2017 Subaru Outback UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
BATTERY WON'T START FROM PARKING LOT, FOR A COUPLE OF TIMES NOW EVEN WHEN IT WAS ON IT'S FIRST YEAR. WE HAVE TO JUMP START AND ALSO REPLACED IT COUPLE OF TIMES NOW BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS.
My windshield has had a Crack in the lower left side to the lower middle for about 9 months and just recently the right lower side has a Crack about 10 inches. I have not been in any accidents since I have owned my car or have had any thing happen that would make a Crack on it. I cannot afford to replace it.
WINDSHIELD CRACKED FROM UNKNOWN ORIGIN IN FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. I HAD A $500 COMPREHENSIVE DEDUCTIBLE AND HAD TO PAY THAT IN FULL TO GET A NEW WINDSHIELD.
WHILE PARKED THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED ABOUT 4 INCHES ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW FROM FROM THE CENTER OF THE STEERINGWHEEL, TWO FEET TOWARDS THE PASSENGER SEAT.
KEY NOT RELEASING FROM IGNITION AFTER PUTTING CAR INTO PARK. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AS SUBARU PUT OUT SUBARU SERVICE BULLETIN 16-112-18R. SUBARU STATES "THE CAUSE IS CONTAMINATION OF THE PARK-RANGE SWITCH INTERNAL COMPONENTS." SO IT IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT BUT SUBARU HAS NOT MADE A RECALL, COSTING OWNERS $400-$800 TO GET IT REPAIRED IF THE CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY.
I WAS WAITING ON MY WIFE AT THE GROCERY STORE AND THE WINDSHIELD STARTED TO CRACK A LITTLE AT A TIME. FIRST IT WAS ABOUT 1/2 CRACK AND NOT ITS ABOUT 10-11" CRACK RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE DRIVERS SEAT
WINDSHIELD CHIPS/CRACKS WITH NO KNOWN CAUSE.
WHEN PUTTING MY CAR INTO 'P' FOR PARK, AND TURNING MY CAR OFF WITH MY KEY, MY KEY WILL NOT TURN ALL THE WAY INTO THE OFF POSITION FOR ME TO TAKE MY KEY OUT. I HAVE TO TURN MY KEY INTO THE ON POSITION, SHIFT THE GEAR INTO EITHER 'N' OR 'D', THEN BACK INTO THE 'P' POSITION SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE I CAN GET MY KEY OUT. THIS IS SUCH A SAFETY HAZARD. THIS HAPPENS WHEN MY CAR IS STATIONARY AND PARKED, AND I AM ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE MY VEHICLE. APPARENTLY, MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE AND SUBARU DOESN'T CARE ENOUGH ABOUT THEIR CLIENTS TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THEIR $$$.
WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHILE DRIVING IN A HIGHWAY WITH LITTLE TO NO REASON OF PHYSICAL IMPACT FROM OUTSIDE. IT STARTED AS A 2 INCH LINE CRACK THAT GROW TO ALMOST A FOOT WHILE DRIVING. EVIDENCE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST SUCH AS DASHCAM VIDEOS AND PHOTOS.
MUTIPLE TIMES WHEN THE CAR IS STOPPED AND PUT INTO PARK,REGARDLESS OF WHERE, THE KEY WILL NOT COME OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE SWITCH CAN BE TURNED OFF, BUT THE KEY WILL NOT COME OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE GEAR SHIFT HAS TO BE MANIPULATED MULTIPLE TIMES BETWEEN DRIVE AND PARK IN ORDER TO EVER REMOVE THE KEY. THIS MAKES IT QUITE DIFFICULT TO RUN ERRANDS OR TO TAKE A TRIP, NOT KNOWING IF THE ABILITY TO REMOVE THE KEY WILL BE POSSIBLE. AND, OF COURSE, IF THE KEY HAS TO BE LEFT IN, THE POSSIBILITY OF THEFT WOULD BE GREAT. CAR IS NOT RECOGNIZING THE GEAR SHIFT IS IN PARK. ON ONE OCCASION, I HAD TO LEAVE THE KEY IN THE CAR IN MY DRIVEWAY, BUT THIS RUNS THE BATTERY DOWN. DEALER WHERE I AM TAKING CAR TO BE REPAIRED AS WELL AS THE SUBARU OF AMERICA CONTACT, ADVISED ME THIS IS A REGULAR OCCURRENCE AND SUBARU IS WELL AWARE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING. I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE PUT ON THE RECALL STATUS! THIS HAS HAPPENED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS SINCE BUYING THE CAR ON JUNE 5, 2020. TODAY'S DATE IS 08/14/20. REPAIR WILL BE MADE MONDAY, 08/17/20.
UNABLE TO GET KEY OUT OF IGNITION WHEN VEHICLE IS IN PARK (IN GARAGE OR ANYWHERE ELSE). FOUND ISSUE ON FORUMS MANY TIMES. SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO GEAR ASSEMBLY. MESSING WITH SHIFTING, BACK INTO PARK, WIGGLING KEY EVENTUALLY GET IT OUT. SOMETIMES IT TAKES 5 MINUTES. HAPPENS AT LEAST 40% OF TIME.
