Subaru Australia has just placed a ‘stop delivery’ order on all new model Subaru Outbacks. The ‘stop delivery’ mandate was issued late yesterday.

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Dealers are still selling the new Subaru Outback - meaning signing people up - and this indicates to me the problem is not that major, on the balance of probabilities. Details are not forthcoming at this stage.   Subaru’s head office confirmed that the ‘stop delivery’ order is in place and they told me they are awaiting official confirmation from Japan over what the underlying issue really is.  I would speculate that there’s a serious but not catastrophic potential software glitch. It could also be a physical component that’s replaceable, but it’s more likely to be a bug in the code. I really don’t know more than that.  Software is the best and most likely reason for this ‘stop delivery’ edict. Cars are complex, they run on code, and all potential failure modes cannot be predicted in R&D. So it’s likely the fix is going to be a re-flash of some black box or other via the vehicle’s OBDII (diagnostics) port.  If you are an early adopter and you have a new Outback in your driveway now, there’s probably no need for you to panic - but in due course it’s likely this issue - whatever it is - will also impact you. And you’ll probably have to visit the dealer for remedial action (or they might come to you in some circumstances).  This may also become an official recall - but bear in mind recalls in ‘Straya occur only for serious potential safety defects, and this issue might not be safety related. It might just be some other operational concern.  Anyway, Subaru was typically open and honest with me about it when I bounced them. That’s kinda how they roll - and one of the core reasons I respect them. They’re awaiting advice from Japan on exactly what the issue is and how the fix is going to be implemented. You’ll have to stand by for that - I’ll keep you updated. They’ve promised to call me when they know what’s going on, and I’ll drop everything and update you at that point.  Before I let you go, maybe you’ve heard me say: ‘give it a few months before you go out and buy any new model after its debut’? Like wait 2-3 months before jumping in to the market with a brand-new model? Yeah, well, this would be why. Teething problems and how to avoid them, simply by being patient. (You’ll also get a better discount.)  No need to panic. It’s not a catastrophe - just an inconvenience if you own one or you were planning on picking your new Outback over the next few days or weeks.   I’ll keep you posted.