2013 Subaru Outback Suspension Problems

I purchased a car from Middletown Nissan on May 24, 2025. The car was assured to have all these different safety checks so far it had to have the power steering pump replaced twice the power steering lines replaced all new control arms a new bearing brand new back brakes which include rotors and pads, and four new tires When the tires were put on they found that the car had significant damage in the subframe from rotting there are holes in it. The car was at the dealership several times for different problems and they never disclose this problem. They basically told me it was my fault when I’ve had the car for two months that the frame is completely rotted. The car is clunking and not driving mechanically the way it should

NHTSA ID

11684961

Incident

Aug 15, 2025

* I detected a noise in the front end and an instability in the handling. My independent service mechanic found the cradle on the right front severely rusted out at the point where the control arm attaches. He had to condemn the vehicle. * My mechanic says that it could have resulted in a total loss of ability to steer. He says that he is unable to order the part from the manufacturer because so many are on back order. He is also unable to find any used ones. Finally, he says that in the last 3 months he has had to condemn 3 other Outbacks due to the same problem. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE TO ME. *Problem confirmed by my independent service center *No *No

NHTSA ID

11591221

Incident

Feb 1, 2024

WHEN DRIVING OVER 40MPH THE CAR SEEMS TO JERK OUT OF THE BLUE IT EVEN SEEMS LIKE ONE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE LIFTS OR TILTS AS IF IT HAS HYDRAULICS MAKES IT HARD TO CONTROL CONTINUOUSLY GRIP THE STEERG WHEEL IN ORDER TO KEEP CONTROL IS UNBEARABLE. THERE IS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG AFTER READG ONLINE&ON THIS WEBSITE OBVIOUS SOMETHINGS WRONG. WHY R U WAITING FOR CRASHES& POSSIBLE DEATHS TO RAISE THIS ISSUE? WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU FEEL A QUICK PULL AS IF A MAGNET JUST PULLED YOUR CAR AND IT ALSO STARTS TO LIFT WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT NORMAL SPEEDS. CAR LIFTS THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE OF SUSPENSION AS IF IT'S GOING TO ROLL OVER AND AT THE TIME IT DROPS LIKE IT'S GOING TO FOLD UNDER AND YOU'RE GOING TO CRASH. LIKE IT HAS HYDRAULICS BUT ONLY ON ONE SIDE. THIS IS VERY SCARY WHEN YOUR DRIVING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS MAKES YOU SLOW DOWN OUT OF NOWHERE AND CAUSING OTHERS AROUND YOU TO SUDDENLY AVOID YOU. THIS IS A NIGHTMARE. SUBARU NEEDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A PROBLEM. SEE ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS AND THERE IS A LOT MORE ONLINE BY OTHERS THAT DON'T KNOW HOW TO GO TO THIS WEBSITE AND PLACE A FORMAL COMPLAINT BECAUSE I DID NOT EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT. CAME ACROSS BY MISTAKE. THIS CAR IS MEANT FOR DRIVING LONG DISTANCES AND I AM AFRAID TO DO SO. WHEN YOUR AFRAID TO DRIVE YOUR OWN CAR SCARRED OF THE QUICK JERK AND THE POSSIBLE ROLLING OF YOUR CAR DUE TO THE "REAL" ACTIONS THE CAR IS PERFORMING WHILE DRIVING IS AND SHOULD BE A VEHICLE SAFETY CONCERN PRIOR TO ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS TAKING PLACE. JUST BECAUSE THE "MANUFACTURER" SAYS IT'S IN SPECS DOES'T MEAN NOTHG WRONG PLUS ITS THE MANUF SAYG THIS, NOT AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY.BOWEING THEIR AIRPLANE HAD HARD TIME STATING PLANE'S FAULT. YOU CAN NOT PUT THE MANUF IN CHARGE OF MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE WHEN IT COMES TO MONEY.

NHTSA ID

11241617

Incident

Mar 1, 2019

Mileage

40,000 mi

EXCESSIVE OIL USAGE, REGULARLY OCCURS WITHIN 6000 MILES OF OIL CHANGE BURNS ONE QUART OF SYNTHETIC ENGINE OIL. ALSO NOTE BUSHING IN DRIVERS SIDE LOWER CONTROL ARM HAS FAILED AS OF 50,000.

