2017 Subaru Outback Powertrain (other) Problems

The CVT failed at 62 miles per hour on a busy interstate, XXX. This caused the drivetrain to lock. The car has been repaired and traded locally in [XXX]. The car was very difficult to steer with locked wheels in traffic. This was a rapid evasive manuver on a busy interstate. An undrivable vehicle on an interstate is life threatening to many. Flat bed driver told me I was lucky to steer off of lanes onto shoulder with four locked wheels. This incident put me in mild shock. The Subaru dealer had to replace the transmission. The dealer and Subaru Regional Rep. examined the CVT failure. It was outside of the 100,000-mile warranty by about 895 miles. Repair invoice attached. I did not have advanced warning of CVT failure. There were no warning lights on before the CVT failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11749073

Incident

Feb 22, 2026

AT ABOUT 112,000 MILES, MY 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK'S TRANSMISSION SHOWED SIGNS OF FAILURE. THE "MANUAL SHIFT" GEAR LEVER POSITION WOULD NO LONGER INCREASE OR DECREASE THE TRANSMISSION RPM AND A WHIRRING AND CLICKING NOISE BECAME APPARENT AND INCREASED OR DECREASED WITH SPEED. THE SUBARU DEALER IN SALISBURY, MD DIAGNOSED A FAILING TRANSMISSION AND QUOTED $9,916 TO REPLACE IT.

NHTSA ID

11681495

Incident

May 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the electric parking brake was stuck intermittently. The contact stated while shifting to drive(D) or reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that failure occurred after reversing several times. The message "Park" was displayed. The contact stated that upon jiggling the electric parking brake knob several times, the vehicle responded as needed. The vehicle was taken the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. The Subaru dealer was contacted and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to their location for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.

NHTSA ID

11598268

Incident

Jul 2, 2022

Mileage

24,000 mi

Vehicle lost engine power twice while on the road between 8/12/23 and ~9/25/23. Took to Subaru Santa Monica service on 9/26, left it overnight, and was unable to replicate the problem. I cleaned the K&N drop in filter after 8/12 incident since I haven't cleaned it in a while. Subaru Santa Monica service said that there's oil contamination from the filter into throttle body and I need cleaning and new air box. I don't think that's the problem and this is a major safety issue. Although I have a 7 year warranty that's still active, I paid $219 for diagnostic. Not covered under warranty because can't replicate issue. My plan is to sell this car as it's a personal and public safety danger. Don't have time to keep going to the dealer and paying out of pocket.

NHTSA ID

11547716

Incident

Sep 25, 2023

Unable to remove key from ignition when vehicle placed in ‘Park’ and vehicle easily changes to ‘Reverse’ when unable to remove key, potential safety hazard to driver and anyone standing behind vehicle. Started around 40,000 miles, repair facility thought replacing the key cylinder would fix the problem but it recurred in less than 1,000 additional miles. Subaru Forums cite many, many owners with the same issue on multiple vehicle types resulting in replacement of the shifter mechanism due to a malfunctioning ‘Park’ sensor.

NHTSA ID

11510989

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated towards a truck in front. The contact used excessive force to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the braking distance was extended due to the failure. Additionally, there was an abnormal thumping sound heard while the vehicle was coming to an abrupt stop. The contact pulled to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle but found no cause for the failure. After waiting momentarily, the contact proceeded to drive, and the vehicle operated as needed. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

NHTSA ID

11510935

Incident

Mar 2, 2023

Mileage

32,000 mi

2 yo 2017 Subaru Outback was left untouched for 2 weeks. When trying to start, it had a dead battery. 2 years later, 2017 Subaru Outback was left untouched for 1 week. When trying to start, it had a dead battery. 2017 Subaru Outback was left untouched for 2 days. When trying to start, it had a dead battery with a 1 - and 8 month old battery. Basically, when this 2017 Subaru Outback hasn't been started every day, it will have a dead battery.

NHTSA ID

11499097

Incident

Sep 22, 2018

I purchased a used 2017 Subaru Outback in December 2020 from a friend whose mother had owned the car before her death in Nov. 2019. That owner purchased it used from dealer in Sevierville TN in 2019 and had to replace a battery at least once according to records. The battery has failed three times since Dec. 2020, totally drained and would not recharge so a replacement was needed. I replaced the first battery then took it to dealer for other two replacements. The previous owner had a garage under her mountain house. She was found dead in her den chair. After her burial the family later found the 2017 Subaru Outback parked in her garage underneath the house was totally empty of gas. I believe from reading issues other Subaru owners have had that this car did not turn off and this lady died from carbon monoxcide poisoning. This is an issue well documented over many years and it is way past due for a recall by the manufacturer. Since it continues even to 2020 models there should at least be a stop production order until this issue is corrected. It is not just an inconvenience but a very real danger for owners who park in a home garage. As the government agency trusted to oversight of manufacturing defects presenting a danger to the safety of the public it is way past time for you to act.

