My cooling system does not work correctly, we have changed the radiator twice and the thermostat twice. I have taken it to subaru of cherry hill and also to subaru of jax where my father in law is a senior master tech. My car has everyone baffled. Everything in my cooling system backs up into my overflow and than I lose all my coolant. I see there was a recall in 2010 for my year outback manufactured between july 31 to dec 2009 and my car falls in those date ranges but was never including in this cooling system recall. I have contacted subaru of america and they said there is nothing they can do for me. The issue only happens when driving on both city streets and highways. Bc of the issue my car has just shut down on me luckily it was when I was pulling into parking lots and not highways.
2010 Subaru Outback engine complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 67, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Major safety issue - vehicle has started stalling when coming to a stop or starting to turn. This has almost caused several accidents turning out onto the highway. Subaru issued a recall, but my car is not covered due to mileage, which is problematic.
The CVT transmission is not operating properly. The car stalls just prior to coming to a stop. This is very dangerous in traffic. This is a know problem by subaru to the point that they issued an extended warranty. The problem is that it is very difficult to find any subaru dealer who will properly diagnose the problem to allow for warranty coverage. This should be a recall given the number of vehicles reporting this problem and the unsafe condition that is created.
When coming to a stop on any road the vehicle stalls, uphill or downhill. The car then needs to be restarted after putting the vehicle in park then turning the key to restart, as vehicles are coming quickly from behind. This could be a potentially deadly vehicle failure and needs to be addressed and recalled. It started about a week ago and continues to happen.
My vehicle head lights have burnt out at least once a year since I have owned this car. The engine has began stalling when I come to a full stop. It is equipped with a CVT and it feels like coming to a stop in a manual transmission without depressing the clutch. If I let off the brake quickly it will continue idling but coming to a complete stop kills the engine. I guess subaru has issued an extended warranty but I never recieved the notification and my vehicle is past the mileage for the warranty anyway.
During braking, the car often shutters as if it is going to stall, and several times has stalled completely when coming to a stop. This occurs especially if braking hard. This occurs only when the car is in motion and being brought to a stop. However, when idling, the car often will shudder as well.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. While driving 45 MPH, the vehicle jerked back and forth. When the brake pedal was depressed, the engine revved, but the vehicle did not move. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. While driving various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart and drive normally, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact called heritage subaru catonsville at (844) 224-1954 (located at 6624 baltimore national pike, catonsville, md 21228) and was informed to schedule a diagnostic appointment. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 129,204. *dt consumer stated dealer fixed the transmission.
From 2010 - 2014, subaru removed engine temp. Guage from dash so there is no way to monitor high normal temps of engine. At only 93,770 miles, my 2010 outback 2.5l dash coolant light flickered on a slight downhill. I had never had an engine or transmission issue with this car in over 8 years! Turns out coolant was low due to it overheating and boiling out. Turns out it was the beginning of a head gasket failure! I could have ended up stranded on the side of a hilly road, with a blown engine! Subaru has not fixed their chronic hg failure issue!!! To verify/replicate the overheating, I turned on the A/C and took a 20 mile out and back on a hilly portion of the 5 fwy in northern ca at thebend of summer, 2018.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle started to overheat and the coolant temperature warning indicator illuminated. The contact also stated that there was fuel leaking from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to vic bailey mazda subaru (400 e daniel morgan ave, spartanburg, sc 29302, (864) 568-3338) where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 220,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. While operating the vehicle, the low beam headlights suddenly failed to illuminate. The low beam headlight bulbs had been replaced on six separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (ultimate automotive subaru, 5150 jefferson davis hwy, fredericksburg, va) and was repaired per the manufacturer's customer satisfactory extended warranty program. The diagnosis information was not available. The contact also stated that when making an abrupt stop and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle would suddenly turn off. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer on two separate occasions, but the cause of the failure could not be diagnosed. The failure mileage was 20,000.
When my I brake my vehicle to a complete stop at red lights, intersections, etc the engine stalls, which makes me have to put it back in park and restart the engine. This happens every time I stop my vehicle.
Gas pedal goes limp and/or works inconsistently/erratically; this causes the car to become unresponsive, creating potential safety issue at stoplights/intersections, on highway, issue manifests as accelerating irregularly and lurching forward unpredictably; has happened several times at speed on a highway, while stationary at stoplight, in motion on city streets, etc.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. While driving 25 MPH, the engine stalled while approaching a stop light. The contact applied the brakes and the vehicle stopped. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and reverse out of traffic. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer (john howard subaru, 1730 mileground rd, morgantown, wv 26505) where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. The dealer stated that the vehicle could be repaired under the warranty extension. The next day, the dealer called and stated that since the vehicle had a new title, it no longer could be repaired under the warranty extension. The manufacturer was notified at 1‑800‑782‑2783 and did not assist. The failure mileage was unknown. *tt updated 8/22/18
Occasionally the 2.5 l engine with CVT will appear to almost stall upon decelerating and coming to a stop (at a traffic light, stop sign, etc.). The engine will shudder, the rpms will drop below 700 and then quickly return to normal idle (about 800 or so). Have not yet experienced a stall but have come close. Our car has about 87000 miles and is otherwise in good condition. Our mechanic has been unable to diagnose the problem because this is an intermittent issue, it cannot be duplicated and there are no codes. Other similar posts have indicated that the torque convertor may be the culprit. Considering the quantity of posts, an investigation should be undertaken. Stalling can be a safety problem.
