2017 Subaru Outback: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Jul 7, 2026 · OK

Came out to car on the morning of July 1, 2026 and found windshield had cracked from the very bottom of the windshield (no impacts). This is the third windshield I will be putting in this car. Original windshield was replaced by Subaru 4/25 2025 for the same exact problem. 2015 &16 Outbacks had a settlement filed as did the 20-23 subarus. This is a known problem.These cracks limit visibility, interfere with all other safety systems: Lane change, cruise control, visibility, auto brake for emergency and other related safety systems. I could not go with aftermarket windshields (Safelite) because Subaru said they would not cover any malfunctions with the eyesight system unless it was Subaru glass. I have contacted my Subaru dealer and they said Subaru will more than likely not cover it. Their glass was put in by them 15 months ago and this not the result of a chip or impact. Came out in the morning and it was cracked. Go to any Subaru owners web sites and you will see this is a reoccurring, KNOWN problem for almost ALL Subaru models. How can safety items LIKE WINDSHIELDS ( which affects ALL other safety systems) not fall under NTHB?? So class action lawsuits cover the two PRIOR years and the next three model years, but not 2017?? jSame glass, same manufacturer, same know problem.

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 Jun 25, 2024 · Electrical · 74,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Auto Cruise Control feature failed to function properly. The contact stated that the Auto Cruise Control feature only operated as needed 35% of the time. Additionally, the contact stated that the Lane Keep Assist message was displayed while attempting to use the Cruise Control feature. There was no warning light illuminated. The was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact stated that a software update was completed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

Filed Nov 22, 2023 · Airbags · CO

While troubleshooting an erratic cruise control switch, my mechanic found that the clock spring switch in my steering wheel was defective. This means that my air bags are disconnected and will not deploy in case of an accident. He read this from the cars computer yet my car did not alert me. The issue with the cruise control is connected so I know the problem has been there for likely months. This failure to alert me could have resulted in a death.

Filed Nov 22, 2022 · Acceleration, Brakes · NY

I was driving my 2017 Subaru Outback on a trip from New York to Florida. On I-95 in heavy traffic I hit a bump in the road, and at that instant, nearly every warning light on my dash came on, including EyeSight, lane departure, and emergency braking. My adaptive cruise immediately disengaged causing the vehicle to suddenly slow (this incident was at highway speed). The "brake" light was also illuminated. Not knowing what happened, I pulled over on the side of the highway and found that the wire to the electric parking brake on the passenger side had disconnected from the brake module. I tried to plug it back in, but it would not stay. I secured the cable with a hair tie and continued on the trip. Approximately 500 miles later, I hit another bump or pothole, and the same thing happened. I checked under the car again, and discovered that the driver side had failed in the same manner. I secured the cable with another hair tie and was able to complete my trip. When I returned home, I discovered that this is a known issue and there is a Subaru TSB published, 06-63-18R. There is no warranty on this issue, and I was charged nearly $750 to fix a KNOWN PROBLEM caused by a plastic retainer. In my opinion, this issue should be treated as a safety defect and subject to a recall to replace with the newer part. Having all of your vehicle assists suddenly fail at highway speed in heavy traffic is a disconcerting and dangerous event.

Filed May 15, 2021 · Electrical · 23,144 miles · OK

I am on my 4th battery in 4 years. The battery goes dead very quickly and the service department can’t tell me why. There also seem to be other random electrical issues that go crazy at random times. The cruise control when trying to set the speed higher will go lower. The windows will occasionally not roll all the way up.

Filed Nov 14, 2019 · Driver assistance, Steering · 14,000 miles · VA

On multiple occasions (when starting in driveway - stopped, while driving in parking lot - 5 MPH, driving in town - 25 MPH, while driving on highway - 60 MPH) all advanced safety features are disabled including (but not limited to) eye sight (fab - forward auto brake, acc - adaptive cruise control, las - lane assist steering), rab - rear auto brake, rear cross traffic alert, blind spot detection, park brake, ABS, traction control, power steering. Note that the failure of these systems does not cause a check engine condition and no error codes are logged. The dealer indicated that the first 4/5 failures left no codes. The next failure was delivered to dealer while running in a failed state. Dealer reported no codes found. Since the dealer did not report this to subaru I will be reporting this problem to subaru.

Filed Jun 17, 2019 · Electrical · 58,000 miles · TN

The attached invoices are a result of numerous electrical issues that I have experienced since owning the outback. Each time I would go for service with key fobs not working the employees were so rude and spent all their time making me feel like an idiot instead of trying to solve the problem. I have left in tears many times. The radio and bluetooth were not working right from day one. When I complained to grayson in knoxville he dialed a local number in knoxville and said "nothing wrong" with the telephone system I still struggle with calls thru the bluetooth. Earl duff in harriman has been the most considerate of all the others. However, I find it hard to believe that at 58,000 miles, the passenger airbag is out of commission. Right now I am driving with every one of the digital indicators on. Cannot use cruise control. The rear hatch only raises abt 1/4 of the highth that it should. I have heard so many good things about a subaru and had to have one. I have had nothing bur disappointment from the mentioned dealers. Right now the car is parked in the garage. It still runs but who knows what will happen while I am driving.

Filed Dec 9, 2016 · Acceleration · 4,200 miles · TN

I was pulling into a parking space when the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward with the engine revving. I slammed on the brakes preventing a collision with the care parked in the opposite parking space. The car continued to try to accelerate. I took the car out of gear and the engine roared, over revved, slowed, and over revved a second time before finely slowing down. This is the second time this has happened. Definite safety issue. Has something to do with the eyesight system/cruise control.