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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 · Jan 6, 2026
EnginePower Train

- Engine failure. Yes. - At a stop light the auto-restart function failed, following this event the vehicle began making a knocking noise, we towed it to the dealership for evaluation and their diagnosis was that it needed a new engine. - Dealership stated they too heard the knocking noise in the vehicle and it is engine damag…

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- Engine failure. Yes. - At a stop light the auto-restart function failed, following this event the vehicle began making a knocking noise, we towed it to the dealership for evaluation and their diagnosis was that it needed a new engine. - Dealership stated they too heard the knocking noise in the vehicle and it is engine damage due to low oil. However, the dipstick read fine when we took it into the dealership and we did not have a low oil warning. - Inspection completed by dealership - Received no warning lights nor messages regarding symptoms of the problem prior to failure. Initial event happened on 12/26 when at a stop light following the auto-off during braking function the car did not restart automatically. Car was turned off, and restarted. Following that event the vehicle had a knocking noise that increased in volume with driving. Did not drive the car after arriving to our destination. Towed the car to the dealership where we were told it needed a new engine.

NHTSA ODI #11709008

Mileage unknown · Dec 4, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Car infortainment system producing annoying and distracting advertisements while driving, overriding the the entire infotainment system and requiring human intervention that distracted me and almost caused an accident. No driver should have to deal with forced fucking ads while operating a vehicle, what fucked up dystopia are we…

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Car infortainment system producing annoying and distracting advertisements while driving, overriding the the entire infotainment system and requiring human intervention that distracted me and almost caused an accident. No driver should have to deal with forced fucking ads while operating a vehicle, what fucked up dystopia are we living in?

NHTSA ODI #11702966

Mileage unknown · Dec 3, 2025
Electrical System

I experienced two serious electrical failures within a few days that caused the vehicle to stall without warning. At Nov 29, 2025, after parking for about 20 minutes, the car would not start. Symptoms included: • Very weak clicking from the starter • Dashboard flickering and dimming • Unable to shift out of Park without manua…

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I experienced two serious electrical failures within a few days that caused the vehicle to stall without warning. At Nov 29, 2025, after parking for about 20 minutes, the car would not start. Symptoms included: • Very weak clicking from the starter • Dashboard flickering and dimming • Unable to shift out of Park without manual override • Jump-start did not work even though power was delivered The vehicle was towed to the Subaru dealer. The dealer reported: • Battery “low but fine after charging” • Alternator “normal” • Starter “normal” • No warning codes On Dec 2, 2025 the vehicle had been released without repairs. Only a few minutes after leaving the dealer, the car stalled in live traffic during an Auto Stop/Start event. Symptoms: • Immediate loss of all electrical power • All warning lights flashing erratically • Hazard lights did NOT illuminate externally • Gear shifter locked again • Vehicle would not restart on battery • Subaru roadside assistance jump-started the vehicle With Auto Stop/Start disabled, it was barely drivable and returned to the dealer. This appears to be a serious electrical or charging-system failure, possibly involving: • intermittent alternator failure • voltage collapse during Auto Stop/Start • BCM or power distribution fault The vehicle can stall unpredictably in traffic without warning, creating a significant risk of collision.This is not normal battery discharge — the battery was fully charged at the dealer minutes before the second failure. I am filing this complaint because this issue is dangerous and the dealer cannot reproduce or diagnose it. A formal investigation or recall may be necessary.

NHTSA ODI #11702627

Mileage unknown · Nov 15, 2025
StructureInjury

I opened the trunk door went to retrieve my groceries and the trunk door came down with extreme force on the top of my head without warning hitting me in the head causing a concussion. The window sensors on the driver and passenger doors also were acting off prior. Not every time but I would try to close the window and it woul…

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I opened the trunk door went to retrieve my groceries and the trunk door came down with extreme force on the top of my head without warning hitting me in the head causing a concussion. The window sensors on the driver and passenger doors also were acting off prior. Not every time but I would try to close the window and it would go up half way and then come back down.

