delay from time accelerate until car moves. This has happened 10 or more times.
2019 Subaru Outback
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Outback years
Owner complaints for the 2019 Subaru Outback are substantially higher than 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
469 reports with mileage · 564 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 363 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 326 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
1,033 reportsAfter driving approximately 240 miles since our last stop, we stopped for gas. The car would not start. It sounded like it was trying to turn over but couldn't. Even when we let up on the start button the vehicle was still trying to start until we hit the button again (this is not normal). All battery functions were still workin…
Read full complaint
After driving approximately 240 miles since our last stop, we stopped for gas. The car would not start. It sounded like it was trying to turn over but couldn't. Even when we let up on the start button the vehicle was still trying to start until we hit the button again (this is not normal). All battery functions were still working. The car only had about 38,500 miles on it. After trying multiple times to start it and googling, we suspected a fuel issue. We had the car towed to a local Subaru dealer. The dealer confirmed the fuel pump was the problem and replaced the part. More research revealed a fuel pump recall for certain production dates of the 2019 Subaru Outback, but ours is not currently part of the recall. We contacted Subaru and reported the issue. They opened a case for it. When we picked up the car, Subaru had paid for the repair. In hindsight, we are lucky the car did not stall while driving on the interstate at 70mph as that could have caused serious issues and injury to ourselves and/or others. There were no warning lights or other symptoms on that day. There had been some starting issues approximately 1-2 months earlier, but we had replaced the battery and thought that fixed it. We asked for the part but the Subaru dealer where the repair was made kept the part. In addition to the safety concerns, this incident also resulted in personal financial burden as we were around 600 miles from home enroute to a vacation destination and had to uber to a car rental place, rent a car and pay for one night in a hotel. We believe the recall needs to be expanded to include more production dates. By expanding the recall, we hope this would prevent others from having to go through this situation and be at risk. We also hope Subaru would be required to reimburse us for the out-of-pocket expenses that resulted from this issue and provide an extended warranty.
A crack in the windshield suddenly appeared with no apparent cause starting at the very upper edge about a third of the way across from the driver side and traveled about half way down and then turned to the right for about eight inches. It is available for inspection upon request. As of this date it has not been reproduced or …
Read full complaint
A crack in the windshield suddenly appeared with no apparent cause starting at the very upper edge about a third of the way across from the driver side and traveled about half way down and then turned to the right for about eight inches. It is available for inspection upon request. As of this date it has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. It has been reported to insurance representatives, but not inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. There was no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
BATTERY failures and being stranded due to parasitic loads from DCM.
continues issue with windshield cracks, cracks will spread over night across the windshield. car windshield will be replaced for a fourth time on [XXX]. I initially replaced it with in a year of purchase in North Carolina and will replace for a third time here in San Diego at the dealer Kearny Mesa Subaru address 4797 Convoy St.…
Read full complaint
continues issue with windshield cracks, cracks will spread over night across the windshield. car windshield will be replaced for a fourth time on [XXX]. I initially replaced it with in a year of purchase in North Carolina and will replace for a third time here in San Diego at the dealer Kearny Mesa Subaru address 4797 Convoy St. San Diego, CA 92111 phone number 858-278-7100. Kearny Mesa has replaced my windshield for the last two times, first time was in spring of 2022, second time was in February 2024 and now again for a third time tomorrow [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The computer I think it's a starlink system has gone haywire and does not work at all to a point to where you cannot use it. Touch screen will not respond or goes from one thing to the other on its own. Totally unusual.
Parasitic drain cause by the CAN system, which causes the battery to randomly die, batter has been replaced, alternator and starter have been tested. When the battery has low voltage this also shuts down the cars safety features like forward Collision and cruise control. The head unit in the car is also malfunctioning, causing i…
Read full complaint
Parasitic drain cause by the CAN system, which causes the battery to randomly die, batter has been replaced, alternator and starter have been tested. When the battery has low voltage this also shuts down the cars safety features like forward Collision and cruise control. The head unit in the car is also malfunctioning, causing it randomly turn on and off while driving, button s being pressed on their own which is a huge distraction while driving. Subaru has not been willing to assist.
