Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Subaru Outback owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving home on a road I drive on regularly at 40 mph. The car unexpectedly accelerated to a high rate of speed causing me to go off the road. I was unable to stop. The brake pedal went to the floor. The car went airborne, just missing a huge tree. It slammed into the ground & continued on to crash into 3 cars & someone's garage! The car continued to rev & was bouncing back & forth between the 2 vehicles in the garage. The engine continued to rev after I got out. The homeowner shut it off. He said my brake lights were flashing on and off on the dash. The air bags never deployed. I have a witness. I wasn't able to do anything!! I've since learned there's a class action lawsuit against Subaru for this problem. Please do something about this. I could be dead, that homeowner that was in his garage could be dead right now. …
Parking break did not disengage. It also blocked the key hole and car could not be moved. I called AAA and they could not even tow it because the gears would not switch from parking to neutral. While manipulating the car, the AAA technician does not know how, but was able to move the key and the gear, and then the car could start. After some online research, there has been recalls for this problem in Australia in Subaru Outbacks of around this year. Since AAA technician did not have to move in the end the car, there is no receipt of this event. It has happened twice by now.
My 2014 Subaru Outback, with only 42,000 miles on it, is unfortunately among the 3% (per Consumer Reports) with undiagnosable, therefore, unrepairable, brake failure issues. The brake failures began in April 2023 as I pulled out of my driveway in the Tucson Mountains, headed into town. On the downhill, I pressed my brakes to slow down. My foot went to the floor - no brakes. Terror! I pumped the brakes and gradually they came back. Luckily, no one was ahead of me. The brake fluid was down a very slight bit, so I brought it back up. No problem for two weeks, until the exact same thing happened again. Tucson Subaru has an excellent Service Center. I've kept the service on my Subaru up, so I booked in for a regular tuneup, plus advised them of the brake issue. The shop mechanic flushed the brake cylinder along with the usual tuneup: brake pads, etc. …
I was attempting to pull my Subaru Outback into my garage and was heading toward the garage door opening when I thought I had put my right foot on the foot brake to stop the car, however, it continued to proceed forward because my foot was under the brake pedal. Consequently, I hit the corner of the garage with minor damage to my front bumper. Upon further checking the brake and gas pedals , I confirmed the brake pedal was significantly higher than the gas pedal and my foot could fit under the brake pedal after moving it sideways from the gas pedal. In addition, on two other occasions, I had moved my right foot from the gas pedal to the brake pedal and when pressing down on the brake pedal my right foot was also pressing on the gas pedal and the car continued forward (at low speed) until I placed the gear shift in park. …
On 3/22/15 while approaching a stop sign the electric parking brake locked on at 10 MPH. After pulling off to the side of the road and releasing and applying the parking brake several times it finally released while the check engine and flashing brake light remained on. After shutting the vehicle off for 10 minutes the system reset to normal. The system remained normal until arriving at a Subaru dealer on 3/24/15 when the same problem occurred. The dealer took control, identified and replaced a relay and several sensors. The car performed normal until 4/1/15 when the same problem occurred while traveling 25 MPH. After stopping and releasing and applying the parking brake several times the system reset but the check engine, brake and cruise control lights remained steady or flashing. After letting the vehicle set for a period of time the system reset itself. …
Having warmed up the car in the driveway for five minutes and having driven for approximately 10 minutes, braking several times, driver approached the stop sign at the top of the hill where the road intersects with a busy highway. She tried to depress the brakes and nothing happened. To stop the car, she threw the car into park. "check engine @ oil temp" light or something similar came on. She turned off the car, waited a short while and restarted car, shifted into drive and car wouldn't do anything. Turned off car. A short while later she stared again; after pushing gas hard, car started to slowly move forward. Put car in p and waited for assistance, leaving heat on. When assistance came 10-15 min later, car was able to be driven to a safe roadside spot around the corner. Condition: low temps. No ice on roads.
Brakes completely failed while driving on a city street, slowing to let a pedestrian cross in a crosswalk. The vehicle had a 100% brake failure. The brake pedal went to the floor. There seemed to be a malfunction in the dual braking system. Front brakes and rear brakes were serviced at a Subaru dealership at different times. The bolts holding the passenger side rear caliper separated from the car. The bolts had backed out. The lower one was missing. The other caliper bolt had backed out of the threads but was loosely held in place by the brake hose. The driver side rear caliper did not appear to be leaking.
Electronic parking brake actuator failed. When this occurs you can't use the parking brake and the eyesight safety equipment does not work. This occurs at startup, when the vehicle goes through it's diagnostic checks. Car has stranded us twice with the brake not allowing us to disengage. Eventually, after starting car multiple times or removing battery, it will work briefly to allow to disengage. Now we don't set the parking brake, or use the eyesight. Subaru has recalled their manual transmission models with this issue, but not the automatic transmission models.
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the brake indicator illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to Subaru napletons schaumburg Subaru (911 west higgins road, schaumburg, il 60195, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the brake modulator failed. The modulator was not replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: n1-45447123655. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 57,000.
Right rear brake began to clatter, then scrape. The rotor was badly scored. The dealer claimed that this was due to road salt and not covered by the extended warranty. That is, called in "normal" wear. There's nothing normal about one rear brake failing that early ... And with little wear showing on the other breaks. The caliper was sticking and that's a design/construction flaw.
Related recalls
Parking brake
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with a manual transmission. The electronic parking brake (EPB) may not engage as intended, allowing the vehicle to rollaway if the transmission is not in the proper gear when parked.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EPB actuator assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 19, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614.
Brake complaints in other Outback years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2014 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the brakes of the 2014 Subaru Outback, 11% of the model year's 208 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2014 Subaru Outback brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 18V-626 (parking brake, Sep 13, 2018). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2014 Subaru Outback brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 14,000 miles, and 53% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes 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.