2016 Subaru Outback brakes problems

Filed Aug 18, 2026 · Acceleration, Brakes · TX

The car accelerates on its own at times. I am not pressing the gas or going down a hill. It is flat road, sometimes even pulling into my driveway. There is also feeling like I am being bumped from the back and moving when I am idle. I am strict about oil changes and have it fully inspected when I take it every 3 months as I am a single mom and cannot afford for my children and I to be hurt in an accident or be without a car.

Filed May 28, 2026 · Brakes · CT · crash

On 05/08/2026 the brakes failed while in a queue at a drive-up restaurant. The car was steered away to a flat part of the parking lot. After a restart the brakes returned to operation and the car was taken to the dealership where the brake line were flushed and the brake fluid replaced. On 05/25/2026 the brakes failed after backing out of an inclined parking space in a parking garage. The car came to a stop when it backed into a concrete wall. The car was towed to the dealer. The dealer inspected inspected the car and reported that the brakes were working as they should.

Filed Oct 21, 2024 · Brakes, Engine · TX

The left front drive axel cracked while we were driving on an overpass connecting two highways. We didn’t hit or bump anything. The car just stopped, like the brakes were slammed on, except the brakes didn’t work. As we were on an incline, the car started rolling backwards, but fortunately the emergency brake worked. It happened so abruptly, I wasn’t able to fully pull off the road and my children in the back seat were screaming for their lives as truck after truck whizzed by rattling our car with their horns blaring missing us by inches. The police and fire trucks eventually blocked us from traffic until we could get a tow. The engine worked, but we couldn’t get into any gear. The mechanic said it must’ve been a faulty part to have gone like that. When the axel broke, it damaged the front differential and the transmission so the car isn’t very drivable. On a less dramatic note, a month earlier, both back doors stopped working on the same day!! The child locks failed and the doors couldn’t be opened. I consider this a safety hazard, so we spent $$$ to fix it. As we take good care of our car, I am very curious why it’s failing so spectacularly all at once.

Filed Aug 1, 2022 · Brakes, Electrical · TX · crash

This incident occurred on Friday July 29, 2022 @ 5pm. I was pulling into a parking space while my foot was on the brake I proceeded to put the car in park when the car suddenly lunged forward into the concrete patio of the Market/Store. I was in disbelief at what just happened. I would happily make my car available for inspection. I want to find out what is wrong with the car. I believe this could happen again and I am fearful for my life and the lives of others. I was so lucky that the table and chairs were roped off that evening for some reason. People could have been sitting or walking there at the time of this incident. This incident has not been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer or independent service center. I brought the car to the Subaru dealer for them to do a diagnostic test and any other things needed to give me some answers & repairs. I was told no issues were found. They also told me they would like to have my car for a week so they could drive it & do more test. I asked for a loaner and they said they could not do that. I can’t afford to rent a car for a week. And I feel they will come back to me with the same answer of not being able to find an issue. I have had this car for almost 3 years and I park by putting my foot on the brake and then shift into park. There was a malfunction! What it was I don’t know. But I do know something went very wrong with the vehicle. There was never any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to this failure.

Filed May 14, 2021 · Brakes, Electrical · 31,000 miles · NJ

I left my home to go get gas a few minutes away. After I filled up at the pump, my car would not start. I tried several times, and asked a gas station attendant for help. He said it sounded like the battery or alternator. I was able to get the car into neutral, and he pushed my car back into a parking spot so I could call someone for a jump. However, within the few minutes of trying to start my car and being pushed, the battery drained so quickly that the car was completely dead and inoperable. I could not get the car back into park, and the electronic parking brake didn't work either because there was absolutely no electricity left in the car. This could not have been have been any longer than a 5 minute timespan. The parking spot I was in had a slight slope to it, so since I couldn't put the car in park or use the emergency brake, I had to keep my foot pressed on the brake pedal until someone arrived to help me. I could not get out of the car to even check under the hood. Luckily I had a passenger that could get out and assist, especially since I couldn't open any windows either. When help arrived, they were able to jump the car so I could drive back home. Had I been alone though, I would have been completely out of luck - I would have been stuck in the car pressing the brake, or risk getting out and having the car roll away. It was an incredibly dangerous situation - I cannot believe the power could drain so quickly to the point that I couldn't even park the car. I purchased a new battery afterwards, but I'm not even sure that was the problem. I've never seen a battery drain so quickly - it almost seems like more of an electrical issue with the car.

Filed Jan 7, 2021 · Acceleration, Brakes · 75,000 miles · MI · crash

Upon slowing down & pulling into a parking space, to park my car in front of a business, my vehicle spontaneously accelerated forward, up over the sidewalk. The vehicle accelerated a 2nd time as I tried to stop the vehicle with the brakes. The vehicle did not stop until it impacted the wall of the building.

Filed Aug 4, 2020 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 75,495 miles · MN

My 2016 subaru outback all of sudden had warning lights such as: brake, ABS, and stability traction control popped up on the dashboard when the car was in park ans when I was driving down the road and will not go away. It has made my steering wheel really hard to turn.

Filed Apr 10, 2019 · Brakes · 34,174 miles · NJ · crash

While trying to come out of drive way onto the street, I tried to stop by pressing the brakes, but the vehicle has accelerated

Filed Nov 14, 2018 · Brakes · 10,000 miles · CO

Brakes are soft and hardly work when car is first started in cold weather. Once car is warmed up, brakes work normally. It happens every time when the temperature is less than 40 degrees.

Filed Oct 22, 2018 · Brakes · 30,000 miles · PA

The electric parking brake appears to be faulty. The driver's side front tire locked up for no apparent reason. The electric parking brake was not turned on. When my vehicle moved is created a loud metalic sound.