What breaks most · 1995 to 2019 model years
Subaru Outback problems by year
Owners have filed 3,853 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Subaru Outback across model years 1995 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2011 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2010 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2015 for wipers and visibility complaints. The quietest years are 1995, 1996 and 1997.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2010, 2015
- Fewest complaints: 1995, 1996, 1997
- Complaints on file
- 38531995 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2011441 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 23051 fires · 161 injuries · 5 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 53kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 183Across 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) | |
| 88 | 9 | 11 | Air bags (24) | |
| 244 | 13 | 9 | Suspension (53) | |
| 243 | 7 | 7 | Speed control and throttle (88) | |
| 106 | 8 | 8 | Air bags (36) | |
| 189 | 10 | 8 | Air bags (95) | |
| 82 | 1 | 13 | Air bags (25) | |
| 282 | 11 | 18 | Powertrain and transmission (75) | |
| 441 | 15 | 16 | Powertrain and transmission (118) | |
| 172 | 9 | 16 | Powertrain and transmission (60) | |
| 184 | 13 | 12 | Powertrain and transmission (36) | |
| 139 | 8 | 10 | Air bags (26) | |
| 265 | 10 | 5 | Wipers and visibility (100) | |
| 160 | 11 | 4 | Wipers and visibility (33) | |
| 116 | 9 | 4 | Unknown or other (26) | |
| 138 | 4 | 3 | Electrical system (46) | |
| 25 | 1 | 3 | Wipers and visibility (11) |
What fails on the 2011 Subaru Outback
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 27% |
118 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 25% |
110 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2011 Subaru Outback |
| Air bags | 15% |
65 | 4 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 12% |
52 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2011 Subaru Outback |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 9% |
40 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2011 Subaru Outback |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 7% |
29 | 3 | Shop brakes parts for the 2011 Subaru Outback |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
28 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2011 Subaru Outback |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 4% |
17 | 5 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
-
Car stalls at low speeds, all lights are flashing, code reads transmission control system and torque converter failing , when coming to a stop it stalls out which is dangerous for my wife and kids
-
Vehicle has begun to randomly stall when coming to a stop on city streets. Has resulted in one near miss of being rear ended. In addition, has begun to stall on the highway at speeds above 50 mph. Car will make wining sound and lose power for a few seconds, but has not complete stalled out.
-
Windshield cracked from base of windshield runs through heating element and wiper area. Does not appear to be caused by pebble impact or possibly extremely minor one and spread immediately
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 30, 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, 2011, 2010, 2015 carry the most filings on the Subaru Outback. The 2011 alone has 441 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Subaru Outback problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 118 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 53,000 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.