2009 Subaru Outback Engine Problems

The contact owned a 2009 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle had failed to accelerate above 60 MPH without warning. The contact soon began to notice heavy white smoke in her rear-view mirror as the smoke quickly spread to the front end of the vehicle. The contact immediately pulled over, grabbed vital items, and exited the vehicle. The contact called 911 as flames quickly engulfed the vehicle, and a deputy who witnessed the fire pulled over to assist the contact. The fire department arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. The contact sustained emotional distress as a result of the accident but did not seek medical attention. The contact was not given a police or fire report. The vehicle was initially towed to an independent tow yard before the contact's insurance had the vehicle towed to another location. The insurance company later deemed the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11700571

Incident

Nov 2, 2025

Mileage

200,000 mi

Both the head gasket and valve cover gasket are leaking oil. The head gasket started leaking at 52k miles and the valve cover at 65k miles. Both need to be replaced. Subaru has had issues with these gaskets for decades. There should be a recall for these issues.

NHTSA ID

11428300

Incident

Aug 1, 2019

The contact owns a 2009 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shut-off with the check engine, traction control and cruise control warning lights illuminated. On several occasions the vehicle would not immediately restart. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for service. No further information was available. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11427610

Incident

Jan 1, 2021

Mileage

81,000 mi

PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED COMPLAINT REGARDING MY SUBARU OUTBACK STALLING. I WAS ASSIGNED COMPLAINT NUMBER 11414502 (ATTACHED) BUT WHEN I DIDN'T RECEIVE THE EMAIL, I CHECKED AND IT DIDN'T PULL UP SO I'M RESUBMITTING.

NHTSA ID

11414611

Incident

Feb 15, 2021

Mileage

117,000 mi

THE CAR INTERMITTENTLY BUCKS/CHUGS WHILE DRIVING AND THEN STALLS. ALL THE LIGHTS FLASH ON. IT IS DIFFICULT TO RESTART. IT HAS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY AND LOCAL STREETS. IT ALSO IDLES VERY ROUGH WHEN AT STOPS OR IN PARK AND SHUDDERS LIKE IT WANTS TO STALL - SOMETIMES IT DOES. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 2 MONTHS NOW. THE FIRST TIME, I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AND IT STALLED CREATING A HAZARDOUS SITUATION. MY MECHANIC HAS ATTEMPTED TO FIX IT AND THEN HE HAS TAKEN IT TO THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP WHERE IT HAS SPENT ALMOST 2 MONTHS OFF & ON WHILE THEY "FIXED" IT. THEY GIVE IT BACK AND IT IS BACK TO THEM WITHIN A WEEK WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THE LAST TIME THEY REPLACED A MAP SENSOR AND SOME WIRING. THIS IS HAZARDOUS AND THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE. IT FEELS LIKE THEY JUST KEEP CLEARING OUT THE ERROR AND GIVING IT BACK TO ME.

NHTSA ID

11414502

Incident

Feb 15, 2021

Mileage

117,000 mi

2009 SUBARU OUTBACK STALLING WHILE DRIVING. THE ENGINE TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING WITH LIGHT ACCELERATION AT LOW SPEEDS (5-20 MPH) WITHOUT WARNING. WARNING LIGHTS FLICKERED ON AND OFF. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE TO HAVE THE CAR STALL OUT WITHOUT WARNING. SUBARA SOUTH BLVD DEALERSHIP SAY THEY DO NOT KNOW THE ROOT CAUSE. PRIOR TO THE ABOVE INCIDENCE THE CAR, WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, WOULD OCCASIONALLY SHUDDER AND THE WARNING LIGHTS WOULD FLICKER ON THEN GO OFF. IT FELT LIKE THE CAR WAS GOING TO SHUT OFF BUT IT DIDN'T. NOW IT IS SHUTTING OFF. IT'S COMPLETELY UNSAFE.

NHTSA ID

11300598

Incident

Jan 19, 2020

Mileage

162,400 mi

VEHICLE WITH ONLY 105 K MILES REQUIRES NEW HEAD GASKET DUE TO LEAK.

NHTSA ID

11080217

Incident

Feb 22, 2018

Mileage

105,000 mi

CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED ONCE BACK IN 2013. THIS WEEK HAD TO REPLACE FRONT AND REAR CATALYTIC CONVERTER AGAIN DUE TO PROBLEM WITH CATALYTIC CONVERTER. MILEAGE AT 105,000.

