The 2025 Subaru Outback continues Subaru’s legacy as a capable midsize crossover with off-road appeal and advanced safety features. Positioned as a rugged yet comfortable option for families and outdoor enthusiasts, it offers various trims including the popular Wilderness and Limited XT editions. This article examines common complaints, safety concerns, and repair challenges using NHTSA data, consumer feedback, and internal data. This piece is part of our ongoing series on common vehicle problems, which aims to help consumers recognize potential defects and understand their rights under lemon laws.
Data from multiple sources, including NHTSA complaints and verified consumer feedback, highlight several consistent issues in the 2025 Subaru Outback. The most frequently reported problems are:
Infotainment System Failures: Frequent disconnections of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, system crashes, and unresponsiveness.
Airbag Sensor Malfunctions: Front passenger airbag may not activate for lighter-weight occupants.
Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) Malfunctions: Malfunctions with EyeSight safety features, unpredictable emergency braking, and lane-keeping inconsistencies.
Owners report persistent problems with the 2025 Outback’s infotainment system. Wireless and wired connections to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto often disconnect unexpectedly and fail to reconnect automatically. System freezes and screen blackouts have also been reported, complicating access to navigation and safety features.
Challenges highlighted by owners include:
Random disconnections of both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto even when connected via USB-C.
Infotainment screen freezing or blacking out for several minutes, affecting rearview camera and navigation usability.
Automatic music playback without user initiation, distracting while driving.
One owner shared, “The wireless CarPlay continuously disconnects and reconnects on its own… This issue has been persistent since I purchased the car however it’s random in the times it disconnects, and sometimes it doesn’t reconnect at all. The dealership has informed me that this is an issue with Subaru cars with wireless CarPlay.”
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Top Problem #2: Airbag Sensor Concerns
Several 2025 Subaru Outback owners have reported troubling inconsistencies with the front passenger airbag system, particularly its failure to activate when occupied by adults of lower body weight. This issue centers on the seat weight sensor responsible for enabling or disabling the airbag system based on passenger presence.
Reported symptoms include:
The passenger airbag indicator displays “OFF” even when an adult is seated in the front passenger seat.
Airbag activation flickering on and off during a drive, despite seat adjustments.
Dealerships confirm that the system is “functioning as designed” despite repeated evidence that it fails to activate for adults around 100 lbs.
An owner wrote:
“Shortly after purchasing my vehicle I noticed that the passenger airbag illuminated “off” indicator [and] did not switch from “off” to “on” when an individual weighing under 100 pounds occupies the front passenger seat in the vehicle. I could find nothing in the owner’s literature accompanying my car’s purchase addressing the threshold weight set by the manufacturer or dealer for passenger airbag activation/deactivation but was told informally by a dealer representative that the weight threshold for the vehicle is set at 100 pounds and cannot be adjusted to activate for front passenger seat occupants weighing any less—a potential safety issue for my wife who weighs less than 100 pounds and often occupies the front passenger seat position.
Top Problem #3: Malfunctioning EyeSight and Advanced Safety Systems
The Subaru EyeSight driver-assist system, a key safety feature, has exhibited erratic behavior on the 2025 Outback, leading to dangerous driving conditions. Owners describe random and false pre-collision warnings, phantom emergency braking at various speeds, and inability to fully disable intervention features.
Typical symptoms reported include:
False activation of emergency braking with no obstacle present, sometimes causing abrupt stops at highway speeds
Lane keep assist forcing vehicle toward construction barriers or pedestrians due to misreading lane markers
Frequent disabling and enabling of EyeSight without apparent cause
Dealer attempts at recalibration or software reinstallations failing to eliminate issues
Here’s what one owner experienced with this issue:
“2025 Subaru Outback has been to the dealership three times for software issues. Cruise control, back-up camera, rear collision system, eyesight system all operate some of the time and other times they do not work at all.Software recall in March 2025 and fix was not successful. In May of 2025, [the] dealership reinstalled [the] entire software system. Same safety functions are again not working all the time. Vehicle returning to dealership on July 15, 2025 to try and rectify safety issues associated with the software.No accidents. Safety functions just turn on and off over the past three months.”
What Should You Do If Your 2025 Subaru Outback Is a Lemon?
A “lemon” vehicle is one that has a substantial defect covered by warranty that remains unresolved after a reasonable number of repair attempts. This can include safety-related or performance issues that impair the vehicle’s use, value, or safety. If your 2025 Subaru Outback experiences ongoing issues like those discussed, you may qualify for lemon law protections.
Recommended steps include:
Document Problems Thoroughly: Keep detailed records of every repair visit, symptoms, communication with dealers, and any safety incidents.
File Complaints: Submit complaints to Subaru customer service and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Know Your Rights: The lemon law entitles you to a replacement vehicle or a refund if your car cannot be fixed after repeated attempts.
Seek Legal Guidance: Early legal help can guide you through the process and ensure your rights are protected.
If your 2025 Subaru Outback shows repeated defects that remain unresolved, contact Lemberg Law today for a free consultation. Lemon law cases cost you nothing—you don’t pay unless we win. Don’t wait as lemon law claims have strict deadlines. Get your free case review now to explore your legal options and fight for compensation or buyback.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
