1998 Subaru Outback vehicle speed control problems
13 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle speed control on the 1998 Subaru Outback — 10% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“On october 6, 2004, I was coasting into a parking space in my 1998 subaru legacy outback. My headlights were facing a curb, sidewalk, and cement brick building, and I touched the brakes to prevent bumping the curb. As soon as my foot hit the brake, the car vroomed as if the throttle had been fully…”
filed Nov 2, 2004
“When driving at low speeds, the vehicle surged forward. This caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle and hit a light pole head on. Upon impact, both frontal air bags did not deploy. The consumer had the vehicle towed to the insurance company's designated repair facility. *ak this was…”
filed May 21, 2004
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Vehicle Speed Control problems in other Outback years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Outback | 2 | 3% |
| 2024 Outback | 3 | 3% |
| 2023 Outback | 3 | 3% |
| 2022 Outback | 4 | 1% |
| 2021 Outback | 18 | 6% |
| 2020 Outback | 18 | 2% |
| 2019 Outback | 26 | 3% |
| 2018 Outback | 21 | 3% |
| 2017 Outback | 28 | 3% |
| 2016 Outback | 20 | 3% |
| 2015 Outback | 26 | 5% |
| 2014 Outback | 14 | 7% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1998 Subaru Outback
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.