NHTSA ID

11080213

Incident

Feb 22, 2018

Mileage

105,000 mi

THE HEAD GASKETS ON MY VEHICLE HAVE DEVELOPED LEAKS AT JUST OVER 80,000 MILES. THIS IS A FREQUENT (AND KNOWN) PROBLEM WITH THE HEAD GASKETS ON THIS VEHICLE. ALL SUBARU-SPECIFIC MECHANICS, MANY OWNERS OF THIS MODEL AND EVEN SUBARU DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEES HAVE EXPRESSED KNOWLEDGE OF HIGH FAILURE RATES FOR THIS HEAD GASKET AT APPROXIMATELY 80-100K MILE INTERVALS. THIS IS WAY SHORTER LIFE THAN SHOULD OCCUR AND RESULTS IN A $2000 OR GREATER COST OF REPAIR (IN MY CASE, $3200!). SUBARU HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS DEFECT ON PREVIOUS MODELS AND EVEN HAD CLASS ACTION SUITS RESULTING IN RECALLS FOR PREVIOUS GENERATION OUTBACKS YET HAVE NOT ADDRESSED THE DEFECT.

NHTSA ID

10981320

Incident

Mar 20, 2017

Mileage

80,100 mi

WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE SUDDENLY DIED. LUCKILY WE WERE ON A LIGHTLY TRAVELED ROAD AND WERE ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE. THE ENGINE WOULD START, RUN FOR ABOUT ONE SECOND, THEN DIE. WHILE WAITING ON A TOW TRUCK, A GEARHEAD-TYPE FRIEND THAT I HAD CALLED TO TAKE MY WIFE HOME ARRIVED, THOUGHT ABOUT THE PROBLEM A BIT, AND UNPLUGGED THE MAF SENSOR. THE ENGINE RAN GREAT. IT TURNED OUT THAT A DEFECTIVE AIR FILTER HAD ALLOWED DEBRIS TO CLOG THE SENSOR. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT AN INVALID READING FROM A NON-CRITICAL SENSOR SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PULL THE ENGINE FUEL/AIR/TIMING PARAMETERS SO FAR OFF THAT THE ENGINE WILL NOT RUN. OBVIOUSLY THE ENGINE COMPUTER KNOWS APPROXIMATELY WHAT THOSE VALUES SHOULD BE SINCE IT RAN GREAT WITH THE SENSOR DISCONNECTED. SENSOR READINGS BEYOND WHAT WOULD REASONABLY BE EXPECTED SHOULD BE IGNORED. WE WERE LUCKY THAT WE WERE ON A COUNTRY ROAD WHEN THIS OCCURRED. HAD WE BEEN IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF A BUSY FREEWAY, OR DARTING ACROSS FOUR LANES OF BUSY TRAFFIC, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10934540

Incident

Sep 17, 2016

Mileage

115,000 mi

AIR BAGS HAVE BECOME DISABLED DUE TO EITHER THE SWITCH IN THE SEAT OR IN THE OVERHEAD CONSOLE. THE ENGINE ALSO CONSUMES AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF OIL (HAS SINCE NEW) ABOUT 2 QUARTS EVERY OIL CHANGE OR 3000 MILES SOMETIMES MORE

NHTSA ID

10928352

Incident

Feb 28, 2012

Mileage

300 mi

2009 SUBARU OUTBACK HEAD GASKET SEEPAGE. THIS ISSUE SOA HAS BEEN AWHERE OF AND SAID IT CAN BE NORMAL OVER TIME. YET I FOUND THAT THE GASKET USED AT THAT TIME WAS SUBSTANDARD. A RECALL WAS NEVER ISSUED. I FEEL IT SHOULD HAVE NOTIFIED CUSTOMERS, BUT DID`NT. PERHAPS IT WOULD HAVE COST SOA A TON OF MONEY. I BELIEVE THEY ARE DEALING WITH THIS AS CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS COME IN AND TOLD REPLACEMENT OF GASKET IS REQUIRED AT OWNERS EXPENSE.I FEEL THAT SOA SHOULD OWN UP TO THIS AND PAY ALL OR A MAJOR COST OF REPAIR. I HAVE TO HAVE MY HEAD GASKETS REPLACED AS TOLD UNDER INSPECTION.

