2023 SUBARU OUTBACK

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH

Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.

Risk: An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My 2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness experienced multiple complete failures to start over a 2-day period at 51,930 miles, creating significant safety risks and stranding situations.Component Failure: Battery system (SOA821B700, 620 CCA) failed to maintain charge when vehicle parked/off. Component replaced and available for inspection if retrieved from disposal. What Happened: Vehicle experienced repeated failure-to-start episodes over 2 consecutive days at 51,930 miles. While jump-startable, battery would not maintain charge for restart after any parking period. No warning lamps or messages preceded failures. Safety Risks: Created dangerous stranding situations in potentially unsafe locations. Loss of ability to restart in emergencies, failure of electrical systems (lights/hazards), risk of accidents when unable to restart in traffic situations. Professional Confirmation: Independent automotive shops tested battery/alternator systems confirming battery not holding charge per Subaru specifications, indicating systemic electrical drain issue. Manufacturer Inspection: Subaru dealer testing contradicted independent findings despite multiple documented failures. Customer Advocacy denied reimbursement claiming "normal wear" despite documented design deficiency. Known Defect: Failure directly relates to documented inadequacy in TSB 07-213-22R acknowledging original battery specification insufficient. TSB introduced higher-capacity replacement (SOA821B900, 750 CCA) requiring new mounting hardware, proving design correction not maintenance. TSB updated March 2024 (NHTSA #10252553) expanding to 2024 models, demonstrating ongoing systematic problem across multiple model years (2020-2024). Warning Signs: No warning indicators preceded failures - complete unexpected loss of starting ability creating immediate safety hazard.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

Windshield was struck by a small stone. There was no immediate damage but over a period of several weeks 5 cracks appeared traversing the windshield top to bottom.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The drivers side window frequently will not roll up. Has happened multiple times and dealership says they reset it but still does not work properly. In inclement weather conditions this is a serious safety issue. Most recent information is below

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

When going down my driveway, the (RAB) Reverse Automatic Braking system will often times turn itself off and not reset like the manual say's it should. I have to stop the car, shut it off and open the door to ensure everything is off and restart the car to get it to reset. It has been in the dealership, Subaru of Kennesaw, Kennesaw Ga 4 time for this issue. Last time it was in the dealership they had it for over a month. And it is still happening. This started after a software update done on 10-28-2024 and to date has happened 52 times since then. I have photo documentation of these instances. These exceeded the max allowable of your website so did no upload them.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

I have had several times where tiny road pebbles have kicked up hitting the windshield and have caused cracks. There is now also a crack forming where there has not been any impact. This is my second windshield replacement in two years. I have never had a windshield that has been as fragile as this one. It seems to be a manufacturing issue with the windshield. Based on research online, appears this is a known issue.

SERVICE BRAKES

My car had an unintended acceleration that caused me to go in a ditch and hit a tree. I could not get car to stop when I realized it was increasing speed. It all happened very fast. My car was totaled. All airbags deployed. front right side of car was completely destroyed. There were no warnings. My insurance company has the car on their tow lot. I have sprains and bruises on my right side and a slight concussion. so thankful that I was not in a parking lot or in heavy traffic or near any walkers

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

My car had an unintended acceleration that caused me to go in a ditch and hit a tree. I could not get car to stop when I realized it was increasing speed. It all happened very fast. My car was totaled. All airbags deployed. front right side of car was completely destroyed. There were no warnings. My insurance company has the car on their tow lot. I have sprains and bruises on my right side and a slight concussion. so thankful that I was not in a parking lot or in heavy traffic or near any walkers

POWER TRAIN

My car had an unintended acceleration that caused me to go in a ditch and hit a tree. I could not get car to stop when I realized it was increasing speed. It all happened very fast. My car was totaled. All airbags deployed. front right side of car was completely destroyed. There were no warnings. My insurance company has the car on their tow lot. I have sprains and bruises on my right side and a slight concussion. so thankful that I was not in a parking lot or in heavy traffic or near any walkers

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that his wife was driving the vehicle and as she was entering into a parking spot and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle experienced sudden unintended acceleration. The contact's wife reported that the vehicle had made an abnormal revving sound as if she had applied the accelerator. The front end of the vehicle jumped the parking bumper and crashed into the store's glass front. The wife stated that she had not noticed any warning lights or alarm chimes before the abnormal revving noise. The wife was not aware of the speed of the vehicle. The wife stated that the vehicle stopped and she had shifted the vehicle into reverse (R) and was able to reverse out from the storefront. The wife stated that she had not suffered any injuries. The police were called and issued the wife a citation. The vehicle had damage to the front bumper and the hood. The contact stated that there were some broken pieces of plastic missing and there was some deformation of the front edge of the hood. The contact stated that the vehicle was drivable. The contact stated that a similar incident had occurred to him last August as he was pulling into his residence garage. He stated that he heard an abnormal revving sound from the engine and he was able to stop the vehicle before it had crashed into the garage. The vehicle had been taken to a local dealer, however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,800.