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ProblemsByVin Index / 2010-SUBARU-OUTBACK / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2010 Subaru Outback owner complaints

359 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 1 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

powertrain 5 complaints shown

86 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain cluster analysis →
12/27/2018 110,000 mi ODI #11163750.0

CVT transmission shudders & stalls after braking while in motion due to torque converter failure. Upon stopping at stop sign, slowing down to make turn, or starting from a stopped position the vehicle shudders then drifts into intersection and stalls while facing oncoming traffic. Failure of torque converter while at intersections is dangerous and frightening. Subaru refuses to assist in cost of significant repair as it was diagnosed 3 weeks out of warranty despite their pledge to customer satisfaction. This issue should be strongly considered for a recall as a known safety issue to Subaru.

12/23/2009 3,860 mi ODI #10296822.0

2010 Subaru outback, 3750 miles. Took to the dealer when rattling noise seem to come from instrument cluster. Dealer had it for a week. Dealer service isolated the noise as coming from Subaru new transmission. They called the company rep in southern calif. Who instructed the dealer to put the car back together and stated the problem is known, and no fix is available. Since than I also noticed that when the car is almost in idle, creeping into parking spot, the car jerked forward, and was able to stop it before hitting the car next to me too hard. It is very disturbing to me and I am driving this new car with very little confidence now. *tr

12/14/2017 ODI #11054767.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Subaru outback. While driving 25 MPH, the engine stalled while approaching a stop light. The contact applied the brakes and the vehicle stopped. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and reverse out of traffic. The contact drove the vehicle to the dealer (john howard Subaru, 1730 mileground rd, morgantown, wv 26505) where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. The dealer stated that the vehicle could be repaired under the warranty extension. The next day, the dealer called and stated that since the vehicle had a new title, it no longer could be repaired under the warranty extension. The manufacturer was notified at 1-800-782-2783 and did not assist. The failure mileage was unknown. *tt updated 8/22/18*jb

12/14/2017 94,000 mi ODI #11054805.0

Car has stalled unexpectedly while driving straight at slow speeds, 4 times over the past year. It shudders, then stalls completely. Restarting immediately has caused another stall when shifting from park to drive. Waiting several minutes has allowed a normal start, although twice this has happened in dangerous, high-traffic spots without an easy shoulder to pull on to.

12/13/2021 ODI #11443595.0

CVT was given a warranty extension. Subaru is aware that this is a KNOWN issue, otherwise they would not have given a warranty extension. A loud squealing occurs and a the RPMs increase when driving. This occurs in slower speed areas as well as on the highway. This is a dangerous problem as the transmission could give out while driving on the highway or interstate. The driver would then be forced to slow to a lower mph and possibly cause an accident. Since this is a known problem with this year, a recall should be given for Subaru to repair this CVT problem in all models. At the very least, if a person calls in to have this problem resolved, they should repair the problem since it's a known issue.

lighting 3 complaints shown

28 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $250 · see lighting cluster analysis →
12/28/2009 ODI #10297222.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Subaru outback. The headlights fail while driving without warning. When the he headlights are operative, they poorly project light onto the road-way. As a consequence she cannot see signs, parked vehicles and pedestrians. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The technician stated that the low beams were hitting the bulbs for the headlights. The vehicle will be repaired at the dealers expense. The failure mileage was 5. The current mileage was 396.

12/26/2022 ODI #11498844.0

This is not about my car, but instead many different cars. When a cars lights are set to it's parking lights or running lights position, often located on the turn signal stalk, at night it appears to the driver that their headlights are on, when in fact only the "parking lights are on in front. This is a problem, but not what I'm reporting. When in the parking light position (at night), it appears the headlights are on because there's some light out front AND the instrument cluster is lit up as well. Here's the defect in design, the brake lights are NOT on, completely dark at the rear of the vehicle, so drivers are driving on the highway thinking their headlights and brakes lights are on, when they're not. When the parking light position is active, it should include the brake lights. Can't

12/13/2018 148,000 mi ODI #11161225.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Subaru outback. On several occasions, while the vehicle was being driven, the low beam headlamps failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to schlossmann Subaru city of milwaukee (located at 4640 s 27th st, milwaukee, wi 53221, (414) 459-3677) to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 148,000.

electrical 2 complaints shown

27 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
12/31/2013 30,000 mi ODI #10558002.0

