I own a 2012 Outback 2.5 Limited, which I purchased new from a Subaru dealer in Evanston IL in June 2012. It currently has about 76000 miles on it. In the last 6 months my car started to shudder when coming to a stop at a traffic signal, or sometimes while being stopped at the signal. The shudder is significant but typically momentary and happens randomly. From the last 2-3 weeks, the car has started to stall and the engine shuts down abruptly when coming to a stop. This is very stressful, but fortunately, so far I have been able to put the car in P and start it again every time. However, this is very dangerous and puts me and my family at grave risk of a serious accident from cars coming from behind as my car stalls abruptly. Again, this happens randomly which makes it even more dangerous and impossible to mitigate as a driver. This has now happened multiple times and I called a local Subaru dealership. They gave an estimate of over $8000 to repair this issue. They also said they will repair the car only if they are able to recreate the problem. I am afraid that they will not be able to recreate the problem as it happens randomly as mentioned earlier. As far as I know no warning lights on my dash are on and the car otherwise runs normally.
2012 Subaru Outback engine complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 52, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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.
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 experienced issues with the engine of my 2012 Subaru Outback shutting down at times when coming to a stop, and also stalling/idling when accelerating (such as when entering freeway). My engine light and brake light also turned on at the same time. Very concerned, I took it in to the local Subaru service center at around 112,000 miles. They inspected the car and replaced 2 spark plugs, and must have restart the computer to turn the warning lights off. Recently at 117,000 after entering the freeway at night , my car roughly idled and the stalled and would not properly accelerate, almost causing me to crash as it happened suddenly while driving on freeway. The engine light was flashing and brake light came on as well. I immediately pulled over. After the Subaru inspection the next day, I was told that this was being caused by the torque converter and is a known issue on this model. This is a very dangerous issue, I believe that if this incident would have happened the next morning while on my commute instead of at the less busy hour at night, a crash would have occurred. I believe a recall is warranted on this dangerous issue as it is known by Subaru that this issue affects certain models and they will not provide much help to customers if they are past the extended warranty. The issue can occur past the 100,000 mile mark on an otherwise good condition and well cared for vehicle. This puts the customer and other drivers at great risk. I am very concerned and upset about the danger this put myself and others in. I was personally left on the side of the freeway at night at 7 months pregnant, but the situation could have been much worse. Since Subaru is not required to let customers know of this issue, customers may experience this issue without proper remediation until a serious issue happens.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 subaru outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH and releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to dewey griffin subaru (1800 iowa st, bellingham, wa 98229, (360) 734-8700) but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000. The VIN was not available.
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
On october 16th, 2020 while driving our 2012 subaru outback on the highway, the check engine light came on. My husband and I pulled over, lifted the hood and saw steam coming from the engine near the radiator. We took the car to the subaru dealership and the tech stated both head gaskets were failing. The vehicle had 156,000 miles on it and we ended up paying over $2500 in repair costs. Because of the age and mileage on the car, I did not plan to submit a repot to the federal safety agency. However, I was notified by a relative today that her 2009 subaru impreza with only 68,000 miles just experienced head gasket failure and the dealership quoted her $4500 in repair. I have encouraged her to submit the issue through the federal safety agency for further trending purposes as I believe this may be a safety concern with subarus.
The vehicle stalls completely upon slowing down. This occurs frequently at stop signs, lights and while crossing a major road and waiting halfway across to join the flow of traffic. Subaru dealer says it is a defective torque converter but no longer covered by the CVT warranty extension. This is extremely dangerous and should be fixed at no cost to vehicle owner.
We were never notified of a extended warranty on the CVT of our outback. We took it to subaru dealerships for maintance and they failed to tell us about the CVT going bad causing damage to the transmission. When we contacted subaru corporate they told us there was nothing they could do. Now we have had the car looked at when it was under the mileage because it was showing signs of the CVT going bad and the dealership was negligent in letting us know of the problem. Now we feel our vehicle is unsafe to drive and subaru is not willing to fix the problem they knew about. When we fill our tank up at the gas station the break, traction, cruise control lights will blink and the cruise control will stop working while the lights are blinking. We took the car to derrel waltrup dealership in nashvillle tennessee, subaru of nashville and subaru of gallitan tn. All three dealerships ageed that the issue with our car is due to the CVT warrenty issue. We are the only owners of this subaru and have taken great care of it. We want subaru to stand behind their product and fix the defect so that we can continue to be safe in our car.
