While day driving on a clearly marked interstate in slightly hazy weather from fires, the car suddenly, unprompted, steered to the left without any warning or any indicators going off. This caused the car traveling at highway speed to crash into a barrier wall, drive half way up before driver could regain control of the steering and then spun out across 4 lanes of traffic. Driver said cars lane assist was on and it was ping ponging for a moment before it suddenly steered to the left unprompted causing the crash. A witness behind stated they saw the car behave the same as did the two passengers in the car.
Subaru Outback lane assist problems
76 of the 9,794 owner complaints about the Subaru Outback describe lane keeping assist jerks the wheel, most of them for the 2020 model year.
- owner complaints
- 76
- worst model year
- 2020
- typical mileage
- 10,000
By model year
Often reported together
Adaptive cruise 22Collision warning 17Jerking 7Windshield crack 6Check engine light 6Pulling 5Screen failure 4Backup camera 4
Trouble codes mentioned
U1131 1U1122 1U0151 1U0126 1U0122 1P2682 1C1460 1
What owners say
I bought a brand new 2025 subaru outback in April of 2025. At first service (oil change and tire rotation) in Jan 2026, I complained that the vehicle keeps swerving left and right and Subaru of Ann Arbor said they will diagnose the i-Sight vehicle system and correct it. But right after delivery , i realized the steering had to be held at ~5 degrees to the right (off centered) to get the car go straight. I complained and I was made to bring the car in 3 times to Subaru of Ann arbor - only to go without a fix. The car fishtailed, the traction control system malfunctioned in normal roads and highways due to the steering angle error. I was asked my Subaru of Ann Arbor to not come there anymore and take it to a different dealership. I complained to Subaru of America (Customer advocacy) and they asked me to pick a different dealer - Lafontaine Subaru. Even there the technicians argued that the car is good and just did an alignment without fixing the steering angle error issue. The steering angle sensor is tied to the vehicle safety software controls, traction control system and safety systems such as lane keep. I have to keep the steering tilted to keep the vehicle in lanes and I am struggling to keep it safely within lanes since January 2026. Subaru of America has not intervened even after the 6th repair in 3 months as the problem is not fixed. the lives of my family including a [XXX] infant for whom I got the car is being threatened on a daily basis. I keep telling the urgency and grave danger and the last response from the second subaru dealer was this is the maximum we can do. I am feeling threatened as I paid a fortune for a new car and wanted to secure my infant and my family. Our safety has been disregarded despite multiple complaints and repairs in the first year of ownership. Mileage now is 6100 miles total. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
April 3, 2026: my 2025 Subaru Outback Premium (VIN [XXX] , 2,052 miles) suffered simultaneous failure of multiple safety-critical systems due to corrosion on a CAN bus pin in the driver door wiring harness (Subaru part #XXX) at its dash harness connection, caused by water intrusion into the cabin. Trip start: EyeSight, collision avoidance, blind spot, and lane assist all offline; BRAKE indicator illuminated with no brake engagement. Minutes later, airbag warning activated. Dealer service advisor described the dash as "lit up like a Christmas tree." While reversing through a 3-point turn on a commercial drive used by heavy trucks, I LOST STEERING at single-digit speed. 60 seconds further would have placed me on an inclined high-traffic road near a freeway interchange. Vehicle was towed by Subaru from the failure location. Confirmed by authorized dealer Driveway Subaru of Moon Township (Invoice #680646, warranty claim). Subaru SSM4 scan recorded 17 unique DTCs across 10 control systems, including C1460 Brake Booster Abnormality; U1131 Lost Comm Power Steering Control Module; U0151 Restraints Control Module; U0122/U1122 VDC; U0126 Steering Angle Sensor; plus multiple EyeSight faults. Dealer documented moisture on both A-pillars, driver kick panel, standing water in cupholders and center console. Prior intermittent symptom: passenger seatbelt alarm on empty seat, two occasions in prior months, consistent with past-status U0151 on scan. Dealer cleaned the corroded pin but did NOT identify or seal the original water ingress point. Vehicle remains in dealer possession. Subaru of America Customer Advocacy Case #XXX-XXXhas declined repurchase/replacement, stating vehicle is "operating safely as designed." I dispute this conclusion: the ingress source is unremediated and recurrence risk has not been addressed. Repair invoice, full DTC scan, SOA correspondence, and owner statement available on request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash avoidance Collision system randomly goes off with no cars in front or behind it. This is extremely dangerous as it will make the car stop on its own. Lane departure does not activate until completely over center line. Another big safety issue. This is a loaner car from Carter Subaru in Shoreline WA. My car is in their shop for exact same reasons and more issues. Obviously this is a systemic problem with the new Subaru’s.
