Subaru has built its reputation on safety and reliability, backed by strong owner loyalty scores and consistent industry accolades. But 2026 has turned into a rockier year for the automaker, with a fresh class action lawsuit now accusing the company of selling vehicles equipped with a collision-avoidance system that can malfunction in genuinely alarming ways, on top of other ongoing legal challenges working through the courts.
Here’s a full breakdown of what’s currently happening, which vehicles are affected, and what it could mean if you own one.
The New EyeSight Collision-Avoidance Lawsuit
The most significant recent filing targets Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist Technology across a wide range of 2022-2026 model year vehicles. The 87-page complaint alleges that the automatic emergency braking system, designed to prevent or reduce the severity of collisions, is prone to malfunctioning in both directions: activating without any actual obstacle present, or failing to engage when a real hazard is directly ahead.
That’s a serious allegation for a feature marketed specifically as a safety enhancement. A vehicle that suddenly and unexpectedly slows or stops on its own, with no object in front of or behind it, creates real rear-end collision risk for the Subaru driver and anyone following behind them. The lawsuit claims Subaru has actively concealed this defect rather than addressing it transparently with customers.
Which Vehicles Are Covered
This isn’t a narrow recall targeting a single model. The proposed class covers a broad swath of Subaru’s current lineup, including 2023-2026 Legacy, Outback, and Ascent vehicles; 2024-2026 Impreza and Crosstrek vehicles; 2022-2026 Forester and WRX vehicles; and 2025-2026 BRZ models. That range spans nearly every vehicle Subaru currently sells in the United States, which underscores how central the EyeSight system is to the company’s overall safety architecture across its fleet.
The lawsuit was filed by two vehicle owners who say their dealerships never warned them about the alleged defect at the time of purchase, and who further allege Subaru knew about the underlying problems well before selling these vehicles to unsuspecting buyers.
A Separate Electrical System Complaint
Running alongside the EyeSight litigation, a separate class action filed in May 2026 targets what plaintiffs describe as an electrical system “sleep-state” defect affecting certain 2019-2025 Subaru vehicles. While details on this case are still emerging, the timing suggests Subaru is facing scrutiny on multiple fronts simultaneously, touching both its advanced driver-assistance technology and its underlying electrical systems.
For owners trying to keep track, it’s worth understanding that these are legally distinct cases, each with its own class definition, allegations, and potential timeline, even though both stem from concerns about core vehicle systems rather than cosmetic or minor issues.
The EyeSight Case Subaru Already Settled
Context matters here, because Subaru just closed the book on a related but separate EyeSight lawsuit that had been working through the courts since 2021. A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey granted final approval in January 2026 to a settlement resolving claims tied to EyeSight’s pre-collision braking, rear automated braking, and lane-keeping assist features in roughly 3.4 million vehicles spanning 2013-2021 Outback, Forester, Legacy, and Crosstrek models.
That earlier case alleged the same category of problem, brakes engaging without cause, along with a lane-keeping assist system that could reportedly shut down entirely until the vehicle was restarted. The fact that a new, strikingly similar complaint has emerged covering newer model years raises an obvious question: whether Subaru’s fixes for the older EyeSight generation genuinely addressed the underlying software issues, or whether similar calibration problems have persisted into current production.
Why These Cases Matter Beyond Individual Owners
Driver-assistance features like automatic emergency braking are increasingly standard across the industry, and regulators have leaned on them as a genuine safety advancement. When a system marketed to prevent collisions instead becomes a source of unpredictable, unexplained braking events, it undermines the very safety case automakers use to sell these features in the first place.
For Subaru specifically, the timing is notable. The brand ranked second among mass-market brands in J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index and had multiple models named to Car & Driver’s Editors’ Choice list, reputational wins that now sit alongside a wave of active litigation covering safety-critical technology.
What Subaru Owners Should Do Right Now
If you own one of the affected model years and have experienced unexpected braking, phantom activations, or a failure of the collision-avoidance system to engage when needed, documenting those incidents with dates, mileage, and any dealership visits is a meaningful first step. Class action lawsuits typically don’t require affected owners to actively join or register early in the process; eligible class members are usually identified automatically once a settlement or judgment is reached, though staying informed about case developments and any eventual claims process is worthwhile.
FAQs
Q1. Do I need to do anything right now if I own one of the affected Subaru models?
Not necessarily. Most class action lawsuits don’t require owners to formally join at this stage. It’s generally enough to keep records of any relevant incidents and watch for official settlement notices, which typically arrive by mail or email if a resolution is reached that includes your vehicle.
Q2. How is this new lawsuit different from the EyeSight case Subaru already settled in January 2026?
The settled case covered 2013-2021 model year vehicles and closed out fully in January 2026. This new lawsuit targets 2022-2026 models, meaning it covers newer vehicles and raises the question of whether similar defects persisted even after the earlier settlement addressed older model years.
Q3. Has Subaru issued a recall for the collision-avoidance defect described in the lawsuit?
As of the most recent filings, this remains a civil class action lawsuit rather than a confirmed safety recall. Whether NHTSA opens a formal investigation or Subaru issues a recall would depend on how the litigation and any related regulatory review develop.
Q4. What kind of compensation might affected owners eventually receive?
That depends entirely on how the case resolves, whether through a negotiated settlement or a court judgment. Prior Subaru settlements involving similar EyeSight allegations have included a mix of extended warranty coverage, reimbursement for repair costs, and in some cases cash payments to eligible class members, though specific terms vary case by case.
