2012 Subaru Outback Driver assistance Problems

The last incident? I couldn't recover my intentions. (Incidents of random acceleration seem to only happen when I am turning). The last incident occurred in my mall parking lot.. I was about to turn and suddenly the car shot forward. I could have fought to maintain my turn but that would have been aggressive maneuvering. Nothing, thankfully, was in front of me, so this was the first time I was deviated off course. 1 - random acceleration 2 - if my reflexes were not quick enough, there would have been vehicular accident and/or pedestrian being struck 3 - no... not able to duplicate. 4 - no check engine lights prior. One instance, as I avoided a collision, that threw a code (CEL) but scanner didn't see any codes. CEL went away 3 days later. NOTE: I am in North Bay, Ontario, Canada

NHTSA ID

11625208

Incident

Nov 12, 2024

Have been driving my car on the interstate for 6 hours and when this problem happened I was in cruise control. Out of no where a bunch of dash lights come on, (E brake and cruise control lights start blinking, traction control light comes on, and my check engine light comes on). I tried turning my car off for a few minutes and turning it back on but the lights still are blinking. I Googled my problem and found other people that have posted the same issue. I have also copied the found ID number for this issue: 10465487

NHTSA ID

11483752

Incident

Sep 9, 2022

The vehicle will accelerate all on its own I was pulling into a parking spot and the vehicle just accelerated thank god there was not another car in from of me or I would have hit them. Then later that same day with the cruise on the vehicle just started speeding up. I had to hit the brakes to turn cruise off or who knows how fast it would have taken me

NHTSA ID

11476747

Incident

Jul 30, 2022

MY 2012 SUBARU IS HAVING NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS - ALL DASH LIGHTS COME ON: IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY WHEN DRIVING OVER BRIDGES OR SPEED BUMPS. STARTED ON 8/8/16 WHEN CAR BOGGED DOWN AND DIED WHILE DRIVING DOWN HWY. 360. I TOOK IT TO MY REGULAR SUBARU AUTHORIZED REPAIR PLACE ' CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ON SUBLET RD. IN ARLINGTON. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS BROKEN EGR (EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION) SYSTEM. I HAPPENED AGAIN & I TOOK IT BACK. THE FINAL REPAIR FOR THAT PROBLEM WAS 'REPLACE MASS FLOW SENSOR & MAJOR FUEL INDUCTION SERVICE. THE DASH LIGHTS CONTINUED TO COME ON BUT THE CAR DIDN'T BOG DOWN ANYMORE. I TOOK IT TO AUTO ZONE WHO RAN THE FREE DIAGNOSTIC. SO I TOOK IT BACK TO CHRISTIAN BROTHERS. THEY CHARGED ME $99 TO RUN A MORE DETAILED DIAGNOSTIC & STILL SAID I NEED TO REPLACE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THERE WAS NO TEST OF THE EMISSIONS OTHER THAN THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC. I WAITED A LONG TIME & THE FIRST CODE THAT CAME UP WAS FOR CATALYTIC CONVERTER. I SUSPECTED THAT THEY JUST DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY TO RESET THE LIGHTS) THE NEXT TIME I TOOK IT HILEY SUBARU 4/5/17 (FOR 60 K INSPECTION AND OIL CHANGE DATE). I ASKED THEM ABOUT THE DASH LIGHT PROBLEM. THE DASH LIGHTS WERE NOT ON THAT DAY BECAUSE I HAD LEARNED TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY BUT THEY MENTIONED THAT THE 2012 OUTBACK RESEARCH INDICATED THAT 'REPOSITIONING THE BRAKE LINE' MIGHT BE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE OF OCCURRENCES HAPPENING WHEN CROSSING BRIDGES. THEY DID THAT, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED ' NOT EVERY TIME I CROSSED THE BRIDGES, THOUGH. I TOOK IT TO 5 STAR SUBARU FOR THE 90 K INSPECTION 4/10/18 AND MENTIONED THE NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS. THEY INSISTED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER BECAUSE OF THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC. NEITHER DEALERSHIP WOULD GUARANTEE THAT REPLACING THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WILL FIX THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM PERSISTS BUT THERE IS NO REAL EVIDENCE OF A PROBLEM WITH THE EMISSIONS.

NHTSA ID

11364804

Incident

Oct 16, 2020

Mileage

67,977 mi

VEHICLE REAR ENDED VEHICLE IN FRONT BECAUSE OF BRAKE FAILURE/POTENTIAL ACCELERATION AT APPROXIMATELY 35MPH. THIS HAPPENED IN RAINY CONDITIONS, WHICH MY WIFE HAD NOTICED MANY WEEKS BEFORE. SUBSEQUENTLY, WE FOUND THESE RECALLS: AND LAWSUIT HTTPS://CARS.USNEWS.COM/CARS-TRUCKS/SUBARU/OUTBACK/2012/RELIABILITY HTTPS://WWW.CLASSACTION.ORG/NEWS/CLASS-ACTION-CLAIMS-SUBARU-CONCEALED-SUDDEN-ACCELERATION-DEFECT-IN-FORESTER-LEGACY-OUTBACK-MODELS#:~:TEXT=NEW%20JERSEY-,SUBARU%20OF%20AMERICA%2C%20INC.,FROM%20A%20SUDDEN%20ACCELERATION%20DEFECT.

