2017 Subaru Outback steering problems
23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the steering on the 2017 Subaru Outback — 3% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“On Monday [XXX] were driving on [XXX] going north up [XXX]. I was doing about 60-65 mph in traffic which was flowing in both directions. While ascending the pass, the car suddenly started to misfire, rapidly lost power, power steering failed and all dash lights lit up. With no shoulder to pull out…”
filed Jun 22, 2026
“Ignition key not releasing after turning engine off. Put shifter in park, foot on brakeii, turn Ignition key off. Key will not release. Have to cycle multiple times to get key released.”
filed May 11, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Steering column on the affected vehicles may have been improperly machined, and as a…Campaign 16V292000 · May 11, 2016
Steering problems in other Outback years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Outback | 5 | 7% |
| 2024 Outback | 5 | 5% |
| 2023 Outback | 2 | 2% |
| 2022 Outback | 3 | 1% |
| 2021 Outback | 5 | 2% |
| 2020 Outback | 12 | 1% |
| 2019 Outback | 35 | 3% |
| 2018 Outback | 35 | 4% |
| 2016 Outback | 24 | 4% |
| 2015 Outback | 13 | 3% |
| 2014 Outback | 17 | 8% |
| 2013 Outback | 34 | 11% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2017 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.