2021 Subaru Outback
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Visibility/wiper is the leading concern among 296 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 11th highest complaint count among 26 Outback model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 9 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 4 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMar 22, 2024
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
Campaign 24V227000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, park/neutral start interlock switchNov 9, 2023
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.
An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
Campaign 23V755000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)Jul 8, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 24, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-22. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V-955.
Campaign 22V485000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, shift linkage/cable/rodJan 26, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2021 Outback and Impreza vehicles. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) select lever cable nut may not have been tightened properly, allowing the nut to loosen.
A loose nut can lead to a lost of retention in the CVT select lever cable and the gear selector not functioning properly, increasing risk of crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and, if necessary, tighten the nut, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-21.
Campaign 21V024000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: vehicle speed control
19 reports, newest first. Show all
Vehicle speed control, Aug 7, 2026, crash
The contact owned 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 5 MPH turning a right hand corner into a shopping center, the vehicle began to accelerate without the contacts consent. and the contact proceeded to frantically apply the brakes. The vehicle came to a stop upon impact with a brick wall impacting the front drivers side of the vehicle. All of the airbags were deployed. The vehicle was going 43 mph at the time of the crash. The was towed to a junk yard. No warning lights or strange sounds were emitted prior to the crash. A police report was filed. The contact was injured while seated in the drivers seat. No one outside of the vehicle was injured. The contact sustained whip lash and bruising from the seat belt. Medical treatment was needed for the injuries. The local dealer was contacted, and the black box was inspected. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Vehicle speed control, Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 6, 2026, crash
I was already parked in a spot in a public parking lot. I tapped the accelerator pedal to move the car a few inches. The vehicle responded by violently accelerating, hitting a vehicle directly in front of me in another parking space. I applied my brake but the car would not stop. The force of the acceleration pushed the car out of the it's spot and it hit a curb and tree appox 30 ft away. In defensive move I turned my wheels to the right and continue to try and brake. This caused my car to hit the car on the right side of me. Property Damage occured. No injuries. Vehicle defect.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Mar 26, 2026
The failure involves the engine (powertrain), which was under warranty. The vehicle has experienced four catastrophic engine failures resulting in sudden loss of power, including at highway speeds (65–75 mph). The most recent failure also involved an oil-saturated catalytic converter. These failures occurred between 06/25/2024 and 03/16/2026. During this ~629-day period, the vehicle was only in my possession for about 184 days, as it remained at the dealership for diagnosis, repairs, and repeated engine replacements. The issue remains unresolved. The vehicle is currently in my possession, available for inspection, and is not being driven due to safety concerns. All failures occurred during normal driving and caused sudden loss of power with no prior warning, leaving the vehicle inoperable and stranded. This created a significant safety risk due to inability to maintain speed or safely merge, increasing the likelihood of rear-end collisions. The failures have been confirmed by an authorized Subaru dealership, with multiple engine replacements performed under warranty and most recently as a goodwill repair. Both the dealership and Subaru of America have acknowledged they cannot determine the root cause. The dealership’s Operations Director stated the vehicle is not safe and he would not allow his family to drive it. The vehicle has been inspected multiple times by the dealership and Subaru of America. However, no inspection reports, diagnostic data, or detailed findings have been provided despite repeated requests. Additional issues (including a broken axle and oil-saturated catalytic converter) were only identified during a third inspection after being missed previously. Requests for explanation were not answered, and further details were withheld as “internal.” There were no warning indicators prior to the first three failures. During the fourth, a temperature warning appeared only seconds before failure.
Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Dec 3, 2025, crash
On 10/29/25 the car lost power once it got to 3500rpm. Multiple warning lights came on. On 11/06/2025, the Thermo Control Valve, high pressure fuel line, and gaskets for intake manifold and EGR were replaced. On 11/24/25, when backing up slowly in a small parking lot, the rear camera detection picked up a raised cement walkway with metal railing. The brake was applied by the driver, however the car accelerated quickly and slammed into the railing and cement. The vehicle was placed into drive after the collision and continued normally. The brake was on once the warning light beeped and prior to the collision. The foot was not removed from the brake pedal until it was in drive. It could not have been placed into drive without the brake pedal being pressed. I asked the dealership if they could pull data from the car at the time of the incident, and was told they weren't sure they would get any information. It has not been inspected by a dealership or insurance. There was no damage done to the cement and railing was already bent. Only the car sustained damage.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Sep 26, 2025, crash
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while idling at a red traffic light, the vehicle lurched forward twice and struck the rear end of another vehicle twice. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated upon impact. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. A Police report was not filed. Both the contact and her husband were able to drive away from the scene. The contact's vehicle sustained damage. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that a field technician would be sent to retrieve information from the EDR. The failure mileage was approximately 30,800.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Aug 7, 2025, crash
While slowly backing out of a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on it's own - I do not recall pressing on the accelerator but the engine surged and the vehicle rapidly reversed and struck 4 other parked cars. It felt as if the accelerator became stuck and would not respond to braking. No warning light or dashboard alerts appeared. Subaru eyesight and adaptive cruise control were not engaged at the time. There was no known obstruction under the petals. This felt like a serious malfunction and could have caused serious injury. I am reporting this in case it is part of a wider issue affecting this model and because i see that there are multiple complaints to you about sudden unintended acceleration, especially during low speed maneuvers like backing out a parking space.
Vehicle speed control, Dec 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 60-75 MPH, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving downhill with adaptive cruise mode activated. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Dec 14, 2024
The speed control (adaptive) doesn't work. The interior heater doesn't work. Several lights including the 'check engine' light come on the dash. The lane departure system doesn't work. (It appears the thermo control value subassembly may be at fault.) The car has approximately 25K miles on it.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 30, 2024
ON thursday night at about [XXX] i was driving in the carpool lane going north.in the [XXX] , with full tank of gas ; suddenly i felt and here a noise, and the vehicle (2021outback base) start losing power, at the point that totally stop. call 911, and few minutes after the hway patrol came and push us out of the freeway, there was not any shoulder to be safe out. when the police officer try to turn it on the vehicle star but no power was available even when the vehicle was on.. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, Dec 1, 2023
My vehicle is equipped with EYESIGHT. I was driving to my home after work at night and suddenly the infotainment system screen went blank; including Braking Assist, Adaptive Cruise control, Lane assist, Emergency Braking etc including Navigation, also the HVAC shut off and EYESIGHT that controls these as well, shut off. It was suffocating in the car due to no A/C and thusf I tried to pull over at a remote text-stop place and tried restarting the car but in vain. All screens were dark, no warm air, I couldn’t see what direction I was driving to, as well as I solely relied on navigation. I brought this car for it’s safety features and warmth in this cold temperature in UPSTATE NY and this happened. I waited for 20 mins, charged my phone for only 4-5% with a fellow citizen who was waiting there as well and checked online just to see a lot of people reported the same issue with 2021 Subarus with EYESIGHT. And there is NO way one can fix it. I tried contacting the dealer but in vain. I am afraid that if this would happen again, I wouldn’t be in a situation to face this scary experience.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Nov 22, 2023
Received error code P2682, a faulty Thermo Control Valve. This happened on 11/17/2023. Car potentially could have quit running in traffic. Subaru has identified the issue with TSB 09-80-21R. They have changed the design of the valve due to the many failures. My car has 74,000 miles. My brother in law has the same vehicle with 57,000, and his car is in the shop today for the same issue. The service tech working on his vehicle stated that he does a couple of these repairs a week, and that Subaru knows this part will fail and should issue a recall
Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 25, 2023
while i am driving my cruise control will just stop working causing the auto braking feature to stop also
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Sep 6, 2023
I was driving and suddenly 13 flashing lights and codes from check engine to loss of cruise control and RAB -dealer says it needs a new thermo control valve (thermostat). This failed part has been common on Subarus for 3 years-reported on internet and even to the point where a guy sitting next to me today with same car and year and same $1800 bill and diagnosis. Should be a recall. Part was redesigned in 2022 I read.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 16, 2022