NHTSA ID

11491260

Incident

Oct 25, 2022

My car had it's third transmission installed in October 2021 at 42,730 miles. The car currently has just under 52,000 miles. The current transmission is exhibiting symptoms of slipping and delayed gear engagement. The slipping is most concerning due to the unpredictable and non-linear acceleration when I press the accelerator. I don't know if a light accelerator application will give the expected acceleration or a 1-2 second delay followed by either weaker than expected acceleration or a surge in engine RPMs (up to 3,000 at times) with significantly more acceleration than expected. I also don't know if the acceleration will decrease or increase if I keep the accelerator position the same. This is especially problematic in stop and go city driving where light on/off pedal application is required. The more I'm on/off the accelerator, the less predictable the acceleration becomes. My fuel economy is also down from ~25.5 MPG lifetime average to less than 20 MPG the last few tanks. Subaru dealers have not been helpful or receptive to my concerns. All the loaners I've driven behaved as expected and had smooth, linear acceleration.

NHTSA ID

11481469

Incident

Aug 25, 2022

It was a few days ago, the vehicle suddenly have shuttering or sputtering type of noise when accelerating from a stop. During the drive, I also started to hear a creaking type of noise. This became worse when accelerating uphill. I took the car to a Subaru dealership, and the service technician reproduced these problems. He then detected an transmission related error code P0841. He replaced the sensor related to this error code, but found he couldn’t get rid of the initial problems. In fact, when he checked the error code, P0841 came back again. Check Engine light come out during his examination. Even he could get rid of the warning, Check Engine light came back when I drove the vehicle back home. The technician found internal transmission failure and recommended to replace transmission assembly. The cost quoted at $10996, so no further repairs was made. Subaru recalled transmission of its outback vehicle in the past for the same type of problems, and I am wondering if my vehicle has a similar faulty transmission. I reported the problem to Subaru US customer service online, but didn’t hear back from them.

NHTSA ID

11480093

Incident

Aug 12, 2022

The contact owned a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while reversing, the vehicle accelerated backward. The contact pumped the brake pedal and was depressed aggressively several times however the brakes failed to respond. The vehicle collided with a pillar of bricks causing the vehicle to stop. No airbag deployed and no one was injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center where the insurance deemed the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 41,806.

NHTSA ID

11469067

Incident

Apr 22, 2022

Mileage

41,806 mi

Rear bearing/hub assembly failure. Appears to be a known problem per information readily available online. Failure occurred at 40,746 miles. Replaced at dealership at my personal cost, out of warranty period. Hubs and bearings should not be failing at such low mileage. Could have caused other driveline or suspension problems and poses a safety issue as wheels would be unable to spin freely.

NHTSA ID

11468764

Incident

Jun 10, 2022

System does not recognize the car is in park mode correctly. The side effect of this is ignition key gets locked in the key hole and cannot be pulled out. Repeated problem in all weather situation once the failure started to show symptom. This issue is common enough across multiple product line of Subaru vehicles with a service bulletin reference 16-112-18R with google search. Plenty of website postings and you tube videos showed different work around to resolve the issue. Dealer charges parts and labor cost to repair each vehicle request for service that could possible is a design or sensor defect issue from production quality issue. The trigger point of my vehicle having this problem could be due to recent cold weather, but this issue does not go away even after the temperature gets warmer. Trying to fix the car key situation with a young child in the back seat wanting to get out daily makes this a repeated challenge. Reference link below to share and please consider this is a case for possible safety and manufactuer defects problem that impacts a good group of Subaru fans. https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/key-stuck-in-ignition.495265/

NHTSA ID

11454242

Incident

Feb 5, 2022

When I put the car into park, it does not recognize that the car is in park and will not release the key.

NHTSA ID

11437596

Incident

Oct 21, 2021

As I am slowing down by pushing the brake pedal, the vehicle will attempt to accelerate. It will increase speed by about 2 miles per hour and the RPM increases when this happens.