NHTSA ID

11352327

Incident

Aug 20, 2020

Mileage

111,000 mi

MY CAR OFTEN GETS STUCK WITH THE PARKING BRAKE ON AND I CANNOT MOVE THE CAR FORWARD OR BACKWARD. MOST TIMES I HAVE A CARLOAD OF GROCERIES AND NEED TO GET THEM TO THE FREEZER OR REFRIGERATOR. COMPUTER ENGINE ANALYSIS...... ABS C0054 BRAKE SWITCH ON MALFUNCTION C0057 ECM CONTROL...... EPB C0252 MOTOR MALFUNCTION DETAIL CODE 50A0 ..... C0234 VDC FAILURE DETAIL CODE C111..... C0242 POWER SUPPLY VOLTAGE FAILURE DETAIL CODE. I HAVE REPLACED BRAKES, REPLACED TIRES, CHECKED FLUID, CHECKED FUSES, ETC.

NHTSA ID

11288603

Incident

Dec 10, 2019

Mileage

115,405 mi

WHEN DRIVING ON FREEWAY, AT ABOUT 60MPH, THERE IS A NOISE IN THE ENGINE, THE SPEED SLIPS FOR A SECOND, THE RPM SCREEN BUMPS LITTLE BIT AND COMES BACK.ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO, THE VEHICLE STOPPED DEAD AT THE STOP SIGNAL. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY DID NOT FIND ANY CODE AND SAID, BRING IT BACK IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN. IT DID NOT HAPPEN AGAIN, BUT THIS SLIPPING HAPPENED END OF OCTOBER 2018, JUST 2-1/2 MONTHS AFTER THEIR EXTENDED WARRANTY ENDED ON JULY 31,2018 FOR SUBARU'S CVT ISSUE RECALL. SUBARU SAYS, THEY WILL REPLACE CVT, BUT I NEED TO PAY LARGE AMOUNT,THEY WILL WRITE OFF ONLY 2500$. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE IN SUBARU OUTBACK 2012 AND SUBARU IS NOT FIXING MY VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

11154359

Incident

Oct 22, 2018

Mileage

137,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING WITH CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, SUDDENLY THE CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGED, THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT AND THE ABS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE REQUIRED REPAIR WAS ONLY THE FORWARD OXYGEN SENSOR, A NON-EMERGENCY REPAIR. YET CRUISE CONTROL AND ABS WERE DISABLED, ABS BEING AN IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE. I WAS TOLD SUBARU HAS PURPOSELY PROGRAMED THE CAR THIS WAY. NOT ONLY WAS I UNABLE TO MAKE A DECISION AS TO THE CRITICAL NATURE OF THE ACTUAL REPAIR BUT HAD AN IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE DISABLED UNNECESSARILY.

NHTSA ID

10724478

Incident

Apr 13, 2011

Mileage

91,982 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 21,000. UPDATED 10/7/14*CN THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL IS SET AND THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING FASTER THAN THE SET POINT, UPON SELECTING RESUME THE VEHICLE WILL RESET TO THE CURRENT SPEED. THE DRIVER EXPECTED THE VEHICLE TO DECELERATE TO THE ORIGINALLY SET SPEED. UPDATED 3/25/2015 *JS

