Subaru Outback Engine problems by year

Subaru has informed me that my vehicle's VIN is not included in the campaign. However, the component and type of failure described in the campaign appear relevant to the failure experienced by my vehicle. I contacted Subaru of America Customer Advocacy and requested an explanation of the technical distinction between the condition addressed by WUJ-95 and the failure diagnosed in my vehicle. Subaru declined to compare the conditions and denied my request for goodwill assistance or reimbursement. The company considers its review complete. I recognize that my vehicle's failure does not automatically establish that it qualifies for the existing campaign. However, I am concerned that a similar failure of the front exhaust bellows occurred in a vehicle of the same model year and engine type. I respectfully request that NHTSA review this report in conjunction with other complaints and available technical information to determine whether the failure warrants further examination, including whether it may affect emissions performance or present other safety concerns.

electronic power-steering assistance stopped functioning, making the vehicle extremely difficult to steer. I was able to exit the roundabout and pull into a parking lot without a collision. I turned the vehicle off, waited approximately five minutes, and restarted it. The warning lights were no longer illuminated. Diagnostic information later reviewed by Grand Junction Subaru documented that the vehicle's electrical voltage had dropped to 8.6 volts during the incident. The dealership could not reproduce the event or conclusively identify its cause. Although the original alternator reportedly tested normal, the dealership reprogrammed the ECU/ECM, disabled the DCM, and replaced the alternator. Because the root cause remains unconfirmed, I am concerned that the sudden low-voltage condition and loss of steering assistance could recur at highway speed. Because [[redacted]] and the two-lane roundabout are very busy, I felt that my life was in danger. As I continued through the roundabout, there was a Ford Platinum 3/4 ton truck next to me. If he would not have been paying attention, I feel like there would have been a collision and possibly personal injury to myself. I'm glad that this incident happened at a lower rate of speed but I am concerned that it will happen again and maybe the next time while I'm on the highway traveling at highway speeds. It could be fatal to and others. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

online describing the exact same issue - the sound is identical to what my car produced on those two occasions. The audio file is available upon request and may assist in diagnosing the issue. Please note that the date I provided for when the noise first occurred is approximate, as I cannot recall the exact date. Since the noise occurs most frequently during reverse, I am concerned there may be an issue with the CVT transmission.

ability to control it safely. I had to abruptly pull to the should and coast to a stop. Loud engine knock immediately occurred indicating catastrophic motor failure. The vehicle was immobilized and needed to be towed. I was fortunate the instant motor failure did not occur while attempting to pass another vehicle or any other maneuvers where I needed the vehicle to respond and move out of the way instantly.

for an oil change a year earlier for the same service and there was no mention of these issues! After speaking with the service advisor, he said to call Subaru Customer Advocates. They listened to my situation and a few days later offered a $1400 credit for a $4000 job that involves the removal of my cars engine (upper oil pan) to replace it because it's bolted to the frame there. The other leak seal involves dropping the transmission. These are major repairs that following will dampen my ownership experience after decades of Subaru praise by Americans. I researched this issue online and found out there was a manufacturing defective regarding the silicone liquid seals they used for 2020-2022 Outback, Ascent, & WRX! This procedure was used throughout the driveline with the Turbo Motor & CTV Trans. There are 1000s of accounts of this defect placing burden on the owners of these cars who bought them in good faith. I did the research, called the dealer & Subaru with the discovery & overall complaint! I asked for 80% to 100% help with these repairs because how many more will I have to deal with after these two are repaired??? I have received zero responses from either after expressing that this was a known defect, Bullitens went to all the dealers, nothing was mentioned to the owners, and they've just covered those cars still under warranty. Since I didn't drive enough, the seal issues on my car took longer to start leaking, and then out of warranty. HELP!

suddenly shut off, but the dashboard and infotainment screen stayed on. I could not restart the engine for about 10 minutes. When it restarted, the vehicle would not accelerate past about 30 mph, suggesting reduced-power/limp mode. This created a serious safety risk because the vehicle lost motive power while in traffic. The vehicle was taken to a Subaru dealership. The dealer diagnosed the high-pressure fuel pump as failing and replaced it under the powertrain warranty. About one month later, the same issue occurred again while parked: the vehicle shut off, all dashboard warning lights illuminated, and it took several minutes before it would restart. The dealer then stated the battery was weak and replaced the battery. The new battery tested good after replacement. One week later, the issue returned again. A consistent pattern is that the problem occurs when it is hot outside and the vehicle has been running for more than one hour. The vehicle has been inspected by a Subaru dealership multiple times. The problem has not been reliably reproduced by the dealer, but the dealer previously confirmed a failing high-pressure fuel pump and later a weak battery. Warning lamps appeared at the time of failure, including multiple dashboard lights/check engine-type warnings after the engine shut off. There were no consistent warning messages before the stall/no-start events.

exited the vehicle immediately, leaving it burning in the left-turn lane. The fire department, based only about half a mile away, arrived within approximately 4 minutes, but it still took them roughly 35 minutes to fully extinguish the fire given its intensity. The vehicle had just been returned that day (or very recently) from a 3.5-week internal engine repair at the dealership. This was the third time I had reported the same underlying engine problem to Subaru - the recent lengthy repair was the first real attempt by the dealer to address it, and it failed within days of the vehicle being returned to me. My spouse and I were in the car moments before the explosion. Had we been delayed even briefly - for example, had the car ahead of us not moved forward when it did - we believe we could have been seriously injured or killed by the explosion and flying molten debris. The vehicle was a total loss. I am filing this complaint because: This was the third report of the same engine issue prior to the fire, indicating a recurring, unresolved defect rather than an isolated incident. The failure occurred immediately after a dealership repair specifically intended to fix this problem, suggesting the underlying defect was not - or could not be - properly corrected. The nature of the failure (explosive engine fire while driving, throwing molten metal across an active traffic lane) presents a serious risk of injury or death to occupants, other drivers, and bystanders

failed; however, the dealer replaced the battery. The dealer had not yet determined the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

- the most serious being an oil leak caused by FAILURE OF CAM CARRIER SEALS. This caused a dangerous condition where oil was leaking onto the engine and into the spark plugs. I find it odd that this EXPENSIVE issue was not discovered sooner. Subaru and only Subaru has been servicing this vehicle since new and they should have caught it.

Additionally, Subaru of America extended the exhaust pipe warranty on the same part on other models, as late as 2018, so the part continued to be in use and problematic. Subaru of America says replacing the part is not covered by a recall for my car, however I feel strongly that it SOA should replace the part due to the proximity of my production date and the continued issues with the part across multiple models.