Subaru Outback Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

The seatbelts in the back row when uses occasionally lock up, when driver is not hitting the breaks and it let go, then as you try to loosen the seat belt it, it retracts more and more tightening more and more to the point that it feels like there is a rope going through your neck, the only way to make seat belt loosen is to completely take it off let it fully go back to place then put it back on again. This is an intermittent issue and it does not happen every time. But it does happen often enough that once my back seat passengers had to ride without seatbelts because of it

HVAC system heating to dangerous levels and still radiating heat into the cabin even after HVAC system was turned off. To mitigate, direction was changed to feet. Temperatures of over 100 degrees F were observed for sustained periods. Issue is intermittent, however it was reproduced consistently when it was cold outside (cold being cooler than 55 degrees F). I set the temperature to 65 degrees F with the AC on and recirculate, however it didn't make a difference. When this bug happens, it puts out a lot of heat and the only way to get it to cool is to drop it to the lowest cool setting ~60 degrees. I took it in 3 times to the dealer and they said they were unable to reproduce the issue, and while it has been intermittent, I was able to frequently reproduce the issue when it was cold outside, including yesterday, 04/19/26. It does not appear to happen when it's warm outside, although it hasn't been consistently warm to be able to conclude that at this point. What is certain is that the system does not appear to be functioning as designed (which is what both the dealer and Subaru of America (SoA) claim, SoA just restating the dealer's comments). Both LaFontaine Subaru of Commerce Township, Michigan and Subaru of America have at this point ignored the issue despite me bringing it up consistently.

I bought my 2026 Subaru Outback 3/20/2026, I plugged in my FIXD sensor into the OBDII port of my new car and there was nothing available. I made an appointment with Austin Subaru to check why the OBDII port was not working and my assigned rep told me that they were having issues with all of their 2026 Subaru Outbacks, I signed in for my appointment on my arrival 4/7/2026 and the following day I was notified that I had missed my appointment. I called the Rep. and requested a call back but that did not happen. I was at the dealership no more than 15 to 20 minutes while they tried their equipment and I was told that it was not working and that I should come back at a later time. I think that they might be hiding something.

I bought a new 2026 Subaru Outback Limited XT which came with Bridgestone ECOPIA H/L 422 Plus 225/55R19 99H. Went on a trip and noticed when going 60mph and above a low humming noise and felt a vibration in the steering wheel and floor. This happens on all road surfaces, concrete, blacktop etc. Took car to the dealer, they drove it and confirmed what I was noticing, after doing a road force balance they said all (4) tires were "quote" way out of spec. They did what they could to help with the vibration, they said it's better but after driving it home it's not better by much. The service rep said this was becoming a common complaint with these Bridgestone tires. They told me Subaru is a where of the problem and they were expecting to see a TSB in the coming weeks. It's been almost a month now and no word yet about what Subaru is going to do about this issue

The Advanced Driver Assistance System (EyeSight/Automatic Emergency Braking), the Service Brakes, and the Central Electrical System malfunctioned. The vehicle is currently held at an authorized dealership and is available for inspection.On Monday, June 22, 2026, at approximately 4:47 PM, while traveling at highway speeds on I-295 South under clear weather conditions, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic, unprompted automatic emergency braking event. While my right turn signal was active and I was initiating a lane change to pass a truck, the autonomous braking system engaged with maximum force, pulling the brake pedal completely to the floorboards with zero obstacles present. A consumer mobile telematics application (Life360) officially registered the extreme hard-braking event at 4:47 PM. This unprompted stop caused the vehicle to violently lose traction, fishtail across highway lanes, and nearly roll over in high-speed traffic, placing my life and the safety of surrounding motorists at extreme risk.Symptoms of systemic electrical network instability occurred prior to this failure, including a dashboard GPS clock that precisely jumps four hours ahead in specific geographic location, and a power rear liftgate/hatch that randomly opens only halfway or reverses direction unprompted. Furthermore, this identical bouncing and jumping brake system behavior was first reported to an authorized dealership service center in November 2023 at 14,435 miles while operating on factory-original wheels and tires, but the dealer was unable to duplicate or resolve the issue at that time. The manufacturer's corporate customer advocacy team has been notified and a formal vehicle inspection is scheduled for next week.

