IllustrationWHILE DRIVING 65-MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL AND WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. THE DRIVER ISN'T SURE IF THE STEERING MECHANISM FELL OFF AND CAUSED THE ACCIDENT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *PH
2000 Subaru Outback
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2000 Subaru Outback do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 207.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Outback years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
70–25K
2025–50K
2850–75K
1875–100K
22100–150K
9150K+
104 reports with mileage · 103 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
17 crash reports5 fire reports7 injury reports
Steering complaints
4 reportsTHE REAR LEFT TRAILING ARM BROKE IN HALF. DEALER NOTIFIED. PART REPLACED BY ROSSYLN AUTO EXPRESS SHOP. THE COST OF REPAIRS WERE OVER $400.00. SUBARU DID NOT REIMBURSE CONSUMER. *AK *CB *JB
CONTINOUS RATTLE IN FRONT END VERY LOUD WHEN MAKING LEFT TURNS.*AK
STEERING NOISE- WHENEVER GOING OVER ROUGH ROADS,TURNING INTO DRIVEWAY, TURNING ONTO UNLEVEL ROAD, FRONT END MAKES CLUNKING NOISE. DEALER SAYS SUBARU IS AWARE OF IT AND IT IS NORMAL FOR THE CAR. THE NOISE COMES FROM THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY DESIGNED THE STEERING. STILL DON'T THINK A BRAND NEW CAR SHOULD EXHIBIT THIS TYPE OF P…
Read full complaint
STEERING NOISE- WHENEVER GOING OVER ROUGH ROADS,TURNING INTO DRIVEWAY, TURNING ONTO UNLEVEL ROAD, FRONT END MAKES CLUNKING NOISE. DEALER SAYS SUBARU IS AWARE OF IT AND IT IS NORMAL FOR THE CAR. THE NOISE COMES FROM THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY DESIGNED THE STEERING. STILL DON'T THINK A BRAND NEW CAR SHOULD EXHIBIT THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM WITHOUT A FIX AVAILABLE.
Official recalls
103V153000 · Suspension:rear
Apr 22, 2003
THIS RECALL APPLIES TO CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. CERTAIN REAR SUSPENSION SUBFRAME COMPONENTS WERE PRODUCED WITH POOR PAINT QUALITY WHICH, AFTER CONTINUED EXPOSURE TO CORROSIVE ROAD SALTS FOR A PERIOD OF SEVERAL YEARS, COULD RESULT IN RUST-OUT OF THE COMPONENT AND POSSIBLE BREAKAGE OF THE SUBFRAME.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF SUCH BREAKAGE OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING OPERATED, CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE COULD BE AFFECTED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL CLEAN AND RUST-PROOF THE REAR SUSPENSION SUBFRAME. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 14, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.