Visibility/wiper. Review the 130 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 127 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 47 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

20 crash reports5 fire reports13 injury reports

What owners actually said

510 reports

2,000 miles · Aug 20, 2016

Vehicle Speed Control

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MY 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5LIMITED HAS HAD SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH SUDDEN-ACCELERATION.IT WILL SURGE WHILE FOOT IS ON BRAKE USUALLY AT STOP SIGNS,RED LIGHTS.IT IS BECOMING WORSE AND MORE FREQUENT.I AM 100% SURE THAT MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE AND THE FLOOR MAT IS NOT INVOLVED EITHER.IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS AND WE HAVE HAD NO RESULTS AFTER TAKING IT TO THE DEALER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS AS THEY STATE THEY CAN NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE..IT BEGAN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE CAR WAS PURCHASED AND IS STILL HAPPENING A YEAR LATER

NHTSA ODI #10897359

20,000 miles · Aug 2, 2016

Electrical System

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WHEN I PULL THE EXPRESS WINDOW SWITCH TO LIFT MY DRIVER SIDE WINDOW, IT WILL GO ALL THE WAY UP AND THEN COME DOWN ABOUT HALFWAY. IT WILL NOT LET ME RAISE THE WINDOW UNLESS I MOVE THE SWITCH DOWN TO LOWER THE WINDOW. I THINK THE FIRST TIME IT DID IT WAS AROUND MAY, 2016. BY JULY, IT WAS DOING MORE AND MORE OFTEN, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS ALSO DOING THE SAME THING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER ON JULY 26 AND THEY TOLD ME THEY HAD TO REPROGRAM IT. THEY SAID IF IT DOES IT AGAIN, JUST HOLD THE SWITCH UP FOR 5 SECONDS AND THAT SHOULD REPROGRAM IT AGAIN. THAT DID NOT HELP. BOTH MY WINDOWS ARE DOING IT MORE OFTEN NOW. WHEN I GO BACK TO DEALER TO HAVE MY WINDSHIELD FIXED, I WILL LET THEM KNOW THAT MY POWER WINDOWS ARE STILL NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS WHILE I AM DRIVING OR STATIONARY. IT DOES NOT DO IT ALL THE TIME, BUT IT DOES IT ENOUGH TIMES THAT IT IS PROBLEMATIC.

NHTSA ODI #10892601

24,800 miles · Aug 2, 2016

Visibility/wiper

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I WAS DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET GOING 40 MPH WHEN I HEARD A POP COMING FROM THE WINDSHIELD. WHEN I LOOKED OVER, THERE WAS A CRACK ABOUT MIDWAY UP THE WINDSHIELD. IT RAN FROM THE FAR RIGHT TOWARD THE MIDDLE ABOUT 10 INCHES AND THEN DOWNWARD. IT WAS CURVING DOWNWARD. THERE WAS ONE CAR IN FRONT ABOUT 25 YARDS AWAY GOING ABOUT THE SAME SPEED AS I WAS. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME COULD HAVE THROWN A ROCK THAT FAR AND HARD ENOUGH TO BREAK MY WINDSHIELD. I HAVE BEEN HIT MANY TIMES BEFORE ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY WINDOW HAD NEVER BROKEN. ONLY SMALL NICKS THAT I CAN SEE. I GOT TO THE THEATER AND GOT OUT TO LOOK AT THE WINDOW. THE CRACK STARTED FROM THE EDGE OF THE WINDOW. I COULD NOT SEE WHERE ANYTHING HAD HIT THE WINDOW. IT WAS A CLEAN BREAK. I HAD TO TAKE MY OUTBACK TO THE DEALER BECAUSE I'M HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE WINDOW EXPRESS SWITCH, AND THEY LOOKED AT MY WINDSHIELD. THEY ARE GOING TO REPLACE IT BECAUSE I HAD PURCHASED EXTENDED COVERAGE AND IT WAS COVERED.

