2013 Subaru Outback: pulls to one side

Filed Oct 19, 2021 · Body · 153,800 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a clunking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was pulling to the right while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the sub-frame had fractured due to severe rust. The subframe was replaced and the failure was remedied. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 153,800.

Filed Mar 27, 2020 · Steering · 20,000 miles · NC

Directional stability; difficult to keep car centered in lane; wanders off from where steering is set; steering will not center, but will stay in a gentle curve by itself until corrected, then will wander off center again. Contributing to problem is too much force is required in a steering action to correct a wander causing a slight overshoot which no matter how carefully controlled, cannot keep the car going in the correct direction, whether in a curve or keeping straight. The faster the car is going, naturally the more intense the problem becomes. The constant attention required to adjusting steering is fatiguing and hence the car is inherently unsafe. Dealer and independents have always said no problem found; alignments make no difference, new tires make no difference. This is a safety issue, an engineering flaw, and/or an attempt to hide another more serious safety or drivability issue. Subjectively it seems to be getting worse over time.

Filed Feb 22, 2019 · Steering · 25 miles · NC

From the day we bought it, the car wanders left and right, noticeably at speeds above 40 MPH, requiring constant steering wheel corrections in both directions.

Filed Mar 1, 2016 · Steering · 28,000 miles · FL

We purchased this vehicle 2-7-16 used with 28,000 miles.when driving on the highway over 50 vehicle wandered all over the road we constantly had to correct the steering to keep between the white lines.dealer said this was the way rack and pinion stealing worked.after doing some investigation on your web site this seems to affect many of these vehicles.seems that subaru has denied any problems with the 3013 outback.we put up with this problem for two weeks and traded this lemon in at the same dealer that sold us this junk.we lost about 5 k in this transaction but our safety is much more inportant then the money.in 40 years purchasing and driving all types of vehicles this is by far the worst ever.we will never look for a subaru again. Hopefully our government will look into this serious safety situation.

Filed Jul 30, 2014 · Steering, Suspension · 500 miles · NJ

While driving at speeds over 40 it is very difficult to keep the car centered in a lane. The dealer checked and corrected the alignment with little or no improvement. The service rep did admit that outbacks do wander. Email sent to subaru has apparently been ignored. This is an unsafe condition in our crowded interstates.

Filed Nov 1, 2013 · Steering · 100 miles · ME

The new outback is exhibiting lane wandering as others described in good detail. Other vehicles I've driven go in a (more-or-less) straight line with minimal effort and minimal corrections. The ob is all over the road, able to stay in the lane with a lot of effort and correction. There is a big flaw in the steering (maybe not all but a lot of them) and it is a safety issue. Is it going to take a major accident and/or a death before the federal safety agency and subaru takes a look at this issue??

Filed Oct 4, 2013 · Steering · 1,000 miles · CO

I have owned over 20+ cars ranging from 4runners, s2000, to lancer evo. My 2013 outback is by far the hardest car to steer on the highway. It wanders to both directions at highway speeds and its difficult to correct it back to center. Some owners have been accused of driving drunk in a outback, subaru needs to fix this before loosing your most loyal owners! Many 2012 2013 outback owners have been calling this issue stiff, heavy, hard, not return to center steering. Here are my observations after some research: -2013+ new fb25 engine 2nd gen CVT returned suspension -I also own a 2014 forester with electric steering (drives normal), outback has hydraulic steering -I test drove couple other 2013 outback 2.5i same firm steering -I test drove a 2013 outback 3.6r (steering feels normal much softer) -check steering effort should not have more than 6.6 lb (measured with scale) -some owners had success readjusting their gearbox backlash to less than 3 lbs go to: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/31638-ob-lane-wandering-122.html -on page 114 there are 3 picture attachments posted by j delman -steering column recall for 2013 legacy/outbacks manufactured from 2012 feb15-jun15 (I don't think this will fix the wandering issue)

Filed Sep 24, 2013 · Steering · 3,200 miles · PA · 1 injury

2013 subaru outback 3.6r w/sap I am experiencing a heavy steering issue. Where the return to center does not happen unless I manually steer it back to center. Steering is so heavy that after 3000 miles. (purchased in june 2013), both of my wrists are in pain, my right elbow is in pain, and my right hand feels like it has carpal tunnel syndrome. Constant corrections are needed to keep tracking straight. I increased tire psi to 34/32, and it helped a little, but steering still does not return to center. Here are 2 links to similar issues: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/73034-need-return-center-test-2013-outback.html http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/31638-ob-lane-wandering.html

Filed Aug 23, 2013 · Steering · 100 miles · WA

Steering issue. The car wanders, left and right. At freeway speed you must hold on with both hands and make constant corrections. The dealer verified that everything in the steering and suspension was tight, but this did not help the problem. I've had the vehicle for a year now with no change, except I've learned how to control it better. I found many similar complaints on the internet and gave these to the dealer. They did not seem to be aware of the issue previously. I've been to the dealer for scheduled maintenance just twice, and have had them look at the issue both times. I was hoping there would be a recall to fix whatever the underlying issue is. This is my second outback (previous was a 2005) and my third subaru (I also have a 2009 impreza).

Filed Jul 30, 2013 · Steering · 1,000 miles · NY

Vehicle tracking issues same or similar to all the other complaints about this issue. The vehicle wanders from side-to-side at speeds of 40-70 MPH requiring constant correction. It sometimes seems that it takes more effort (only slightly) than should be required to get it to correct at first but then goes quickly and easily. I noticed it the first time I had it on the highway and it has been the same ever since, 10 months later.

Filed Jul 17, 2013 · Steering, Suspension · 92 miles · CO

The steering of my new subaru outback seems to wander on the road. It is a challenge to keep this brand new vehicle between the lines or in a particular lane of the road. Vehicle wanders / drifts to left and / or right, will not track straight and does this when ever driving but is more noticeable above speeds of 35 MPH. The driver has to make constant corrections while driving the vehicle straight, this causes fatigue in the arms and is exhausting to the operator. One can not safely operate a vehicle like this. A semi-tractor trailer rig was on the right side of my lane (we were in the number 1 lane of the highway) and my outback wandered to the right, we almost went into / under the trailer of the "big rig". I later I contacted the subaru dealership and arraigned to bring vehicle back to have them look at it. When I returned with the vehicle, they checked alignment and said it was ok. The vehicle continues to wander whenever I drive it and daily while I drive to and from work. Again, I drove the vehicle back to the subaru dealership and they have been talking with subaru of america, receiving different specs and the service department has been doing some work on the vehicle. I have never owned a vehicle, new or old (used) that handled this way. There are several forums with pages of information, data and complaints by people from all over the country. Please act now to resolve these issues before someone's looses their life due to the unsafe faulty vehicles.

Filed Jul 3, 2013 · Suspension · 2,000 miles · NJ

The subaru cannot hold the road and veers within the lane almost creating accidents while driving down the highway. The dealer was notified three weeks after purchasing the car that a problem existed. The car was taken into the dealer and the service manager drove the car and agreed that there was a problem. The problem was hypothesized to be due to the rear suspension system. Subaru was notified because the car is under warranty and the problem may be a design flaw, but the request was denied to have the problem resolved. I personally notified subaru and filed a complaint, but once again they will not acknowledge a problem. The car is unsafe and its constant wandering motion is imminent for an accident. It is a serious problem that needs action.