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2017 SUBARU OUTBACK — STEERING

crash · 1863902 · 2023-01-08

Vehicle

Make
SUBARU
Model
OUTBACK
Year
2017
Manufacturer
Subaru of America, Inc.
Component
STEERING

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
Yes
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
Yes

Narrative

Paddle shift levers--which are positioned on the steering wheel as opposed to the steering column--are too square-edged (shape), which is a design defect that can cause loss of steering control. Specifically, the sharp corner can catch on coat zippers. I was driving East, took a right turn, and intended to procced with driving South. When I attempted to straighten out the wheel, however, I was unable to do so. The paddle shifter corner "hooked" my coat zipper, along the track. This caused me to lose control of my vehicle steering, which resulted in collision with a bus stop/stand and a citation for failure to stay within my driving lane. The coat was a bit longer since it was fairly cold that morning. The zipper mechanism was made of a plastic material. The zipper was fully zipped, not half zipped and half unzipped. If the paddle shift levers were more round in shape/design, then the risk of the lever "hooking" onto clothing decreases significantly. I found examples of where other Subaru Outback drivers expressed concerns about the positioning and shape of the levers posing as a safety hazard, too.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11500642
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown