopped at a stop light on a 4 lane road in the city. When the light turned green I stepped on the throttle and got no response. Put the transmission in park and back into drive and still nothing. Turned the car off and back on and engine responded to throttle.

Filed Sep 21, 2020 · Electrical · 168,775 miles · AZ

Cruise control, brake, check engine and vehicle dynamic control lights all come on while operating the vehicle.

Filed Mar 13, 2020 · Brakes, Electrical · 70,715 miles · NY

While driving the following warning lights have come on: brake, vehicle dynamics control, and at oil temp. It has happened twice now and lights go away once car is turned off and back on again.