NHTSA ID

10937889

Incident

Jan 1, 2016

Mileage

63,000 mi

WONDERS FROM SIDE TO SIDE. TOOK BACK TO DEALER THEY CHECK ALIGNMENT. SAID EVERYTHING WAS IN SPECTS. THERE WAS NO CHARGE THIS TIME FOR ALIGNMENT BUT WOULD NOT DO IT AGAIN FOR FREE. WE PURCHASED EXTENDED WARRANTY AT TIME OF PURCHASE. WHAT A WASTE! MY DAUGHTER AND SON-IN-LAW BORROWED IT LAST SUMMER. PUT 8000 MILES ON IT DRIVING ACROSS COUNTRY. HAD A TERRIBLE TIME KEEPING IT ON THE ROAD. THEY WHERE GOING TO BUY A OUTBACK BUT QUICKLY CHANGED THEIR MIND. CALLED DEALER AGAIN AND THE SERVICE MANGER TOLD ME TO CHANGE TIRES AND CROSS ROTATE THEM. I TOLD HIM WE ALREADY DID THAT AND MY HUSBAND CROSS ROTATED THEM. HE SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE A CHARGE TO LOOK AT IT. SINCE THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING THE FIRST TIME WHY PAY THEM MORE TO TELL ME IT IS IN SPECTS? I THINK THEY ARE WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO GET KILLED OR BE KILLED. THIS IS MOST DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10700978

Incident

Jun 11, 2013

Mileage

5,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OVER 40 IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE CAR CENTERED IN A LANE. THE DEALER CHECKED AND CORRECTED THE ALIGNMENT WITH LITTLE OR NO IMPROVEMENT. THE SERVICE REP DID ADMIT THAT OUTBACKS DO WANDER. EMAIL SENT TO SUBARU HAS APPARENTLY BEEN IGNORED. THIS IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION IN OUR CROWDED INTERSTATES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10617662

Incident

Jul 1, 2013

Mileage

500 mi

IN TEMPERATURES LOWER THAN 45 DEGREES F, IF NOT 'WARMED UP' THE CAR WILL MAKE A LOUD THUNK NOISE AND LURCH FORWARD UPON BEING PUT INTO DRIVE. IF THE BRAKE IS NOT FIRMLY ENGAGE, THE CAR WILL JUMP FORWARD. THE SUBARU DEALER CLAIMS THIS IS CAUSED BY THE CAR'S STATUS AS A PERFORMANCE VEHICLE, AND ENGINE WARM UP NEEDS TO OCCUR TO LOWER THE RPMS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10558134

Incident

Oct 18, 2013

Mileage

9,000 mi

THE STEERING OF MY NEW SUBARU OUTBACK SEEMS TO WANDER ON THE ROAD. IT IS A CHALLENGE TO KEEP THIS BRAND NEW VEHICLE BETWEEN THE LINES OR IN A PARTICULAR LANE OF THE ROAD. VEHICLE WANDERS / DRIFTS TO LEFT AND / OR RIGHT, WILL NOT TRACK STRAIGHT AND DOES THIS WHEN EVER DRIVING BUT IS MORE NOTICEABLE ABOVE SPEEDS OF 35 MPH. THE DRIVER HAS TO MAKE CONSTANT CORRECTIONS WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE STRAIGHT, THIS CAUSES FATIGUE IN THE ARMS AND IS EXHAUSTING TO THE OPERATOR. ONE CAN NOT SAFELY OPERATE A VEHICLE LIKE THIS. A SEMI-TRACTOR TRAILER RIG WAS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY LANE (WE WERE IN THE NUMBER 1 LANE OF THE HIGHWAY) AND MY OUTBACK WANDERED TO THE RIGHT, WE ALMOST WENT INTO / UNDER THE TRAILER OF THE "BIG RIG". I LATER I CONTACTED THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND ARRAIGNED TO BRING VEHICLE BACK TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. WHEN I RETURNED WITH THE VEHICLE, THEY CHECKED ALIGNMENT AND SAID IT WAS OK. THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO WANDER WHENEVER I DRIVE IT AND DAILY WHILE I DRIVE TO AND FROM WORK. AGAIN, I DROVE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE BEEN TALKING WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA, RECEIVING DIFFERENT SPECS AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN DOING SOME WORK ON THE VEHICLE. I HAVE NEVER OWNED A VEHICLE, NEW OR OLD (USED) THAT HANDLED THIS WAY. THERE ARE SEVERAL FORUMS WITH PAGES OF INFORMATION, DATA AND COMPLAINTS BY PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. PLEASE ACT NOW TO RESOLVE THESE ISSUES BEFORE SOMEONE'S LOOSES THEIR LIFE DUE TO THE UNSAFE FAULTY VEHICLES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10525285