WON'T LET ME REMOVE THE KEY WHEN IN PARK. DIAGNOSIS IS THE SHIFTER PLATE ASSEMBLY NEEDS REPLACED.
BATTERY SEEMS TO BE DRAINING FOR NO REASON. MY CURRENT BATTERY IS 2 MONTHS OLD AND WAS STONE DEAD THIS MORNING(TUESDAY) IN MY CARPORT. I HAD NOT DRIVEN IT SINCE SATURDAY, BUT THE SATURDAY TRIP WAS ABOUT 100 MILES.
THE CAR BATTERY WAS FOUND TO BE DEAD AFTER SITTING FOR AT LEAST 2 DAYS, ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS BEFORE BEING REPLACED ON 1/8/2020. AFTER BEING REPLACED THE SAME PROBLEM KEPT HAPPENING. THE NEW BATTERY WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE WHERE IT WAS TESTED AND FOUND TO BE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. SINCE BEING REPLACED THE SAME CONDITION KEEPS HAPPENING, AT LEAST 4 MORE TIME , MOST RECENT AS 11/3/2020. EACH TIME THE VEHICLE SAT IN OUR DRIVEWAY FOR 2 TO 3 DAYS NOT BEING USED
WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED WHILE PARKED OVERNIGHT ON THE DRIVEWAY.
WINDSHIELDS, PARTICULARLY THE EYESIGHT EQUIPPED MODELS, ARE EXTREMELY PRONE TO CRACKING, ARGUABLY DEFECTIVE. 5 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING NEW, I GOT A ROCK CHIP WHILE DRIVING. WHEN GETTING IT REPAIRED IT SPIDERWEBBED, REQUIRING TOTAL REPLACEMENT OF THE WINDSHIELD. 2 WEEKS AFTER REPLACEMENT(AT THE PRICE OF $900), IT GOT ANOTHER ROCK CHIP WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. A YEAR LATER IT GOT ANOTHER ROCK CHIP WHILE HIGHWAY DRIVING, AND A CRACK HAS STARTED TO SPREAD DESPITE BEING REPAIRED. DEPENDING ON HOW FAR IT SPREADS, I'LL BE ON THE THIRD WINDSHIELD IN LESS THAN 50K MILES/3 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP. MY OTHER HIGH MILEAGE CARS(130K AND 225K) ARE BOTH STILL ON ORIGINAL FACTORY GLASS.
WINDSHIELD LARGE CRACK DEVELOPED UNEXPECTEDLY FROM VERY SMALL CHIP WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. WINDSHIELD HAD BEEN REPLACED WHEN PURCHASING THE CAR 4 MONTHS EARLIER.
MY "EYESIGHT" DOES NOT FUNCTION APPROPIATELY SINCE MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED. TURNS OFF AND ON RANDOMLY, CRACK DOES NOT GO THROUGH THE SENSOR.
WHEN GOING TO PARK, I SHIFT THE CAR INTO PARK AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE BUT THE KEY IS STUCK IN THE IGNITION. THIS HAS HAPPENED EVERY TIME I'VE DRIVEN FOR THE LAST THREE DAYS. THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT TO COME OUT IS TO TURN IT BACK ON AND TRYING SHIFTING INTO PARK AGAIN, OCCASIONALLY SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IT RECOGNIZES THAT IT'S IN PARK AND WILL RELEASE THE KEY.
WINDSHIELD CRACKED, OVER FOOT LONG
THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED A FEW INCHES ABOVE THE DASH BOARD, IT WAS ABOUT 6" LONG, THE NEXT DAY IT GREW TO 24". IN MOTION ON HIWAY 50 SOUTH LAKE TAHOE IN A 40 MPH ZONE
WHILE I WAS IN MY PARKED CAR I TURNED ON MY WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER AND MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS. WHEN I DID THIS - THE WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED.I WATCHED THE CRACK SPREAD ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY AT THE TIME OF THE CRACK. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2017 - 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK, FORESTER AND CROSSTREK MODELS. BOTH THE DEALERSHIP (FLOW SUBARU OF WINSTON-SALEM)AND SUBARU OF AMERICA REFUSE TO FIX THIS KNOWN ISSUE.
SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY
MY CAR'S WINDSHIELD HAS GOT HAIRLINE CRACK OF ABOUT ONE AND HALF FEET. IT HAPPENED WHEN I PARKED THE VEHICLE IN THE PARKING LOT. THERE WAS NO STONE HIT. IT HAPPENED NATURALLY.
DEALERSHIP REPLACED BATTERY TWICE WITHIN 12,000. BATTERY CHECKED ON THREE OCCASIONS BEFORE REPLACED. SECOND BATTERY REPLACED AFTER 12,000 MILES.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2017 Subaru Outback has 120 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.