Problems · NHTSA complaints

2012 Subaru Tribeca problems

Owners filed 4 complaints about the 2012 Subaru Tribeca with NHTSA between Feb 2016 and Feb 2020. The most-cited component is power train (2).

Complaints
4
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train2
  2. Exterior lighting2
  3. Structure1
  4. Engine1
  5. Steering1
  6. Electrical system1

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

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 29, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20161
20172
20180
20190
20201

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

2 reports
“VEHICLE HAD BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES WHEN THE TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE LIGHT AND OTHER WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND CHECKED TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL AND TEMP, ALL WERE NORMAL. PULLED AWAY AND THE ENGINE REVED UP THEN BANGED INTO GEAR. DROVE NORMALLY FOR SEVERAL MILES. THE WARNING LIGHTS WENT OFF. DROVE THE NEXT DAY AND FOR SEVERAL DAYS WITH NO INCIDENCE. OCCURRED AGAIN WHEN ON THE HIGHWAY THE NEXT WEEK. ON THE SUBARU OWNERS FORUM FOUND SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THEY STATED THAT THE SUBARU DEALERS CALLED IT A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE 5EAT TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 59,000 MILES. DEALER SOLUTION IS A $2000 VALVE BODY. DRIVES NORMALLY FOR SHORT DISTANCES AND AT SLOWER SPEEDS. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURS NO POWER IS TRANSMITTED TO THE WHEELS. UNSAFE SITUATION.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 1, 2020Power trainODI 11306449

Exterior lighting

2 reports1 related recall
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU TRIBECA. WHILE PARKED, THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE DOORS FAILED TO OPEN FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS ALSO AN OIL LEAK UNDER THE VEHICLE AND THE HEADLIGHTS AND BRAKE LIGHT BULBS WERE REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AN OIL AND HEAD GASKET LEAK. THERE WAS NO DIAGNOSIS FOR THE DOORS NOT BEING ABLE TO OPEN AND THE FREQUENT BULB OUTAGES. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE OIL AND HEAD GASKET LEAK. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 20, 2017Exterior lighting, Structure, EngineODI 10967375

Structure

1 report1 related recall

Engine

1 report

Steering

1 report
“SUBARU TRIBECA 2012 IS ONLY 3 YEARS AND 7 MONTH OLD. WAS PURCHASED NEW FOR $41,000 FOR BEST SAFETY FEATURES, AND FUEL ECONOMY. MY CAR NEVER WAS IN ACCIDENT, NOT DRIVEN TO THE MOUNTAINS OR HARSH WEATHER CONDITION. ONLY 43000 MILES. HAS MANY ISSUES WITH ELECTRICAL, OIL LEAK, STEERING WHEEL. AFTER DRIVING, ON THE SHORT STOP (DROP OFF OR PICK UP KIDS), IN SHIFTING TO P POSITION, THE FRONT RIGHT/LEFT DOORS FREQUENTLY NOT UNLOCKED. EVEN WITH A MANUAL UNLOCK BUTTON TO THE DRIVER LEFT SIDE PANEL. SO, IN THE CASE OF EMERGENCY, IT MAY BE A PROBLEM TO GET OUT FROM THE FRONT SEAT. IN 2014 -2015 HAD ALREADY ISSUE WITH FRONT HEADLIGHTS THAT WAS REPLACED 3 TIMES THE SAME PART, AND 2 TIMES WAS REPLACED THE SAME BREAK LIGHTS. 2015 LEFT SIDE WINDOW THE MOTOR BROKE. SUBARU AUTO NATION MAZDA GARAGE CHARGED $2,473 TO REPLACE BOTH HEADGASKETS LEAKING, TIMING COVER. STEERING WHEEL HAS A BALANCE ISSUE. I REPLACED BATTERY. FRONT TIRE TREAD IS 0 NDS, BACK 5 NDS. AND I CAN'T REPLACE JUST 2 FRONT, I HAVE TO REPLACE ALL TIRES AT ONCE. HAS VERY INSUFFICIENT FUEL USAGE. ADDITIONAL STORAGE SPACE AT THE REAR OF DRIVER SEATS IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. IT WAS FIXED IN 2015 AND RIPPED AGAIN IN 2…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 24, 2016Steering, Electrical system, Exterior lightingODI 10838009

Electrical system

1 report
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 29, 2026

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