NHTSA ODI #10892595

35,270 miles · Jul 29, 2016

Unknown Or Other

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I WAS FORCED TO REPLACE A 2ND FAILED WHEEL BEARING (LEFT FRONT WHEEL) ON MY 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK 4CYL. LIMITED AFTER 35270 MILES TODAY 29JULY2016. THE FIRST FAILED WHEEL BEARING TO BE REPLACED OCCURRED ON 15JANUARY2016 INVOLVING THE LEFT REAR WHEEL. IN BOTH CASES ABNORMAL NOISE LEVELS WHILE DRIVING FROM THE RESPECTIVE INVOLVED CORNERS OF THE CAR LEAD ME CONTACT TO DEALER TO CONFIRM SUSPICIONS OF POTENTIAL WHEEL BEARING FAILURE IN THE MAKING. BOTH BEARINGS WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTEE CONDITIONS AND I AM FOR THE MOST PART SATISFIED WITH THE REPAIRS PERFORMED. HOWEVER, HAVING TWO BEARINGS FAIL THAT NORMALLY COULD BE EXPECTED TO LAST THE LIFE OF THE CAR LEADS ME TO CONCLUDE THAT THERE IS A BATCH OF DEFECTIVE BEARINGS PRODUCED FOR SUBARU THAT MAY ALSO BE FOUND ON OTHER CARS ASSEMBLED APPROXIMATELY THE SAME TIME MY CAR WAS MADE IN DECEMBER 2014 AT SUBARU'S INDIANA ASSEMBLY PLANT. I FEEL THIS IS WORTH A FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY YOUR ORGANIZATION AS MOST CONSUMERS PROBABLY DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT A FAILING WHEEL BEARING SOUNDS LIKE AND MORE LIKELY HAVE NO IDEA HOW POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IT IS TO IGNORE TO WARNING SIGNS TO THEIR DETRIMENT. THE SUBARU DEALER TO CONTACT REGARDING MY SPECIFIC CAR IS METRIC AUTO SALES, INC., 1767 EAST JERICHO TURNPIKE, HUNTINGTON, NY 11743 (631) 499-6777

NHTSA ODI #10891739

33,500 miles · Jul 8, 2016

Electrical System

AFTER BEING PARKED AND UNUSED FOR AS FEW AS 3 DAYS, THE BATTERY DRAINS AND THE CAR WILL NOT START. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON TWO OCCASIONS. SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS OF 4 CYLINDER 2015 OUTBACKS HAVE REPORTED THIS ISSUE AT HTTP://WWW.SUBARUOUTBACK.ORG/FORUMS/138-GEN-5-2015-PRESENT/344506-DEAD-BATTERY-2016-A.HTML

NHTSA ODI #10883494

12,700 miles · Jun 30, 2016

Electrical SystemFire

TECHNICIAN AND SERVICE ADVISOR INFORMED ME THAT A 80 PIN CONNECTOR THAT CONTROLS THE HEAD SYSTEM HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE AND FUSED TWO CONNECTORS TOGETHER. I USED THE HVAC SYSTEM ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK AND PARKED THE VEHICLE IN THE GARAGE.IF THIS HAPPENED IN THE GARAGE IT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A CATASTROPHIC HOUSE FIRE.

NHTSA ODI #10881907

23,245 miles · Jun 2, 2016

Visibility/wiper

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I WAS DRIVING MY 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK ON THE HIGHWAY, NORTHBOUND INTERSTATE 280, IN WOODSIDE, CALIFORNIA, ON MAY 27, 2016. SUDDENLY I SAW A SMALL CRACK ON MY WINDSHIELD THAT GREW TO ABOUT 6 INCHES IN A FEW SECONDS, STARTING FROM THE WIPERS, AT THE BOTTOM AND A BIT TOWARDS THE DRIVER SIDE AND GOING UP THEN CURVING TOWARDS THE RIGHT, IN AN L SHAPE. BY THE NEXT MORNING THE HORIZONTAL PART OF THE CRACK HAD EXPANDED AT LEAST 12 INCHES MORE. I DID NOT HEAR THE NOISE OF IMPACT OF A STONE OR ANY OTHER OBJECT.

