Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 273 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2005 Subaru Outback. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–25 of 273 · page 1 of 11
P2138 code. Gas pedal stops responding to inputs. Car goes into limp mode and managed to get car off the road. Shut off and waited 5 minutes, restarted and it works again. Associated P0500 code also present. First time this has happened on this car.
The contact had received several recall notifications of an air bag recall for a 2005 Subaru Outback. The contact never owned the vehicle and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact that the removal request could not be processed without the complete VIN. The contact had provided a partial VIN.
See attached document for complaint.
Vehicle brakes failed while driving, the brake pedal went to the floor and almost caused a serious car accident. Yes, vehicle and brake lines are available for inspection upon request. My safety, the safety of others and more importantly my life and the lives of others were severely threatened because of the major break failure that occurred. It is terrifying to think that I was unknowingly driving around this vehicle with an imminent accident that could happen anytime, without any warning, which could have killed me. After taking pictures of my brake lines, recording videos and doing some quick research, I called a local to inspect my brake lines. I told them the scenario that I experienced and reported to them that my brake lines were covered in rust. I told them that I found out my vehicle had a recall remedy done on the brake lines in 2017, which is before I owned the vehicle. I told them that the rust and corrosion was in the same spots that were supposed to be fixed in the recall repair and that I am positive that the repair was done incorrectly or the repair was not done at all. I requested they take pictures of the brake lines and show them to the manufacturer or use the photos I took but they ensured they would take care of all of that. Called for update a week later and was unable to get in contact with anyone. I waited over a month before one of my calls was finally answered. I was told they still hadn’t looked at my vehicle yet. Having no vehicle had a very negative impact towards my job because I had no transportation for so long. I called back a few days later and was told that they would not repair my vehicle. My vehicle was not inspected by the police or insurance because I wasn’t in an accident. I was less then a minute from home when this life threatening incident occurred and thankfully was able to pull the car into my driveway. No warning lamps, no messages and no symptoms of the problem were present prior to this life threatening occurrence.
There should be a recall for front suspension on this vehicle if not the entire suspension. Mine has been garage kept since day 1, is in showroom condition, not driven in salt on roads during snow, therefore no reason for the suspension to be in this condition. In 2019 at 74,000 miles I had to have the entire front end suspension all components replaced at a cost of over $2,500 USD the suspension was also causing what others refer to as "drifting" under any road driving conditions on dry or wet pavement at any speed above 30mph and would and still does after having the entire suspension replaced, drift, unstable, and when the original suspension was replaced even after being flawlessly maintained the suspension components from the factory were severely worn and including rubber gaskets, sway bars, etc and appeared to have a rust or corroded appearance in spite of the vehicle never being driven in weather during snow when most areas would place salt on roads which is a primary cause of rust or corrosion. The factory suspension also caused significant wear to any tires this causing any tires to wear uneven and require replacement within less than 15kmi. After suspension was replaced in 2019 tires were replaced as well. Vehicle driven 15kmi since 2019 and replacement, in 2021 the suspension again was drifting, causing severe uneven tire wear, and at highway speeds 60mph& above causes a severe drift and vibration which could cause a dangerous situation for the average driver and at highway speeds U have to literally hold the vehicle on the road with a moderate force or it will I'm fact drift and cause incident. I believe the manufacturer should recognise this issue and repair or replace all the components of suspension at no cost to consumer as I am not the only one affected by this. I have receipts I can provide upon request showing the suspension was replaced. Please do not show my personal information or very specific details about my vehicle online.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and went to the floorboard. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive home where he inspected the vehicle and discovered severe corrosion at a connection point on the brake line. The contact stated that the brake line was leaking brake fluid. