Problems · by component
2011 Subaru Outback service brakes problems
67 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2011 Subaru Outback cite service brakes, 10% of all 653 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
67
10% of all complaints
Crashes
8
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
What owners say about the service brakes
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Just lost brakes. Was parked at an atm. In park, foot on brake as i was shifting into drive, brake pedal goes to floor and brake fluid leaks out... I see there was a recall for brake lines in Michigan. I've owned this car since 2020. All Brake pads are new as of 4/2025. This just occurred today on Sunday so I have not got the estimate yet.”
“The car was being driven down the road, when the brake pedal went soft. At that point the vehicle had lost all braking power. I pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and proceeded to check the vehicle. The vehicle brake reservoir was empty, and the line underneath the car was leaking fluid out. Then I called a tow truck to tow my vehicle to get repaired. The mechanic then told me about the recall WQK47r.”
“The brake system had a total failure. Driving down the road and the brake pedal went completely soft and was not providing any brakes. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road where the brake fluid resivor was empty and the underneath of the car was wet with brake fluid. The vehicle then was towed to a nearby mechanic to be inspected where they have come to the conclusion that the brake line box has become coroted. During the brake failure there were no warning signs and the only thing that prevented the vehicle from being involved in an accident was the use of engine braking and going up hill. The reason I’m reporting this is because after reviewing the internet to see what the average cost of the repair should be I came across a forum where this issue is become common place in my generation of Outback, as well as the previous generation which has a recall already on this same component. I’m also writing this report because I’m concerned with the amount of this type of vehicle on the road still and having a similar issue.”
“Going down the road and my breaks went to the floor, further inspection the back passenger 4 way block blew apart due to rust I looked online and there is so many of these cars the same year that this is happening to, would love to have this year and model included in the recall for breaks to get this fixed”
“Bought vehicle from Carvana, immediately noticed transmission shudder issues when driving near 50 mph. Brought vehicle in to multiple repair facilities. It had warped brakes, bad calipers, needed a new torque converter at least and the repair shop recommended a total transmission replacement. The whole vehicle shakes when driving near that speed or braking.”
“Rear brake lines at junction block right rear corroded.As is the sane situation with 2009 models and under and impreza models newer with same design cannot understand why this model year was passed by”
Showing 6 of 67 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 6, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.