There are 2 stored owner reports matching the steering leading-label group for the 2002 Subaru Outback in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE WHEEL. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE OR MAKE ANY REPAIRS. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN, BUT THE STEERING LOCKED UP AGAIN AND COULD NOT BE TURNED. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE GUARD RAIL, BUT THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE AND WAS WAITING FOR THE INSURANCE AGENCY TO DETERMINE IF IT WAS DESTROYED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS LESS THAN 90,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000.
2002 SUBARU OUTBACK WAGON REPEATEDLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY STALLS WHILE DRIVING. HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR NEARLY 2 YEARS. HAS BEEN EXAMINED ON MULTIPLE OCCASSIONS (AT LEAST 4) AT RYE FORD SUBARU IN RYE NEW YORK WITH THE ONGOING RESULT THAT THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS TO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEM AND UNABLE TO REPLICATE. CAR WAS DELIVERED BACK TO DEALERSHIP ON A FLATBED AFTER STALLING 5 OR 6 TIMES IN MAIN THOROUGHFARE THAT RESULTED IN BEING REAR ENDED BY A TRUCK BEHIND ME. I HAVE REPEATEDLY INFORMED THE DEALER AND CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA THAT I BELIEVE THIS IS A DEATH TRAP WAITING TO HAPPEN. I WAS NEARLY KILLED BY A NARROW MISS WHEN THE CAR STALLED ABRUBTLY IN A SNOW STORM. THIS IS A VERY VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION AND THE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.