Defective windshields, Starlink and Eyesight issues are among the top complaints
The Subaru Outback has been going strong for decades. But the 2023 model started off at a distinct disadvantage, with the manufacturer issuing a stop sale due to a malfunctioning SOS button almost as soon as it hit the roads. Owners are complaining that safety and security functionality in general is defective. This model has also inherited cracking windshield issues that are so prevalent with previous models.
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The main problems 2023 Subaru Outback Owners are complaining about relate to Subaru Starlink and EyeSight Driver Assist Technology
Subaru Starlink is what the automaker says is the best multimedia system designed to keep drivers connected and secure. It comprises a suite of onboard technology that “brings multimedia content, smartphone connectivity, seamless navigation, extra safety, and everyday convenience” to the Outback and other Subaru vehicles.
There is a software issue that affects Starlink in the Outback, as well as a hardware issue that prompted a stop-sale order in September 2022. The hardware issue isn’t regarded as a recall, but it has had huge repercussions, particularly with customers who had paid a deposit before the stop-sale order.
Eyesight Driver Technology is the company’s advanced driver-assist system that uses dual color cameras to monitor traffic movement, optimize cruise control, and warn drivers of potential dangers. It includes features such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and pre-collision braking to enhance safety and reduce the likelihood of accidents.
Both features predominate complaints that have been lodged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the 2023 model year. While Starlink is featured as being primarily an electrical system problem, EyeSight is reported as an electrical and forward collision avoidance issue. The other major problem is the seemingly never-ending problem of windshields that crack with no impact. There are also complaints about sunroofs (or moonroofs) that shatter or explode. However, the volume of the complaints is not as great as cracking windshields. These are listed as visibility, visibility/wiper, or unknown or other problems.
Other components and systems regarded by owners as being problematic include airbags, brakes, exterior lighting, fuel/propulsion system, lane departure, latches/locks/linkages, powertrain, seats, steering, structure, tires, and vehicle speed control.
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| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Power Train | |
| Visibility:windshield |
Despite a relatively small number of consumer complaints about the Outback powertrain, there are two recalls that highlight powertrain malfunctions.
NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V647000, announced on September 21, 2023, warns that 4,311 Subaru vehicles, including the 2023 Outback, have center support bolts for the driveshaft that may loosen. If this happens, the front end of the driveshaft may separate, increasing the risk of a crash.
NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V755000, announced on November 9, 2023, warns that 95,830 Subaru vehicles are thought to have a weld that was not welded sufficiently. The result is that water could seep into the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail. This could prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Even though nobody has complained to the NHTSA about the stop-sale order, we’re going to look at this first. Then we’ll share complaints made by owners to the NHTSA.
Conversations about the September 2022 stop-sale order on the 2023 Subaru Outback are all over the internet. It was a major issue at the time, with the deposits people had paid being on hold causing a lot of anger.According to Alex Prestigiacomo, who works at Bachman Subaru in Louisville, Kentucky, a bulletin was sent to dealerships on September 26, 2022, announcing the stop-sale order. It involves the SOS button in some models of the Outback and Legacy. The base model Outback is not affected. In a nutshell, the SOS button doesn’t make a connection when pressed, which is a major safety issue in any emergency situation.
Prestigiacomo is one of many people who ordered a 2023 Outback but couldn’t take it home when it was delivered to his dealership (where he works). He also had to explain this issue to customers he had sold the Outback – a problem he shares in a YouTube video.
In the video dated October 7, 2022, he says that the bulletin stated Subaru expected to have a fix within 10 days of the stop-sale announcement (ie October 6), which, of course, they didn’t. At the time, he was hoping they would have a fix by the end of October. Which also didn’t happen.
While Prestigiacomo doesn’t say the customers he sold 2023 Outbacks to are frustrated or angry, clearly, some are.
Responding to an article on Torque News:
Gail Farley wrote on October 22, 2022: “As of Oct 21 I was told that the correct hardware might take 2 months to arrive! I am moving out of state in 5 days and depending on this new car. I am plenty mad and will never trust Subaru again. I have owned five, but next time it is a Ford I am buying!”
Dawn White wrote on November 11, 2022: “I literally just bought one and paid it straight off with no payments on the 2023 Outback Touring XT. I wasn’t told about this issue!”
A member of a Subaru forum who doesn’t seem particularly angry, shares that on December 5, 2022, the DCM module to update the problem still isn’t available. “Anyone else still waiting for your DCM module?”
Filed as an electrical fault, the very first complaint made to the NHTSA about the 2023 Outback was from an owner in Idaho on October 5, 2022. The SUV had only about 300 miles on the clock when he noticed that safety alerts weren’t working. Those he mentions in the complaint are the diagnostic alert, the automatic collision alert to emergency services, the SOS emergency alert, remote services, the stolen vehicle recovery alert, and the roadside assistance alert. The multimedia features were also inoperable.
An owner from North Carolina took his 2023 Subaru Outback back to the dealer the day after he purchased it. When the sales department looked at the issue, “I was told that the software update hasn’t been sent to the car yet and to give it until Monday 10/31/2022 to upload.” When that didn’t happen, he spoke to a representative from Starlink who suggested he go to another dealer. “The dealer then stated to give it a couple (of) weeks to see if the update comes through.” This implies that dealers were (are) getting the update at different times. There is no feedback on the outcome of this complaint.
A much more recent complaint, filed in July 2024, states that the Starlink head unit/infotainment system freezes. There are also “major system lags, ghost input (buttons pressed without user input), radio cut outs, and delayed system startup and operation). Delay/lag issues are experienced daily and other issues occasionally occur.”
