Problems · by component

2017 Subaru Outback vehicle speed control problems

29 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2017 Subaru Outback cite vehicle speed control, 3% of all 921 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
29
3% of all complaints
Crashes
8
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
7
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the vehicle speed control

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. While the contact's wife was driving into a parking space, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The vehicle drove over two concrete curbs and crashed into a shipping container, pushing the shipping container back several feet. The driver parked the vehicle in the parking lot. The driver experienced body soreness and stiffness but did not seek medical attention. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 26, 2026Vehicle speed controlCrash reportedODI 11773659
“The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact lifted her foot off the brake pedal and then firmly depressed the brake pedal another time. The vehicle was able to come to a stop. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle had stalled while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the dealer, who were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 24, 2026Vehicle speed controlODI 11726792
“While in a parking lot moving at very slow rate speed the car suddenly accelerated on its own. I had just slowly turned within a parking lot in preparation to backing into a parking space. I had just removed my foot from the accelerator and the car was almost at a stop and I was about to brake and put the car into reverse when it suddenly and rapidly accelerated on its own. My foot was not touching the accelerator at the time (it was over, but not yet touching, the brake). The car felt as if someone had suddenly slammed on the accelerator, but my foot was not on the accelerator at the time. Luckily my foot was over the brake when the rapid unexpected acceleration occurred and also luckily there were no cars in front of me. I was able to immediately slam on the brake so that the car did not hit anything. Before I was able to brake, the car quickly lurched forward at a surprisingly rapid rate of speed for a short distance. Quick application of the brakes stopped the sudden and rapid forward movement of the car. I did not notice any warning lights or messages on the car. This could have been a very dangerous situation. If someone had been walking in front of the…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 3, 2025Vehicle speed controlODI 11702736
“The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after driving onto the driveway and pressing the brake pedal to park, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, drove forward, and crashed into the garage door. The contact shifted to the reverse position and the vehicle drove in reverse but would not stop while pressing the brake pedal. Eventually, the contact was able to shift to the park position, and the vehicle was stopped. During the incident garage door was severely damaged along with the rear end of a classic vehicle parked inside the garage. No injuries were reported, and no police report was filed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the incident. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 41,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 15, 2025Vehicle speed controlCrash reportedODI 11687413
“12/13/24 Incident 1: I braked as I approached a stop sign, but instead the car accelerated, running the stop sign. 12/16/24 Incident 2: I braked to slow down to turn right, but instead the car accelerated. There were no prior warnings or indications of the problem.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 16, 2024Vehicle speed controlODI 11631119
“The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was shifted into reverse with the brake pedal depressed; however, the vehicle independently accelerated. The vehicle reversed quickly; however, the contact's wife was able to regain control of the vehicle. The contact's wife stated that the failure recurred while shifted into drive with the brake pedal depressed. The contact stated while driving under 5 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated forward. The contact's wife stated that the second failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 7, 2024Vehicle speed controlODI 11587542

Showing 6 of 29 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.