Subaru Outback
Owners filed 9,742 complaints across 32 model years of the Subaru Outback. The 2019 drew the most (1,033); the 1995 the fewest (2).
Model years32
Complaints9,742
Recalls199
Fires92
Deaths5
Every Subaru Outback model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 16 | 0 | — | 1 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2025 | 80 | 0 | 2 | 5 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2024 | 102 | 0 | 2 | 5 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2023 | 89 | 2 | 1 | 8 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2022 | 463 | 4 | 4 | 10 | Visibility/Wiper | Above average | |
| 2021 | 296 | 4 | 1 | 9 | Visibility/Wiper | Above average | |
| 2020 | 896 | 6 | 7 | 19 | Visibility/Wiper | Above average | |
| 2019 | 1,033 | 3 | 2 | 24 | Electrical System | Above average | |
| 2018 | 811 | 3 | 4 | 27 | Electrical System | Above average | |
| 2017 | 917 | 4 | 3 | 32 | Electrical System | Do not drive | |
| 2016 | 643 | 4 | 3 | 22 | Electrical System | Do not drive | |
| 2015 | 510 | 5 | 5 | 20 | Visibility/Wiper | Do not drive | |
| 2014 | 208 | 10 | 2 | 14 | Air Bags | Above average | |
| 2013 | 296 | 12 | 6 | 18 | Engine | Fatalities reported | |
| 2012 | 292 | 16 | 6 | 15 | Power Train | Above average | |
| 2011 | 651 | 16 | 6 | 23 | Power Train | Above average | |
| 2010 | 360 | 18 | 3 | 12 | Power Train | Above average | |
| 2009 | 106 | 13 | 3 | 1 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2008 | 226 | 8 | 3 | 12 | Air Bags | Above average | |
| 2007 | 129 | 8 | 2 | 9 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2006 | 276 | 7 | 3 | 7 | Vehicle Speed Control | Above average | |
| 2005 | 273 | 9 | 3 | 13 | Air Bags | Above average | |
| 2004 | 90 | 11 | 4 | 9 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2003 | 93 | 15 | 1 | 7 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2002 | 143 | 5 | — | 9 | Fuel System, Gasoline | Routine | |
| 2001 | 171 | 4 | 5 | 16 | Fuel System, Gasoline | Routine | |
| 2000 | 207 | 2 | 5 | 17 | Tires | Fatalities reported | |
| 1999 | 111 | 1 | 1 | 13 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1998 | 127 | 2 | 2 | 9 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Fatalities reported | |
| 1997 | 79 | 4 | 2 | 7 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1996 | 46 | 2 | 1 | 12 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine | |
| 1995 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Master Cylinder | Routine |
Which Subaru Outback years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2019 is the weakest year on record, with 1,033 complaints concentrated in the electrical system. It carries 3 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.