Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a...
1995-2026 · 32 model years
Subaru Outback Problems by year
Owners have filed 9,708 complaints about the Subaru Outback across 32 model years, and it has 72 recalls. The 2019 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (1,036), while 1995, 1996, 2024 have far fewer than a typical year. The most reported problem area is the electrical system, followed by the visibility & wipers.
- Complaints
- 9,708
- Recalls
- 72
- Crashes
- 403
- Fires
- 92
- Injuries
- 270
- Deaths
- 5
Outback complaints by model year
Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 0 | C |
| 2025 | 84 | 0 | D |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | A |
| 2023 | 89 | 2 | C |
| 2022 | 467 | 4 | F |
| 2021 | 300 | 4 | D |
| 2020 | 906 | 6 | F |
| 2019 | 1,036 | 3 | F |
| 2018 | 816 | 3 | F |
| 2017 | 921 | 4 | F |
| 2016 | 643 | 4 | F |
| 2015 | 509 | 5 | D |
| 2014 | 208 | 10 | C |
| 2013 | 297 | 12 | D |
| 2012 | 295 | 16 | C |
| 2011 | 653 | 16 | F |
| 2010 | 360 | 18 | D |
| 2009 | 112 | 13 | B |
| 2008 | 230 | 8 | C |
| 2007 | 131 | 8 | B |
| 2006 | 281 | 7 | C |
| 2005 | 273 | 9 | C |
| 2004 | 90 | 11 | B |
| 2003 | 95 | 15 | B |
| 2002 | 147 | 5 | B |
| 2001 | 170 | 4 | B |
| 2000 | 207 | 2 | C |
| 1999 | 111 | 1 | B |
| 1998 | 127 | 2 | B |
| 1997 | 79 | 4 | A |
| 1996 | 46 | 2 | A |
| 1995 | 2 | 1 | A |
Most common Outback problems
Subaru Outback recalls 72
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Outback, Legacy, Ascent, and Impreza vehicles. The center support bolts for the driveshaft may loosen, resulting in the disconnection of the front end of the driveshaft.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Impreza and Outback vehicles. The incorrect paint clearcoat may have been applied, which can cause the windshield to be insufficiently bonded to the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply...
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
Covers2022 Subaru Outback
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2021 Outback and Impreza vehicles. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) select lever cable nut may not have been tightened properly, allowing the nut to loosen.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with "high" grade and "mid" grade multimedia navigation. The August 2020 over-the-air software update may have timed out without completing the installation...
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of...
Latest Outback complaints
Monday, November 9th at 3:20 p.m. The auto start stop feature shut the car off in traffic and it wouldn't restart. I had my 12 year old in the back seat. After turning on the flashers, I had to exit the vehicle and get a jump pack I had in the back. Then I raised the hood and jump started the vehicle. I wasn't to far from the dealership, so I took the vehicle in to buy a new battery. My factory battery is just over 4 years old. They informed me I needed an upgraded battery, which I purchased and installed myself. I...
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also had to purchase a new battery sleeve, tray, and clamp for about $400. I will be filing a formal complaint with Subaru of America tomorrow as they have placed me and my family in danger yet again.
I am writing to complain about the forward crash system breaking being applied in situations that are more dangerous than the potential for no breaking to have been applied. The problem has occurred several times as vehicles are turning from my lane to the right (with approximately 50' between vehicles), it applies the break hard enough to stop me and if there had been a vehicle behind me they would have likely hit me. The system has also applied the break while i was driving on the expressway at 75mph with no vehicles in front of me.
If you go to pass someone and you accelerate quickly. When the transmission shifts from high r p m it, the jerks the whole car around when it hits the next gear. Definitely something wrong with the transmission.
Radio sound stays muted including for in vehicle phone calls
Is available for inspection. Car would not start and lots of dash indicator lights turned on. Car seemed to have power as headlights worked fine and computer held power. Lots of clicking indicated starter was engaging and included an srs airbag system notice. A quick google search indicated a recall for this make and model but not my VIN. It described problema from humidity in cracked electrical systems and it did rain heavy throughout the night.
Hendrick Honda Cars of McKinney sold me a 2020 Subaru Outback with severely mismatched tires, completely failing to identify the issue despite passing the vehicle through three separate pre-sale and/or safety inspections. Subaru strictly requires identical tire tread depths across all four wheels on its symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system to maintain stable power distribution and vehicle control. Selling and operating an AWD vehicle with a critical tread depth variance (5/32" vs 10/32") forces the tires to...
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rotate at different speeds, putting severe, un-designed friction and heat stress on the center differential. This introduces an immediate, permanent risk of unexpected drivetrain binding, catastrophic mechanical failure, or sudden loss of vehicle control at highway speeds. To further mask this hazard, the dealership installed subpar new tires and actively deleted the vehicle's wheel alignment data from Internal Repair Invoice #369267 to hide the defect. When I subsequently forced the facility to run a proper alignment check, the data confirmed the vehicle was dangerously out of alignment. I complained about slipping and the smell of rubber numerous times to be told my tires and vehicle were safe. By intentionally deleting tracking data and pushing a dangerously misaligned, mismatched AWD vehicle through three consecutive inspections, the facility actively covered up a severe mechanical safety risk, exposing the driver and public to potential drivetrain failure and loss of control. They have admitted to this in writing also..
Questions about the Subaru Outback
Which Subaru Outback years have the most problems?
Which Subaru Outback years have the fewest complaints?
What are the most common Subaru Outback problems?
Across every model year, owners report problems with the electrical system (2,271), visibility & wipers (2,060), engine & cooling (997) most often.
How many recalls does the Subaru Outback have?
NHTSA lists 72 recalls across all Subaru Outback model years. Each year's page lists the recalls for that year; check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether the repair has been done.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data