NHTSA ODI #10872231

25,000 miles · May 30, 2016

Visibility/wiper

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THIS IS MY ORIGINAL 2015 OUTBACK. I OWN 2 2015S. MY OTHER ONE ONE HAD A WINDSHIELD ISSUE WHEN I WAS DRIVING AROUND 35 ON A COLD NIGHT. THERE WAS A LARGE POP AND SUDDENLY A CRACK APPEARED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. OVER THE NEXT DAYS IT GREW INTO A BACKWARDS "J". DEALER SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED, HOWEVER IT WAS DIFFICULT TO EVEN SEE A MARK THAT WOULD INDICATE IT WAS HIT FROM A ROCK, AND NOT DEFECTIVE. WE WENT AHEAD AND FIXED IT, EVEN THOUGH WE THOUGHT IT WAS ODD. THE OTHER MORNING, WE WENT DOWN TO THE GARAGE AND FOUND THAT OUR ORIGINAL 2015 HAD A SIMILAR CRACK ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE, IN A SIMILAR SHAPE AND LENGTH. THE DAY BEFORE, WE DROVE THE CAR TO THE BEACH. NOTHING HIT IT, AND THE CRACK IS SMOOTH, WITH NOTHING FOUND WHERE IT ORIGINATES. SOMETHING IS DEFECTIVE WITH THESE WINDSHIELDS. THERE IS NO WAY 2 WINDSHIELDS ON 2 NEW CARS SHOULD BOTH HAVE TO BE REPLACED. WE OWN OURS CARS A LONG TIME, AND HAVE NEVER HAD A WINDSHIELD EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS, AND IF A ROCK EVER HITS ONE, IT'S A TINY MARK THAT CAN BE HANDLED BY INSURANCE. SOMETHING IS WRONG BUT SUBARU HAS WRITTEN IT SO ANY UPPER WINDSHIELD ISSUES ARE NOT INCLUDED, AND THIS IS NOT RIGHT. WE ARE GOING BUYING OUR SECOND ONE IN FOUR MONTHS, WITH EYESIGHT. THERE IS A DEFECT.

NHTSA ODI #10871475

17,500 miles · May 30, 2016

Visibility/wiper

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DRIVING ON A ROAD TRAVELING APPROX. 35 MILES AN HOUR ON A COLD NIGHT. HEARD A LOUD POP AROUND THE PASSENGER SIDE UPPER WINDSHIELD. A SMALL CRACK APPEARED. THERE WAS NO BUMP OR ROCK HIT AS THE REST OF THE AREA APPEARED SMOOTH. CRACK SPREAD INTO BACKWARDS "J" SHAPE OVER NEXT FEW DAYS AT LEAST 12 INCHES LONG. DEALERSHIP TOLD ME IT WASN'T COVERED AND THERE WAS A ROCK HIT. BUT THE AREA WAS SMOOTH AND I'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR 30 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN. WE ATE THE COST BECAUSE IT NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED, EVEN THOUGH CONSIDERED IT ODD THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN. HOWEVER, WE HAPPEN TO OWN ANOTHER 2015 OUTBACK. YESTERDAY, WE WENT INTO THE GARAGE TO START THE CAR AND THERE IS A 12 INCH CRACK - THE SAME SHAPE- ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE IN THE SAME LOCATIONS. NO SIGNS OF A ROCK HIT. WEATHER HAS BEEN VERY WARM, BUT THIS TIME, THE CAR WAS PARKED. SOMETHING IS WRONG. 2 - 2015 OUTBACKS? 2 "J" SHAPED CRACKS? IT'S NO COINCIDENCE AND TOO MANY COMPLAINTS ON LINE FROM PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR SITUATIONS. WINDSHIELD IS FAULTY AND SUBARU WON'T STEP UP AND INCLUDE THE UPPER PART IN ITS RECALLS. IT NEEDS TO. VERY DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER.

