Subaru Outback abs comes on

Filed Jun 4, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · MD · crash

Report on Accident [XXX] 4TH DISTRICT wHEATON MARYLAND [XXX] [XXX] I was driving west on [XXX] at approximately [XXX]. As I approached the intersection at [XXX] the TRAFIC light cars were stopped . I was in the left hand lane because I was going to turn on to [XXX] . As approached the intersection I applied the brakes the pedal went close to the floor but the car did not slow down. I tried pumping the brake pedal with no effect. No collosion avoidance alert To try and slow the vehicle ran the wheel against the curb of the median which slowed the car down a little . I pressed the parking brake button with no effect. The collision avoidance system did not engage. I clipped the rear of the Toyota Corolla as I jumped the curb to avoid cars using the friction against the curb and move further left when oncoming cars were clear and was able to stop the car. (The car may have stopped because the front control arm bent which made the car drag. ) I am unsure whether the master cylinder failure or ABS overrode braking, but the car would not stop. I do not know if the black box captured the data as the there was no airbag deployment. The collision avoidance system did not engage to slow the car any time. I did not see any lights light on the dashboard did not check specifically as I was busy avoiding a collision other cars . Basically, pedal went down not all the way to the floor but car was not slowing down. I checked the master cylinder reservoir, and it still had fluid. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 30, 2025 · Driver assistance, Engine · NC

CRITICAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE - HIGHWAY SAFETY HAZARD 10/23/2025: While driving 2025 Outback (11K miles) at highway speed on I-485 Charlotte, complete electrical system failure occurred without warning. ALL dashboard lights illuminated, COMPLETE LOSS of power steering (steering extremely heavy/difficult to control), all safety systems failed (ABS, brake sensors, traction control). SAFETY DANGER: Sudden power steering loss at 65mph made vehicle nearly uncontrollable. Required extreme force to steer to shoulder. Could have caused fatal crash during emergency maneuver or in traffic. IMPROPER WARRANTY DENIAL: Dealer claimed "cut wire" was "outside influence" but provided NO evidence how wire became accessible on properly designed vehicle. No photos, forensics, or proof. Vehicle never modified/damaged, only normal highway use. PATTERN DEFECT - SUBARU OUTBACK ELECTRICAL FAILURES: - 2020 Outback: 873 the federal safety agency complaints, electrical failures, battery drain, module failures - 2017 Outback: 893 complaints, "Do Not Drive" warning, steering control loss - the federal safety agency 23V‑551: 35,357 Subarus recalled for wiring harness "insufficient clearance" causing wire damage, short circuits, power loss - 2019-22 Ascent: 271,694 recalled for electrical overheating from improper wiring COMMON DEFECT: Improper wire routing, inadequate protection, vulnerable placement - DESIGN/MANUFACTURING DEFECTS not owner damage. CONCERN: If critical wire accessible to damage after only 11K miles normal driving, this is design deficiency. Properly engineered vehicles protect wiring from road debris, vibration, weather. REQUEST: Investigate 2025 Outback electrical/wiring design. Review for pattern failures. Determine if recall warranted. Complete power steering loss on highway is life-threatening defect. Vehicle: New 2025, maintained per schedule, no modifications/accidents. Subaru denying valid warranty claims by falsely claiming "outside influence" without proof.

Filed Dec 18, 2024 · Brakes, Electrical · 55,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The computer control system showed low tire pressures. While the passenger’s seat was occupied, there was an abnormal dinging sound detected. The message that the seat not activated message was displayed. The contact stated that the battery drained, and the vehicle failed to start. The starting system had drained the battery. The contact had Triple AAA check the vehicle, and the DCM made an abnormal popping sound. The ABS, radio, and CD warning lights were flashing. The transmission, GPS, and undercarriage messages were illuminated. The computer screen had burned out and was inoperable. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle abruptly stopped without driver input. The steering wheel became inoperable and was uncontrollable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the DCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Nov 4, 2024 · Brakes, Engine · 24,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine, ABS, and brake warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited for several minutes before restarting the vehicle; however, upon restart the transmission failed to shift into the desired gear. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under warranty due to a third-party damage to the rear brake cable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000.

Filed Oct 2, 2024 · Electrical, Steering · 2,800 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the ABS, All-Wheel Drive, Auto Start/Stop, Auto Vehicle Hold, Brake System, Traction Control, Parking Brake, and CTA warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the steering wheel became firm, making it difficult to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800.

Filed Mar 1, 2024 · Brakes · IN · crash

I was visiting my daughter's and after I pulled in the driveway, and I hit my brakes to stop the car, but they failed, and I ended up crashing into their brick garage. I was physically fine, but my car and their garage was damaged. There were no warning lights of failure. I had Autozone check the car computer today, and they came up with an ABS failure code of C1411. I've discussed the situation with a Subaru mechanic on [XXX] , and he says that ABS module has failed and should not happen on 2018 Subaru, that only has @44,000 miles on it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 30, 2023 · Brakes · AZ