NHTSA ID

10614558

Incident

Jan 1, 2014

Mileage

10 mi

SITUATION: TRAVELING AT 60MPH UP A STEEP HILL ON I70 WEST BOUND IN LEFT PASSING LANE. CARS FOLLOWING CLOSE, AND CARS IN THE RIGHT LANE. FOR THE FIRST TIME (NEW CAR) I USED THE DOWNSHIFT PADDLE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL TO DOWNSHIFT TO ACCELERATE. I TAPPED IT TO DOWNSHIFT ONE GEAR. IT INSTANTLY DROPPED TO 1ST GEAR. THE ENGINE RPMS WENT TO RED LINE OR ABOVE. THE CAR DECELERATED DRAMATICALLY, AND I WAS TOSSED FORWARD. I ATTEMPTED TO UPSHIFT USING THE RIGHT PADDLE BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE, AND THE CAR REMAINED IN FIRST GEAR. THE CAR BEHIND NEARLY HIT ME. THE ONLY USEFUL CONTROL THAT I HAD WAS THE STEERING WHEEL (BRAKES OR ACCELERATOR USELESS). FURTHER, I ASSUMED THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT LIT. DUE TO THE ALERTNESS OF THE DRIVER BEHIND AND THE DRIVERS TO MY RIGHT AS I SLOWED DRAMATICALLY AND GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER, A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED. DASHBOARD LIGHTS WERE LIT, BRAKE LIGHT FLASHING, ETC. CAR WAS TOWED TO FLATIRONS SUBARU IN BOULDER, CO. THERE THE COMPUTER DATA LOGGING CONFIRMED BOTH MY SPEED AND THE RPMS AT REDLINE OR ABOVE. THEY WERE UNABLE EITHER TO REPRODUCE THIS BEHAVIOR, OR TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WERE TOLD BY SUBARU THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAD BEEN KNOWN TO HAPPEN, AND THEN TOLD TO REINITIALIZE THE "ADAPTIVE" PORTION OF THE COMPUTER, WHICH I BELIEVE THEY DID. OVERALL, I WAS TOLD THAT "THIS COULDN'T HAPPEN BECAUSE THERE WERE SAFETY LOCKS TO PREVENT IT". WHEN THE RECORDED DATA CONFIRMED MY DESCRIPTION, I THINK THE MECHANICS WERE VERY SURPRISED, AND DID TRY HARD TO UNDERSTAND THIS. I WOULDN'T ACCEPT THE VEHICLE BACK BECAUSE I AM OF THE OPINION THAT IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHY SOMETHING HAPPENED, YOU CAN'T BE SURE IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10469152

Incident

Jul 14, 2012

Mileage

100 mi

IN EARLY DECEMBER OF 2011 MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK WITH A 4 CYLINDER ENGINE, CVT TRANSMISSION. WE HAD TO WAIT A DAY FOR OUR OUTBACK BECAUSE IT WAS BEING REPAIRED DO TO A BRAKE SYSTEM RECALL. EVER SINCE PURCHASING THE OUTBACK WE HAVE HAD A SERIOUS ISSUE WHEN USING THE PADDLE SHIFTERS TO SLOW DOWN FOR A STOP. WHEN THE TACH SLOWS TO ABOUT 1100 RPM IN FIRST OR SECOND GEAR THE ENGINE THEN ACCELERATES TO UP TO 2500 RPM, SLOWING DOWN AND THEN SPEEDING UP AGAIN THEN REPEATING THE CYCLE OVER EVEN IF YOU APPLY THE BRAKES. SOMETIMES IT WOULD JUST RUN AT 2500 RPM UNTIL YOU BRAKED TO A STOP. I TOOK THE OUTBACK TO OUR DEALER AND THE SUBARU SERVICE ADVISOR WAS VERY SURPRISED WHEN I DROVE IT TO DEMONSTRATE THE VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. IT DID EXACTLY AS I HAVE DESCRIBED AND EVEN STAYED AT 2500 RPM. THE SERVICE ADVISOR AND WHO I PRESUME WAS THE OVERALL MANAGER OF THE DEALERSHIP TOOK IT FOR A DRIVE WITHOUT ME. WHEN THEY RETURNED I WAS TOLD THAT THE WAY IT OPERATED WAS THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO OPERATE BECAUSE OF THE ENGINE NEEDING TO BE MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. I STATED I DID NOT REALLY BELIEVE THAT EXCUSE AND LEFT. SINCE THAT FIRST VISIT, THE OUTBACK HAS STARTED DOING THE VERY SERIOUS ACCELERATION ISSUE ALSO IN AUTOMATIC DRIVE AT LOW SPEEDS. I RETURNED ON JULY 19, 2012 TO GET MY FIRST SERVICE DONE. I LEFT THE CAR FOR THE SERVICE AND TESTED AN EXACT (EXCEPT FOR COLOR) 2012 OUTBACK. THIS OUTBACK HAD NONE OF THE VERY SERIOUS ACCELERATION ISSUES THAT MY OUTBACK HAS. WHEN RETURNING TO PICKUP MY OUTBACK I TOLD THE SERVICE ADVISOR OF THIS OUTCOME AND HE STATED I WOULD HAVE TO CONTACT SUBARU OF AMERICA TO ELEVATE THE ISSUE. RESPOND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS TO WHERE I CAN TAKE THE OUTBACK FOR REPAIR OF THIS VERY SERIOUS ACCELERATION ISSUE. MY WIFE AND I WILL BE TRAVELING VIA THE OUTBACK VERY SOON AND NEED THIS VERY SERIOUS ISSUE RESOLVED BEFORE WE LEAVE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10467121

Incident

Jul 19, 2012

Mileage

3,750 mi

VEHICLE STOPPED CRUISE CONTROL & FLASHED BRAKES & NO TRACTION CONTROL UNEXPECTEDLY. CAME CLOSE TO A WRECK SHUTTING THE VEHICLE DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD HITTING VARIOUS TIRE RECAPS & DEBRIS ON THE SIDE. OF THE ROAD. NOT TOLD THAT THIS IS A REGULAR OCCURRENCE WITH THIS VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10465487

Incident

Jul 9, 2012

Mileage

4,000 mi