NHTSA ID

11428245

Incident

Aug 8, 2021

MY NEW BATTERY WAS DRAINED TO A POINT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I MESSAGED SOME BIBLE STUDY FRIENDS AND ONE WAS GOING TO COME OVER AND JUMP MY VEHICLE. WHILE WAITING I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND PUSHED IT OUT OF MY GARAGE INTO THE DRIVEWAY. THE DRIVEWAY IS ON A STEEP SLOPE. ONCE IN THE DRIVEWAY I TRIED PUTTING THE CAR INTO PARK, IT WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK. IN FACT IT WOULD ONLY GO INTO DRIVE WHICH DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING BACKWARDS. I TRIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE BUT IT IS ELECTRICALLY OPERATED AND DID NOT WORK. THE BRAKES WERE VERY HARD TO HOLD SINCE THE HYDRAULICS WERE NOT KICKING IN, SAME WITH THE POWER STEERING. I AM A BIG STRONG GUY SO I WRESTLED THE CAR TO TURN IT DIAGONALLY IN THE DRIVEWAY AS IT ROLLED BACKWARDS, TRYING TO PREVENT IT FROM GOING INTO THE STREET AND FLYING INTO SOMEONE'S HOUSE OR VEHICLE. ONCE DIAGONAL IN THE DRIVEWAY I THREW A PADLOCK UNDER THE FRONT TIRE FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO PREVENT IT FROM ROLLING BACK. AT THIS POINT IT WAS BARELY HELD BUT STATIONARY SO I GOT OUT, CHALKED THE WHEELS WITH 2X4'S UNTIL BY BIBLE STUDY FRIENDS CAME OVER AND JUMPED MY CAR. I DID NOT HAVE MY CELL PHONE AND NO ONE ELSE WAS AROUND TO HELP ME. I LITTERALLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO JUST LET MY CAR ROLL DOWN INTO THE STREET AND LET IT GO BECAUSE I HAD NO OTHER OPTIONS. I CALLED SUBARU OF AMERICA AND THEY DIRECTED ME TO A YOUTUBE VIDEO THAT SHOWS ONCE THE BATTERY COMPLETELY DIES, THERE IS A SPECIAL TOOL YOU NEED IN ORDER TO GET THE CAR IN AND OUT OF PARK. BUT IT DOESN'T TELL YOU THAT IF THE CAR WON'T START AND THERE IS ENOUGH POWER TO GET IT INTO REVERSE, DON'T DO IT WITHOUT THE TOOL. WHAT IF THIS HAPPENED IN THE MOUNTAINS OR SAN FRANCISCO OR ANY HILLY OR MOUNTAINOUS LOCATION? I BELIEVE THIS IS A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR LIFE THREATING INJURY OR LOSS OF PROPERTY. E-BRAKES SHOULD NOT BE ELECTRIC IN MY OPINION.

NHTSA ID

11415781

Incident

Mar 30, 2021

Mileage

50,000 mi

NUMEROUS TIMES OVER PAST TWO MONTHS, WHEN AT SLOW SPEEDS, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STALLS CAUSING THE CAR TO STOP. AT LEAST ONCE, WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC, A CAR BEHIND HAD TO DO AN EMERGENCY SLOWDOWN TO AVOID A REAR END COLLISION. TWO SUBARU DEALERS HAVE CHECKED THE VEHICLE BEING UNABLE TO FIND A PROBLEM. YET, ON SEARCHING THE WEB, THIS COMMON CONDITIONIS IS CLEARLY DESCRIBED IN NHTSA FILES.

NHTSA ID

11398654

Incident

Feb 20, 2021

Mileage

66,200 mi

WHILE TRAVELING THROUGH MICHIGAN'S UPPER PENINSULA AND NORTHERN WISCONSIN DURING SNOW FALL WITH A FULLY PACKED CAR ON THE HIGHWAY I EXPERIENCED THE REAR END "GHOST WALKING" OR "STEERING" OR "PULLING" TO THE LEFT AND TO THE RIGHT. I HAD TO DRIVE 40MPH WHILE TWO-WHEELED DRIVE CAMRYS, CIVICS, VANS, ETC. PASSED US BY. GROWING UP IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN, I'M NO STRANGER TO WINTER CONDITIONS AND ALL WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES. I DON'T THINK ALL-WHEELED DRIVE VEHICLES MAKE ME INVINCIBLE, BUT THEY DO MAKE DRIVING IN WINTERY CONDITIONS BETTER. AFTER OUR TRIP, I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE SUBARU DEALER AND THEY SAID AT 37K MILES, THE SUSPENSION LOOKED GREAT, ALIGNMENT LOOKED GREAT, AND THAT THEY WOULD RECOMMEND NEW TIRES (TIRES ARE AT 4/32 AND HAVE EVEN WEAR AND TEAR). I ASKED TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE TECH WORKING ON MY CAR AND HE SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND THAT ALTHOUGH THEY WERE RECOMMENDING NEW TIRES, THE CURRENT TIRE CONDITION WOULD NOT CAUSE WHAT I WAS DESCRIBING. MY WIFE AND I THEN RESEARCHED AND CAME ACROSS SEVERAL ONLINE FORUMS WITH OTHER DRIVER'S EXPERIENCING THE SIMILAR ISSUES, BUT WITH PRIOR YEAR MODELS. I CALLED SUBARU'S MAIN CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE TO SEE IF THEY COULD HELP AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD MAKE NOTE OF MY COMPLAINT, BUT THAT IF THE SUBARU DEALER TECH SAID THE VEHICLE WAS FINE OTHER THAN SUGGESTING NEW TIRES, I SHOULD GET NEW TIRES AND THE VEHICLE WOULD BE FINE. SUBARU ALSO SAID THERE WERE NO "CAMPAIGNS" OPEN WITH RESPECT TO THIS PROBLEM AND THAT THEY WERE SORRY I "FELT LIKE I HAD THIS EXPERIENCE" AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. HERE'S A LINK TO A FORUM, WHERE THE PEOPLE SEEM TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON: HTTPS://WWW.SUBARUOUTBACK.ORG/THREADS/2005-2009-GHOSTWALKING-ABNORMAL-WINTER-HANDLING-FIXES.30747/PAGE-2. WE PLAN TO BUY NEW TIRES, BUT ARE WILLING TO OFFER OUR CAR UP FOR TEST DRIVING TO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON.

