2019 Subaru Outback problems
Owners have filed 1,288 complaints about the 2019 Subaru Outback with NHTSA. Electrical system accounts for 28.3% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of visibility/wiper at 25.3%. A further 15.8% were filed without a specific system named.
Complaints1,288
Crashes52
Fires3
Injuries36
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Electrical system 28.3% · 365
Visibility/wiper 25.3% · 326
Unknown or other 15.8% · 203
Visibility 5.0% · 64
Forward collision avoidance 3.6% · 46
Engine 3.0% · 39
Steering 2.7% · 35
Structure 2.2% · 28
Severity
Of those complaints, 52 describe a crash, 3 describe a fire and 36 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 28 model years of the Subaru Outback in this data, 2019 draws the most complaints of any of them.
Filings have fallen off, 244 in the last three years against 633 in the three before. The issues here may already have been addressed.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 10,226 miles.
In owners' own words
While camping in a semi-remote location, our battery died, requiring a lengthy process to get a jump start. The only draw on the battery had been moderate use of the ljftgate the evening before. Additional expenses involved a hotel stay and purchase of a jump battery for peace of mind for the rest of our trip. We did have to use the jump battery during the next couple days to be able to start the car in the morning. Electrical system · reported at 13,000 miles
Infotainment system screen is bubbling causing input to the user interface with no driver action. I consider this a safety issue due to the fact I can not turn the system off or deactivate it. The car starts playing music, making phone calls, changing navigation settings ect... This creates a persistent and strong hazard. I can not focus on the road, hear emergency sirens or other cars alerting with their horns. Electrical system
Battery drain issue. The battery was replaced by dealer twice, and it drains down after about one month to two months. The car won't start and I need to call roadside service for a jump start several times a week. The dealer ran tests and says there is no unusual electronic drain when car is off, but didn't diagnose what the issue is--just replaced battery, and now after about 7 weeks I'm having same issue again. Electrical system
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…