There are 3 stored owner reports matching the suspension leading-label group for the 2009 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 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)DRIVING ON SLICK ROAD CONDITIONS ICE/SNOW ON FREEWAY WITH LIGHTLY LOADED SUBARU OUTBACK (4 PASSENGERS, WHICH INCLUDED 2 FEMALES IN BACK SEAT AND LIGHT LUGGAGE FOR FOUR). THE REAR OF CAR BEGAN "GHOSTWALKING" OSCILLATING SIDE TO SIDE ABOUT 3-4" AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES/HOUR ON STRAIGHT ROAD. PASSED BY NUMEROUS 2 WHEEL DRIVE TRUCKS AND CARS TRAVELING AT MUCH FASTER RATES. NEEDED TO PULL TO SHOULDER BECAUSE THE CARE FELT TOO UNSTABLE/UNSAFE. THIS DID NOT APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO DRIVER ERROR, SLICK ROAD SURFACE OR TIRES. THIS WAS A FIRST EXPERIENCE FOR ME AND FIRST TIME ON SLICK SURFACE WITH VEHICLE LOADED. MANY OTHER PEOPLE REPORT SAME EXPERIENCE WITH THIS PHENOMENON. SPOOKY AND VERY SCARY IS BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE. THIS IS NOT SAFE! *TR
ROAD CONDITIONS: POOR, ICY. VEHICLE: 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK WAGON LOADED WITH 4 PASSENGERS (2 ADULT, 2 TEEN, PLUS "LIGHT" LUGGAGE). WHEN THE VEHICLE PASSED OVER AN ICY PATCH, THE CAR SWAYED FROM SIDE TO SIDE VIOLENTLY. ON SUBARU FORUM WEBSITES, THIS TYPE OF LOSS OF CONTROL IS TERMED "GHOST WALKING" WHICH IS AN ODD BUT ACCURATE TERM FOR THE FEEL OF THE SITUATION. I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE ENTRIES ON THE OWNERS' FORUM WEBSITES DESCRIBING THIS PHENOMENA, AND IT APPARENTLY AFFECTS SEVERAL MODEL YEARS. MY DEALER OFFERS TO RE-ALIGN THE BACK TIRES WHICH MAY FIX THE INSTABILITY PROBLEM (WHICH IS ATTRIBUTED TO "LOAD") BUT WHICH WILL CAUSE ANOTHER PROBLEM: EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. AS SUBARU MARKETS THE CAR FOR THE WINTER DRIVING MARKET, IT NEEDS TO FIX THIS DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED OVER COMPENSATING FOR THE SYSTEM-DRIVEN FISHTAILING. PLEASE NOTE: ALTHOUGH SUBARU ATTRIBUTES THIS TO "LOADING" OF THE VEHICLE, THE CAR WAS NOT LOADED BEYOND STRICTLY NORMAL USE FOR A STATION WAGON. THIS IS AS DANGEROUS AS "SUDDEN ACCELERATION" IN TOYOTA.
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5 SPECIAL EDITION. WHILE DRIVING ON I-35 NEAR CLOQUET, MN, THE CAR EXHIBITED DANGEROUSLY UNSTABLE HANDLING THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED BY OTHER SUBARU OUTBACK OWNERS. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE ICY AND EVEN WITH GREATLY REDUCED SPEED THE CAR WOULD SLIDE/DRIFT SIDEWAYS ON STRAIGHTAWAYS. THIS WAS VERY UNNERVING AS I COULD DO NOTHING SAVE REDUCING MY SPEED TO A CRAWL TO AVOID THIS DRIFTING EFFECT. AT THIS POINT I WAS BEING PASSED BY ALL OTHER TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY (SEMIS, FWD AND RWD CARS, ETC.), WHICH DID NOT SEEM TO HAVE THE HANDLING ISSUES I WAS HAVING. THE CAR IS NEW (3700 MILES) AND I HAD JUST TAKEN TO A SHOP THAT MORNING FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND EVERYTHING CHECKED OUT OK. I BELIEVE THE OUTBACK HAS A DANGEROUS HANDLING ISSUE THAT APPEARS TO MANIFEST PRIMARILY WHEN FULLY LOADED (I HAD 2 PASSENGERS AND GEAR) AND ON SMOOTH AND SLIPPERY ROADS. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR IN SNOWY CONDITIONS, WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE GIVEN I LIVE IN MN AND BOUGHT THIS CAR FOR WINTER DRIVING AND ITS AWD PROPERTIES. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR HANDLE SO POORLY IN MY 16 YEARS OF WINTER DRIVING. *TR
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.