The infotainment system on my 2019 Subaru Outback has failed. The problem arose suddenly. The system is randomly cycling through radio stations, the touch screen has stopped responding to being touched, the gps apps stopped working properly and across the board the unit no longer works. The touchscreen also appears to have bu…
Read full complaint
The infotainment system on my 2019 Subaru Outback has failed. The problem arose suddenly. The system is randomly cycling through radio stations, the touch screen has stopped responding to being touched, the gps apps stopped working properly and across the board the unit no longer works. The touchscreen also appears to have bubbling under the surface of the screen, which may be contributing to the problem. This failure has deprived me of access to important apps -- gps, vehicle maintenance records, bluetooth phone calls. The constant beeping and cycling is an unwanted distraction. For now, the rear back up camera still seems to be working, but if I'm forced to turn off the touch screen, it obviously won't be of any help. I am bringing the car to the dealership tomorrow.
We had dealt with a parasitic battery drain issue related to the DCM, which was improperly addressed by Johnson Subaru of Cary. The dealership bypassed the problem, which was not what we requested or expected. While they have stated they will replace the DCM once parts become available, this is unacceptable, given that we paid f…
Read full complaint
We had dealt with a parasitic battery drain issue related to the DCM, which was improperly addressed by Johnson Subaru of Cary. The dealership bypassed the problem, which was not what we requested or expected. While they have stated they will replace the DCM once parts become available, this is unacceptable, given that we paid for this part with the initial purchase. If they follow through with the replacement, that would resolve one issue, but their initial response seemed like an attempt to avoid responsibility. After the DCM was replaced, a new issue arose: the radio head unit became inoperable, experiencing severe malfunctions. The seems like it could also be related to the replacement of the DCM bypass. The head unit changes radio stations and screens on its own, making it inoperable to control or even shut off. This is clearly a safety concern, particularly since the delamination and malfunctioning unit registers random touches, which could cause changes to any of the settings. The head unit serves as the primary control interface, and this unpredictability is highly distracting—especially with a [XXX] using the vehicle. Subaru of America has offered $1,000 towards the replacement, but this is insufficient, considering the widespread nature of this issue across many models. The quote from the dealer is 1415.00 and the 1000.00 will not cover the cost. This problem should be addressed through a recall, as safety is a major concern. Additionally, we incurred unrecovered battery costs from the DCM issue and had to purchase a jump-start kit after being stranded multiple times. Subaru's delay in addressing these issues with a recall is troubling, and their offer of $1,000 suggests they acknowledge responsibility, but this issue requires a formal recall rather than piecemeal compensation. The head unit failure has been diagnosed as the specific issue with my 2019 Subaru Outback and must be added to the recall list. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While turning into a parking spot my wife had foot on the brake and vehicle accelerated over parking bumpers and into a fence and ultimately was stopped by a combination of a tree and the fence car drove through. This collision prevented her from crossing pedestrian sidewalk and continuing into Southbound traffic lane of state h…
Read full complaint
While turning into a parking spot my wife had foot on the brake and vehicle accelerated over parking bumpers and into a fence and ultimately was stopped by a combination of a tree and the fence car drove through. This collision prevented her from crossing pedestrian sidewalk and continuing into Southbound traffic lane of state hwy. This incident put not only my wife at risk but also potentially any pedestrians or southbound vehicles. There were no system failures or warnings prior to my wife's arrival to her appointment. As mentioned this occurred within an approximate 5 second time frame. It is unknown as to what if any warnings occurred prior to/during the crash as my wife was pushing the brake to park when the sudden acceleration occurred. The braking system seems to have failed along with the sudden acceleration. The Automatic Braking System didn't engage, nor did the parking collision system. All our other Subaru's (including this vehicle have the collision warning and automatic braking systems) The dealership did not try to replicate the incident but all warning systems appear to be functioning correctly at this time. Following the accident I first reported the incident to my dealership where I purchased the vehicle. The initial damage estimate is forthcoming but Subaru tech indicated it will be may thousands of dollars to repair. I will follow-up next with Subaru's National Customer Care (per conversation with dealer) At the dealership (Southern Oregon Subaru) I had a safety/drive-ability inspection performed. Vehicle was given a clearance to drive, but obviously my wife refuses to drive it. Subsequent to the accident, we learned there are over 200 similar reports to NHTSA for this exact issue. We will also submit claim to insurance provider USAA.
Official recalls
321V587000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Jul 29, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
20V218000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Apr 16, 2020
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the low pressure fuel pump fails, the engine may stall without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-20.
19V493000 · Structure
Jun 26, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Legacy and Outback vehicles. Spot welds located on the duct below the cowl panel may have been improperly applied, impacting the vehicle's body strength.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash, the reduced strength of the vehicle body may increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and repair or repurchase the vehicle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUH-93.
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.
Illustration