Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Subaru Outback owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
1. Propulsion, acceleration, brakes, transmission- no longer available for inspection 2. The vehicle went completely out of control; I stood on the brakes as hard as I could but would not stop or slow the car at all. We careened down a hill and head on into a large tree 3. not reproduced or confirmed 4. Vehicle was inspected by insurance company and was declared a total loss 5. no signs of any malfunction prior to wreck
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while his wife was attempting to parallel park the vehicle suddenly accelerated colliding with the vehicle in front. The contact stated that his wife shifted to drive, the engine revved and she lost control the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto body repair facility. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was then taken to rafferty Subaru (4700 west chester pike, newtown square, pa 19073 phone: [phone]) who stated they were unable to find a cause for the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered apologetic gestures regarding the matter, however, a case was not opened. The contact stated they found that there was a class action lawsuit in his state of residency regarding the same failure his wife had experienced. …
On June 9th, 2017: was pulling into a parking space in church parking lot at 11 am in the morning. It was a clear day. As I eased into the space, I took my foot off the brake, and instead of coasting into the parking space, the car suddenly surged forward (my foot was not on the accelerator at all). There was nothing I could do!! Car lunged forward, jumped the parking curb and hit the tree that was in the median. There was major damage to the front end ($7500). After repair, the dealer and Subaru corporate tested out the car and could find no errors in the code results but did note that there were double floor mats on the driver's side (one carpet and one rubber). They think this might have contributed to the problem and they recommend that only one floor mat be in place. Of note is the fact that the car came with the two floor mats installed. We did not add an extra one.
Upon parking in a routine parking spot in our apartment parking garage, I turned the corner and accelerated some, as I always did, to get to the parking spot to back in. As soon as I went to reverse it, the car accelerated fully on its own accord. I was able to press the break and stop the vehicle but since I was only about 10 feet from another car and the wall of the parking garage, I was not able to stop in time to avoid a collision. I hit the corner of the cement wall with the front left headlight portion of the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. While the contact was driving approximately 5 MPH in a parking lot, the brake pedal was engaged and the vehicle continued to accelerate over a parking barrier. The vehicle then crashed into a fence and traveled into several bushes coming to a complete stop. There was no personal injury. The vehicle was towed to a collision center for repairs. The vehicle sustained moderate damages. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. On several occasions, while driving approximately 50 MPH, the steering wheel started to vibrate and shook violently while the accelerator pedal was depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to gregoris Nissan (555 w merrick rd, valley stream, ny 11580 [phone]), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while entering a parking a parking spot, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the contact crashed into a pole. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 7/31/14 the consumer no longer owns the vehicle. Updated 08/05/14
Intermitent: steady icons: check engine light traction control system flashing icons: brake cruise from starting the vehicle icons listed above are active. Engine is very hard to start when put in gear, unable to move car. Solution is to turn car off, wait and restart. This might require several attempts. Eventually, vehicle will resume normal operateion. Dealership service personel do not acknowledge problem.
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. There was unintended acceleration while driver was pulling into a parking space. Driver slowed down to pull into parking space and put car in park when suddenly the car accelerated and sped over cement parking block and crashed into the concrete base of light pole. There is no known recall. Police were called and a report was filed.
At a hard, fast brake to avoid traffic congestion on the freeway, the car stalled and died. It lost all power and had to be restarted. A faulty torque converter is the culprit. The torque converter failure in the Subaru (not just outbacks) has been shown to result in a sudden loss of power / stalled engine, which can endanger the driver and other drivers.
Acceleration complaints in other Outback years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2011 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2011 Subaru Outback, 4% of the model year's 652 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Subaru Outback acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2011 Subaru Outback, though it has 16 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 Subaru Outback acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 52,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.