The Japanese manufacturers have been known to make reliable and easy-to-maintain cars which is why a lot of people on a budget prefer them. However, with almost 190,000 sales figure for the 2017 Subaru Outback, many owners have registered complaints and reported various problems with respect to mechanical, electrical, exterior and safety categories in this rugged wagon. The 2017 Outback received a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA.
The 2017 Subaru Outback recalls are not very high, four in total. However, a massive 849 official complaints with the majority of the users facing electrical issues pertaining to the battery of the car and mechanical issues make it a mixed bag. It competes with the likes of the Ford Escape, the Mazda CX-5, and the Honda CR-V to attract buyers.
2017 Subaru Outback Problems and User Complaints
Electrical Problem
- Battery – The most common issue that the majority of the owners have been facing is that the battery drains so quickly on the Outback. The owners had to jumpstart the car frequently to continue the drive while others got the battery replaced but that did not solve the issue. This also led to the malfunctioning of all the electronics in the car including the sensors and instrument clusters. Upon research, it was found that the 2017 Outback was equipped with an underpowered battery that is not capable of powering up the car when turned off. There has also been a lawsuit filed against Subaru for the same issue which was tried to be dismissed but they failed to do so. Unfortunately, there haven’t been any recalls regarding the battery so far.
- Wiring – The check engine light flashed all of a sudden and when the car was diagnosed, it was found that it was happening due to damaged wiring which was caused by rodents chewing on the soy-based covering on the wires.
- Back over prevention – The reversing sensor in this car was found to be too sensitive and even a slight uneven patch on the path behind the car will alert the system to slam the brakes hard.
- Key – The key was found to be stuck in the ignition after putting the car to park and turning the car off. The dealers explained that the key release is a solenoid activated by a switch in the shifter and that the switch is either going bad or dust particles are preventing the switch from being hit when shifting to park.
- Forward collision avoidance – The contact stated that they got involved in an accident but the forward-collision warnings never beeped or the emergency braking never engaged and it was found that the weak battery disengaged the function.
- Fuel gauge – The reading on the fuel gauge was misinterpreted and in many cases, the car was stranded due to an empty gas tank as the remaining range still displayed to be around 30-40 miles. The gauge was also said to not register a full tank after filling it completely.
Mechanical Problems
- Powertrain – The car was being parked in the garage when suddenly the car accelerated and crashed into the garage wall. The fact that this happened when the shifter was in park is shocking and the dealers stated that this can be due to a powertrain module malfunction due to which the brake override system failed to override unintended acceleration.
- Engine – Owners claimed to hear a loud noise coming from the engine bay while driving and the drive started getting sluggish. The dealers stated that it could be due to damaged wiring but it wasn’t fixed under warranty and the owners had to pay for it.
- Transmission – The vehicle failed to move with pace while the RPM increased and the dealers suspected a low transmission fluid or a faulty torque converter to be the cause for this issue. The transmission also distributed fluctuating power to each wheel causing an imbalance in the drive.
Safety Problems
- Seatbelt – The seatbelts failed to retract back all the way which left them hanging when not in use. The dealers inspected and found that the belt tends to twist leaving it jammed halfway.
- Airbag – The passenger side airbag light is always glowing and doesn’t matter if the seat is empty or occupied. The dealers found that the airbag control unit had failed and that a replacement would cost $1,600 because even the passenger side airbags would need replacement along with the module. Another similar issue was found where the airbags failed to deploy due to the faulty circuit board.
Exterior Problems
- Headlights – Users stated that the headlights were pointed dangerously low which barely illuminated the road ahead. The drivers had to be very careful as they barely got any reaction time to maneuver as the illumination distance was very limited.
- Windshield – The windshield was reported to crack for no reason when driving and this is allegedly because of the deicer creating a condition that makes the glass susceptible to cracking even after a minor impact from stone chippings.
2017 Subaru Outback recalls
|
S. No. |
Date |
NHTSA ID |
Issues Noticed |
Additional Remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
December 19, 2019 |
19V910000 |
Airbag control module incompatible with airbag |
In the event of a crash, due to the module incompatibility, the airbag may not deploy |
The passenger airbag module will be replaced. |
|
2 |
October 6, 2016 |
16V716000 |
Improperly aligned knee guard bracket |
This can result in the driver not being restrained correctly in the event of a crash |
The knee guard welding will be inspected and replacing the beam as necessary |
|
3 |
August 3, 2016 |
16V576000 |
Loose bolts may affect braking and handling |
Affected vehicles may have improperly tightened attaching bolts on the front brake assembly. This can reduce the braking performance. |
The bolts will be inspected for the right torque and the loose ones will be replaced. |
|
4 |
May 11, 2016 |
16V292000 |
Loss of steering ability |
Improperly machined steering column may result in having no ability to change the directions |
The steering columns will be replaced for the affected vehicles. |
Should you buy the 2017 Subaru Outback?
It is evident that the Subaru Outback has a series of issues, but some of them have been addressed and fixed through recalls. The 2017 Subaru Outback reliability score of 80/100 is average, while an overall score of 82/100 in the J.D. Power Consumer Rating is good. The majority of the issues with this car are related to its battery, and there have been users who have replaced the OEM battery with a bigger and more powerful unit.
Most of them have confirmed that the issues were fixed. We highly recommend buying this car; however, if the battery performance seems poor, replace it with a bigger aftermarket battery. Also, there is one open investigation for dessicated air bag inflator rupture, which needs to be looked into carefully. Though the problems with the 2017 Subaru Outback are not exactly troublesome, it's better to opt for the 2019 and above model years only.