NHTSA ID

10819593

Incident

Jan 11, 2016

Mileage

126,000 mi

CAR TURNS OVER BUT WILL NOT START.

NHTSA ID

10732605

Incident

Jul 7, 2015

Mileage

110,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MAKE AN ABNORMAL NOISE AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT AND CRUISE CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE FLUID WAS LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 149,000.

NHTSA ID

10663963

Incident

Sep 5, 2014

Mileage

149,000 mi

HEAD GASKET FAILURE ON 2009 OUTBACK WAGON WHICH AS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10638261

Incident

Sep 22, 2014

Mileage

63,000 mi

CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. APPARENTLY, A NOT UNCOMMON PROBLEM (ENGINE BEARING). VEHICLE UNDER BOTH FACTORY AND EXTENDED WARRANTY. SUBARU NORTH AMERICA IS TRYING TO AVOID FIXING UNDER WARRANTY (AGAIN, IT SEEMS A NOT UNCOMMON PROBLEM). SUBARU CLAIMS OIL LEAKED OUT, BUT OIL PRESSURE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. SUBARU IS NOT DEALING ON THE UP AND UP. *JS

NHTSA ID

10455419

Incident

Apr 13, 2012

Mileage

54,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 55 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED AFTER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED.THE VEHICLE LATER RESTARTED AND THE FAILURE CONTINUED UNTIL IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 31,000.

NHTSA ID

10443148

Incident

Jan 5, 2012

Mileage

31,000 mi

IN JUNE OF 2009 MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED A 2009 V6 SUBARU OUTBACK (VIN [XXX]) FROM MANCHESTER SUBARU IN MANCHESTER, NH FOR $29,843.00.IN DECEMBER OF 2010, WITH APPROXIMATELY 30,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND STILL UNDER WARRANTY THE ENGINE FAILED WITHOUT WARNING, LEAVING US STRANDED, ONCE AGAIN, THIS TIME WITH OUR NOW 2 YEAR OLD AND 4 MONTH OLD. THE CAR MOMENTARILY RACED WHILE DRIVING AND THE RPM INDICATOR ROSE UNEXPECTEDLY TO THE RED ZONE FOR A BRIEF TIME. NO INDICATOR LIGHTS TURNED ON UNTIL THE ENGINE HAD ALREADY FAILED. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MANCHESTER SUBARU WHERE THEY STATED THEY FOUND METALLIC PARTICLES IN THE OIL. WE WERE ASKED TO PROVIDE OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS, WHICH WE DID PROVIDE, AS MY HUSBAND REGULARLY CHANGED THE OIL HIMSELF. IT TOOK A MONTH FOR A DECISION TO BE MADE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE ENGINE REPAIR WOULD BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY AND WE WERE WITHOUT A CAR FOR THIS ENTIRE TIME. WE REPEATEDLY ASKED FOR A LOANER CAR, WERE TOLD WE WOULD GET ONE, BUT NEVER DID. SUBARU AMERICA FINALLY DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD SPLIT THE COST WITH US AND THAT WE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING $5,485.00. THIS WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT ACCORDING TO SUBARU, WE DID NOT PUT ENOUGH OIL IN THE CAR AS IT REQUIRED 5.8 QUARTS AND WE PUT IN 5 QUARTS. WE HAD JUST CHANGED THE OIL IN THE CAR IN OCTOBER 2010 AND IT WAS LESS THAN 1 QUART LOW AT THE TIME OF THE ENGINE FAILURE. WE HAD CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL EVERY TIME WHEN CHANGING THE OIL AND THE DIPSTICK INDICATED THAT LEVEL WAS SUFFICIENT, GIVING US NO INDICATION THAT THE OIL LEVEL WAS LOW. THERE WAS NEVER ANY INDICATION OF LOW OIL PRESSURE AT ANY TIME DURING THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. THE NEXT DAY, MY HUSBAND SPOKE TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT MANCHESTER SUBARU. THEY INDICATED THAT THE V6 OUTBACK HAS A VERY SENSITIVE ENGINE AND IF THE OIL IS JUST A LITTLE BIT LOW, IT CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO FAIL. THE V4 MODEL WOULD HAVE ALSO GIVEN A LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR LIGHT, WHICH THE V6 MODEL DOES NOT DO THIS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.

NHTSA ID

10375111

Incident

Dec 11, 2010

Mileage

30,000 mi