2015 Subaru Outback Powertrain (other) Problems

After a transmission replacement performed by Bud Clary Chevrolet, Inc. in Longview, WA on September 9, 2025, my vehicle was returned to me with critical components left unsecured. On November 19, 2025, an independent mechanic discovered loose suspension bolts connecting the ball joints to the spindles on both front wheels. On November 29, 2025, Subaru of Portland documented additional unsecured and unattached components related to the prior transmission replacement, including loose mounting hardware and a disconnected PCV hose. Subaru of Portland’s written inspection states that the loose bolts would have been unsafe if left uncorrected. These conditions were present after a major repair and created a potential safety hazard while the vehicle was being driven. This complaint concerns an unsafe condition caused by improper workmanship during a vehicle repair.

NHTSA ID

11705980

Incident

Sep 9, 2025

A transmission that was replaced in July of 2023 went bad un December of 2024 and dealership won't give reasons why transmission went bad or what caused a almost brand new transmission with less than 50,000 miles on it went bad. They are demanding we pay $5000.00 dollars on a transmission that was replaced under the extended warranty on cvt transmission from subaru. Which also extends to the brand new transmission. They are demanding their loaner car back and refusing to honor extended warranty on new transmission which the gave us which is bad. They will not give us anything other than it is bad. No information what so ever is being given to my husband or I as to why, how or what happened. My car will not move unless it is pushed by someone. They are refusing to honor their recall warranty or provide a loaner while dealing with their corporate offices on this issue. This is after in the past 1 and a half years my car has been in their shop for well over 8 months and I am still making payments on this vehicle. They will not even provide paperwork on the issues with my vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11630731

Incident

Dec 2, 2024

When shifted into drive or reverse, with brakes applied, and after initial start the vehicle will surge forward or reverse with force enough to overcome standard braking.

NHTSA ID

11571247

Incident

Feb 15, 2022

Driver's seat started peeling off approximately a year after purchase. Notified dealer, they said to contact Subaru of America via social media. Now almost all peeled off, have to cover with towel possibly interfering with airbags. Steering column lock will not lock in top position. Dealer repaired once under warranty, now out of warranty. Unsafe when column moves when driving. Transmission started slipping or behaving strangely around 90,000 miles. Never received notice of extended warranty I read about on Subaru forums [XXX] ) Paid $531.43 for fluid change at dealership because of the problem on 7/27/23 and no mention was made about extended warranty. It has not solved the problem. If transmission fails, that is a safety problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11541975

Incident

Aug 31, 2023

CONSTANT CHECK ENGINE, NO ADAS FUNCTIONS AND MULTIPLE CODES AND HUD INDICATORS INCLUDING CKENGNE, XMODE FLASHING, ADAS DISABLE AND MAJOR ELECRTICAL PARASITIC DRAW AND TRANSMISSION AND OVERHEATING. I believe the past major leg relay was replaced during first recall, it was not performed correctly and tied into accesssorry aux into same wiring. defrost/ ac failure and clutch hums upon shutting down

NHTSA ID

11518655

Incident

May 22, 2020

The continuously variable transmission failed at 114,000 miles. The unexpected lack of proper shifting on the roadway causes impediment to traffic expecting a continual flow of traffic. This causes the vehicle and drivers sharing the rode to have to make sudden braking or lane shifts without sufficient notice. The CVT was inspected by the dealer. There were no warning lamps or symptoms prior to failure.

NHTSA ID

11478982

Incident

Aug 7, 2022

On three separate occasions, most recently on 01/06/22 , my Subaru Outback began to accelerate without touching the gas pedal. My wife and myself were both fortunate to have a foot covering the brake pedal when this occurred . We fortunately avoided the potential collision hazard. The UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION is alarming and continues to occur !

NHTSA ID

11446573

Incident

Jan 6, 2022

local mechanic doing standard maintenence at 62,861 miles, checking high rpms at startup, noticed that the crankshaft pully was moving up and down , slight variance , when it should be straight. apparently a recall issue on 2016 outbacks.