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V311000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle had already been serviced previously under the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Vehicle experienced sudden complete brake failure while driving due to a rupture in brake system in the exact area of a known defect / recalls NHTSA SUBARU RECALL WQG-43 and WQK-47 (both completed) which had been issued to inspect and repair the defect. Safety of driver / occupants were immediately put at grave risk due to inability to slow or stop vehicle. Car was traveling on a two way high traffic road at a speed of approximately 30+MPH. I was able to stop slowly using the emergency hand brake though only after attempting to pump the brakes which became absolutely unresponsive (this took approximately 7-10 seconds while pumping the Brake pedal). It was pure luck that there was no one directly in front of me at the time. If anything had been in front of me my choices would have been: A) swerve to the right into parked cars B) swerve left into oncoming traffic or C) run into or hit whatever was in front of me. None of those would have been acceptable options and all could have potentially injured or killed occupants within the vehicle not to mention the potential to have injured or killed any other parties involved in a collision. I am frankly amazed that a brake system defect of this nature was not fully repaired and or replaced using a non-defective design and parts. I view any application of a aerosol surface treatment as temporary & superficial at best. It's only a matter of time for the brakes to fail on every 2005-2009 Subaru that has this defect. The risks to vehicle occupants and any other individuals involved in potential accidents are simply too high.Vehicle is currently at IRA Subaru in Danvers Massachusetts and has been inspected by them confirming the problem with photo documentation. There was no other prior warning before the sudden complete brake system failure. It is unclear if the Vehicle or component has been inspected by the manufacturer. No other party has inspected the vehicle. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Mileage: 77,884K
puddle of brake fluid under car no brakes after looking at it 4way joint connector at rear of car is leaking . online says recall was done but specifications for the repair are ludacris to spray wax over corrosion ! the lines are already damaged and that would just seal the corrosion in and continue to deteriorate! that recall in itself is a safety hazard and needs to be reevaluated!
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing cruise control failures. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at 50 MPH up a steep hill of a bridge, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle decelerated significantly to 20-25 MPH. The accelerator pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and remained at the bottom of the hill facing an incline, while there was oncoming traffic. The check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact engaged the Sport mode first gear and the vehicle moved slowly. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact switched to the slow lane and drove to the top of the incline and made a left turn off the end of the bridge downhill. The vehicle rolled down, allowing him to veer to the side of the road. The contact parked the vehicle. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the engine was running at 2,000 RPM, even though the vehicle had no motive power. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact shifted to drive and low gear, and he was able to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the throttle position sensor had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving downhill at 40 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact parked on the side of the road and restarted the vehicle after 3-4 minutes and continued driving to his destination. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was turned off after restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 215,500.
Parasitic Battery Drain: When the vehicle is in use, the CAN system in the car relies on an electrical current to be operated as intended. When the vehicle is not being driven, the CAN system should enter a sleep mode in which it stops drawing significant electrical current. However, vehicle does not enter sleep mode when the car turns off, resulting in a "parasitic battery drain." Local Subaru dealer maintenance department has not been able to determine any way to fix. Battery drains completely after approx 1 week of nonoperation (and sometimes sooner) leaving me (owner) stranded and unable to start vehicle without obtaining a jump start. Has also required recurring battery replacement at a cumulative significant cost. Not sure what to do and do not want to sell to another person that would inherit this ongoing issue.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the brake warning light remained illuminated and the brake pedal extended to the floor while depressed. Upon inspection, the contact discovered brake fluid had leaked from the rear passenger’s side wheel area. Further inspection revealed rusting and corrosion of the brake lines. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 13V110000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was 150,000.
THIS IS THE FIRST SUBARU I'VE EVER OWNED AND SO FAR IT'S BEEN A NIGHTMARE. I HAVE HAD TO REPAIR: AN OIL LEAK IN THE ENGINE THAT REQUIRED THE WHOLE ENGINE TO BE TAKEN APART. WHILE REPLACING A SEEMINGLY SIMPLE PART, THE HYDRAULIC LIFTS THAT KEEP THE BACK HATCH OPEN, THE THREADING THAT HOLDS THE SCREW IN BROKE OFF AND I HAD TO HIRE A MECHANIC YET AGAIN TO WELD THAT PART TO BE ABLE TO SCREW IN THE SCREW TO HOLD THE LIFT IN PLACE. AND NOW, THE ENTIRE INTERIOR LIGHTING DOESN'T WORK, INCLUDING THE STEREO, ALL THE DOME LIGHTS AND THE REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE REAR WIPER DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY.