Recently, in my 2023 Subaru Outback, I have been having pop-up ads for SirusXM take over my infotainment screen. The ad appears in the center, does not allow the user to interact with the screen - including air conditioning control and traction control selection - and will not go away until I acknowledge the ad. It has appeared when I start the vehicle and while I am driving. I contacted Subaru of America; they first told me to contact SiriusXM. I asked why I was being told to contact SiriusXM for a pop-up ad in my Subaru - of course SiriusXM wants to advertise to consumers, but why would Subaru allow them to display ads in my car whenever they chose? I own my car outright; it is neither a lease nor do I owe money on it, so I should control what sort of media is presented to me and when, and I definitely shouldn't have third party ads appearing in my car at random times without my consent. I was persistent with the Subaru of America representative, and then they claimed they would push an over-the-air software update to my car to resolve the issue, but that has not happened. Now I read that other people have been having this same issue, so I am very disappointed that Subaru would first tell me to call SiriusXM and second pretend like it was a software fluke, but I later read that hundreds of other consumers are having similar problems.

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while walking around the vehicle attempting to put her husband in the passenger seat, the hatchback opened independently, and they both got pushed independently from the vehicle on the ground from the impact. The contact mentioned by the standers came out of the office to check on them and called 911 immediately. The contact stated that she sustained injuries to the knee and left shoulder, and her husband sustained injuries from the left elbow to the arm. Medical attention was required, and they were transported to the ER by ambulance. The contact stated that a police report was not filed. The contact stated that the failure was not diagnosed by a dealer or independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,000.

I have had no working SOS safety button in case of a crash despite having a 3 year plan. This started after a Starlink update failed to load to this date. I took it to the dealer and my software was found to be up to date and I was told not a Subaru problem for months. I wrote to Subura America and told not to take the car in as no fix but any day but never came. I am to renew the Safety and Security on 12-12-2025 but I do not want to pay for an SOS safety alert that does not work. My Subaru told me that I was at fault for failing to take my car in for repair and stated they would cancel both safety and security plans, I repsonded by hanging up. I called Subaru American who did not respond. My 2023 Subaru Outback has 9000 miles. I am [XXX] old and disabled with a serious hip issue and a victim from another party of a HIPPA cyberattack when the government was closed. I assume your the Department of Transsportation does not care either. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outlook. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the Starlink system failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact was informed that it was a known failure; however, there was no fix available. In addition, the contact was informed that there were more than 44,000 consumers experiencing the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 24,200.

My 2023 Subaru Outback Wilderness experienced multiple complete failures to start over a 2-day period at 51,930 miles, creating significant safety risks and stranding situations.Component Failure: Battery system (SOA821B700, 620 CCA) failed to maintain charge when vehicle parked/off. Component replaced and available for inspection if retrieved from disposal. What Happened: Vehicle experienced repeated failure-to-start episodes over 2 consecutive days at 51,930 miles. While jump-startable, battery would not maintain charge for restart after any parking period. No warning lamps or messages preceded failures. Safety Risks: Created dangerous stranding situations in potentially unsafe locations. Loss of ability to restart in emergencies, failure of electrical systems (lights/hazards), risk of accidents when unable to restart in traffic situations. Professional Confirmation: Independent automotive shops tested battery/alternator systems confirming battery not holding charge per Subaru specifications, indicating systemic electrical drain issue. Manufacturer Inspection: Subaru dealer testing contradicted independent findings despite multiple documented failures. Customer Advocacy denied reimbursement claiming "normal wear" despite documented design deficiency. Known Defect: Failure directly relates to documented inadequacy in TSB 07-213-22R acknowledging original battery specification insufficient. TSB introduced higher-capacity replacement (SOA821B900, 750 CCA) requiring new mounting hardware, proving design correction not maintenance. TSB updated March 2024 (NHTSA #10252553) expanding to 2024 models, demonstrating ongoing systematic problem across multiple model years (2020-2024). Warning Signs: No warning indicators preceded failures - complete unexpected loss of starting ability creating immediate safety hazard.

Windshield was struck by a small stone. There was no immediate damage but over a period of several weeks 5 cracks appeared traversing the windshield top to bottom.

The drivers side window frequently will not roll up. Has happened multiple times and dealership says they reset it but still does not work properly. In inclement weather conditions this is a serious safety issue. Most recent information is below

When going down my driveway, the (RAB) Reverse Automatic Braking system will often times turn itself off and not reset like the manual say's it should. I have to stop the car, shut it off and open the door to ensure everything is off and restart the car to get it to reset. It has been in the dealership, Subaru of Kennesaw, Kennesaw Ga 4 time for this issue. Last time it was in the dealership they had it for over a month. And it is still happening. This started after a software update done on 10-28-2024 and to date has happened 52 times since then. I have photo documentation of these instances. These exceeded the max allowable of your website so did no upload them.