NHTSA ODI #11699581

Mileage unknown · Oct 26, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemFire

Driving on the highway, engine started making a rattling noise, then began to labor and eventually stopped being able to accelerate at all. Oil pressure warning light came on around the time the acceleration gave out altogether. We pulled over to the side of the highway and got out of the car, seeing steam/white smoke coming out…

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Driving on the highway, engine started making a rattling noise, then began to labor and eventually stopped being able to accelerate at all. Oil pressure warning light came on around the time the acceleration gave out altogether. We pulled over to the side of the highway and got out of the car, seeing steam/white smoke coming out of the front of the car. The smoke increased and after several minutes, the front of the car caught on fire.

NHTSA ODI #11695698

Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2025
Visibility/wiper

Windshield spontaneously cracked while parked in driveway. Have nest cam footage of crack.

NHTSA ODI #11691656

Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2025
Forward Collision Avoidance

On September 27, 2025 at approximately 1:15 PM, I was traveling southbound on Minnesota 371 just north of Nisswa, Minnesota. I was towing a pontoon boat trailer with no boat on it. I was traveling in the right lane as I approached the County 29 / Wilderness Road intersection. 371 at this point curves gently to the left. A ve…

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On September 27, 2025 at approximately 1:15 PM, I was traveling southbound on Minnesota 371 just north of Nisswa, Minnesota. I was towing a pontoon boat trailer with no boat on it. I was traveling in the right lane as I approached the County 29 / Wilderness Road intersection. 371 at this point curves gently to the left. A vehicle in front of me was in the right turn lane to turn west on County 29. A motorcycle with passenger was overtaking me on the left. The automatic emergency braking system incorrectly triggered for a few seconds as I approached the turning vehicle. You can see the indication of the triggering in the heads up display LEDS in the lower left of the video, starting at 13:15:42 and continuing for a few seconds. I could feel the trailer fishtail on the back of the car. My primary safety concern was the overtaking motorcyclist in the left lane. I also wonder what would have happened would I have had a fully loaded trailer, as opposed to an empty boat trailer, on the back of the car. I have a dash cam video of the incident, but it is over 300MB and can't be uploaded to your site. It is file 20250927_131517_51601F.MP4.

NHTSA ODI #11691627

79,653 miles · Sep 25, 2025
Electrical System

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2022 Subaru Outback. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 19,821, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 79,653.

NHTSA ODI #11689675

Mileage unknown · Sep 15, 2025
EngineSeats

Lower oil pan leaks oil. Started leaking oil right after warranty expired. This is a known issue for Subaru cars with the 2.4 turbo engine. Seats ripped right after warranty expired.

NHTSA ODI #11687315

Mileage unknown · Sep 10, 2025
Visibility/wiper

A crack on my windshield has appeared overnight out of nowhere, with no indication of impact or external damage. The car was parked in a private driveway facing the house, not the road. It started from the bottom edge of the windshield under the cowling and has made its way to the center of the windshield, and has since spidered…

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A crack on my windshield has appeared overnight out of nowhere, with no indication of impact or external damage. The car was parked in a private driveway facing the house, not the road. It started from the bottom edge of the windshield under the cowling and has made its way to the center of the windshield, and has since spidered out, moving both east & west on the windshield. I took the 2022 Outback Wilderness to Hania Subaru in Orange Park, Jacksonville, FL, where they said the extended warranty would not cover the replacement because it only covers cracks that start on the east or west sides of the windshield. Hania Subaru sent photos to Subaru of America stating that they would not replace the glass. SOA said they would donate a $1000 gift towards the replacement of the windshield only if it was replaced through a Subaru dealership, which Subaru Hania quoted $2067.61, which is $900 more than the going rate in the area, so with the $1000 gift from SOA, I would be paying more than the average for a windshield replacement despite the "gifted $1000" from SOA and they would be using the same glass manufacturer that the original faulty cracked glass came from. SOA said they would only gift me the amount for the glass replacement if I used a Subaru dealership and not a 3rd party company, and when I asked why the dealerships charged double what the average cost was, they said that the service Subaru offers is superior despite there being no warranty on the new glass or service. When I called Subaru of Hania and Subaru of Jacksonville about glass replacement, they both said they do not offer glass replacement in-house, but they outsource to a 3rd party company called Ameri Pro, which is the glass dealership that Subaru uses as stock. Ameri Pro handles the full job and would charge me $1452 to include the "Subaru" stamp on the glass and stamped parts, or they would charge me $764.38 for all the same parts, excluding the Subaru stamp. This issue goes even deeper.

NHTSA ODI #11686251

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