2017 Subaru Outback driver assistance problems

Filed Jul 6, 2025 · Driver assistance, Engine · CO

Car was being driven on the highway in cruise control, when the cruise control turned off and the car began to decelerate. When the gas pedal was pressed, the RPMs shot up but there was no acceleration. The car was pulled over, turned off, and we were not able to turn it on again. The car was towed to a shop, where they were able to identify the engine wasn’t working but not the root cause, and also mentioned the possibility of there being a transmission problem. We then brought it to a Subaru dealer, and they said a similar thing without being able to diagnose anything more specific. This car is 8 years old and has had routine, consistent maintenance the entire time. The surprise of an engine failure with no warning is very alarming and dangerous.

Filed Nov 7, 2024 · Driver assistance · ME

The lane keeping assistance feature is turned off in my vehicle because I live where there are many two land roads and other drives constantly cross the middle line, including large logging trucks. Lately it has been coming on intermittently and nudging my car back toward the middle of the lane even when I would like to drive very close to the shoulder or white line on the right side of the road. When it nudges the car toward the center of the lane and I attempt to correct, it is a battle and makes me feel very uneasy. I have contacted subaru of america because when I took it to the dealer, they told me if I could not recreate it, it was unlikely they could fix it. After seeing a post on reddit, I think I am narrowing down recreating the event. I have pictures of the dashboard lights that show lane keeping assist being active despite the light showing it is also turned off.

Filed Oct 15, 2024 · Airbags, Driver assistance · NC · crash · 2 injuries

was at a stop in the middle lane going to turn left, got hit straight head on by a driver driving in the middle lane. his air bags deployed, none of mine deployed. the front end and drivers side of the subaru was impacted

Filed Apr 29, 2024 · Brakes, Driver assistance · FL

On [XXX], around noon, my wife and I were driving south on [XXX] in our 2017 Subaru Outback, at approximately 70 mph. It was a clear and sunny day. We were just north of the [XXX] exit (in Port St. Lucie, Florida) in the far right-hand lane when our vehicle violently jolted. It felt like we were being dragged from behind, although we were still moving forward at a reduced speed. It was making a terrible sound (tires screeching), and you could smell rubber burning. This sensation felt similar to an airplane’s hard landing on the tarmac. My initial thought was that someone hit us from behind, while my wife thought we may have blown a tire. I glanced at the instrument panel and noticed that the word “Eye Sight” was displayed. As we were coming to complete stop, we realized cars were speeding to the left and right of our car to avoid hitting us. We both immediately realized that we were in a very dangerous situation and at risk of being hit from oncoming traffic. My wife put the hazard lights on while I was attempting to drive the car off the road. However, the car would not move forward even though the engine was running, and it was in gear (drive). Several good Samaritans stopped to assist us in trying to move the car off [XXX]. However, the car would not move because all four wheels were locked. My wife called 911 and Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and Road Ranger arrived approximately twenty minutes later. They were unable to assist us with moving the car off the road. We called a tow truck company (Apex Towing) to move the car because all four tires were locked and had to be lifted off the road. Our car was towed to a safe location and we able to call AAA to have the car towed to Dyer Subaru in Vero Beach, Florida. As time has passed, we realize that our car was a stationary object on a heavily traveled interstate. If a car had hit us, the outcome could and most probable would have been catastrophic to everyone involved. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Dec 5, 2023 · Driver assistance, Electrical · AZ

The eyesight system not functioning and at this point has not been repaired and is available for inspection. Warning notices were intermittent with warning sound’s coming on each time. Eventually the warnings came on nearly all the time. I was alone in the dark and very nervous. no other injury Yes the vehicle was taken to dealer, also I took photos as it continued to intermittently occur. Yes there were warning notices that alerted me. Note: dealer states non OEM windshield is cause , however windshield has been in vehicle fo nearly 2.5 years with no issue. Other electrical issue has occurred since eyesight issue.

