2025 Subaru Outback Other Problems
13 owner-reported other complaints from NHTSA data
Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
Owner Complaints (13)
While driving on the highway, your moonroof suddenly shattered without any apparent impact or visible cracks beforehand. There was no indication of anything hitting the glass. The moonroof will likely need to be replaced.
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Your windshield developed a crack on its own without any impact, appearing to be a stress crack. You were told by Subaru when you purchased the car that they had fixed a previous windshield cracking issue, but your dealer is denying this lawsuit existed and refusing to repair or replace your windshield. This may require escalation to Subaru corporate or legal action to address the defect.
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Your infotainment system displays pop-up advertisements for SiriusXM satellite radio while you're driving, which blocks important vehicle information and controls from view. This distraction makes it harder to access essential driving features safely while the car is in motion. Dealers have confirmed this is a widespread issue affecting multiple vehicles.
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While driving, a pop-up ad for Sirius XM satellite radio appears on your infotainment screen and blocks access to all vehicle controls displayed there — including safety features, automatic braking, and driving assistance settings. Because your car's navigation, maps, and critical safety controls are managed through this display, the pop-up ad prevents you from adjusting these features without first dismissing the advertisement. Fixing this would likely require a software update to prevent ads from appearing while the vehicle is in motion or to allow controls to remain accessible behind pop-ups.
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Your infotainment system is showing satellite radio advertisements that automatically pop up and take over the screen while you're driving, forcing you to tap a button to dismiss them. This interrupts your attention from the road and requires you to interact with the system while the car is moving, creating a distraction and safety concern. The fix would involve a software update to disable auto-playing ads while driving or add an opt-out setting.
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Your 4-month-old Outback has developed a chip in the front windshield that has grown into a crack. You're concerned the windshield material may be defective since it cracked easily, and you worry this could become a safety hazard if left unrepaired.
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You're unable to find the Driver Monitoring System option in your vehicle's screen menu, even though you believe the feature should be available based on your manual documentation. You've also noticed other unexplained changes in the display that you find difficult to document. A Subaru dealer should investigate whether the Driver Monitoring System feature is properly enabled in your infotainment system settings or if a software update is needed to restore it.
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Windshield crack suddenly appeared without any known outside trauma (i.e., rock hitting windshield). The crack goes from the base of the windshield next to the wiper blade motor and stretches >10 inches across the bottom. This crack at base wiper bade motor area on left side of front windshield appears to be the same place as the class action settlement that Subaru was forced to pay out. My 2025 Subaru outback has just over 4K miles on it. the repairs by Subaru are $1678. I am the nearly exclusive driver of the car an there has been no accidents or trauma that I think could have possibly caused this defect. I submit this is a defect in the Subaru outback window design or manufacture.
Both wired and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is abysmal at best. It gets disconnected and starts to reconnect for no reason whatsoever, even when connected through USB C. Tried with both USB ports, same thing. On top of the problem, the android auto randomly starts to play music on its own. The screen is useless and unresponsive at these times. Therefore, I cannot even switch to built-in navigation. What a mess!
The wireless CarPlay continuously disconnects and reconnects on its own. It is possible to inspect it upon request. This issue has been persistent since I purchased the car however it’s random in the times it disconnects, and sometimes it doesn’t reconnect at all. The dealership has informed me that this is an issue with Subaru cars with wireless CarPlay. It has been recalled and supposedly the issue was resolved when I had it repaired at the dealership, however it has continued to have the same issue. It is a safety concern to me because I no longer am able to connect and see my map on the screen while driving, which in turn will force me to have to use the maps on my phone. I have to hold my phone and continuously look down to follow the navigation information which is dangerous to myself and other cars driving around me.
Driving on the freeway at 65 mph, my sunroof spontaneously exploded. The car is less than one month old and no debris whatsoever hit the car prior to the sunroof exploding. It was a sunny day, about 85 degrees and the freeway traffic was light. There were no cars or trucks directly in front of me at the time. There was a loud boom and then glass rained down on the roof of the car. Glass also flew off the top of the car and into the road behind me, endangering other drivers. I had to hold the fabric sunroof cover closed with one hand while driving with the other hand. As I was driving on the freeway, I had to drive a few miles to get to a safe spot, while trying to keep the sunroof cover closed so that the rest of the glass did not hit my child and I. When we pulled over, the remaining glass appeared to be pushed upward as if the force came from inside the car. I am absolutely certain that nothing hit the car at any point prior to the glass exploding. This seems to have happend out of the blue and there were no warning sounds or signals at all. I have never opened the sunroof, as this is a brand new car. I called Subaru America and they told me this would be covered under warranty and the local dealership has ordered a new sunroof. Thank you.
We bought the car in January . When going through our regular car wash, we heard a boom on the roof. We looked and saw no damage. Went through again last week and heard it again. We expressed our concern to the manager who sat in the back as we went through again. She held her hand on the roof as it went through the drying cycle and felt it cave in and pop out. She said this has happened before with certain Chevy models and a recall was put in. (GM Has A Fix For Colorado And Canyon Roofs Dented By Car Washes). We contacted the Subaru customer service ( as told by our dealership). They said it is under warranty, if something happens. Even after I said it could be a safety concern if the car flipped or something fell on the roof, they said there is nothing they could do. The dealership said we could contact NHTSA. I am hoping that you could determine if this is a safety concern , Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Three primary issues of major concern on this vehicle: 1. Phantom emergency - braking at random, both low and high speeds. The most dangerous of the three. 2. Lane keep assist - unaware or unable to compensate for real driving conditions, construction areas, pedestrians walking a dog, heavy machinery on a semi-truck as examples. 3. Infotainment blinding - A large, HIGH GLOSS screen at a 45-degree angle, placing it in the direct reflective angle of three windows: Sunroof, passenger front, passenger rear. Absolutely blinding even with sunglasses on during the right time of day. The Sunroof can be pulled closed with a shade but the other two will still cause complete blinding. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? 1. Emergency braking at slow speeds is annoying for sure, but it has also occurred at 65MPH and almost caused an accident had the nice lady behind not forced herself off the road to compensate. It braked for no reason (Rain? Splash? Not sure) and nearly caused an entire row of cars to crash into me. 2. Lane keep is highly problematic because it simply doesn’t know really what it’s doing or aware of surroundings. Per the above, examples had I NOT intervened: it would have happily crashed me into concrete following the wrong lines in construction areas, run a woman’s dog over as we tried to cross the lines to give passing space. 3. The screen is set up so that it is directly in line to reflect the sun at different points in the day. When I say blinding, I mean REALLY blinding (It’s the SUN after all). You lose visibility on the road and become a danger to yourself and others. We carry a towel to toss over it during certain points in the day, it’s that bad. I have more detailed information, but the character limit is low on this form. Contact me if you want more.