ON RANDOM OCCASIONS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL QUITS WORKING, RESULTING IN SUDDEN DECELERATION WITH THE ENGINE SPEED NOT RESPONDING TO THE PEDAL POSITION. I HAVE TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROADWAY, TURN OFF THE IGNITION AND WAIT. UPON RESTARTING THE CAR DRIVES FINE UNTIL THE NEXT FAILURE. OCCASIONALLY IT TAKES E FEW TRIES TO RESET.
DRIVING IN LIGHT SNOW OR MIXTURE OF SLUSHY SNOW THE VEHICLE REAR DRIFTS LEFT AND RIGHT AT SPEEDS OF 20 MPH. DANGEROUS IF THE SPEED IS EXCEEDED. CAR PASS ME ALL THE TIME BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT PROBLEMS WITH THE ROAD AT HIGH SPEEDS. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS CALLED GHOST WALKING. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED I SPUN OUT.
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE THE GAS PEDAL STOPS FUNCTIONING. IT HAPPENS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AS WELL AS LOCAL ROADS. WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN YOU HAVE TO FIND A SAFE SPOT TO PULL OVER AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE FOR AT LEAST A MINUTE OR MORE. RESTART THE CAR AND THE PEDAL COMES BACK. THIS IS VERY HAZARDOUS. I COULD END UP GETTING REAR ENDED. MY GRAND CHILDREN RIDE IN THE CAR. THE SCANNER CODE CAME UP P2138 SUBARU RECOMMENDS THAT THE GAS PEDAL ASSEMBLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IT'S A 185.00 PART PLUS LABOR.I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE ISN'T A RECALL BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUE
THE REAR BRAKE LINES HAVE BECOME RUSTED AND HAVE HOLES IN THEM DUE TO CORROSION.
PLEASE REFER TO CODE P2138 - THROTTLE/PEDAL POSITION SENSOR SWITCH WITH "D"/"E" VOLTAGE CORRELATION DTC SEVERITY 2 OF 3 REPAIR -- I BELIEVE ELAINE CHAO SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF THE SAFETY ISSUES AFFECTING THE GENERAL PUBLIC REGARDING THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE -- MY SUBARU OUTBACK ACCELERATOR WILL SHUT DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY ALMOST EVERY DAY. SUBARU IS AWARE THAT THIS IS A PERVASIVE PROBLEM AFFECTING THOUSANDS OF SUBARUS AND SHOULD BE FORCED TO ISSUE A RECALL. I'LL BE GOING 75 MPH AND THEN SUDDENLY THERE WILL BE NO POWER AND THE CAR WILL COAST TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. THIS THEN SHUTS DOWN EVERYONE ON I35 AND I ALMOST GET HIT FROM BEHIND MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK.
2005 SUBARU OUTBACK, CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIRBAG RECALL WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE, BUT CONTINUED TO RECEIVE LETTERS CONCERNING THE RECALL. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE LETTERS TO BE A SCAM. *JS
DEFROSTERS AND ALL DIGITAL CLIMATE CONTROLS ARE UNRESPONSIVE. I CANNOT SEE OUT OF MY VEHICLE
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AS NORMAL TO SLOW DOWN AND THE PEDAL WENT SOFT AND I HAD NO BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP. UPON INSPECTION THE LINES WERE LEAKING FROM THE SAME PLACE REPAIRED IN RECALL WQK47, NHTSA CAMPAIGN 14V311000. VISUAL INSPECTION COULD CONFIRM THAT THE INITIAL RECALL WQK47 REPAIR COMPLETELY FAILED CAUSING SERIOUS DANGER TO MY LIFE. I RESEARCHED COMPLAINTS ABOUT WQK47 RECALL AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY SUBARU OWNER WITH THIS SERIOUS LIFE THREATENING ISSUE. I CALLED MY DEALERSHIP AND EVEN SPOKE WITH CORPORATE SUBARU AND BOTH SAID SINCE RECALL WAS PERFORMED ONCE REPAIR/REPLACEMENT WILL COST ME. I CANNOT FATHOM WHY, IF THE FIRST RECALL REPAIR FAILED RESULTING IN A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION, SUBARU WOULDN'T WANT TO IMMEDIATELY FIX THE PROBLEM AND ENSURE ALL THEIR CUSTOMERS WHO HAD THIS RECALL PERFORMED ARE STILL SAFE AND FUNCTIONING TO PROPER STANDARDS. *TR