NHTSA ID

11440007

Incident

Nov 10, 2021

TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK

NHTSA ID

11395513

Incident

Feb 3, 2021

I TOOK THE CAR INTO PAUL MOAK SUBARU ON 10/14. THE CAR WAS BUCKING UNDER LIGHT ACCELERATION. WHEN PULLING THRU A STOP LIGHT, OR MOVING FROM A STOPPED POSITION, THE CAR KICKS BACK AND FORTH AND I DON'T KNOW IF ITS GOING TO KEEP GOING OR STALL. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. PAUL MOAK SUBARU SAYS " THIS IS DUE TO AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE CVT TRANSMISSION AND THE REPAIR ESTIMATE IS $9,319.59." THIS IS ALMOST THE SAME AS WHAT I OWE ON THE CAR. I KNEW OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY SUBARU PROVIDED FOR THE TRANSMISSION BUT I'M OUTSIDE THE MILEAGE PORTION. I REACHED OUT TO SUBARU NORTH AMERICA ON 10/27/20 BUT THEY SAY THEY CAN NOT HELP ME DUE TO THE MILEAGE. I DRIVE APPROX 750 MILES A WEEK ON A SALES ROUTE THUS THE HIGH MILEAGE. 90 % OF THE MILES ARE HIGHWAY AND ARE DOCUMENTED FOR TAX PURPOSES. I LOVE MY SUBARU BUT CANT BELIEVE I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ON A 5 YEAR OLD CAR. I HAVE A FAMILY OF 4 AND AM SCARED TO TAKE THEM IN THE CAR IN THIS CONDITION. I HAVE TO DRIVE IT IN THIS CONDITION UNTIL I CAN SAVE THE MONEY IT'S GOING TO COST TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. SUBARU SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ID

11366919

Incident

Oct 14, 2020

Mileage

150,450 mi

CONTINUOUS VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (CVT). THE VEHICLE STOPPED WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN SUDDENLY MOTIONLESS, ENGINE REVVED UP AT 3500 RPM BUT THE CVT REMAINED UNRESPONSIVE. PACED SHIFT GEAR TO PARK POSITION THEN TO DRIVE GEAR THEN THE VEHICLE MOVED-UP VERY SLOW THEN IT PULLED FORWARD TO A NORMAL DRIVEABLE CONDITION. THIS ISSUE HAPPENED IN 2017, 2018, 2019. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP 2X TESTED THE VEHICLE BUT, NO PROBLEM FOUND AND NO MANUFACTURER'S ISSUE WAS RELEASE. SEVERAL SUBARU OWNERS COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME ISSUE, ON 2013 - 2015 OUTBACK MODELS.THE BATTERY ON 2015 OUTBACK MODEL LIKE MINE, HAD REPLACED IN 2017 WHILE UNDER WARRANTY UP TO 3 - YEARS. LATELY, THE BATTERY DIED SEVERAL TIMES, TOOK BACK TO THE DEALER FOR TEST AND REPLACEMENT BUT, THE 3 - YEARS WARRANTY WAS OVER FROM ITS ORIGINAL PURCHASED. THE WARRANTY SHOULD BE APPLIED ON THE SECOND BATTERY REPLACEMENT THAT RUNS FOR THE NEXT 36 - MONTHS. ANOTHER ISSUE IS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER THE VEHICLE HAS, TOOK BACK TO THE DEALER LAST JULY 2020, A SRVICE ADVISOR ADMITTED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM, THE VEHICLE DROVE FOR TESTING THEN CAME BACK WITH NOTHING WRONG ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER PER MECHANIC ASSESSMENT. THE FRONT EXHAUST PIPE WAS CRACKED AND IT WAS REPAIRED AS PART OF MANUFACTURER RECALLS. THERE ARE ISSUES ON THIS MODEL REFERRING TO THE CVT, BATTERY, INFOTAINMENT GOT FREEZED, NO DATA ON SCREEN, ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION TO FAST. THE MAIN ISSUE FOR ME IS THE "SAFETY ISSUE." WHICH IS THE TRANSMISSION. FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS IN 2017, 2018, 2019.

NHTSA ID

11354812

Incident

Mar 3, 2017

Mileage

35,000 mi

WHEN I CHANGE GEARS FROM P( PARKING) IN TO D(DRIVE) IT TAKE AROUND 2 SECONDS TO START THE CAR DRIVING I THINK THAT IS BAD FOR TRANSMISSION, ANOTHER PROBLEM IS WITH TACHING SCREEN IT DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY MANY TIMES ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M DRIVING IN R(REARVERSE) AND THE GEAR LIGHTS IN DASHBOARD DO NOT TURN ON . THANKS

