2010 Subaru Outback: loss of power steering

Filed May 21, 2019 · Steering, Suspension · 142,000 miles · PA

My 2010 subaru outback k-frame and a-frame rotted out, affecting my steering, my breaking and my ability to control my steering. This caused a very dangerous safety issue. I notified subaru and they informed me there were no recalls on the k-frame of this year's vehicle, although there had been for the rear sub-frame on this vehicle. Also, subaru wanted $1400 to repair the sub-frame, so I went to a salvage yard and discovered that all but two of the sub-frames in the salvage yard were all rotted in the same areas. This leads me to believe that the sub-frame should be reported as a safety issue; as if the sub-frame fails at the a-frame, you will lose steering and braking ability. My father was the first and only other owner of this vehicle and it was undercoated by the manufacturer when it was bought--yet it still rotted out.

Filed Dec 13, 2016 · Steering · 76,415 miles · PA

Power steering failed while backing up slowly on a city street. Hydraulic line corroded and broke.

Filed Jun 29, 2012 · Engine · 27,000 miles · CA

The engine stalls while at a stop or coming to a stop. The rpms suddenly drop and the engine stops. Car will restart and operate normally for a while but the problem has been persistent and is occurring more frequently. The dealer could not replicate the problem and returned the vehicle to us. The next day, it did the same thing. This is a dangerous situation especially when making a turn and experiencing a stall, loss of power steering, and acceleration.

Filed Aug 21, 2010 · Engine · 13,566 miles · TN

The 2010 subaru outback 4 cylinder, standard, has a significant stall flaw. The vehicle will stall in traffic when the clutch is pressed. This happened on the interstate while accelerating on the onramp. At 50 MPH with the clutch depressed, the engine stalled resulting in no power steering. A tractor trailer barely avoided hitting this car as we maneuvered to the side. The engine started up promptly. This is the 10th time the car has stalled and the most serious to date. Other incidents have been at lower speeds with the clutch depressed: 20 MPH, left turns, and decelerating. The local dealership has inspected the car 3 times, but has not duplicated the issue.

Filed Jul 26, 2010 · Engine · 1,550 miles · OK

When downshifting to turn or when slowing to stop, the engine regularly sputters and has died twice in the last month causing a loss of power steering and brakes. It also happened once while I was turning left into my neighborhood. Luckily the car had enough residual speed to complete the turn and no traffic was approaching. The car does not have any issue restarting after it happens. I took the car to the dealer this morning, 26 july 2010. After 2 hours, they said they know of the problem, but could not "download the fix".

Filed Jul 16, 2010 · Transmission · 5,000 miles · CT

2010 subaru outback stalls when in neutral or between gears when the clutch is depressed. The stalling occurs nearly daily within the first ten minutes of driving and leaves the driver with no power steering and very limited braking. The problem occurs more frequently when the air conditioning is on. Two near accidents due to the condition as there is no indication that the car has stalled unless you keep your eyes on the dashboard lights and watch for them all to light up and the tachometer to zero. Subaru has stated that no solution exists but that they are working on it. Numerous inconclusive tests done on the car.

Filed Jul 15, 2010 · Engine, Transmission · 1,500 miles · TX

(1)under normal driving conditions, (2)the engine stalls approaching a stop when the clutch is depressed, it almost stalls every time I drive it whenever approaching a stop. It has only stalled once in the two weeks I have owned it. Possible consequences could be a collision due to loss of power steering, power brakes, and distraction.(3)contacted dealership service department and was advised that they have another vehicle with same problems in for over a month with no fix available yet. I was offered a loaner vehicle, but I declined it. Vehicle is a 2011 subaru outback with 6 speed manual transmission, not a 2010.

Filed Jun 17, 2010 · Electrical, Engine · 3,800 miles · MO

5 months after the car was purchased new I started using the air conditioner. Within the first week as I was slowing make a right turn into a parking lot from the street I engaged the clutch to shift from 3rd gear to second and the car died and I had no power steering or power brakes. I didn't use the air conditioner all the time. Two times the following week the same thing occurred again, both times slowing down and engaging the clutch and down shifting. I took the vehicle in to have it looked at on 6/2/10 and they tested all the sensors and checked it on their computer and they found no problems and asked that I keep a log of each time it happens and if I notice any patterns. I noticed that the majority of times as I would engage the clutch to down shift the tack would drop and the car would shutter and the tack came back up. The times when the tack dropped and then died it did not shutter. The problem only happens when the air conditioner is on. I then had a near collision shifting from 4th to 3rd in a busy t-intersection and called service the next morning, 6/10/10 and scheduled to take the car in on 6/14/10 and did not use the air conditioner at all. The service department duplicated the problem and had a subaru engineer look at it. They erased the car's memory and will have a program written to hopefully fix the problem. Since the program will not be available for a long time they are giving me the car back to drive and believe that since they erased the car's memory that may fix the problem. They believe it may be an electrical or computer problem.

Filed May 16, 2010 · Steering · 31 miles · MA

Steering is very stiff then loosens as if you've hit a patch of ice even though the road is dry.

Filed May 14, 2010 · Steering, Suspension · 100 miles · OR

Our 2010 3.6r outback arrived in apr. The first time that the vehicle was taken on the highway, I noticed a prominent high frequency vibration in the steering wheel. There is also unusual feedback in the steering wheel at slower speeds that feels unlike anything related to road noise. I researched the "problem" on the internet and seen that there were many forums identifying the same problem for 2010 outbacks. I informed our local subaru service dept. About the vibration and made an appointment. A subaru service technician confirmed the vibration during a test drive and recommended a spin balance. After reading all the complaints and proposed "fixes" on the internet, I told them that I was not confident that a spin balance was going to be successful. I asked the service dept. Manager if they had been informed/aware of the ongoing problems and she denied having any previous knowledge of steering vibration issues with any outbacks. The spin balance added a multitude of stick-on weights to all four wheels (some exceed 9 in. In length). The invoice said that a follow-up test drive by a technician produced normal steering as designed. A test drive home from the dealership on the highway again produced the same high frequency vibration. I informed the service dept. Immediately and the vehicle was again left there this morning. I produced several pages of complaints found on the internet identifying this issue. They made copies of them and told me that they were going to contact soa factory engineers. The bottom line is this. The vibration is prominent enough to cause fatigue and numbness in the hands on extended drives. There is also a concern of what may fail and cause a loss of steering or vehicle control. The faulty component needs to be identified and the issue fixed by soa immediately. Soa has tried a number of fixes without success (spin-balance, forced balance, alignment, backlash spring, wheel bearing, steering pump, replace out-of-round tires).