My 2014 Subaru Outback, with only 42,000 miles on it, is unfortunately among the 3% (per Consumer Reports) with undiagnosable, therefore, unrepairable, brake failure issues. The brake failures began in April 2023 as I pulled out of my driveway in the Tucson Mountains, headed into town. On the downhill, I pressed my brakes to slow down. My foot went to the floor - no brakes. Terror! I pumped the brakes and gradually they came back. Luckily, no one was ahead of me. The brake fluid was down a very slight bit, so I brought it back up. No problem for two weeks, until the exact same thing happened again. Tucson Subaru has an excellent Service Center. I've kept the service on my Subaru up, so I booked in for a regular tuneup, plus advised them of the brake issue. The shop mechanic flushed the brake cylinder along with the usual tuneup: brake pads, etc. There was no problem for about two more weeks when brakes failed again. Took back to Subaru on a Friday. They kept over the weekend, but by Monday afternoon, brakes were still working "fine". They Ubered me to test, but I didn't need to even pull out of parking lot, everything seemed okay. Took my Outback home and all okay until brakes failed again. Took on AAA's and my friends' recommendations to Tucson's Primarily Japanese auto shop. The brakes failed once more in the interim, but worked fine at the shop. The owner thought possible a failing ABS unit. However, both Tucson Subaru/Primarily Japanese were reluctant to try replacing either the brake cylinder or the ABS unit as both are expensive fixes and they were unable to duplicate the failure. In the meantime, I went online and found that other owners of Outbacks across a range of years/mileage had the same problem - and the same results, none of fixes reliably worked. That included flushing/replacing the brake cylinder, the ABS unit, cleaning/replacing brake pads, etcs. Some owners were not as "lucky" as I was. The car is parked.

Filed Aug 5, 2023 · Driver assistance, Electrical · TX

I purchased the lease for the vehicle in January 2020. I first notified Subaru in Austin of an obvious "glitch" with the computer operating system in April 2020. The "glitchy" OS challenges came and went, I would notify Subaru and they would remedy the issue with a "patch" update at the service center. On April 29 2022 a clear night and a suitably clean vehicle, the RAB system completely failed to recognize/notify/respond to a mailbox behind me, upon impact the mailbox broke the rear windshield. on June 28 2022 the vehicle fails to start, and is "surging" completely draining a new jumper box, and then promptly burning it out, the box will no longer operate. Put in a new battery(#1), make an appointment for service on the vehicle. The dealership replaces the battery(#2), computer updates are completed. Vehicle goes to the body shop for the rest of the work to be completed. 28 days later, I arrive to pick up my vehicle, all work is complete. However the vehicle will not start (again) Auto body shop replaces the battery(#3).on 9/23/2022 after dark, my Subaru Outback 2020 Limited, stops and puts its Parking break on., all dials spike, then dies, rear hatch signal goes off continuously, regardless of its actual state of open/close. The vehicle refuses to jump with a new jumper box. Outback 2020 is successfully jumped by a newer vehic. New battery installed(#4). 9/29/2022 another appointment at Subaru service center to look at my vehicle, they swap out the battery(#5) and update computer. Upon pickup vehicle is without trailer lights, 3 airbag lights on, ABS light on/off. 10/17/2022 appointment at a different service center for an Oil change service, 10/18/2022 diagnostic check appt, 3 blown fuses found. 11/16/2022 Austin service, found many lost comm. codes.- reprograms , engine control module. Outback 2020 intermittently has problems opening and closing hatch/windows, display loading issues, many warning/hazzard lights & signals on/off (from April 2022- present day.)

Filed Jul 29, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · TN

When driving normally on the road the car begins to flash the following lights in the dash( Engine check, Oil Temp Light, Brakes, ABS, Traction control light, airbag light, passenger airbag light indicator) the car continues to drive normally but I cannot know that for certain when almost every indicator light is flashing, I have had the car inspected at a Subaru dealer 4 times since last year for other repairs in which they indicated a detailed inspection of all components following the repairs( radiator, ABS module, Transmission Maintenance, Differential Maintenance, Brake Fluid flush,), spent roughly 6,000$ in repairs and nothing was ever mentioned about this issue, if an inspection was done how could they not find an electrical error.This has happened twice in 3 months I do not feel safe driving a car that cannot properly indicate what internal issues are happening. The car drives fine and is in good condition however only a battery reset and new battery have been able to halt this issue until it happens again. I hope this can be investigated and looked into getting it repaired.

Filed Jul 5, 2023 · Brakes · OH · fire

I had a fault/issue with the Electronic Parking Brake on my 2020 Subaru Outback that resulted in a vehicle fire. I had set the electronic parking brake, and received a warning light. I retracted the electronic parking brake and the warning light disappeared. I did this twice. The warning light stayed off. I drove the car and the passenger rear brakes caught on fire, damaging the brakes, the electronic parking brake motor, the brake caliper, the wheel bearing, the ABS sensor and all wiring to that wheel. I had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer had the vehicle for over 2 months. In that time, my insurance inspected the vehicle. The dealer inspected the vehicle. The dealer had a Subaru (Subaru of America) factory tech visit and inspect. Subaru factory sent out a second tech (from quality control) to inspect the vehicle. The dealer tech and both Subaru factory techs could not determine the root cause of the failure. Subaru replaced all components damaged in the fire (at my cost) and sent me on my way without a determination of what caused the issue. Issue was well documented here... https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/parking-brake-fault-caught-on-fire.551030/ I have attached a scan of the Subaru Dealer repair order.