Incident

Jun 22, 2013

Mileage

92 mi

THE SUBARU CANNOT HOLD THE ROAD AND VEERS WITHIN THE LANE ALMOST CREATING ACCIDENTS WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED THREE WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR THAT A PROBLEM EXISTED. THE CAR WAS TAKEN INTO THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE MANAGER DROVE THE CAR AND AGREED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM WAS HYPOTHESIZED TO BE DUE TO THE REAR SUSPENSION SYSTEM. SUBARU WAS NOTIFIED BECAUSE THE CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY AND THE PROBLEM MAY BE A DESIGN FLAW, BUT THE REQUEST WAS DENIED TO HAVE THE PROBLEM RESOLVED. I PERSONALLY NOTIFIED SUBARU AND FILED A COMPLAINT, BUT ONCE AGAIN THEY WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM. THE CAR IS UNSAFE AND ITS CONSTANT WANDERING MOTION IS IMMINENT FOR AN ACCIDENT. IT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT NEEDS ACTION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10523029

Incident

May 8, 2013

Mileage

2,000 mi

VEHICLE SWAYS AND DRIFTS IN LANE ON NON-WINDY DAY. WINDY DAYS MADE IF IMPOSSIBLE TO STAY IN LANE PROPERLY. 50+ MPH SPEEDS SEEMED TO BE WHERE/WHEN AFFECTED. I LATER TRADED THIS VEHICLE IN ON ANOTHER OUTBACK WITH MORE OPTIONS. THAT OUTBACK DOES THE VERY SAME THING. IT IS AS IF A DRUNK DRIVER IS BEHIND THE WHEEL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10507054

Incident

Nov 30, 2012

Mileage

15 mi

VEHICLE DOES NOT HANDLE WELL ON THE HIGHWAY/INTERSTATE. SEEMS TO DRIFT AND WANDER. I HAVE DRIVEN MANY VEHICLES AND THIS IS THE FIRST VEHICLE THAT I HAVE OWNED THAT I HAVE HAD THIS EXPERIENCE WITH. I PURCHASED MY FIRST 2013 THAT WASN'T WHAT I WANTED SO THEY ORDERED THE SAME VEHICLE WITHE EVERYTHING I WANTED. BOTH OF THESE OUTBACKS DID THE VERY SAME THINGS SINCE DAY ONE. ON A NON-WINDY DAY IT IS IF A DRUNK DRIVER IS DRIVING, ALWAYS HAVING TO CORRECT THE STEERING. ON A WINDY DAY IT IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO STAY IN YOUR OWN LANE PROPERLY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10507052

Incident

Feb 15, 2013

Mileage

300 mi

DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO DRIFT BACK AND FORTH IN THE LANE, FORCING THE DRIVER TO CONTINUALLY MAKE STEERING CORRECTIONS, NEVER DRIVING IN A COMPLETELY STRAIGHT LINE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW. *TR