Vehicle shakes and shutters when braking at higher speeds before coming to a stop. Stalls out often when approaching stop signs and red lights.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 subaru outback. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle loss motive power without warning while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Additionally, there was also a clunking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to subaru of san bernardino (645 auto center dr s, san bernardino, ca 92408, (909) 571-5480) and the contact was informed that the vehicle worked as designed. The vehicle was also taken to subaru of ontario (1195 auto center dr, ontario, ca 91761, (909) 487-8325) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission and torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and offered to assist with the repair cost. The failure mileage was 87,000.
Lights on the dashboard are on all the time brakes traction ABS (anti brake system)about the same time my cruise control stopped working
When I be driving, and approaching an intersection, or a stop. My car stalls out. This happens more often, when a do a quick stop. I began,noticing this condition about a few months ago,,approximately january 2020.
Vehicle shudders and stalls when braking hard. It will not stall on a gradual stop but will stall in any situation when stopping quickly. Does not have to be a panic stop to stall, just hard braking. Resulting stall means loss of power brakes and steering. Have to shift into park and restart vehicle. Has no issues when running or driving. Engine runs vey smooth and has been well maintained as I am the original owner. It is an ongoing issue and repeatable in every circumstance. No computer codes set for this issue. Yet it happens every time there is hard braking which is every time it is driven. This is very dangerous and I am afraid to have my wife and son drive it much less myself.
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.
For almost 1.5 years, my 2012 subaru outback is experiencing shuddering and stalls when coming to a stop resulting in the engine shutting off. It occurs randomly and I nearly got in accidents with drivers behind me having to react to the sudden, full stops.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 subaru outback. While the vehicle was idling at a red light or an intersection, it would stall intermittently without warning. When the vehicle was powered off and restarted, it operated normally. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to tacoma subaru (located at 3838 s tacoma way, tacoma, wa 98409, (253) 473-6200) where it was diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
While on a 200 mile trip on rural interstate the thermostat failed causing head gasket to blow and engine to overheat. No check engine warning light was displayed. Suddenly all control panel warning lights began to flash. All coolant was expelled from radiator. Vehicle has less than 100k miles. By shear luck I was at an exit with a subaru dealer near by. Have attached repair report from subaru dealer.
The vehicle stalls and abruptly stops. This is apparently a known problem with this car, but the dealership is demanding $1300 to fix it since I'm out of the warranty period. This should not be just a extended warranty - this is a safety issue: the vehicle stalls in traffic. It cannot be driven in this condition. Today it stalled in the middle of a highway intersection where I was turning. I had a semi truck barrelling down at me on an icy road while I desperately tried to restart the car and get out of the intersection. The semi swerved and barely missed me. These cars should be recalled!
Engine shudders then shuts off when stopping. Frequently occurs when coming to a stop on a curved road near my home. Very concerned about being rear-ended. I have to throw the car in park, restart and throw it back in drive. Dealer replaced oil solenoid valve for $350 and it didn't fix the problem. Now they want over $1500 to replace the torque converter. They say it is a known problem and I had until july 2018 under an extended warranty to take care of it. I was never notified. I fear spending another $1500 will not fix the problem. I owe another year of payments on this vehicle and I don't feel safe driving the subaru. Mileage is around 155,000.
Vehicle shudders and stalls when braking/decelerating. Engine shuts off completely and abruptly with little time to react. I have 128,000 miles on the vehicle. Mechanics do not know what exaclt is causing the problem.