NHTSA ID

11354571

Incident

Jan 20, 2019

RECEIVED SUBARU RECALL (WUJ-95) ON AUG,3.2020 PERTAINING TO EXHAUST PIPE BELLOW FAILURE. THE RECALL INCLUDES REPLACEMENT OF THE EXHAUST Y-PIPE THAT IS INSTALLED FROM ENGINE TO TALE PIPE. THIS EXHAUST PIPE IN MY UNDERSTANDING WAS INSTALLED UNDER A STRESS MANUFACTURING PROCESS WHERE THE PIPE AND FASTENER SYSTEM HAS TO BE FORCED IN TO INSTALL. THIS PUTS EXCESS STRESS ON THE BELLOWS AND CAUSED FAILURE. MY QUESTION IS WHY DID SUBARU WAIT FIVE YEARS TO NOTIFY THE CONSUMER AND ISSUE A RECALL. PLEASE RETURN MY REQUEST FOR A FULL EXPLANATION OF WHAT HAPPENED. 2ND. I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THE CVT TRANSMISSION ISSUE. SUBARU EXTENDED THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE TIME LINE TO 10YR-100,000 MILE. I AM HAVING MANY ISSUES WITH MY CVT TRANSMISSION AND SUBARU WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL. WITH ALL THE COMPLAINTS AND PROBLEMS WITH THE GEN-5 CVT TRANSMISSION WOULD PLEASE TAKE A 2ND LOOK AT THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11349548

Incident

Aug 3, 2020

Mileage

33,000 mi

I WAS GOING 55 MPH ON A STRAIGHT FLAT SURFACE WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE RPM'S SHOT UP TO AROUND 4000 BUT THE CAR WAS NOT ACCELERATING. IT WAS LIKE IT WENT INTO NEUTRAL. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CAR PROCEEDED TO DIE. FORTUNATELY, IT STARTED RIGHT UP AND I DROVE HOME. I HAD A ALMOST A FULL TANK OF GAS. I HAD ONLY DRIVEN IT FOR 5 MINUTES AS I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. I JUST HAD THE OIL/FILTER CHANGED NOT EVEN 2 MONTHS AGO. I HAVE 54,000 DEALER SERVICED MILES ON THE CAR. IT WAS 86 DEGREES OUT. 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK PREMIUM 2.5

NHTSA ID

11348698

Incident

Aug 11, 2020

Mileage

2 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE, LOST POWER, AND THE CHECK AUTOMOTIVE TRANSMISSION AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO SUBARU OF PUYALLUP (720 RIVER RD, PUYALLUP, WA 98371, (253) 286-5900) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INCORRECT TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS PLACED IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 150070620183. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

NHTSA ID

11280899

Incident

Nov 13, 2019

Mileage

74,000 mi

AT 65000 MILES I HAD TO REPLACE A WHEEL BEARING. I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE NEED A WHEEL BEARING WITH THIS LOW MILLAGE. I AM TOLD OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

11243831

Incident

Nov 13, 2018

Mileage

65,000 mi

MY SUBARU HAS 51,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS HAD 6 WHEEL BEARINGS REPLACED AS FOLLOWS. 3-22-17 @ 29K MILES REPLACE BOTH REAR WHEEL BEARINGS AND FRONT RIGHT WHEEL BEARING. 11-12-18 @45K MILES REPLACED BOTH FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS (2ND TIME FOR FRONT RIGHT) 7-12-19 @ 51K MILES REPLACED FRONT LEFT WHEEL BEARING (2ND TIME FOR FRONT LEFT) THE VEHICLE HAS HAD 6 WHEEL BEARINGS REPLACED IN THE LAST 23 MONTHS. FRONT AXLE BOTH SIDES CHANGED TWICE AND REAR AXLE CHANGED ONCE EACH SIDE. THE LAST WHEEL BEARING ONLY LASTED 6K MILES AND WAS NEAR TOTAL FAILURE MAKING THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE AS IT COULD CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. THEREFOR I BELIEVE THE NHTSA SHOULD OPEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

11234484

Incident

Jul 12, 2019

Mileage

51,000 mi

THE CAR WOULD STALL WHEN COASTING TO A STOP LIGHT OR STOP SIGN A FEW TIMES AND HAVE BEEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND CAN'T REPLICATED THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND CAN CAUSE AN UNSAFE AND HUGE ACCIDENT WITH MY FAMILY. THE CAR WOULD DIE WHILE IN DRIVE AND SOMETIMES CAN'T BE RESTARTED. IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN AND AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR SINCE THE DEALER WILL SAY NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE CAR. IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S RELATED TO IDLE BEING LOW OR THE CVT ACTING UP WHEN TAKING THE FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL AND TRY TO ACCELERATE FROM A DEAD STOP OR COASTING TO A STOP. THIS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES DURING FACTORY WARRANTY WINDOW.

NHTSA ID

11176539

Incident

Jan 17, 2018

Mileage

30,000 mi

TRANSMISSION FAILURE. IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH MODELS WITH THEIR ORIGINAL CVT TRANSMISSION, BUT RATHER THAN ISSUE A RECALL, THEY'RE EXTENDING WARRANTIES AND FIXING AS THEY BREAK. THIS LEFT ME WITH NO POWER ON A STATE HIGHWAY THAT HAD SPEED LIMITS OF 75MPH. I MANAGED TO MAKE IT TO THE SHOULDER TO BE STRANDED FOR AN HOUR WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND IF IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE, I'M NOT SURE WHY THEY'RE NOT PREVENTING THESE SCENARIOS. I WAS GOING ABOUT 70MPH IN THE CENTER LANE OF A 3 LANE HIGHWAY WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR JERKED AND THEN WOULDNT ACCELERATE.

