What breaks most · 1995 to 2026 model years
Subaru Outback problems by year
Owners have filed 9,724 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Subaru Outback across model years 1995 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2019 for electrical system complaints, 2017 for electrical system complaints and 2020 for wipers and visibility complaints. The quietest years are 1995, 1996 and 1997.
- Years to check closely: 2019, 2017, 2020
- Fewest complaints: 1995, 1996, 1997
- Complaints on file
- 97241995 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20191033 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 40592 fires · 269 injuries · 5 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 37kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 199Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 46 | 12 | 2 | Engine and cooling (10) | |
| 79 | 7 | 4 | Engine and cooling (24) | |
| 127 | 9 | 2 | Engine and cooling (40) | |
| 111 | 13 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (29) | |
| 207 | 17 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (42) | |
| 171 | 16 | 4 | Fuel system (26) | |
| 143 | 9 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (27) | |
| 93 | 7 | 15 | Air bags (19) | |
| 90 | 9 | 11 | Air bags (25) | |
| 273 | 13 | 9 | Suspension (56) | |
| 276 | 7 | 7 | Speed control and throttle (98) | |
| 129 | 9 | 8 | Air bags (46) | |
| 226 | 12 | 8 | Air bags (104) | |
| 106 | 1 | 13 | Air bags (30) | |
| 360 | 12 | 18 | Powertrain and transmission (94) | |
| 651 | 23 | 16 | Powertrain and transmission (216) | |
| 292 | 15 | 16 | Powertrain and transmission (107) | |
| 296 | 18 | 12 | Engine (67) | |
| 208 | 14 | 10 | Air bags (38) | |
| 510 | 20 | 5 | Wipers and visibility (130) | |
| 643 | 22 | 4 | Electrical system (309) | |
| 917 | 32 | 4 | Electrical system (391) | |
| 807 | 27 | 3 | Electrical system (265) | |
| 1033 | 24 | 3 | Electrical system (363) | |
| 896 | 19 | 6 | Wipers and visibility (313) | |
| 296 | 9 | 4 | Wipers and visibility (97) | |
| 462 | 10 | 4 | Wipers and visibility (255) | |
| 89 | 8 | 2 | Forward collision system (22) | |
| 96 | 5 | 0 | Unknown or other (27) | |
| 76 | 4 | 0 | Unknown or other (18) | |
| 13 | 1 | 0 | Unknown or other (6) |
What fails on the 2019 Subaru Outback
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 35% |
363 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2019 Subaru Outback |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 32% |
326 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 20% |
204 | 1 | — |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 6% |
63 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 2019 Subaru Outback |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 4% |
39 | 4 | Shop engine parts for the 2019 Subaru Outback |
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 3% |
36 | 8 | Shop forward collision system parts for the 2019 Subaru Outback |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 3% |
35 | 1 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 3% |
27 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2019 Subaru Outback |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Battery completely dead after 4 days of not driving; this is after I purchased a $210 brand new batteyr from Autozone. Looks like there is potential class action lawsuit based on the parasitic draw by the DCM unit. I need this repaired at Subaru's expense.
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Ignition key not releasing after turning engine off. Put shifter in park, foot on brakeii, turn Ignition key off. Key will not release. Have to cycle multiple times to get key released.
-
We are on our 3rd broken windshield in 3 years. We do not drive the car very often or drive any extreme ways. This is more broken windshields than I have had in my whole life in just a few years having this car. There must be something wrong with the way it’s made.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Subaru Outback years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2019, 2017, 2020 carry the most filings on the Subaru Outback. The 2019 alone has 1033 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Subaru Outback problem?
On the 2019 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 363 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Subaru Outback problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Subaru Outback complaints that include mileage is about 37,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.