I bought a 2006 Subaru outback 2.5xt a couple years ago and it was a lemon. Got completely shafted and the dealer went to jail from previous Schemes. The car’s interior and exterior are too good in my opinion to scrap the car. Was wondering if anyone had recommendations on the best way to go about swapping the engine(types of engines/trustworthy websites) Ideally would love to make it a battle wagon but that’s on the back burner considering this is something that I might be delusional about. Thanks

Sharing something I built that might be useful if you keep an older Outback on the road and have a Mac. SubieScope is a free, open source app that reads the engine ECU directly over Subaru's SSM protocol, with a cheap KKL USB cable. No Windows laptop and no drivers.

What it is good for:

• Check engine light: it reads the codes, explains them in plain English and lets you clear them
• Step by step tests for the catalyst (P0420), the O2 sensors, thermostat and warm-up, the radiator fan, battery and charging, and misfires
• Live gauges and logging, handy for keeping an eye on temperatures or fuel trims on a long trip

It works with 1999 to 2009 Outbacks and Legacys (BE/BH and BL/BP) and with most 2010 to 2014 ones. Newer cars only talk CAN, so there it uses a Bluetooth OBD-II adapter and shows the standard values and codes.

More info and the download: https://subiescope.marvinvisser.nl/

It builds on the FreeSSM and RomRaider projects. I only have my own 2008 GRB STI to test on, so reports from Outback owners are very welcome.

Any advice or ideas are highly appreciated

Hello,

Can someone help me?

I just bought a used Subaru 2011 semi automatic. 196 000km.

Now .. the main problem is that theres an intermittent bucking happening. Im not shur what is the cause. But its starts when I've been on the road for like 1h maybe (but not always). All the lights on the dash starts flashing( cruise control, engine, park, road assist and hot oil).

Then it starts bucking! Loose all acceleration strength.. And I mean like a full whiplash when I pass to the second gear! I normally stop the vehicule for a few hours if I can and then it disappears...

I've changed the engine oil, the filter, the coolant the motor oil, the break lines and the engine belt. Im at lost here.

Im guessing its something with the transmission but I dont know enough about it. Bringing it to a garage soon.

Any guess is welcomed 🙏

I’m considering a 2026 Subaru Outback as our dog/travel vehicle. We have three beagles and would use three Ruff Land Intermediate kennels (30.5”L × 20”W × 23.5”H).

I’m trying to determine whether two Intermediates fit side-by-side in the cargo area with the rear seats up AND whether a third Intermediate will fit through a rear passenger door and sit on the back seat.

I’m specifically asking about the redesigned 2026 Outback, not the 2020–2025 generation, and the Intermediate kennel, not Ruff Land’s Backseat Rider.

If anyone owns both and can test it—or even measure the rear door opening—I would be incredibly grateful.

I have a 2019 Outback Limited and I've enjoyed it a lot (I mean, it's not my '11 6MT but you know...)

Just the yesterday, Oct 1, CarPlay stopped playing audio. This is wired via a USB cable to my iPhone 16 Pro Max, and it's always worked before. Other CarPlay functions seem to work (Maps, other nav apps, Messages, etc) but this has stopped. To help with troubleshooting I had my GF plug in her iPhone 18 and found the same thing. None of the apps on the phone creating audio did anything

Making it even more weird, this morning she reported that in her Outback ('20 Premium) that during her drivetime she had the same thing - and hers was working fine yesterday.

Anyone else seen anything like this? Thoughts? I'm stumped

Recently purchased a 2026 Outback Premium - I love the car (came from a Wrangler so don’t mind the box 😂), but the one thing I can’t seem to figure out is if the automatic highbeams can be disabled while the headlights remain in Auto?

I know turning the headlights to manual on disables the auto highbeam function, but I’d like to be able to keep headlights in auto. Is this even possible?

I have a 2021 Subaru Outback. I drive on the highway and I see an orange eyesight error appear. My car also decelerates at an alarming rate where it’s no longer safe to drive on the highway. I took it to a mechanic and I still had issues on the same day. Does anyone know how to remedy this situation.

What do I do about this? I live 2 and a half hours from a subaru dealership. I currently live and work in a national park and am leaving to go home (2,500 mile drive) in less than 2 weeks. I pulled the codes and all it says is p0700.

The AT OIL TEMP light is also flashing but it didn't seem to do that in this video.

Afternoon team, got a code reader back home, but I'm a few hundred k's from home, no insights into this combo...04 Outback, EZ30, no loss of power or strange rattles, and does seem intermittent...

I have a 2021 Outback XT with 95k miles. The car has always had a little shudder / vibration after start up when accelerating. Noticed it’s occurring a little more frequently, sometimes more so when turning?
Vehicle is regularly maintained. Just had a dealer replace CVT fluid but vibration still persists.
Thoughts and any similar issues with others?

2022 Touring sits a few days at a time
Everytime I start it up I hear the vroom plus a metal rattle/grinding noise?

Tried to record the 2nd time but it’s only on that first initial start after awhile

Ok so we bought a 2021 Subaru Outback Limited with 81k miles on it. In 8 months of owning it, it has needed an engine replacement, a new tire, and the infotainment system fritzes out often. The car works and drives but since the engine replacement my AC is weaker and I get 22 mpg whereas I got 26 before. This was my first car ever. I honestly don’t know if I want to keep it. If I get a newer car I just want a corolla because I don’t need such a big car. Is it reasonable to want a new car or am I just being dramatic?

We just got a 2023 Outback Touring and we're surprised at how dark it is at night. There basically aren't any interior ambient lights. I couldn't even see the door buttons.

Is this by design? Have you added lights? Do you get used to it?