2021 Subaru Outback: What to check before buying

Windshields crack with no impact or from a tiny chip, often with an audible pop, while parked, idling or driving. Cracks usually start near the bottom edge and spread a foot or more within minutes or overnight, and heat makes them grow. Most reports come in under 6,000 miles. Repeat failures are common, with some owners on a third windshield. A crack in front of the EyeSight camera can disable the safety features. Dealers often blame rock chips and refuse warranty coverage.

Windshields crack without impact or after a minor strike, then spread quickly. One reached about 3 feet overnight. Reported mileages run from 150 to about 23,000, and several are under 3,000. Owners often go through more than one windshield, and some report three. Dealers usually blame a rock or an unknown object and sometimes deny warranty claims. One dealer pointed to thin factory glass. Owners say the cracks block their view while driving. One owner linked the problem to recall 22V712000, but that VIN was not included.

Batteries go dead after the car sits a few days, often in the first few thousand miles, so owners need jump starts or tows. The infotainment screen also blacks out and reboots while driving. When it does, EyeSight, adaptive cruise, the backup camera and climate control can drop out, and dealers often cannot reproduce the fault. At higher mileage, a failed thermo control valve sets code P2682, and in one case the engine lost power at highway speed. Two crash reports describe sudden acceleration in parking lots. One parked car caught fire and was a total loss.

Most complaints concern recall 24V227000. Dealers say the repair part is not yet available, and owners call the wait unreasonable. Most of these owners have had no failure, though some have the air bag warning light on, one at about 29,000 miles. Separately, the front passenger sensor sometimes misses adults of roughly 95 to 100 pounds and switches the passenger air bag off. One owner has a B1784 sensor code, but the recall does not cover that car's VIN.

The car lurches, jerks or shifts unexpectedly in several reports. In one crash report, the idling car lurched forward twice at a red light and hit the vehicle ahead. Others say the engine restart after an auto start-stop shutoff jolts the car and pulls the steering wheel, or that the transmission drops to 1st or 2nd while in Drive. Individual reports cover a $1800 thermo control valve repair, wheel bearings failing at 55k miles and a car found idling all night. One owner is waiting for parts for recall 23V755000.

A failed thermo control valve sets code P2682 and turns on the check engine light. It can also disable adaptive cruise, lane departure warning and the heater, and in one case the engine lost power at 3500 rpm. Reported mileages include 25K, 57,000 and 74,000. Owners cite TSB 09-80-21R and a redesigned valve. Separate reports describe the car accelerating with the brake pressed at low speed, hitting a curb in one case and a railing in a crash. Cruise control also cuts out when the navigation screen reboots.

Automatic emergency braking engages with no real threat, which raises the risk of being rear-ended. Owners report it in curves, on wet roads, for cars in an adjacent lane and once at 60 mph. Infotainment crashes also knock EyeSight and cruise control offline at highway speed, so the car slows before the driver notices. Dealers often cannot duplicate the problem, and one recommended recalibrating the camera. One report describes a sudden loss of power at 68 mph, followed by the parking brake engaging on its own.

The glass sunroof shatters with a loud bang while driving, with no sign that anything hit it. One owner swerved into the next lane in shock. One case happened at 24,100 miles. In heavy rain, water leaks into the driver's side wheel well, and repeated dealer visits to replace seals have not fixed it. Other reports cover windshields cracking without impact and the key fob opening the trunk from a pocket while the car is parked and locked.

The car accelerates on its own at parking-lot speed while the driver is braking. In a crash report, the car drove into a building and pre-collision braking did not engage. Another car jumped a curb. On an XT, the engine stopped responding to the gas pedal at 65 mph and slowed below 30 in heavy freeway traffic, then recovered and failed again minutes later. The dealer could not duplicate the problem.