Stalled when coming to a stop at an intersection. Believe to be transmission issue. Purchased a 2012 subaru outback on 8 jan 2019. The car was sole as is. While driving home, I came up to the busy intersection of russell parkway and moody road (warner robins ga) as I began to slow, the car started to buck then stalled. I was almost rear-ended by the car following me. The car on the same day stalled again while slowing down and turning right on feagan mill road. The car following me swerved to the left to avoid a rear end impact. The car is currently parked until I can get it serviced. After research, I founded out many customers are having the same issues of driving an unsafe vehicle. I currently have 115,000 miles
I was taking it for an oil change and lube. After driving on the freeway at 60-70 MPH, I came off the freeway, went 2 blocks to a stoplight. As soon as I stopped, many warning lights started flashing, and became alarmed, went 3 blocks to the lube service center and some steam started coming from under the hood. The service men immediately took it in to check it out. They replaced some coolant, completed the service and told me to have it checked by a mechanic. I drove it about a mile to the nearest auto shop, a place I've taken my last 2 cars, and left it. The next day they said it was fixed, and that they had to replace the radiator and it was ready to pick up. From there I picked up the car and drove it to a friend's in a city about 100 miles away. I drove it the entire way on the freeway, came off the freeway, drove it about 4 blocks to my friend's house. I wen up her driveway, and as I pulled into a parking place, the warning lights again started flashing. I pulled into a parking slot and stopped it. My friend's son later went out to look under the hood with me. There was evidence of some spray under the hood, but not much. I called the dealer where I'd bought the car a month before, and he told me to have the car towed to their shop, where I'd left it with them for about 2-3 weeks. When I called about the progress, they said they didn't want to release it back to me until to was repaired. In the meantime, my friend where I was staying when I had it towed, told me she had an identical problem with her 2011 subaru outback and after replacing hoses, thermostat, water pump, tjey finally replaced her head gasket. My daughter then reminded me the same happened to her 1999 subaru outback, so I started researching the internet for similar issues. Many sites, some well known said this is common with the 2.5l engine. This is a defect subaru should recall.
My car shudders and dies when braking. It doesn't even have to be a hard brake. It's very dangerous. This problem has been occurring in the last few months. It happens while I am slowing for a stop. My mechanic tells me it is related to the torque converter, which is expensive to fix. I am afraid that I will be rear-ended. With highway driving this is unbelievably dangerous. I know that subaru extended the warranty on this issue--although I only knew of this because my mechanic told me. Unfortunately my car just went over the 100,000 mile mark, so I'm unsure if subaru will cover the repair needed. I really believe this issue should prompt a recall. Someone is going to get seriously injured or die.
When braking to come to a stop at a light on a secondary road or stop sign on my back street in a straight line the engine stalls, this has even happened when I had to brake to stop for backed up traffic on the highway. This has happened at least four times in the past and again this morning. I told my dealership several times after the purchase of this vehicle I noticed idle would drop out and come back while at a stop, but I was told there was not an issue. I now read this is not true and has been an on going issue with this manufacturer for some time and is a wide spread issue with the CVT. The extended warranty offered and now expired by subaru never mentioned the possible safety issue of stalling due to a faulty CVT, but actually seemed to say this extended warranty only applied to shifting issues so I ignored it as the car shifted fine both automatically and manually as designed. I feel very misled and let down by subaru who I always thought would put the safety of their customers first, I guess not.
5 days after 120k mile dealer service (all work is done by subaru dealer where we purchased) more dash lights than what sully sullenbeger had to content with. Occurred while sitting in traffic in 90 degree heat (with a 6 month old in the car). Drove it 35 miles to get it to the dealer. $2200 estimate to replace 2 head gaskets. Dealer is taking $350 off. Worth talking to subaru corp about added compensation for a know defect? I see the same issue reported on line shortly after the 100k or 120k mile dealer check up.
At times, I have been experiencing the engine shutting off when I come to a complete stop. It kind of shudders first and then just dies. If I'm able to roll through the stop, it doesn't die, but when I come to a complete stop, sometimes it just dies. I have to quickly put it in park or neutral and start it again. This could be very dangerous with people behind me not expecting that long of a stop! I do a lot of driving in town and this happens when stopping at stop signs. It is unknown to me at this point as to what is causing the problem.
My well-maintained subaru outback limited with 102,773 miles overheated and blew a head gasket out of the blue. Just had the major 100k mile preventive maintenance done too. The extended warranty just expired at 100k and the dealer says it will be over $3k to repair. Apparently this is a common problem with subarus that they have faulty head gaskets that fail between 80-120k miles. Very disappointed with subaru quality with such a major issue at half life of my otherwise reliable vehicle!
Tl* the contact was driving a 2012 subaru outback company vehicle. While driving various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to stop when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated that all the warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to fitzgerald subaru (11407 rockville pike, rockville, md 20852, (301) 230-9000) where it was diagnosed that the driver and passenger side knock sensors and the passenger side brake light needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission body and harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired again, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 73,763.
Engine locked up travelling 80 MPH on the highway. The engine had 90,000 miles on it and it was fully serviced at 88,000 miles by a dealership. Notes from the dealership service department: 'motor came apart at high rev speed, 1 piston cracked, 1 piston gone. Excessive metal scattered through complete engine and intake manifold' "the entire motor (block, heads, valves, camshafts, intake manifold, etc.) will need to be replaced due to metal debris throughout motor."
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2012 Subaru Outback?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history