1.) Lane departure is not operating until way over the line on right side of vehicle. 2.) Collision Warning is going off regularly with no cars in front or behind. Randomly goes off. This makes it impossible to use the Automatic Emergency Braking feature if it went off in the middle of the freeway which would cause a wreck. 3.) Blind Spot warning goes off on driver side when there is no car there. 4.) Eyesight constantly turns off randomly meaning absolutely none of this "safe" driving stuff is working anyways. All of these items make this car very unsafe to drive and makes me wonder why I paid for them. It creates incredible stress and sometimes panic especially when the Collision Warning goes off for no reason. Yet my dealership denies any issue I've brought to them in the past but they magically get fixed and I'm referring to previous issues not the ones mentioned above. Yet after going through many of the service bulletins on your Website, my dealership has not notified me of any of these except the CCU update.
1.) Eyesight constantly turns off on a whim. No reason or rhyme to it but just turns off. Meaning none of my "safety" systems (lane departure, crash avoidance, emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, collision warnings, collision braking) are functioning. Then it turns on when it decides it wants to turns back on after awhile but will happen in the middle of a 30+mile drive. When has this happened? Intermittently since I've purchased the car 11/23/2024. It's happened at least a dozen or more times. Dealership says nothing is wrong with car and they cannot replicate issue. This is just one of many issues with the new Subaru. Others are auto start stop does not function as it should per the User Manual. 12/4/2024 Passenger outside mirror does not defrost as stated it should in User Manual. 12/4/2024 Mileage for the Wilderness edition rarely hits minimum estimated MPG. constant
We are having issues with the RAB, lane departure, collision assistance and other warning lights just randomly coming on. We put it to the dealer and they said it was a problem with a dead fob. They returned it to us and the first day back on the road it did it again. When it left the dealer after being "fixed" before it had 14625 miles on it. I also have a picture of when we were going 71 miles per hour when it cur out.
While the lane keeping assistance is on the car will follow the exit lane beside the lane I’m in and jerk over into it. There has been a car beside me when has happened but I caught the steering wheel before a crash. Also if a car is turning in front of me sometimes, not always, the brakes will jam on when I’m not even close to the car that is turning but I would be going around the car after it has turned almost all the way. There has been no crashes or injuries yet.
The EyeSight Assist appears to be working intermittently since the car was purchased. It stops working without any apparent reason, regardless of whether it is a sunny day, cloudy, or rainy. The assist stops working without any proper reason. The lane departure warning also appears to be either not working or malfunctioning at times. Even if I am within the lane, it still makes warning sounds at times and shows yellow lines on the screen.
Vehicles eye sight and rear camera is not aligned correctly with car. it is off in direction )right to left) by about 6+ inches which could easily result in a collision if driver is using lane departure and/or automated driving assistance.
Related recalls
Back over prevention: display function
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with "high" grade and "mid" grade multimedia navigation. The August 2020 over-the-air software update may have timed out without completing the installation, corrupting the data, and causing the rearview display to shutoff intermittently. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- The intermittent loss of the rearview image reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the software and, if necessary, replace the Cockpit Control Module, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-20.
Recall number 20V766000 · Recall details
Electronic stability control (ESC)
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured on July 20, 2015. The brake fluid used in these vehicles may contain excess moisture which may adversely affect the performance of the electronic stability control system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
- Risk
- Poor performance of the electronic stability control system when it is activated may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will perform an ABS activation, then flush and replace the brake fluid, free of charge. The recall began on May 20, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTC-64.
Recall number 16V251000 · Recall details
Forward collision avoidance: crash imminent braking
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Outback vehicles manufactured February 24, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Impreza vehicles manufactured September 9, 2014, to April 14, 2015, XV Crosstrek vehicles manufactured October 16, 2014, to April 15, 2015, and 2016 WRX vehicles manufactured March 23, 2015, and equipped with the Eyesight Driver Assist System. If the switch that activates the brake lights fails, the automatic pre-collision braking component of the driver assist system will not function.
- Risk
- If the automatic pre-collision braking system does not function as intended, the vehicle will not react to an obstacle in its path, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the driver assist system, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQS-54.
Recall number 15V366000 · Recall details
Questions about the Subaru Outback lane assist
Which Subaru Outback years have lane keeping assist jerks the wheel problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2020 (16 complaints), 2018 (11 complaints) and 2025 (10 complaints).
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