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2022 Subaru Outback

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Outback years

Owner complaints for the 2022 Subaru Outback are substantially higher than the model-year median of 207.5.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 39 of 463 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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.

  • Visibility/wiper. Review the 255 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Visibility. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

10 crash reports4 fire reports5 injury reports

What owners actually said

463 reports
Mileage unknown · Nov 8, 2023
Visibility/wiper

Small object hit the top of the windshield and created a star 20 minutes later it spread to a 17 inch crack

NHTSA ODI #11554150

23,000 miles · Nov 6, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineFire

The contact owned a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 30 MPH, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the front of the vehicle, and the vehicle suddenly lost all electrical power. She was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. A short time la…

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The contact owned a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 30 MPH, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the front of the vehicle, and the vehicle suddenly lost all electrical power. She was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. A short time later, the contact's wife observed white smoke rising from the engine compartment, and within 15 minutes, the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. Local emergency services were called and were able to extinguish the fire. A fire and police report were filed, and no injuries were reported. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, awaiting inspection. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.

NHTSA ODI #11553800

Mileage unknown · Nov 6, 2023
Unknown Or Other

Fuel gauge reading incorrectly. Shows full tank and it is not full. Also mpg and mileage range indicators fluctuate, sometimes wildly

NHTSA ODI #11553783

13,947 miles · Nov 3, 2023
Vehicle Speed ControlCrash

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while pulling into a bumpy parking space, the vehicle shuddered violently, unintendedly accelerated, and crashed into a stone wall. As a result, the hood of the vehicle was bent and the bumpers were damaged. The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not sustain any in…

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The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while pulling into a bumpy parking space, the vehicle shuddered violently, unintendedly accelerated, and crashed into a stone wall. As a result, the hood of the vehicle was bent and the bumpers were damaged. The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The contact was able to drive to an unknown dealer, where the vehicle was inspected, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would follow up in two business days. The failure mileage was 13,947.

NHTSA ODI #11553407

17,000 miles · Nov 1, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine started sputtering with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle started losing motive power. The accelerator pedal was depressed, and the engine revved and responded as needed. The con…

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The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine started sputtering with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle started losing motive power. The accelerator pedal was depressed, and the engine revved and responded as needed. The contact stated that the power steering and power brakes failed while attempting to pull over to the side of the road. The contact continued to rev the engine which appeared to stabilize the instrument cluster view; however, the power steering and brakes were inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle was shifted into park(P) but while attempting to shift into drive(D), the gear shifter failed to move. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited for approximately one hour and when the vehicle restarted, all functionality had returned. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.

NHTSA ODI #11552963

Mileage unknown · Oct 31, 2023
Visibility/wiper

Windshield spontaneously cracked while we were starting the car in a parking lot. No movement and no impact points along the crack. Initiated at the bottom of windshield exactly at the center point and worked up toward the middle. Dealers (West Houston Subaru, followed by Gillman Subaru) could not point out an impact point al…

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Windshield spontaneously cracked while we were starting the car in a parking lot. No movement and no impact points along the crack. Initiated at the bottom of windshield exactly at the center point and worked up toward the middle. Dealers (West Houston Subaru, followed by Gillman Subaru) could not point out an impact point along the crack but indicated this was not a dealer problem.

NHTSA ODI #11552893

Mileage unknown · Oct 28, 2023
Unknown Or Other

Windshield cracked with rock impact April 2023. Crack spread immediately across the entire windshield. Replacement was done May 30, 2023. 3 weeks after replacement, the new windshield cracked with no evidence of impact.Car was parked and not moving at the time crack occured. Crack spread immediately accross the entire windshi…

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Windshield cracked with rock impact April 2023. Crack spread immediately across the entire windshield. Replacement was done May 30, 2023. 3 weeks after replacement, the new windshield cracked with no evidence of impact.Car was parked and not moving at the time crack occured. Crack spread immediately accross the entire windshield. Replacement of 2nd windshield was done June 3, 2023.

NHTSA ODI #11552396

Mileage unknown · Oct 12, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

The relatively new car (2022) stalls out randomly at intersections and red lights. This is a major safety issue as we have had the car totally shut down in the middle of 2 busy intersections. We had to dial 911 and have the police come to assist. We brought the car to the dealer and they did not find a problem but it continued t…

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The relatively new car (2022) stalls out randomly at intersections and red lights. This is a major safety issue as we have had the car totally shut down in the middle of 2 busy intersections. We had to dial 911 and have the police come to assist. We brought the car to the dealer and they did not find a problem but it continued to happen. There were no warning lights or messages - stalling happened randomly. May be related to the gas saver engine stop feature when at a complete stop.

NHTSA ODI #11549526

Mileage unknown · Oct 11, 2023
Engine

Lower oil pan leaks due to poor QA/QC at the factory so I’m told. And possibly the upper oil pan leaking to. Researched forums and it’s a requiring problem. So is the problem big enough for a recall? One issue is that the dealership didn’t notice it during last inspection and service. Or is the dealership being told to remain …

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Lower oil pan leaks due to poor QA/QC at the factory so I’m told. And possibly the upper oil pan leaking to. Researched forums and it’s a requiring problem. So is the problem big enough for a recall? One issue is that the dealership didn’t notice it during last inspection and service. Or is the dealership being told to remain silent ? Never less the end user suffers with worrying about if it’s going to happen again and cause bigger issues. Please check forums on this issue. Thank you

NHTSA ODI #11549304

Mileage unknown · Oct 9, 2023
Visibility/wiper

While parked for about two hours, the vehicle windshield cracked from the drivers side edge across the middle of the drivers field of view approximately 15-18 inches. There are no signs of any impact to the windshield to cause such a crack.

NHTSA ODI #11549040

Official recalls

4

24V227000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger

Mar 22, 2024

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.

23V755000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:park/neutral Start Interlock Switch

Nov 9, 2023

Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.

22V712000 · Visibility:windshield

Sep 22, 2022

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Impreza and Outback vehicles. The incorrect paint clearcoat may have been applied, which can cause the windshield to be insufficiently bonded to the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 212, "Windshield Mounting."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An insufficiently bonded windshield can detach during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Subaru will offer owners a vehicle exchange or repurchase, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 21, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-22.

22V473000 · Electrical System:wiring; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm)

Jul 1, 2022

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm)

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).

Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.

Electrical System:wiring

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).

Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Subaru Outback problems