Headlights burn out in tandem. The first occurrence was in 2012. It happened again almost exactly one year later. Headlights shouldn't burn out after less than one year of regular use. There are few miles on this vehicle and it does not have excessive use (either night driving or leaving the headlights on during regular use). My mechanic feels this is a sign of a larger issue and it looks like it's fairly widespread. My mechanic also verified with a Subaru mechanic there is no difference between bulbs supplied by his shop and a Subaru dealership. They are both phillips bulbs. *tr

12/12/2020 105,000 mi ODI #11383179.0

While driving all the warning lights on the dash lit up. Brake, skid control, cruise control and check engine. This happened during the summer and I stopped at a repair shop and they reset the computer and it worked fine until today. I googled this problem and seems many other Subaru owners are having the same problem. Seems dealers have many expensive repairs but even after repairs, owners are still having the same problems. I just returned my care twice for a recall on the airbags. This seems to be a reoccurring problem with subarus.

steering 2 complaints shown

41 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $700 · see steering cluster analysis →
12/30/2010 9,500 mi ODI #10373404.0

2010 Subaru outback 2.5. 9.5k at speeds above approximately 65mph sever vibration of steering wheel (steering wheel deflection about 1/8 inch back and forth). Speedometer hand seemed to vibrate - but could have been hands, arms, head, eyes absorbing the rapid wheel vibration). Never happened on infrequent high speed road trips. Could not have been not felt. Dealer did road force test on the original continental brand powers. Two failed and replaced. Failed tires where in diagonal positions. Asked manager about the other two tires - he said tires were either good or bad. Not consistent with my experience. Did not have vibration well into the mileage for the year. So tires could not have been bad at the beginning or it was not just the tires. *tr

12/13/2016 76,415 mi ODI #10935133.0

Power steering failed while backing up slowly on a city street. Hydraulic line corroded and broke.

brakes 2 complaints shown

27 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $450 · see brakes cluster analysis →
12/29/2020 143,200 mi ODI #11385423.0

I lost the brakes going down our steep driveway into the private road. We discovered that the brake fluid reservoir was empty. When my husband removed the plastic fuel tank cover to check for a leak, he discovered that the hard brake lines were heavily corroded right around the brake line junction box, similar to the 2005-2009 outbacks. The car had one owner before us, in massachusetts. We are in maine. .

12/07/2018 129,204 mi ODI #11156857.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Subaru outback. While driving various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to restart and drive normally, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact called heritage Subaru catonsville at (844) 224-1954 (located at 6624 baltimore national pike, catonsville, md 21228) and was informed to schedule a diagnostic appointment. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 129,204. *dt consumer stated dealer

airbags 2 complaints shown

42 total in this category · severe · avg repair $1,100 · see airbags cluster analysis →
12/29/2016 ODI #10938632.0

Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2010 Subaru outback. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v358000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

12/09/2016 ODI #10934113.0

Takata inflators... It's been 6 months since I received the letter regarding the faulty airbags and according to the Subaru dealer, the parts are still not in.

cruise control 2 complaints shown

8 total in this category · severe · avg repair $600 · see cruise control cluster analysis →
12/07/2017 49,600 mi Crash ODI #11053357.0

Car in park , ignition off. Entered car and started to move car approximately 30-25' to park in front of garage. Steel garage door down. Proceeded to garage door 1-2 MPH with foot on break. Car accelerated at high speed and could not stop or slow down car and it crashed through garage door and was stoped by boxes at back of garage. Acceleration sudden and high with no indication of why. Car damaged due to debris from fragments of steel door mostly on top and front and driver side of car. Airbag did not deploy. Car in my driveway at time of accident. Mechanic unable to determine cause. Records available.

12/06/2012 73,386 mi ODI #10487604.0

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Subaru outback. The contact stated that the brakes were released and the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The contact was able to stop the rapid acceleration by applying the brakes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they advised that they could not diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 73,386.

tires 1 complaint shown

12/17/2013 64,030 mi ODI #10556425.0

Contipro contact 225/60r17 tires were mounted as replacements 11/17/13. Tires were rotated and maintained by dealer on a regular basis. Primarily highway/city driving. I have not hit any fod or potholes - there has been no unusual trauma to the tires. After 13 months, 18k miles, the left front tire's inner sidewall suffered a catastrophic failure. Continental refused to pro-rate or make any adjustment for the premature demise of this tire. Because the car is AWD, I was forced to purchase 4 new tires. I believe there is a manufacturing defect in this brand/model of tire. Luckily, I was only driving 25 MPH when the tire failed. I have now researched and discovered that there are multiple reports of this type of tire failure for contipro contact 225/60r17. One report indicates that

Showing 300 of 359 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2010/Subaru/Outback#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-14. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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