Car stalls on the road when you come to a sudden stop. This problem is concerning the torque converter and this is a hazardous problem and should be considered a recall for these type of model cars.
Software update required that is not cover by recall. If not updated, the check engine light, brake light, traction control, and cruse light blink.
Car feels like it's going to stall out at a stop. This been occurring now for a year. The problem is getting worse. When to subaru, and, because it didn't happen when they were driving the car, the didn't do anything. My mechanic says he is seeing this problem a lot with this car, and it's a torque convertor issue. It's scary and potentially dangerous.
Faulty torque converter causing car to stall at intersections and applying the brakes.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to be repaired at the dealer. The spark plugs were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,000. Updated 04/05/17 lj
2010 subaru outback 2.5l CVT automatic 126,000 miles. Car will unexpectedly shudder then engine will quit at low rpms either coming to a stop or upon initial acceleration from a stop. Symptoms mimic a manual transmission clutch slipping/stalling. Engine operating temperature has no effect, nor vehicle turning, or varying electrical loads. This is an extremely dangerous situation as it can happen when pulling out into traffic or in heavy traffic (for example) and it happens repeatedly, unexpectedly and randomly. I urge the federal safety agency in the strongest possible terms to issue mandatory recall and repair order as soon as possible to prevent loss of life and serious injury. I am aware of multiple complaints of this problem. Subaru has issued tsb 16-90-13 which addresses faulty part replacement in transmission torque converter with a newly redesigned part. However, to my knowledge, owners are not being notified of this serious safety situation, nor is suburu replacing the part free of charge if the drivetrain warranty has expired.I have been quoted $1200-$ 2000 dollars for repairs by subaru. It is my concern that since the problem is intermittent and expensive to repair, even if the owners are notified by a voluntary tsb, they may not go to the expense to have it repaired, resulting in potential loss of life and injuries. This needs to be a mandatory recall. As an aside, I am an airline captain and a faa certified maintenance technician with over 40 years of experience in maintenance related safety issues, and it is my opinion that this situation requires urgent action on behalf of the federal safety agency and subaru. Thank you
Driving and coming to a stop. At stop and engine idling, the engine misfires (stumbles) on occasion. It feels as though the engine will die, but then idles normally. This is intermittent and no engine light or fault code comes up. Dealer unable to correct because this has not happened when the car is taken in for service. I am afraid the car will stall in traffic. This has occurred over the last 3-4 years
Over heating maybe head gasket problem
Car shudders and sounds like engine will die when coming to complete stop. If this were a manual transmission, feels as if clutch should be pushed in. Problem occurs intermittently. Cold or hot engine. Problem became noticeable around 58,000-60,000 mile.
We bought our car in 2010 its a subaru outback. There has always been an issue with a loss of power. The dealership at the time said it was caused by excessive carbon build up on the pistons. Its now 2016 and the car will stutter and shut off when you are braking at red lights. To try to beat the stutter and stall, I find myself having to ease off the brakes and try to reapply my brakes to see if it won't shut off. I've avoid many accidents but one of these days I won't be so lucky. I feel a rear end accident is coming. This stutter and stall happens any time during the day and in any weather. This morning there was no issue, this afternoon there might be. Usually once the car stutters and stalls the problem goes away for the day. I read some other complaints on nhsta and they are reporting their similar issue as it being a possible torque converter problem. I'm not sure either way since my mileage puts me over the warranty and I don't want an accident to deal with I would like to see what are options to getting this problem taken care since its been doing this since 2010.
When driving and approaching a traffic light the car will begin to stutter as if there is a clog in the system. Then it will shut off. I contacted subaru regarding the issue when we first had the car because there was always a loss of power. Our model is the outback 2010. They inspected and said it was a carbon build up in the pistons that would cause this issue. There hasn't been any recalls or subaru notices about this. Now while driving and coming to a stop the car just turns off. On your site nhsta some other customers have been saying that it could also be a bad torque converter. Either way this issue could cause serious accident if not dealt with. The stutter and shutting off happens any time of the day and cold or hot weather it doesn't matter. Some days it happens more often the others and usually after a few times of shutting off the problem does stop for remainder of the day.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. The contact stated that the vehicle's temperature gauge was abnormally high and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the temperature gauge needed to be replaced and more coolant needed to be added. The vehicle was repaired however the vehicle overheated while driving. The vehicle was taken to another dealer where it was diagnosed that the both head gaskets had blown, the radiator was cracked, and the water pump had malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.
The head gaskets need to be replaced at 85,000. The car was being driven and the overheat light went on. I pulled over and turned off the engine. Took the car into service and was told that the head gaskets need to be replaced, short block replaced and other related engine parts. A head gasket issue should not be happening at 85k miles on any car, but especially a subaru whose representation is about dependability and ruggedness.
Cvt transmission. The vehicle predictably stalls while in motion approaching a stop on city streets or on the highway. Electric system remains operational during and after stalling indicating that the issue is unrelated to electrical system. Mechanic believes issue to be now-known and widespread faulty torque converter. Vehicle stalling in traffic has become very dangerous and has nearly caused several accidents.
As I was pulling into a parking space with a foot to go, going less than 5 MPH, the engine surged and the car suddenly lunged forward, climbed a 6 inch curb and traveled about 4 feet and hit a wooden staircase of a building. The entire time my foot was on the brake. This entire event took less than a second.
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