2018 Subaru Outback: engine stalls while driving

Filed Sep 30, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · OK

On 9/28/23 I was driving in a 2-lane construction zone with my daughter. While going through the construction zone, my car lost all power and just shut off completely. No warning signs just went completely dead. I almost got rear ended, thankfully the car behind me went to the left of the center, but almost had a head on collision into oncoming traffic. Thankfully, no wrecks were involved. It did eventually start back up and has yet to happen again. However, back in July/August of 2021, I received a recall notice on my vehicle the federal safety agency Campaign #21V587000. When I called to check on the recall it was stated that my vehicle did not have a current recall. I believe this is inaccurate to the fullest. When I bought the vehicle, I took my outback in several times to the dealership with what I thought was transmission and some electrical issues. They could find nothing wrong, how convenient for them, they weren't the ones almost killed because the vehicle would stall at intermittent times during acceleration. I took it in on 1/24/19, 4/26/19, 10/24/19, and 7/27/20. The mileage range was from 1K to 55K, now at 111K my car just has a complete system failure. Honestly, they didn't seem enough to care and treated me like I didn't know what I was talking about. I drove it 7 days a week and they drove it for 15 minutes and said there were no issues. That is not a fair assessment. I would like to resolve this matter before someone gets killed because of a defective issue on Subaru's part that was documented several times. I have the receipts and work orders to support the evidence. I have notified my family of the issues in case something does happen because of the vehicle, and I am, or others are injured or killed in an accident. Like I said, I have all the documentation to support any claim henceforth. I bought a Subaru because of its safety ratings. Now, I'm afraid to have passengers or my grandkids ride with me out of fear for their safety and others.

Filed Apr 3, 2023 · Fuel system · CT

Car stalled in a busy intersection. No warning lights occurred when this happened Diagnosed as a faulty fuel pump

Filed Apr 7, 2022 · Driver assistance · VA · crash

I was backing out of my driveway very slowly as usual. I checked the road both ways several times. A US mail truck evidently traveling at a high rate of speed came up behind me while I was looking in the opposite direction. The automatic braking did not kick in, the warning system didn't work. After the accident the green, yellow, red lines on the camera and the warning beeping stuff-all were not working for several weeks. All of the sudden, they started working. HISTORY-4 days after purchasing the vehicle we have had lane departure, driver assist problems. The passenger window does what it wants. The electric controls for the heat/ac go blank, or can't change settings. There seems to be a huge electrical issue. Every time we've taken the car in for service, the dealership just insults me that I can't drive and they can't find any problems. They seem to have an answer for everything yet the problems persist. Efforts to go thru Subaru are stalled waiting on their response. They were to look at the BLACK BOX during time of accident. We are still waiting. We are frustrated. I wish the dealership had taken the car back after we first bought it like we demanded. I'm terrified this car is going to cause an accident.

Filed Mar 25, 2022 · Engine · TN

While driving our 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6 the engine quit about 15 miles into our trip while driving at about 45 MPH. It had done this once before where after drifting to a stop and putting it in park it restarted and we finished the trip. This time we drifted to a stop and put it in park and tried to restart the engine. It restarted and immediately quit. We did this several times over a 20 minute time frame. We had it towed to the dealer where it took about 3 hours for them to look at it. It restarted and the fault codes showed it had stalled, but no other problem and no fix to be made. I see this problem in several forums with no fix offered. This is a significant safety issue since braking and steering power are lost.

Filed Nov 2, 2021 · Fuel system · 65,000 miles · OK

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer as well as Hudiburg Subaru (210 E Interstate 240 Service Rd, Oklahoma City, OK 73149) on several occasions. However, both dealers could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V587000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Filed Apr 18, 2021 · Electrical · 24,000 miles · TX

Quick 3mi trip for fast food run. Car would not re-start after drive-thru, engine off (to save gas). Vehicle was stationary and parked in all instances. Weather was 50f, light rain. Incidence on 12/31/2020; 2/14/2021; 2/22/2021. Resolution was simple jumpstart not longer than 10s connection for ignition to work again. Without which, car simply stalled. Speculation for cause of dead battery was low mileage driven daily.

