Subaru
Subaru Outback years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2019, 2020 and 2022. Best years: 2023 and 2024.
The 2019, 2020 and 2022 Subaru Outback draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2019 has 1,034 complaints (129 for each year on the road), 2020 has 899 complaints (128 for each year on the road) and 2022 has 463 complaints (93 for each year on the road), against a median of 58 a year across the 11 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is windshield (384 reports).
- 6,035complaints
- 34recall campaigns
- 13model years with a page
Newest report Sep 29, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2019
Most reported: windshield (384 reports, median 12,000 miles) and dead battery (283 reports, median 14,125 miles).
2020
Most reported: windshield (375 reports, median 6,800 miles) and dead battery (210 reports, median 7,500 miles).
2022
Most reported: windshield (277 reports, median 6,030 miles) and infotainment (40 reports, median 16,250 miles).
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid. Too new to judge: 2025 and 2026.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- No single year holds most of the file. The busiest, the 2019, has 17% of the 6,035 complaints across 13 model years.
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Windshield leads in 7 of the 12 model years and has the most reports overall, 1,905. Pooled across the years, half of the 1,136 owners who gave a mileage for windshield were under about 15,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 4% of Subaru Outback complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2014, 15 of its 179 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- 3 of the 12 model years where owners report windshield have a recall on the same system: 2014, 2018 and 2022. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2021 at 1,282 and have dropped every year since, to 306 in 2025. So far in 2026, 260 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: IFCAR, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: HJUdall, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Fifth generation (BS)
| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 504 | 42 | 5 | Windshield cracks or distorts (137) | 28,500 |
| 2016 | 643 | 58 | 4 | Battery dies or the car will not start (238) | 38,000 |
| 2017 | 917 | 92 | 4 | Battery dies or the car will not start (336) | 32,000 |
| 2018 | 812 | 90 | 3 | Windshield cracks or distorts (264) | 18,000 |
| 2019 avoid | 1,034 | 129 | 3 | Windshield cracks or distorts (384) | 12,055 |
Photo: HJUdall, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Sixth generation (BT)
| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 avoid | 899 | 128 | 6 | Windshield cracks or distorts (375) | 7,090 |
| 2021 | 296 | 49 | 4 | Windshield cracks or distorts (105) | 6,500 |
| 2022 avoid | 463 | 93 | 4 | Windshield cracks or distorts (277) | 8,000 |
| 2023 best | 89 | 22 | 2 | Windshield cracks or distorts (20) | 9,000 |
| 2024 best | 102 | 34 | 0 | Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails (19) | 6,000 |
| 2025 | 81 | new | 0 | Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails (19) | 6,100 |
Photo: Charles from Port Chester, New York, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
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Seventh generation (BU)
| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 16 | new | 0 |
Year by year
2026 Subaru Outback
16 owner complaints so far; too new to call. 1 report involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. No recalls.
2025 Subaru Outback
81 owner complaints so far; too new to call. Most reported: infotainment (19 reports), driver assist (10 reports) and false collision warning (10 reports). 5 reports involved a crash and 1 person was hurt. No recalls.
2024 Subaru Outback best
102 owner complaints, 34 for each year on the road (0.6 times the model median). Most reported: infotainment (19 reports) and windshield (19 reports). 5 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. No recalls.
2023 Subaru Outback best
89 owner complaints, 22 for each year on the road (0.4 times the model median). Most reported: windshield (20 reports) and phantom braking (11 reports). 8 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 2 recalls, including 23V-755 on the transmission and drivetrain and 23V-647 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2022 Subaru Outback avoid
463 owner complaints, 93 for each year on the road (1.6 times the model median). Most reported: windshield (277 reports, median 6,030 miles), infotainment (40 reports, median 16,250 miles) and dead battery (29 reports, median 14,000 miles). 10 reports involved a crash and 6 people were hurt. 4 recalls, including 22V-712 on the visibility and 24V-227 on the airbags.