NHTSA ID

11385757

Incident

Dec 27, 2020

Mileage

37,000 mi

WHEN TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF, THE KEY IS INTERMITTENTLY NOT ABLE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. REAR HATCH WILL ALSO NOT OPEN WHEN THIS OCCURS, AS THE SHIFT SELECT SOLENOID DOESN'T RECOGNIZE THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTED INTO PARK.

NHTSA ID

11362395

Incident

Oct 1, 2020

Mileage

90,000 mi

WITH NO WARNING AND DRIVING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL RESULTED IN NOTHING. DASHBOARD LIGHTS STARTED INDICATING 'BRAKE' AND OTHER DISTRACTING MESSAGES. I WAS IN THE FAR LEFT LANE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, BUT WAS SOMEHOW ABLE TO CROSS OVER TWO LANES WITHOUT A COLLISION AND MAKE IT PART WAY UP A RAMP. CAR WAS TOWED INTO A SUBARU DEALER WHO FOUND A 'BROKEN VARIATION CHAIN'. A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED FOUR DAYS LATER. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE OR ANY WITH THIS TRANSMISSION NOW THAT I HAVE READ ABOUT ALL IT'S ISSUES. WHY DID I NOT HAVE A WARNING SINCE IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM? IMPORTANTLY, WHY IN THE MIDST OF A POTENTIALLY LIFE ENDING EMERGENCY DID I NOT GET A MEANINGFUL DASHBOARD WARNING, E.G., 'PULL OFF ROAD', 'POWER LOST', 'TRANSMISSION FAIL'?

NHTSA ID

11331780

Incident

May 8, 2020

Mileage

45,892 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE FORWARD AFTER OR DURING A MANEUVERING THE VEHICLE IN A SENSE WHERE THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO DECELERATE THE VEHICLE FIRST. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP A TOTAL OF 2 TIMES SUBARU OF JACKSONVILLE (10800 ATLANTIC BLVD, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32225, (904) 641-6455) WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS A DINO FLOW TRANSMISSION AND NEEDED TO BE OPERATED IN A CERTAIN MANNER THAT THE CONTACT MAY NOT HAVE DONE. THE CONTACT MADE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS OPERATING THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO PROVIDED THE CONTACT A LOANER VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000.

NHTSA ID

11326339

Incident

Aug 1, 2017

Mileage

3,000 mi

OUTBACK ACCELERATES BY ITSELF RANDOMLY. I NOTICE MOST WHEN APPROACHING STOP SIGN AND SWITCH FOOT FROM GAS PEDAL TO BRAKE. *TR

NHTSA ID

11324814

Incident

May 14, 2018

Mileage

36,000 mi

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED IN PARK IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE KEY. THIS LEAVES ME STRANDED AS I CAN NOT LEAVE THE VEHICLE. I WAS LEFT STRANDED IN MEXICO. *TR

NHTSA ID

11321318

Incident

Oct 26, 2019

Mileage

30,000 mi

CVT TRANSMISSION AT 35326 MILES STARTED DISTRIBUTING POWER INDISCRIMINATELY TO ANY OF THE 4 WHEEL CAUSING INSTABILITY AND SHAKING WHEN DRIVING. VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL WHEN DRIVING. TRANSMISSION REQUIRES REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA ID

11318320

Incident

Mar 16, 2020

Mileage

35,326 mi

TRANSMISSION PERIODICALLY PUTS EXTRA POWER TO WHEELS DURING BRAKING RESULTING IN MANY NEAR MISSES.

NHTSA ID

11287484

Incident

Dec 6, 2019

Mileage

32,000 mi