Filed Jul 10, 2019 · Transmission · 11,500 miles · VA

The proprietary subaru lineartronic CVT on my vehicle has been defective since delivery in june 2018. It shudders, lurches, balks and creates near stall conditions on both acceleration and deceleration. I have brought it into the subaru dealer where the car was purchased new four + times since june 2018. They have been unable to fix the issue and now subaru of america tells me that the vehicle is performing as designed. I consider this a safety issue and know that many other subaru owners have complained to the federal safety agency as well.

Filed May 20, 2019 · Electrical, Fuel system · 20,000 miles · MI

In dec 2018 the fuel line of my 2018 subaru outback had to be replaced because it had been chewed through by a rodent and was leaking in the car. Total damage was over $2000. In may 2019 another $3500 damage was discovered from a rodent chewing on electrical harnesses in the dash. The dealer told me this is because subaru is now using soy-based insulation for fuel lines, wiring, and electrical harnesses. Rodents are attracted to the soy because they think it is food. In both cases my damage was discovered while trying to start the car while it is parked. But what if I was driving down the road and a chewed wire came loose that shorted something out and impacted my ability to control the car? Or what if the fuel line broke while driving down the highway and caused the car to suddenly stall? Manufacturers should not be allowed to use materials (e.g. Soy) that actually attract rodents. If anything, they should be using materials that deter rodents. Fuel lines and electrical harnesses are critical to the safe operation of a car and these systems are needlessly being put at risk by using soy to produce them. This is especially troubling for subaru because part of their image encourages their owners to explore "the great outdoors." what happens why I go camping and park my car in the woods and chipmunks chew through my components and strand me in the middle of nowhere? Or, worse, a critical system on the car fails as I'm driving home and I lose control of the vehicle and crash. The use of soy-based components should not be allowed. Or, if it is, oems should cover rodent damage to these systems under warranty. At the very least, oems should be required to disclose the use of soy in the car before a vehicle is purchased. I had no idea soy-based products were used in this car. Had I known, I would not have bought it. Fyi... Subaru denies using soy products.

Filed Apr 15, 2019 · Fuel system · 22,000 miles · PA

When I come to a stop and waiting to make a left turn, the vehicle will stall when I start to turn. Engine is still running, but the car essentially stops in mid turn. This leaves me exposed to a broadside collision. Dealer does not know what is causing it and it does not happen every time. In the last 1000 miles it has occurred 4 times. After the hesitation, about 3 -5 seconds, it starts to move. It has also occurred when moving from one lane to another after coming to a near stop due to a closed lane in the road.

Filed Mar 16, 2019 · Fuel system · 7,465 miles · OH

Fuel delivery problem. Sometimes when starting up from a stop sign and all of a sudden there is no power and you have to hit the accelerator a couple of times to get the car to respond. Sometimes this occurs at low speed going left and all of a sudden there is no power and you have to hit the accelerator a couple of times to get it to respond. The engine never stalls out. On the expressway it dropped out of cruse twice. I pulled up to a stop sign to cross into traffic and it had power at first and then no power. I was then in a panic mode pressing on the accelerator and finally it responded. This is why I think it is serious.

Filed Feb 19, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 2,000 miles · WA

Vehicle uses coolant at an alarming rate which has nearly lead to overheating and stalling while driving. Transmission disengages while at highway speeds when trying to pass making the maneuver unsafe. Manufacturer refuses to look at car again, already been in shop 4 times.

Filed Feb 1, 2019 · Engine, Fuel system · 34,000 miles · WA

I was driving through an intersection when the engine stalled with 1/8th of a tank of gas remaining. Gas light came on only a few miles prior. Luckily I was able to coast into a gas station. Car started after turning off and back on. Only took 16.9 gallons to top off. This is the second time this has happened. The previous time the miles to empty was showing 50 when it stalled. I was told by the dealership that there is no fix for the current recall.