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2021 Subaru Outback: false forward collision warnings

6 of the 300 complaints about the 2021 Subaru Outback describe false forward collision warnings.

owner complaints
6
of this car's complaints
2%
recalls
0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

False forward collision warnings by model year

What owners say

Filed Apr 2, 2025 · Driver assistance, Electrical · NM

Thermo Control Valve. Check engine light on. Eyesight Adaptive Cruise Control Automatic Emergency Braking Blind Spot Warning Forward Collision Warning Lane Departure Warning Lane Keeping Assistance X mode Dealership would not honor repair even though there is recall it does not cover vin 63400 miles Vehicle inspected by manufacturer code P2682 Check engine light is on and eyesight warning

Filed Nov 29, 2023 · Brakes, Electrical · ME

I have experienced premature rear brake wear and excessive tire wear. Issues with infotainment system and pre-collision braking system. (1) Regarding Tires: Performed all dealer recommended tire rotations and aligned vehicle when recommended. Needed new tires at 31,169 miles. Tires showed excessive inside wear. Bought new tires from a 3rd party shop and had alignment done with hunter alignment system. Showed rear right camber at -2.0. Subaru recommends -1.8 to 0.3. Rear camber is not adjustable on this model. Took vehicle back to dealer for brake job and they said camber was fine...there is a spec for a reason. Did not want to attempt to bring it in spec with aftermarket kits (i.e. adjustable cam bolt) or fix under warranty. (2) Regarding Brakes: Needed new brakes at 31,169 miles. Not covered under warranty and not what I would consider typical wear based on my driving style and my past experience with Subaru vehicles. If this is an expected side affect of the EBD system I would highly recommend Subaru consider ways of improving brake life on their vehicles. (3) I have the Onyx XT trim with navigation. Infotainment system is constantly glitchy. Examples include booting with blank black screen, failing to load, excessive lag while operating system or will freeze and beep repeatedly while buffing a menu selection. Also, had my car battery replaced under warranty within the first two years due to a bad battery. (4) Issues with ADAS system, specifically pre-collision breaking. This system is extremely sensitive and will over-react / take control in certain situations where I didn't need it to even when I was in the process of braking. Have had this system activate on the highway at high speeds while switching lanes on the highway or when having a vehicle merge quickly into my lane in front of me. Constantly, have to turn off this system which is a chore as this system is defaulted to always being on. Do not feel safe driving with this system on.

Filed Apr 14, 2023 · Driver assistance, Fuel system · IL · crash

Car experienced unintended acceleration and the pre-collision safety system failed to engage. Car accelerated into a building and the driver stopped car's attempt to continue forward progress by taking the car out of drive mode. The pre-collision system failed completely. The Electronic Control Units seemed to fail entirely. This happened while pulling into a parking space at a very low rate to speed (until the car "took off").

Filed Jan 7, 2022 · Driver assistance · OH

The Subaru Eyesight system malfunctioned while I was driving. All Eyesight components were enabled at the time of the incident, including pre collision braking and forward collision warning. I had been stopped at a red light at a four way intersection. I was the first car waiting at the red light, with other cars behind me and to each side. The intersection had multiple lanes in each direction. There were four lanes going the direction I was driving, and I was in the second from the right. When the traffic light turned green, I took my foot off the brake and onto the gas to begin accelerating. I accelerated through the large intersection reaching approximately 20 miles per hour. The speed limit is 25 or 30 there so I was continuing to accelerate to that speed and was just about through the intersection when the pre collision braking suddenly engaged with no warning at all. My foot was still on the gas trying to accelerate when this happened. All of the lights that show on the windshield seemed to light up red, and it showed that the pre collision braking had engaged on the dashboard screen behind the steering wheel. The car came to an immediate stop in the middle of the road and would not move forward. I took my foot off the gas and my car would still not move. My dashboard said something along the lines of “firmly press brake to hold stop.” I hit the brake, then everything returned to normal and I could move forward. I moved forward, safely switched to the right lane and pulled into the nearest driveway to get off the road and park. I then disabled all Eyesight features and called my Subaru dealership who said they will “diagnose and recalibrate” the system on 1/14/2022. My car and windshield were clean and my windshield is the same from the factory with no defects. No cars were in front of my- the road ahead was wide open, clear, flat, and straight. No one turned in front of me or anything. Fortunately I was not rear ended but it was very scary and dangerous.

Filed Oct 14, 2021 · Acceleration, Brakes · NJ

Your form would not allow me to chcek all applicable issues. I believe the computer system and brakes are the major issues. The start/stop system engaged when I was turning in the middle of an intersection. When driving at cruising speeds (foot on the gas pedal), the car suddenly felt as if the brake was being engaged. The forward and rear collision warning signals do not work. The blind spot warning does not work. There is grinding coming from the undercarriage at times (random), while my foot is on the gas. The car bucks for no reason. The battery is draining (less than 2,000 miles on the car). Sometimes I have to turn the ignition twice in the morning. I turn everything off when I get out of the car. My safety and safety of others is definitely at risk. What I didn't realize until recently is that prior to accepting the vehicle, the salesman must have turned the start/system off, because when I went for a test drive, the start/stop did not engage once and I drove in city traffic with multiple stops. Immediately upon diving off lot, the car stopped and I had issues. The salesman told me I had to get used to the start/sytem. This is a dangerous situation. My car is currently being looked at by the dealer.

Filed Jul 22, 2021 · Driver assistance · NC

Subaru has apparently integrated their Eyesight Collision avoidance system with their infotainment system and the infotainment system crashes constantly. When it crashes about 50% of the time Eyesight goes offline and kicks cruise control off. At highway speeds this is VERY dangerous. The vehicle will slow down 5-10 mph between when the system crashes and when someone realizes what has happened in order to put their foot on the gas pedal to keep their speed up. I've almost been rear-ended multiple times now because of this. Subaru has been aware of this issue for TWO FULL model years now and is going into a 3rd year with the SAME problem. The update they issues in Spring 2021 made the problem worse not better. Subaru must be forced to either fix the issue immediately or recall the entire system and replace it before someone dies in a highspeed accident caused by this system. Until two days ago Subaru of America's employees were arrogant, condescending, and beyond unhelpful. Wendy Clough has stated Subaru plans to issue an update in August has no actual confirmed timeframe. Subaru has done NOTHING to communicate with owners or dealers on mitigation options, if any, nor to warn customers of potential risks. Subaru must be forced to notify all owners of the issue immediately.

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the 2021 Subaru Outback collision warning

Is false forward collision warnings a common problem on the 2021 Subaru Outback?

6 of 300 owner complaints about the 2021 Subaru Outback (2%) mention false forward collision warnings. The model year with the most reports is 2016.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2021 Subaru Outback?

There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.

Other symptoms on the 2021 Subaru Outback

Windshield crack 85Battery drain 21Adaptive cruise 16Screen failure 15Won't start 15Check engine light 10Lane assist 7Loss of power 7Stalling 7Sudden acceleration 6Sunroof shattered 6Jerking 5Warning lights 5Wipers 5

All model years of the Subaru Outback

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