I purchased the car new in January 2021. During the first several months there were no issues. After that, the "Infotainment" system which controls the sound, nav, hvac, etc. systems would suddenly go black and those functions would stop working. It would seem to reboot as a computer does when you restart it. That was distracting but mostly just annoying, lasting less than 30 seconds. I will call that a "soft reboot." That happened many times over the next few months. On two occasions, the screen would black out and not only those systems would cease to function, it would shut down cruise control and Eyesight. Call that a "hard reboot." This was very dangerous. In traffic at 70-75 mph when the cruise control suddenly stops working, the car decelerates immediately and quickly. There are no warning signs or messages; it just goes black and shuts down those systems. Cars following would quickly be within a dangerous proximity. Not a safety issue but a hard reboot also wipes clear some settings including the nav destinations. During that period I spoke with service managers at two Subaru dealerships who said that it was a common problem and Subaru had issued a "patch" that was supposed to fix it. I live approximately an hour from the nearest dealership and had some difficulty finding a time to take it in for the upload. Finally I took it in to Scenic Subaru in Mt. Airy, NC on September 9, 2022 to get the update, with around 22,500 miles into a 36,000 mile warranty. I left the dealership at approximately 4 p.m. headed for Winston Salem, NC, approximately an hour drive. Within 5 miles from the dealership it did a soft reboot. That happened two more times. I called the dealership to advise them but it was too late to return. Then, still within an hour from the dealership, it did a hard reboot, shutting down everything as I described above. It functioned properly until it did a soft reboot today, 220 miles after the update.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, Sep 5, 2022
The infotainment system is so buggy and slow it's dangerously distracting. It crashes all the time and takes a few minutes to reboot which is not good when you're using navigation. The volume randomly will go to 100% and the only way to fix it is to restart the car. I've had it happen maybe 10 times. It's very startling and it's painful to the ears. The most dangerous problem with the infotainment system, however, is how inconsistently slow it is. When you tap to open the HVAC menu, for example, it can take 1-45 seconds to open. That means you have to keep your eyes off the road waiting for a response. If you don't, the menu disappears right away. Then when you're waiting for a response, the driver monitor starts beeping loudly and flashes "Stay Alert". Even Subaru's own safety systems think the response time is unacceptable. I called Subaru about the issue but their primary purpose just seems to be deflecting complaints and and gaslighting. We've been expecting fixes for years and it never comes. Either Subaru doesn't know how to fix it or they don't want to. The system falls under the 3/36 warranty which means that by the time the find a fix, most of the cars won't be covered.
Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 3, 2022
The Navigation system will randomly go blank and then restart while driving. This not only affects any navigation which is currently in progress, but also disables the Cruise Control, Eye Sight, Lane Departure and other Safety devices. This has occurred numerous times while driving on an interstate highway and is dangerous and life threatening.
Vehicle speed control, Apr 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle independently accelerated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle struck the curb before coming to a stop, causing damage to the rim and tire. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Oct 14, 2021
Your form would not allow me to chcek all applicable issues. I believe the computer system and brakes are the major issues. The start/stop system engaged when I was turning in the middle of an intersection. When driving at cruising speeds (foot on the gas pedal), the car suddenly felt as if the brake was being engaged. The forward and rear collision warning signals do not work. The blind spot warning does not work. There is grinding coming from the undercarriage at times (random), while my foot is on the gas. The car bucks for no reason. The battery is draining (less than 2,000 miles on the car). Sometimes I have to turn the ignition twice in the morning. I turn everything off when I get out of the car. My safety and safety of others is definitely at risk. What I didn't realize until recently is that prior to accepting the vehicle, the salesman must have turned the start/system off, because when I went for a test drive, the start/stop did not engage once and I drove in city traffic with multiple stops. Immediately upon diving off lot, the car stopped and I had issues. The salesman told me I had to get used to the start/sytem. This is a dangerous situation. My car is currently being looked at by the dealer.
Steering, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Jun 19, 2021
While moving forward slowly with foot lightly on the brakes and pulling into a parking space at local shopping center the car accelerated and the steering wheel turned to the right. The result of the cars actions made the car jump the curb, drive across the sidewalk and then across small hedges in the landscaped area. Car finally came to a stop about 20 feet later, with me pushing hard on the brake, just prior to entering parking lot roadway cross traffic. There was no alarm, warning or any other indication from any of the safety systems. As far as the automobile was concerned, nothing wrong had happened. Luckily there were no other vehicles or pedestrians on sidewalk or in the landscaped area between the parking space and roadway. There was no vehicle damage as the shrubs were all fairly short and the car simply drove over them. My husband disabled the lane departure system and I continue to operate the car. Based on all the previous incidents reported on this site, my husband indicates that Subaru will blame operator error. I have a perfect driving record and this incident was not caused by me incorrectly stepping on the gas.