Filed Jun 23, 2023 · Driver assistance, Steering · MO

Had new tires installed and on the way home kept feeling wheel pulling to the right. Eyesight/lane assist feature was turned off. At one point the steering wheel dramatically jerked right and locked, completely immoveable. It jerked me into the other lane and almost into the median of the highway. I got to safety and had it towed to the dealership. I originally thought it was an issue with the tire alignment or the AWD system. They took it on a test drive and confirmed lane assist was malfunctioning in a dangerous way. They confirmed that eyesight/lane assist was turned off when this issue happened. They reset the system and said they couldn't guarantee the vehicle was safe to drive and suggested bringing it in if it happened again. I asked them to document everything they said over phone calls and voicemail. They agreed, but it took them weeks to provide a repair order. When they wrote up the repair order it included none of the information that was previously given and they said the car was, and always had been in perfect working order. I opened a case with Subaru of America and they were unable to get the information they needed from the dealership to proceed with the investigation. Upon further research, I found many similar accounts of this happening with Subarus of the same and similar year(s) and model(s). There is a class action lawsuit open for this but currently there are so many plaintiffs they cannot accept more. I refuse to drive this car as I feel that this malfunction is of life and limb consequence. I do not feel it would be ethical to sell this car without full disclosure and then would be out 30k on the car I purchased just three years ago. Reliable Subaru and Subaru of America refuse to offer a solution or help me in any way.

Filed Feb 3, 2023 · Driver assistance, Electrical · CA · crash · 1 injury

I experienced 2 incidences of sudden unexpected acceleration (SUA), the second one led to an explosive collision. Subaru asked that I sign the EDR release but refused to give me (rightful owner) a copy. With significant effort I obtained a copy of the EDR for myself. It is near impossible for the consumer to obtain their rightful copy, significant because it stinks of poor transparency for Subaru to investigate Subaru (see below). Once I obtained my copy, I released the EDR to Subaru and my vehicle was inspected by SOA at our local dealership. For some untold reason, the vehicle would "not to be released to me" at the end of the day but was held for additional time at the dealership. Later Customer "Advocacy" informed me that the results of the investigation was that the throttle was active 1.5 seconds prior to impact and that it was a case of "pedal misapplication". Because I also had the data I was acutely aware of how SOA cherry picked data to match their own narrative. I know for a fact what happened considering all the data, together with the actual facts of this potentially fatal accident. I was pulling straight into the parking spot, yet the EDR MISTAKENLY "thinks" that the car is turning sharply to the right the entire time (EDR shows this and why PBS not active). The electronic sensors are being fed ERRONEOUS information. With the steering wheel 'supposedly' at full lock, the power steering pump is told to spin faster to maintain pressure. The computer tries to pick up speed for this and sends an electronic message to open the throttle. The rpms suddenly surge and the vehicle explodes forward leaving only a fraction of a second to react before impact (at which point EDR confirms brake was on). Intermittent failures in electronic sensors do in fact happen as experts know. Incredibly, SOA refused to hear me. I am concerned for the safety of other Subaru drivers as well as those in the path of a Subaru SUA incidence. Ignoring this can have fatal consequences.

Filed Jan 24, 2023 · Driver assistance, Fuel system · GA

I was pulling into a space in a parking deck, foot on brake. Just as I was shifting into Park, the car lunged forward and slammed into the guard rail. Popped the fender and did some paint damage. Thankfully no one was hurt, but frightening to think that this could have happened in an intersection.

Filed Sep 9, 2022 · Driver assistance · NV

While driving at full speed on Interstate 80 through Sacramento CA while the outside temperature was 116 degrees, most of the more advanced systems of the car failed. I should have taken a picture of the control panel. I stopped the car and pulled out the user manual. Indicators illuminated included Eye Sight, Check Engine, tire pressure, and many many others. In fact, there were symbols on the dash that I could not find in the manual after extensive investigation. I attempted to drive the car after letting it cool down. The alerts persisted. I did check the tire pressure in all wheels and they were normal. The following day I checked the car in the morning (the temperature had subsided substantially) and the condition was still present. I made arrangements to go to the dealer, and upon getting into the car at about 2pm the indicators were all normal again. I did not go to the dealer. This may or may not be related to a prior issue which is covered in the federal safety agency complaint #11480372.

Filed Aug 21, 2022 · Driver assistance · TX · crash

Car accelerated unexpectedly causing a front end collision. Sudden acceleration had occurred previously without collision. No warning lights or emergency braking engages before collision