The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into a fence and a bystander. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The contact was injured but medical attention was not needed. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.
Acceleration & cruise control
2011 Subaru Outback Acceleration problems
Owners have filed 26 complaints about the 2011 Subaru Outback's acceleration & cruise control with NHTSA - 4% of all its complaints, most recently on October 20, 2026. They describe 8 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries. Unintended acceleration, surging, throttle problems and cruise or adaptive cruise faults.
- Complaints
- 26
- Recalls
- 0
- Crashes
- 8
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 3
- Deaths
- 0
Acceleration complaints
1. Propulsion, acceleration, brakes, transmission- no longer available for inspection 2. The vehicle went completely out of control; I stood on the brakes as hard as I could but would not stop or slow the car at all. We careened down a hill and head on into a large tree 3. not reproduced or confirmed 4. Vehicle was inspected by insurance company and was declared a total loss 5. no signs of any malfunction prior to wreck
Vehicle is failing to shift correctly causing low acceleration and road safety issues. Cruise control and manual shift paddles not working, multiple warning lights on.
Occasionally, perhaps 4 times in the last year, when I put my car into 'drive', the engine engages and lurches forward. It feels as though the car with take off forward at a high speed.
P0700/p2764 code after every light on the dash lit up after driving in hard rain. Vehicle shifts hard and is randomly stalling while driving. After extensive research transmissions are failing and subaru refuses to recall the cvt transmissions in effected vehicles. *Tr
I have been reporting problems with my transmission since 2012 to my regular dealership, star subaru when the car had just 23,472 miles on it. At this point, I believe that I have been wrongfully denied warranty coverage. Then again, in 2017, while still under warranty, I brought my outback to star subaru complaining that while driving slow, the car tends to 'jump' mid-drive, almost like someone rear ended you. The car at this point was at about 94,467 miles, under the 100,000 mile warranty limit. After...
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numerous complaints I finally received a test drive with a subaru mechanic at star subaru in bayside, queens, ny. He concluded that it needed transmission parts, a torque converter/valve body. At that point I was set to have it replaced once the parts came in. Weeks went by and I heard nothing. I contacted subaru of america who was able to set me up with east hills subaru. The soa person was very helpful with the transition. They performed their own diagnostic, and the condition at the time would not replicate. Unfortunately, when this 'jump/slam' happens, it does spontaneously. We cannot make it happen, nor do we even know when it is going to happen. It was always very sporadic. Sometimes it would happen on the highway going 65, or sometimes less than 5mph. On a long trip back from vermont, there would be a large revving sound, and then it felt as if someone hit us from behind. Once again, I took the car to subaru, only to be told they simply couldn't 'replicate the problem', and therefore would not do anything to help us. On april 3rd 2019, I bring my car in again to east hill subaru. Check engine light on. They do recall. They also troubleshoot the check engine code, which now comes up clearly as p1710 torque converter turbine 2 speed signal circuit malfunction. Now it's not covered under warranty.The price tag is very high, almost $6,000! *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to parallel park the vehicle suddenly accelerated colliding with the vehicle in front. The contact stated that his wife shifted to drive, the engine revved and she lost control the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto body repair facility. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was then taken to rafferty subaru (4700 west chester pike, newtown square,...
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pa 19073 phone: (610) 353-6900) who stated they were unable to find a cause for the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered apologetic gestures regarding the matter, however, a case was not opened. The contact stated they found that there was a class action lawsuit in his state of residency regarding the same failure his wife had experienced. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. *Bf*jb
The cvt transmission is defective and extremely dangerous. The vehicle will suddenly stall when decelerating quickly. There is high potential to cause an accident. The manufacturer knows of the issue but will wait for the defect to occur rather than fixing the transmission.
If gas pedal is "floored" or pressed completely down it sticks, unsafely accelerating the vehicle even with foot taken off of the gas. If the break pedal is pressed the gas pedal "un-sticks." Occurred this morning on a highway while speeding up to merge. A similar thing occurred about a year ago with the same vehicle and in similar circumstances.
Upon parking in a routine parking spot in our apartment parking garage, I turned the corner and accelerated some, as I always did, to get to the parking spot to back in. As soon as I went to reverse it, the car accelerated fully on its own accord. I was able to press the break and stop the vehicle but since I was only about 10 feet from another car and the wall of the parking garage, I was not able to stop in time to avoid a collision. I hit the corner of the cement wall with the front left headlight portion of the vehicle.