Sometimes Starlink malfunctions are more serious. For example, an owner from Idaho states that while driving on a state highway he hit a deer. The front end of the Outback was pushed in to such an extent that he was unable to open the doors. However, the airbags were deployed, which should have alerted emergency services, but didn’t.
The owner states that he paid extra for Subaru Starlink emergency services when he purchased the car. “They had guaranteed that in any accident, anywhere, if the airbags deployed Starlink would contact all emergency services so that ambulances and police would come to the scene of the accident. The Starlink services did not work and I was forced to get out and walk until I was picked up by a passerby to take me to a spot where I would have cell service. If I had sustained serious injuries I would have been in serious trouble.”
Clearly a major forward collision avoidance issue, when the EyeSight system malfunctions or becomes disabled, drivers lose access to its advanced safety features. These include adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, and pre-collision braking. This can result in a sudden deactivation of these systems, potentially leading to unexpected driving conditions and increased reliance on manual control. Numerous complaints to the NHTSA highlight concerns about these malfunctions, emphasizing the importance of addressing these issues promptly to maintain vehicle safety.
An owner from California states that the “EyeSight system on my 2023 Subaru Outback will suddenly stop working. It will go out in all conditions, mornings, afternoons and evenings. Sometimes it will go out for a minute or two. Other times it will be out for hours. Since the feature is involved with automatic braking, this poses a safety hazard if there is any kind of driver distraction that occurs, even if it is from an external source like another vehicle.”
Another owner from California complained after his Outback had been with the dealership for 45 days. Having purchased the vehicle brand new, less than three weeks later, EyeSight began to disable itself. The infotainment system wasn’t working properly either. However, they stated that the backup camera was on backorder, so there wasn’t anything they could do.
This owner indicated how it affects cruise control. “The other issue is that the EyeSight function, which is necessary for cruise control, goes out often and completely malfunctions in head-on strong sunlight, which is often in Southern California.”
An owner from Maryland states that the entire infotainment system, including the EyeSight sensors, regularly shut off, or won’t turn on upon vehicle start. It also happens to the radio and other parts of the infotainment system.
An owner from Pennsylvania complained to the dealership about forward collision warnings that were flashing lights and slamming on the brakes. Seat belts were also affected. “There was nothing in front of me! Twice I was in a local construction zone with cars right behind me and was nearly rear-ended!” The dealer took the vehicle for a test drive and found nothing wrong with EyeSight. The owner contacted Customer Care and was told that “unless it could be collaborated by their mechanics, there was nothing they could do!”
Problems with Subaru Outback windshields cracking just don’t seem to stop. There are well over 100 complaints about the 2022 Outback windshields cracking. Clearly, the 2023 model year is also affected, with complaints spanning two years, from November 2022 through 2024. Many complaints maintain it is a common issue that is a recognized fault.
For instance, “I have had several times where tiny road pebbles have kicked up hitting the windshield and have caused cracks. There is now also a crack forming where there has not been any impact. I have never had a windshield that has been as fragile as this one. It seems to be a manufacturing issue with the windshield. Based on research online, it appears (that) this is a known issue.”
The owner of a 2023 model from California also states in a complaint that this is already a known issue. The Subaru Outback windshields are “prone to chips and eventual cracking of (the) entire windshield. The car does not have 2000 miles yet and already needs (a) windshield replacement from a rock chip.”
Another owner from California states: “I’ve had bigger rocks hit glass in other vehicles and only left a chip. This impacted the upper passenger side corner of the windshield close to the edge, the windshield spider webbed immediately, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Also based in California, an owner who had purchased the Outback two days before states: “I already have a crack in my windshield. There was no accident, and I did not notice any rock/debris hitting the windshield while driving.”
Someone who had owned the Outlook for less than six months stated he had already had three Satellite repairs for cracks and chips from road debris hitting the windshield. “Windshields are fragile and prone to cracking.”
Although not as common as windshield issues, there are also multiple complaints about sunroofs shattering or exploding.
An owner from Idaho was alone in the Outback when the sunroof exploded with “a very loud bang.” He states that there was no-one nearby and it “exploded out as if from the inside and not down as though something had hit it. I did not see anything that could have caused this. It just exploded on its own.”
A few hours after hearing a clicking sound, a driver was shocked when the sunroof of his Outback “shattered with a loud boom while driving on (the) highway.” Fortunately, the shade was closed and no glass entered the cabin.
Another driver traveling alone on a road in North Carolina that wasn’t busy heard “what sounded like an explosion followed by what sounded like flapping and ‘pebbles hitting roof’ sound. I knew something had broken so I pulled off the road. My moonroof had shattered.” There was a hole in the center of the glass. “The dealership said it was the second Outback they had seen that week for an exploding moonroof. They stated it would not be covered under warranty, but they did replace it as a one-time goodwill gesture. Searching online, this seems to be way more common of an experience than it should be with Subaru Outbacks. If I had had the interior closeout panel open, I would have been covered in glass.”
When owners of any vehicle are faced with a stop-sale issue, they may be forgiven for thinking that all the vehicles affected are lemons. We acknowledge that this isn’t necessarily the case. Also, there are many other reasons for a car to be categorized as a lemon.
Thankfully, only a small percentage of any model car turns out to be a lemon. But if you end up with one, you definitely don’t have to live with it. So, what do you do?
Lemberg Law has years of experience helping people who have purchased lemons get recompense. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace, or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners. Better still, the law makes the manufacturer, in this case, Subaru, pay the legal bills.
So, if you believe you have bought a lemon, please contact us. We will assess your problems free of charge. Simply call our Helpline or fill out our contact form.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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