NHTSA ID

10505415

Incident

Nov 21, 2012

Mileage

50 mi

VEHICLE SUSPENSION DOES NOT CONTROL VEHICLE DURING FREEWAY SPEED DRIVING. VEHICLE EXPERIENCES LARGE LEFT-RIGHT SWAY MOTIONS ON WAVY PAVEMENT AT FREEWAY SPEEDS AND LARGE UNCONTROLLED VEHICLE MOTIONS UP-DOWN AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE IS HARD TO CONTROL DURING OCCURRENCES AND NEEDS CONSTANT STEERING CORRECTIONS AS RESULT OF LARGE SUSPENSION MOTIONS. ALSO DUE TO THE POORLY DAMPED SUSPENSION, BRAKING DISTANCES ARE LONG. CAR DOES NOT SLOW DOWN AS EXPECTED, ESPECIALLY WHEN VEHICLE IS UNDERGOING A LARGE SUSPENSION ARTICULATION. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, MY VEHICLE WAS INITIALLY TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP TO VERIFY PROBLEM, BUT, DEALERSHIP MECHANIC SAID VEHICLE BEHAVES W/ IN SPEC AND LIKE OTHER VEHICLES. I RECENTLY TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR ANOTHER ISSUE, BUT, RECEIVED A LOANER VEHICLE IDENTICAL TO MY VEHICLE. THE LOANER VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND IN THE SAME MANNER AS MY VEHICLE. LOANER VEHICLE EXHIBITS WELL DAMPED SUSPENSION CONTROL AND NEGLIGIBLE BODY MOTIONS. BRAKING DISTANCES ARE MUCH BETTER ON THE LOANER VEHICLE LARGELY DUE TO THE WELL DAMPED SUSPENSION. THE LOANER VEHICLE IS SIGNIFICANTLY EASIER TO DRIVE THAN MY VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE IS STILL CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP BEING REVIEWED BY SUBARU OF AMERICA'S TECHNICAL ADVISOR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10505263

Incident

Aug 6, 2012

Mileage

1,000 mi

VEHICLE WANDERS AT HIWAY SPEEDS REQUIRING CONSTANT CORRECTION. WILL NOT DRIVE A STRAIGHT PATH WITHOUT VEERING OFF. VERY UNSTABLE AND UNPREDICTABLE. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS VEHICLE IS WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE. AS OF NOW MANUFACTURER HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED ISSUE AND THERE IS NO EFFECTIVE SOLUTION. THIS IS A LINK TO A FORUM WHERE MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME VEHICLE ARE MAKING THE SAME COMPLAINTS. HTTP://WWW.SUBARUOUTBACK.ORG/FORUMS/104-GEN-4-2010-PRESENT/31638-OB-LANE-WANDERING.HTML. *TR

NHTSA ID

10504597

Incident

Dec 1, 2012

Mileage

500 mi

WHEN I MAKE A HARD RIGHT TURN, SUCH AS PULLING OUT INTO THE NEAR LANE OR PARKING, MY FRONT PASSENGER TIRE COMES IN CONTACT WITH MY FENDER WELL - SPECIFICALLY THE BODY MOLDING AND VIOLENTLY. WHEN MEASURING MY HUB (CENTER) TO HUB (CENTER), THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR IS A FULL .5 INCH CLOSER THAN THE DRIVER SIDE. YOU CAN ALSO MEASURE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FRONT TIRE TO FENDER WELL AND SEE THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE IS CLOSER TO THE BACK OF THE FENDER WELL THAN THE DRIVER SIDE. I NOTIFIED WEST HOUSTON SUBARU IN LATE DEC. 2012 OF THE PROBLEM SO THEY CHECKED THE ALIGNMENT & MEASURED THE AFOREMENTIONED HUB/TIRE/FENDER DISTANCES. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE; SAID THEY WOULD CONTACT SUBARU OF AMERICA (SOA) AND FOLLOW UP... UNFORTUNATELY I HAD TO CONTACT THEM BACK... THEN IT WAS SUGGESTED I CONTACT SOA MYSELF SO I DID ON JANUARY 8, 2013. AT THIS TIME SOA NOR THE DEALERSHIP IS WILLING TO ADDRESS MY PROBLEM HOWEVER MANY PEOPLE IN THE WWW.SUBARUOUTBACK.ORG FORUM ARE DESCRIBING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. [XXX] FROM SOA HAS TOLD ME THEY ARE WAITING FOR SOMETHING BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR... IN THE MEANTIME I CONTINUE TO DRIVE MY 3 YEAR OLD SON AND WIFE IN A CAR WHOSE TIRE IMPACTS THE BODY OF THE CAR!! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!! PLEASE HELP ME! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). 8TR

NHTSA ID

10492018

Incident

Dec 12, 2012

Mileage

1,000 mi