Intermitent: steady icons: check engine light traction control system flashing icons: brake cruise from starting the vehicle icons listed above are active. Engine is very hard to start when put in gear, unable to move car. Solution is to turn car off, wait and restart. This might require several attempts. Eventually, vehicle will resume normal operateion. Dealership service personel do not acknowledge problem.
The contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. There was unintended acceleration while driver was pulling into a parking space. Driver slowed down to pull into parking space and put car in park when suddenly the car accelerated and sped over cement parking block and crashed into the concrete base of light pole. There is no known recall. Police were called and a report was filed. *Tt *js
On june 9th, 2017: was pulling into a parking space in church parking lot at 11 am in the morning. It was a clear day. As I eased into the space, I took my foot off the brake, and instead of coasting into the parking space, the car suddenly surged forward (my foot was not on the accelerator at all). There was nothing I could do!! Car lunged forward, jumped the parking curb and hit the tree that was in the median. There was major damage to the front end ($7500). After repair, the dealer and subaru corporate...
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tested out the car and could find no errors in the code results but did note that there were double floor mats on the driver's side (one carpet and one rubber). They think this might have contributed to the problem and they recommend that only one floor mat be in place. Of note is the fact that the car came with the two floor mats installed. We did not add an extra one.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. On several occasions, while driving approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel started to vibrate and shook violently while the accelerator pedal was depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to gregoris nissan (555 w merrick rd, valley stream, ny 11580 (516) 825-8700), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000.
At a hard, fast brake to avoid traffic congestion on the freeway, the car stalled and died. It lost all power and had to be restarted. A faulty torque converter is the culprit. The torque converter failure in the subaru (not just outbacks) has been shown to result in a sudden loss of power / stalled engine, which can endanger the driver and other drivers. *Tr
I was driving on the freeway when my check engine light, abs brake light, traction control (all wheel drive) light and cruise control lights began flashing all at once. I called the dealership immediately and was told that all the lights flash because most drivers ignore just the check engine light. At the dealer the next day I was told the same thing with the addition of the facts that the abs brake system and the traction control systems were actually disabled during this incident. During the conversation it was...
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said that to correct the problem, a "reflash " of the computer system was needed and that this was a known problem on some outbacks. I asked why there was no recall if the problem was known and was told they just fixed the problem when it happened. This seems to me to be a significant safety problem since if the problem occurred while the driver was on ice or snow or wet road , vehicle stability would be compromised. I think subaru should at least be made to recall the suspected vehicles and fix the problem even though it is something that may not happen to all vehicles. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. The contact stated that while entering a parking a parking spot, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the contact crashed into a pole. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000. The vin was not available. Updated 7/31/14*cn the consumer no longer owns the vehicle. Updated 08/05/14
Safety concerns with hesitation issue with transmission at slow speeds when applying /giving more gas. *Tr
I would like to report an abnormal behavior in my car on january 13, 2014 as this is a safety matter. The road condition was dry and the outside temperature was about 40 degrees. First I backed out of my garage onto the road, then shifted to the d position and drove about half a mile forward. I noticed that the car did not slow down as usual when I applied the brakes as I was approaching the first intersection. I had to press the brake pedal much further than usual. I did not slow down to a complete stop, made a...
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right turn and continued to drive. I decided to pay closer attention to the behavior of the car during the next braking period. I drove another quarter mile and I had to apply the brakes again as I was approaching a stop sign. The car did not slow down as usual again, so I had to press the brake pedal to the floor to make a complete stop. When the car finally stopped moving I heard a loud squeaking noise and the tachometer arrow was moving back and forth between 2000 and 5000 rpm. It seemed as though the clutch was still engaged even though the brakes were applied and the car was not moving. This continued for 5-10 seconds until I shifted into the n position as I continued to hold my foot on the brake pedal. The squeaking sound disappeared and the tachometer arrow went down immediately. I shifted back into the d position again with my foot still on the brake and the car behaved normally. This problem has not appeared since that time. I have taken the car to a subaru service dealer at norwood, ma 02062 on jan. 27, 2014, But they did not find anything wrong (customer #[[redacted]], invoice [[redacted]], miles 31340). I would like to get to the bottom of the problem since this could be a serious safety issue. I have filed a complaint to subaru website on january 28, 2014 but did not hear a word from them since that. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6). *Tr
I was on vacation driving home. Was at about 300 miles into a 400 mile trip. Driving 68 mph on a divided highway. Temp approx. 85 Degrees, sunny day. Attempted to pass a vehicle on a hill. Accelerated about max acceleration and vehicle completely cut off all power when acceleration attempt occurred. I had to pull over immediately w/o any power. Tried to re-start the vehicle without success. Car did turn over for about one second then shut off completely. Result was a need to tow the vehicle to a dealer. Vehicle...
