2016 Subaru Outback Brakes Problems

The left front drive axel cracked while we were driving on an overpass connecting two highways. We didn’t hit or bump anything. The car just stopped, like the brakes were slammed on, except the brakes didn’t work. As we were on an incline, the car started rolling backwards, but fortunately the emergency brake worked. It happened so abruptly, I wasn’t able to fully pull off the road and my children in the back seat were screaming for their lives as truck after truck whizzed by rattling our car with their horns blaring missing us by inches. The police and fire trucks eventually blocked us from traffic until we could get a tow. The engine worked, but we couldn’t get into any gear. The mechanic said it must’ve been a faulty part to have gone like that. When the axel broke, it damaged the front differential and the transmission so the car isn’t very drivable. On a less dramatic note, a month earlier, both back doors stopped working on the same day!! The child locks failed and the doors couldn’t be opened. I consider this a safety hazard, so we spent $$$ to fix it. As we take good care of our car, I am very curious why it’s failing so spectacularly all at once.

WHILE TRYING TO COME OUT OF DRIVE WAY ONTO THE STREET, I TRIED TO STOP BY PRESSING THE BRAKES, BUT THE VEHICLE HAS ACCELERATED

THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE APPEARS TO BE FAULTY. THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE LOCKED UP FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE WAS NOT TURNED ON. WHEN MY VEHICLE MOVED IS CREATED A LOUD METALIC SOUND.

IN HOT WEATHER AND BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, BRAKE PEDAL BECOMES VERY SPONGY AND SLOWLY INCHES TO THE FLOOR WITH CONSTANT PRESSURE APPLICATION. THIS ISSUE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL HOT DAYS, WITH OBSERVED TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 80-100F. ON ONE RECENT OCCASION, THE BRAKE PEDAL HIT THE FLOOR WHEN STATIONARY AT A RED LIGHT. THE VEHICLE'S OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE GAUGE REGISTERED 100F AT THE TIME OF THE MOST RECENT EVENT.

3 SEPARATE EPISODES OF ENGINE RACING WHEN STEPPING ON BRAKE PEDAL AND CAR LURCHING FORWARD. BRAKE PEDAL VERY SPONGY AND WITH CONTINUOUS PRESSING GOES ALMOST DOWN TO FLOORBOARD. OCCURS WHEN VEHICLE MOVING SLOWLY IN CLOSE QUARTERS. ONE EPISODE OF BRAKE PEDAL GOING ALMOST TO FLOOR WHEN STOPPED AT LIGHT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE INCREASED IN SPEED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE COLLIDED INTO AN EMBANKMENT AND CRASHED INTO A POLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 25,000.

THE BREAKS LOCKED UP ON ME AS I WAS ABOUT TO PASS A TURNING CAR. THEY ALSO LOCKED UP ON ME ONCE WHEN A CAR WAS GETTING IN MY LANE. I SAW BOTH OF THESE CARS AND WAS NOT IN DANGER OF HITTING ONE OF THEM.

BRAKES ARE SOFT AND HARDLY WORK WHEN CAR IS FIRST STARTED IN COLD WEATHER. ONCE CAR IS WARMED UP, BRAKES WORK NORMALLY. IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS LESS THAN 40 DEGREES.

I EXITED THE EXPRESSWAY. I WAS APPROACHING A RED LIGHT. THIS WAS WHERE I USUALLY MAKE A RIGHT TO GO HOME. OBVIOUSLY I WAS TRYING TO SLOW DOWN THE CAR, AND I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE. AND THE CAR DID NOT SLOW DOWN. I CONTINUED PUMPING THE BRAKES BUT THE BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK. MY WIFE WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, AND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW WAS RIDING IN THE BACK SEAT. AS THE BRAKES FAILED, I CONTINUED ATTEMPTING TO SLOW THE CAR. ULTIMATELY, WE WERE INVOLVED IN A TWO-CAR COLLISION IN WHICH THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL-WELL OF MY CAR WAS CRUSHED. MY WIFE, MY MOTHER-IN LAW, AND I SUFFERED SEVERE INJURIES. MY WIFE SUFFERED FRACTURED RIBS, A FRACTURED STERNUM, A FRACTURED PELVIS, AND HER ANKLE WAS CRUSHED. MY MOTHER-IN LAW SUFFERED FRACTURED RIBS AND A CONCUSSION. I SUFFERED FRACTURED RIBS, AND THE TRAUMA HAS LED TO A FLAIR UP OF MY PREEXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS. FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT, WE WERE RUSHED BY EMS TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE WE RECEIVED TREATMENT FOR OUR INJURIES. WHILE MY MOTHER-IN LAW AND I WERE RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL NEXT DAY, MY WIFE CONTINUES TO RECEIVE TREATMENT AT THE HOSPITAL. SHE HAD ON HER ANKLE EXTENSIVE RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY THAT REQUIRED THREE METAL PLATES TO HOLD HER BONES TOGETHER WHILE THEY HEAL. SHE WILL SOON BEGIN REHABILITATION, LEARNING TO WALK AGAIN. MY WIFE'S RECOVERY IS EXPECTED TO TAKE MANY MONTHS. SHORTLY AFTER BUYING THE CAR, IT WAS RECALLED DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE CAR'S STEERING COLUMN. RECENTLY, MANY MORE OF THE SAME CAR HAVE BEEN RECALLED DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE CAR'S BRAKE CALIPERS. I BELIEVE MY CAR MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE BRAKE ISSUES TOO. I WOULD APPRECIATE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE BRAKES OF 2016 SUBARU OUTBACKS. THANK YOU. *TR

A FEW TIMES WHILE SLOWING DOWN OR PUTTING ON THE BRAKES I FOUND MY FOOT WAS ALSO ON THE GAS PEDAL. I FIND THAT THE GAS PEDAL AND BRAKE PEDAL ARE VERY CLOSE AND AT THE SAME HEIGHT. THE LAST TIME AT THE DEALER I ASKED TO CHECK OUT THE BRAKE PEDAL AND WAS TOLD EVERY THING WAS IN ORDER.