I PURCHASED THIS 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK THIS PAST SUMMER. I HAVE DRIVEN IT ON THE VERY SAME ROAD I DESCRIBE BELOW, UNDER DRY CONDITIONS, WITH ABSOLUTELY NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER. ON THIS PARTICULAR NIGHT, THE ROADS WERE JUST STARTING TO BUILD SNOW AND FREEZE, BUT OTHERS WERE DRIVING AND PASSING WITH NO ISSUES. WHILE TRAVELING ON THIS TWO LANE ROAD, WITH A SPEED LIMIT OF 70MPH, MY SUBARU DEVELOPED A SWAY IN THE BACK END. IT FELT LIKE THE SUBARU WAS GOING TO LOSE CONTROL AND SWAY INTO ON COMING TRAFFIC. IF I WENT OVER 30MPH THE SWAY BEGAN AND I FEARED THAT THE "SWAY" WAS GOING TO SEND MY CAR INTO THE OPPOSITE LANE OF TRAFFIC AND CAUSE ME TO HAVE A HEAD ON WRECK. I DIDN'T NOTICE ANY OTHER VEHICLES HAVING ANY ISSUES. DURING THIS TRIP, I HAD TO DRIVE NO FASTER THAN 30MPH ON A TWO LANE ROAD WITH A 70MPH SPEED LIMIT. THERE WERE SEVERAL CARS BEHIND ME AND SEVERAL IN THE ONCOMING LANE. I COULDN'T PULL OVER AND LET TRAFFIC PASS BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ANY TURN OUTS AND THERE WAS CONTINUOUS ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I WAS FORCED TO DRIVE LESS THAN 30MPH, FOR FEAR THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE A HEAD ON COLLISION, AND HAD TO STRADDLE THE RUMBLE STRIP ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I WAS NEARLY FORCED OFF THE ROAD BY A SEMI TRUCK FOLLOWING ME. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY SCARY SITUATION. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON SNOW AND ICE COVERED ROADS FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND I HAVE NEVER HAD AN EXPERIENCE AS HORRIBLE AS THIS. I FEARED FOR MY LIFE AND THE LIVES OF MY CHILDREN RIDING IN THE CAR!!!! AFTER GETTING PAST THE ICE AND SNOW ON THIS ROAD, I DROVE ON, GOING 70MPH, AND HAD NO ISSUES WITH THE CAR AT ALL. THE "SWAY OCCURS" ON ICY/SNOW COVERED ROADS WHILE GOING OVER 30MPH. THE "SWAY "ONLY HAPPENS IN THE REAR OF THE CAR. PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND FIXED!!!
ON ANY WET OR SNOWY PAVEMENT CAR IS GHOST WALKING, LIKE THE REAR END HAS MARBLES UNDER IT. SPEED OF 35 MPH, STRAIGHT DRIVING, ON WET PAVEMENT. LIKE A CAT WALKING ON ITS NAILS.TERRIFIED. HAD ALIGNMENT, NEW TIRES, NEW REAR STRUTS, SWAY BAR, TRANSMISSION WIRING HARNESS. DISABLED ABS SO AT LEAST I CONTROL BRAKING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V311000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); HOWEVER, THE REMEDY FAILED. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE BRAKE LIGHT FRACTURED AND BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINE WAS CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO BYERS DUBLIN SUBARU (2455 BILLINGSLEY RD, COLUMBUS, OH 43235, (614) 792-2455), BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE CONTACT HAD BEEN CALLING THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT GETTING A RESPONSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. ALL BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 255,081.*CW*JB
I HAVE A 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK THAT HAD A RECALL FOR BREAK LINE RUSTING. RECALL #WQK-47. THE BREAKS NO LONGER WORK DO TO BEING COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT. THE DEALER TELLS ME THE REPAIR IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLETE AND THEREFORE THE CAR IS INOPERABLE. THE DEALER AND CORPORATE SUBARU CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO REPAIR, REPLACE OR REIMBURSE FOR THIS CAR. I BELIEVE THE RUSTED BREAKS ARE COVERED BY THE RECALL AND THE CAR IS INOPERABLE SOLELY BECAUSE OF THE BREAKS. IS SUBARU LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE OR NOT?
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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