2011 Subaru Outback Power Train Problems
- 145
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 145 stored complaint records:
- 3 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- torque converter · 48 records
- coming stop · 24 records
- stalls coming · 14 records
- extended warranty · 11 records
- service bulletin · 8 records
- valve body · 8 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 74 |
| 60–100k mi | 34 |
| 150–400k mi | 13 |
| 1–30k mi | 8 |
| 30–60k mi | 7 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Power Train
Subaru has a known technical service bulletin 16-90-13r that identifies an issue the the torque converter that is causing subaru vehicles to stall when breaking. This is a safety issue that must be fixed in order to avoid accidents while driving. Despite being a known safety issue, subaru has not issued a recall. Rather subaru owners are left to pay the $1500 cost of correcting the torque converter issue. My 2011…
ODI 10924661
Power Train
Engine stalls when the car comes to a quick stop. Similar to when you fail to push in the clutch on a standard transmission, but in this case, this is car has an automatic transmission.
ODI 10968602
Power Train
My 2011 outback has recently started stalling out at stop signs. It will stall 5 times in 2 miles. It starts right back up but will stall again at the next light or stop sign (local streets). Apparently subaru has a service bulletin 16-90-13r that indicates this problem is a poor design of the torque converter. I've read many similar accounts on line. Subaru should issue a recall. It's an expense repair and a safety…
ODI 10919729
Power Train
Stalls when stopping or idling. Stops in intersections and coming to stops.
ODI 10925128
Engine · Power Train
Began noticing vehicle shuddering and quitting or almost quitting when coming to a stop. Has continued to do this for months now and seems to be getting worse. Took it to dealer and it was diagnosed at torque converter sticking after several tests. Referenced to subaru tsb no. 16-101-16. Dangerous design flaw as it can leave you without power after coming to an abrupt stop such as braking to avoid hitting a stopped…
ODI 10925507
Power Train · Service Brakes
While driving, if you have to stop quickly and step on the brakes hard the car engine stalls. This puts the car in jeopardy of being hit from behind and injury to the passengers. This has happened multiple times over the past couple of months at various speeds - both low speed and highway speed.
ODI 10903420
Power Train
Car stalls to complete stop motor stops and car is dead leaving my wife and 3 year old in the middle of an intersection for cars to nearly hit till she puts it in park to restart car i have read, it is the tork converter it needs to be recalled as a safety concern !!!!!
ODI 10871348
Power Train
Vehicle intermittently shudders and stalls when coming to full stop, requiring shift to park or neutral to restart. Frequency of occurrence is rapidly increasing. Dealer cited service bulletin 16-90-13r and replacement of the torque converter is necessary to correct the problem.
ODI 10865005
Power Train
Vehicle stalled on inclines when brakes were applied creating a very dangers situation. Dealer sighted service bulletin 16-90-13r for design change to the cvt torque converter but would not absorb total cost of repair since car has 107102 miles and out of warrantee. This situation should create a product recall before someone is seriously injured.
ODI 10854122
Power Train
Vehicle unexpectedly stalls when coming to rapid stop such as at a traffic light resulting in a hazardous situation.
ODI 10919237
Power Train
While driving to approach a stop the car studders, begins to loose engine power and stalls. It then requires that the car must be placed in 'park', the key turned to the 'off' position and then restarted.
ODI 10850653
Engine · Power Train
Service bulletin # 16-90-13 car stalls when coming to a stop. This happens in traffic at stop lights anywhere i need to make a hard stop. This is very dangerous and it would appear this is a major issue for many owners. This should be a recall not just a service bullitin
ODI 10824686
Power Train
Vehicle shudders and stalls out when coming to a stop and/or slowing down. The vehicle must be put back into park and restarted before it will move. This happened to me four times today. This poses an incredibly dangerous threat to anyone in this vehicle or around this vehicle while in traffic. Anyone in this vehicle is a sitting duck for an accident because you never know when it will stall out. I am appalled at…
ODI 10820046
Power Train
Vehicle stalls when braking hard when coming to a stop.
ODI 10817163
Power Train
My outback is stalling at red lights and sudden stops. Took to dealership and they said the torque converter is failing. They said subaru is aware of the problem. This needs to be recalled due to a safety issue. There are many who are having this problem.
ODI 10818177
Power Train
The car is stalling out when the brakes are applied as this happens every time i come to a stop. I have to put the car in park in the middle of traffic to restart it. This is extremely dangerous and creates a public hazard. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed asap before someone gets killed. I brought the car to the dealer as soon as this happened and they told me the vehicle needs a new torque…
ODI 10809126
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Power Train
Ascended steep hill and stopped at stop sign. Processed to drive through intersection uphill. All lights on dash began to flicker on and off and car stalled out going down the road. After this occurred, i lost all electrical functions of car. I was not able to restart car, place car into park, apply emergency brake, turn on hazard lights, and the power brakes and steering were not present. I spent 5-7 minutes trying…
Fire reported
ODI 10837474
Power Train
Car has a continuously variable transmission. The torque converter will not disengage when car comes to a hard stop. This causes engine to die. This can be dangerous in heavy traffic. Subaru is aware of problem. Subaru issued technical service bulletin 16-90-13r to specifically address this issue. Problem is, my car was well out of warranty before this issue could be identified. It is an expensive transmission…
ODI 10781233
Air Bags · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. While attempting to park, the contact forgot to shift the lever into the park position but was able to turn the vehicle off. As a result, the vehicle rolled away and crashed into a gate. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was notified of the issue and stated that the…
Crash reported
ODI 10766530
Power Train
Very low engine rpm when coming to a stop.it, once in a while with a/c running, killed the engine while at traffic light. It certainly is scary to almost having an accident because of it. Performed recommended maintenance by the dealership (trans fluid replacement, new spark plugs, new air filter), however, it didn't fix this very low idle issue.
ODI 11004632
Electrical System · Power Train
Driving on highway at approx. 65 miles per hour. Heard loud clicking and engine lost power. I was just able to get off the highway without being hit by others. There was no warning lights or anything before this happened. The car has received regular checkups/oil changes and was not due for another oil change yet.
ODI 10717067
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. While slowing down to make a turn, there was an abnormal noise coming from the front of the vehicle without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 10v326000 (power train). The…
ODI 10712580
Power Train
My car stalls regularly when braking quickly, like when someone stops suddenly in front of me. It also stalls while applying the brake to stop at a light on a hill. This fault has placed me in several hazardous situations, including stalling on railroad tracks, and in busy intersections. When i first complained about it two years ago, subaru told me that it was an oxygen/fuel mixture issue and wanted to charge me…
ODI 10968205
Power Train
About 1 month ago my car began to stall when coming to a stop ie at an intersection or stop sign. The car just shudders and dies. It will start back up. The problem got worse, happening 1-2 times per day. After searching the internet, i found a subaru service bulletin #16-90-13 design change to lock-up type torque converter linked to a description of an issue like this. When i brought my car in for service i…
ODI 10702658
Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
At a hard, fast brake to avoid traffic congestion on the freeway, the car stalled and died. It lost all power and had to be restarted. A faulty torque converter is the culprit. The torque converter failure in the subaru (not just outbacks) has been shown to result in a sudden loss of power / stalled engine, which can endanger the driver and other drivers. *tr
ODI 10678290