2026 Subaru Outback WildernessRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

“Mid-afternoon - clear day - dry pavement - cruise control set at 70+ MPH on Interstate 35. Car suddenly detects obstacle and starts phantom breaking excessively. Causes complete terror that we're about to hit something - only there was no obstacle to be found. Alarm eventually shut off and after a few moments, I was finally able to accelerate again. Luckily, there were no cars directly behind me or that would have been a huge pile up. Reported concern to Subaru dealer - referred to corporate - they have had my car for 25 days. Today I was notified that due to not signing a waiver issued today stating I would turn all eyesight data over to any third party vendor and law enforcement - both now and in the future data - the safety case was at an impasse. No further explanation as to how this concern would be addressed. Corporate has not contacted local dealer with next steps. It is a 2026 forester with under 15,000 miles on it. No explanation as to why they could not have a form with a reasonable request - I.E. timeframe, no law enforcement involved, etc. Concern for this is the phantom braking with no explanation as to why and refusal to fix it.”

“UPDATE TO EXISTING ODI 11761974 - 2026 Forester Wilderness - WRF-26 Power Moonroof Glass Adhesion Recall / 26V346000 Component/system failed: Power moonroof tracking assembly bonding area / roof panel paint. Available for inspection upon request, garaged, unrepaired with exposed bare metal. On 08/18/2026 at 3364 miles dealer completed WRF-26 recall and marked PASSED. On same repair order same day same dealer documented: "YELLOW FLUID COMING OUT OF DRIVERS SIDE OF SUNROOF CAUSING DAMAGE TO PAINT. DOWN TO BARE METAL AT THIS TIME." Macro photos taken BEFORE that RO was opened on 08/18 at 07:35 AM show yellow/orange chemical extruding FROM UNDER black rubber tracking channel seal, not deposited on top. Fluid burned through factory clear coat to primer and bare steel. Photos on 08/15 show same leak path. Photo on 10/09 at 4605 miles shows bare metal still exposed with corrosion starting at edges. Safety risk: Chemical discharge from moonroof bonding area causes paint failure to bare metal on roof structure. Exposed steel will corrode. If factory bonding adhesive is failing and leaking, potential for moonroof glass adhesion failure per WRF-26. Has problem been…”

“I am experiencing a serious visibility defect in my 2026 Subaru Forester. When driving at night with headlights on, a dark curtain or shadow drops down over more than half of the windshield. This occurs consistently and severely reduces forward visibility. It is dangerous and makes it difficult to see road signs, street signs, vehicles up ahead, and orienting landmarks. My Subaru dealer test drove the vehicle at night and confirmed the problem. He stated that he “definitely saw the issue duplicated.” (I have this recorded in a voicemail he left me.) They attempted a minor adjustment, but the defect remains essentially unchanged. The dealer then told me “That’s just how 2026 Subarus are,” and refused further repair. (He did express openness to having a Subaru Field Service Engineer (FSE) inspect the vehicle, which I am interested in pursuing, but I wanted to establish a case with NHTSA and Subaru of America’s Regional Case Management first, as I wasn’t sure how much an FSE simply represented Subaru’s, rather than the customer’s, interest. I included a request for an FSE to Regional Case Management.) This appears to be related to the EyeSight camera housing,…”