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sat overnight. When the dealer tried to start the vehicle it started. At this point I have not had any problems with this situation. But I have not been in a situation of being on a long trip, in 85 degree temp and attempting a hard passing acceleration on a steep hill. *Tr
1St incident 1/10/2014- leaving a stop light car would not accelerate and vdc, cel and brake light flashing. Sat on the side of the road for about 1/2 hour. Husband came to pick us up and tried starting the car. The car started and was able to drive w/o further issue. Check codes and had misfire cyc 1,2,3,4. Local mechanic could find nothing wrong cleared codes. Husband noticed both drl lights were blown. Replaced both and when the key was turned on (not started) heard a loud squealing electrical noise from the...
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area of the alternator/power steering pump where the electrical harness is bolted to the top of the engine. Started the car and it drove fine for about 2 weeks. 2Nd incident 1/14/2014 - pulling away from a friends house vdc and cel lights come on. Turn off car and sit for about 20 minutes. Start car all warning lights gone and car drove fine. Husband checked codes and found misfire cyc 1,2 only 3rd incident 1/30/2014 - leaving stop light and vdc light comes on and car will only go about 3 miles per hour enough to get it off road and engine stalls. No cel this time. Sit for about five minutes start car and it drives fine and all lights gone. Replaced the battery and had mechanic clean out the abs brake sensors. Subaru america and our dealership where we bought the car are aware and can find nothing wrong. *Tr
During the 2 years since I purchased my 2011 outback 2.5I (cvt), there have been about 15 occasions where I was going downhill, using engine braking, with my foot off the accelerator, cruise control not engaged, but gas was fed to the engine, resulting in speeds of 45 to 50 mph (4500 rpm) in 2nd gear. One indicator that gas is being fed to the engine is the fuel economy gauge shows poor gas mileage. This definitely does not feel like engine braking when the engine is screaming as you are speeding downhill. Usually...
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when I drive the same stretch of road using engine braking my speed is 30 to 35 mph in 2nd gear and the fuel economy gauge shows no fuel is being consumed. Subaru refuses to comment on this problem since I cannot reproduce it for them. I asked the service manager about the similar but less severe, repeatable behavior, of cycling between accelerating to over 2000 rpm and decelerating to about 1200 rpm. He said this is done to meet emission standards. *Tr
I was driving at 65 mph with the cruise control on and all of sudden the cruise disengaged, check engine light, brake, and traction control lights lit up on the instrument panel. The car's loss of speed could have caused an accident as the loss of speed was fairly dramatic. Disconnected the battery to see if that would help, it did, but only for a day. It happened again today 12/17/2012. *Tr
2011 Subaru outback. Consumer states unintended acceleration *tgw the consumer stated the sudden acceleration problems started shortly after he purchased the vehicle. On two occasions, he came close to having an accident. The consumer believed there was an issue with the pedal arrangement. He stated he realized he was crossing his right leg over his left leg to apply pressure to the brake pedal. The brake power assist amplified the applied force very well, but at times the brake pedal seemed to get too close to...
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the floor board. He found the brake pedal was high when the engine was off and sank to a lower level when the engine was started. The level could get close to the operating plane of the accelerator pedal. On one occasion, he flipped off the cover on the brake pedal and was braking on a bare steel plate. He discovered he was using more natural ergonomic motion and got too close to the right edge of the brake pedal. The distance between the edges of the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal was about three inches. The width of the sol of his size 12 shoe was about 4 1/2 inches. The consumer believed the problem was an engineering design problem that involved the vacuum braking system, the accelerator linkage design and ergonomic.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. While the contact was driving approximately 5 mph in a parking lot, the brake pedal was engaged and the vehicle continued to accelerate over a parking barrier. The vehicle then crashed into a fence and traveled into several bushes coming to a complete stop. There was no personal injury. The vehicle was towed to a collision center for repairs. The vehicle sustained moderate damages. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.
Subaru Outback acceleration complaints by year
Outback acceleration problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data