NHTSA ODI #10871473

9,000 miles · May 23, 2016

Service Brakes

BRAKE PEDAL CAN BE DEPRESSED BELOW THE ACCELERATOR. IF THE RIGHT FOOT IS ONLY PARTLALLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE RIGHT FOOT CAN DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN STOPPED AT A LIGHT OR NEARLY STOPPED, THE CAR ACCELERATES UNINTENTIONALLY. NO ACCIDENTS.

NHTSA ODI #10870459

Official recalls

16V292000 · Steering:column

May 11, 2016

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to May 6, 2016. The steering column on the affected vehicles may have been improperly machined, and as a result, turning the steering wheel may have no effect on the direction of the wheels.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The loss of steering ability would increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lot number on the steering column, replacing the steering column, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783 or by visiting http://www.wtd65.service-campaign.com. Subaru's number for this recall is WTD-65. Note: Until the vehicles have been inspected, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles.

16V251000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc)

Apr 27, 2016

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured on July 20, 2015. The brake fluid used in these vehicles may contain excess moisture which may adversely affect the performance of the electronic stability control system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Poor performance of the electronic stability control system when it is activated may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will perform an ABS activation, then flush and replace the brake fluid, free of charge. The recall began on May 20, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTC-64.

15V502000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission; Power Train:driveline:driveshaft

Aug 10, 2015

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015 and 2016 model year Subaru Legacy 4-Door and Outback vehicles manufactured July 3, 2015, to July 27, 2015. Transmission oil may leak from a deformed seal cap on the propeller shaft yoke.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the transmission oil leaks onto the exhaust pipe, there is a possible risk of fire.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the propeller shaft, free of charge. The recall began on August 28, 2015. Owners may contact 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQU-56.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:driveline:driveshaft

Consequence: If the transmission oil leaks onto the exhaust pipe, there is a possible risk of fire.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the propeller shaft, free of charge. The recall began on August 28, 2015. Owners may contact 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQU-56.

Power Train:automatic Transmission

Consequence: If the transmission oil leaks onto the exhaust pipe, there is a possible risk of fire.

15V366000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch; Forward Collision Avoidance: Crash Imminent Braking

Jun 12, 2015

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Outback vehicles manufactured February 24, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Impreza vehicles manufactured September 9, 2014, to April 14, 2015, XV Crosstrek vehicles manufactured October 16, 2014, to April 15, 2015, and 2016 WRX vehicles manufactured March 23, 2015, and equipped with the Eyesight Driver Assist System. If the switch that activates the brake lights fails, the automatic pre-collision braking component of the driver assist system will not function.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the automatic pre-collision braking system does not function as intended, the vehicle will not react to an obstacle in its path, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the driver assist system, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQS-54.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Forward Collision Avoidance: Crash Imminent Braking

Consequence: If the automatic pre-collision braking system does not function as intended, the vehicle will not react to an obstacle in its path, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the driver assist system, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQS-54.

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Consequence: If the automatic pre-collision braking system does not function as intended, the vehicle will not react to an obstacle in its path, increasing the risk of a crash.

14V577000 · Trailer Hitches

Sep 19, 2014

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Outback vehicles manufactured January 22, 2014, to August 18, 2014, and equipped with a Subaru accessory trailer hitch assembly. During installation, the trailer hitch mounting nuts may have been overtightened, potentially resulting in failure of the trailer hitch mounting studs.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The mounting nut(s) may not provide sufficient force to remain attached to the studs or the studs themselves might break. If this were to happen while a trailer is being towed, the driver might not be able to operate the vehicle as desired or the trailer may detach from the vehicle. Either situation could increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace all eight mounting nuts for the trailer hitch assembly, and will inspect all eight mounting studs for damage, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2014. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQN-50.

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

EA21002 · Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Opened Sep 17, 2021 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Go deeper into Subaru Outback problems

Subaru Outback transmission problems →Subaru Outback electrical problems →