NHTSA Complaint #11288425 — 2020 SUBARU OUTBACK

MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING HOME ON I35 IN OKLAHOMA. THE ROAD WAS STRAIGHT. IT WAS NIGHTTIME. I HAD ALL THE SUBARU EYESIGHT SAFETY SYSTEMS ENABLED. BOTH HANDS WERE ON THE STEERING WHEEL, WITH ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 70MPH. LANE CENTERING WAS AMONG THE FEATURES OPERATING. I SUDDENLY EXPERIENCED AN INSTANTANEOUS AND VERY ABRUPT, UNCOMMANDED ~30-40 DEGREE CLOCKWISE ROTATION OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE WHOLE EVENT LASTED JUST 2-3 SECONDS AND I QUICKLY RECOVERED BACK TO THE LEFT. FORTUNATELY, THE LATERAL DISPLACEMENT OF OUR TRACK WAS ONLY A FEW FEET INTO THE BREAKDOWN LANE ON THE INTERSTATE. MY MANUAL CONTROL INPUTS ON THE STEERING WHEEL EASILY OVERCAME THE ACTUATOR. I IMMEDIATELY DISABLED THE LANE CENTERING FUNCTION AND WE CONTINUED HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE TAKEAWAY THAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE IS THAT THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY ABRUPT, SUDDEN HARD RIGHT DEFLECTION OF THE WHEEL. THIS WAS NOT THE NORMAL GENTLE NUDGE AND SLOW, SLIGHT STEERING WHEEL MOVEMENTS THAT THE LANE KEEP AND LANE CENTERING SYSTEMS NORMALLY PROVIDE. IMAGINE THAT YOUR PASSENGER REACHED OVER AND FORCEFULLY GRABBED THE STEERING WHEEL AND YANKED HARD DOWN ON IT - THAT'S AS CLOSELY AS I CAN DESCRIBE THIS.