NHTSA ID

11120370

Incident

Mar 5, 2018

Mileage

45,000 mi

SUBJECT 2015 OUTBACK CVT TRANSMISSION LURCHES AND BOGS DURING ACCELERATION, WE HAVE TRIED WORKING WITH SUBARU FOR REPAIR HOWEVER, THEY CONSIDER THE UNIT AS WORKING TO WITHIN STANDARD AND WILL NOT REPLACE UNLESS IT FAILS COMPLETELY.

NHTSA ID

11110454

Incident

May 8, 2017

Mileage

35,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE'S WHEELS SEIZED AND THE VEHICLE JERKED VIOLENTLY. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO SUBARU OF LAS VEGAS (6455 W ROY HORN WAY, LAS VEGAS, NV 89118) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT CV AXLES AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 24,000.

NHTSA ID

11097971

Incident

May 19, 2018

Mileage

24,000 mi

AFTER 2 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP ON MY BRAND NEW SUBARU OUTBACK 2015, I HAVE NOTICED A LOUD SQUEAKY SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE WHEN I START MY CAR AFTER IT RAINED/SNOWED. THE SOUND WOULD GO AWAY AFTER A FEW MINUTES, HOWEVER, IT DIDN'T SEEM NORMAL. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT NOTHING IS WRONG AND IT IS PERFECTLY FINE. HOWEVER, THE SQUEAKY NOISE STILL OCCURS AFTER RAIN/SNOW. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WATER IS LEAKING INTO A BELT WHEN IT'S NOT SUPPOSE TO AND IT IS CAUSING THE NOISE WHEN THE ENGINE IS STARTED. SUBARU NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM ONLY HAPPENS AFTER IT RAINS/SNOWS AND CANNOT BE REPLICATED WHEN THE CAR IS BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEREFORE, IT IS HARD TO HAVE THIS ISSUE FIXED.

NHTSA ID

11096820

Incident

May 13, 2016

Mileage

30,000 mi

UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION AFTER PARKING, JUMP CURB INTO TREE, CAUSING $7,000 IN DAMAGE. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, BOTH MYSELF AND PASSENGER HIT KNEES ON DASH, EVEN WITH OUR SEAT BELTS STILL ON. HAD OTHER COMPUTER ISSUES EARLIER THAT DAY, BACK UP SENSORS DIDN'T WORK WHILE BACKING CAR RIGHT BEHIND MINE. CAR HAS NOW BEEN AT SUBARU FOR A MONTH, WAITING FOR ENGINEERS RESULTS AFTER THEIR INSPECTION 2/14/2018

NHTSA ID

11076432

Incident

Dec 9, 2017

Mileage

23,000 mi

LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED AT 40,293 MILES IN MAY 2016 LEFT FRONT WHEEL BEARING FAILED AT 76.699 MILES IN FEB 2018 THIS IS A DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED

NHTSA ID

11066714

Incident

Feb 1, 2018

WHILE DRIVING DOWN FREEWAY AT 75 MPH, TRANSMISSION MADE TWO CLUNKING SOUNDS, AND SPEED DECREASED - RPMS INCREASED. WE COULD SMELL OIL BURNING SMELL, BUT NO SMOKE OR LEAKS. WE WERE APPROXIMATELY 12 MILES OUTSIDE OF LAS VEGAS AND 22 MILES INTO OUR TRIP. THERE WAS NO WARNING AND NO DECREASE IN SPEED OR OTHER SIGNS PRIOR TO THE CLUNKS/CLANKS. VEHICLE TOWED TO SUBARU OF LAS VEGAS. FIRST SUBARU TRIED TO SAY REAR DIFFERENTIAL CAUSED. PLEASE SEE DAN'S DRIVELINE INVOICE. NEXT THEY TRIED TO SAY FRONT DIFFERENTIAL CAUSED. I CHALLENGED - HOW CAN A FUNCTIONING DIFFERENTIAL CAUSE A TRANSMISSION TO BECOME TOAST? NEXT STEP IS SUBARU HQ TECH TO TEAR DOWN TRANSMISSION. I'VE INCLUDED DOCUMENTS FROM AUTO LAB (DID 30K MILE SERVICE), SUBARU INVOICE, SUBARU EMAIL SAYING FRONT DIFFERENTIAL CAUSED,

NHTSA ID

11056216

Incident

Nov 9, 2017

Mileage

33,600 mi