2021 Subaru Outback
296 owner complaints, 49 for each year on the road (0.8 times the model median). Most reported: windshield (105 reports, median 3,600 miles), dead battery (43 reports, median 5,000 miles) and infotainment (27 reports, median 4,488 miles). 9 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. 4 recalls, including 24V-227 on the airbags and 23V-755 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2020 Subaru Outback avoid
899 owner complaints, 128 for each year on the road (2.2 times the model median). Most reported: windshield (375 reports, median 6,800 miles), dead battery (210 reports, median 7,500 miles) and infotainment (65 reports, median 6,300 miles). 19 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. 6 recalls, including 24V-227 on the airbags and 22V-485 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2019 Subaru Outback avoid
1,034 owner complaints, 129 for each year on the road (2.2 times the model median). Most reported: windshield (384 reports, median 12,000 miles), dead battery (283 reports, median 14,125 miles) and infotainment (133 reports, median 14,500 miles). 24 reports involved a crash and 18 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 19V-493 on the structure and 21V-587 on the fuel system.
2018 Subaru Outback
812 owner complaints, 90 for each year on the road (1.5 times the model median). Most reported: windshield (264 reports, median 25,000 miles), dead battery (170 reports, median 19,065 miles) and infotainment (159 reports, median 13,000 miles). 27 reports involved a crash and 19 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 18V-935 on the visibility and 21V-587 on the fuel system.
2017 Subaru Outback
917 owner complaints, 92 for each year on the road (1.6 times the model median). Most reported: dead battery (336 reports, median 30,000 miles), windshield (229 reports, median 37,000 miles) and infotainment (44 reports, median 24,000 miles). 32 reports involved a crash and 25 people were hurt. 4 recalls, including 16V-292 on the steering system (do not drive) and 19V-910 on the airbags.
2016 Subaru Outback
643 owner complaints, 58 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: dead battery (238 reports, median 40,475 miles), windshield (84 reports, median 40,000 miles) and stalling (34 reports, median 35,042 miles). 22 reports involved a crash and 13 people were hurt. 4 recalls, including 16V-292 on the steering system (do not drive) and 19V-910 on the airbags.
2015 Subaru Outback
504 owner complaints, 42 for each year on the road (0.7 times the model median). Most reported: windshield (137 reports, median 12,458 miles), dead battery (87 reports, median 45,000 miles) and infotainment (37 reports, median 19,000 miles). 20 reports involved a crash and 17 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 16V-292 on the steering system (do not drive) and 16V-251 on stability control.
2014 Subaru Outback
179 owner complaints, 14 for each year on the road (0.2 times the model median). Most reported: airbag (37 reports, median 45,500 miles), brake wear (17 reports, median 40,000 miles) and oil consumption (15 reports, median 38,000 miles). 11 reports involved a crash and 21 people were hurt. 10 recalls, including 20V-001 on the airbags and 20V-002 on the airbags.
Recalls that cover several model years
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.
An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
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.
A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
A replacement air bag control module may have been installed that is not compatible with the passenger air bag module, possibly affecting air bag deployment.
Compare the Outback with its rivals
Side by side over the model years both have on file: what owners complain about, the mileage problems start at, recalls, investigations and crash reports.
- Outback vs Toyota RAV42014 to 2025
- Outback vs Honda CR-V2014 to 2026
- Outback vs Subaru Forester2014 to 2026
- Outback vs Subaru Crosstrek2016 to 2024
Questions
What Subaru Outback years should you avoid?
The 2019, 2020 and 2022 Subaru Outback draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2019 has 1,034 complaints (129 for each year on the road), 2020 has 899 complaints (128 for each year on the road) and 2022 has 463 complaints (93 for each year on the road), against a median of 58 a year across the 11 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is windshield (384 reports).
What are the best years for the Subaru Outback?
The 2023 and 2024 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2023 has 89 (22 a year) and 2024 has 102 (34 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Subaru Outback?
Windshield, with 1,905 reports across the 13 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
How many recalls does the Subaru Outback have?
34 recall campaigns cover the Subaru Outback model years 2014 to 2026 on this site. The widest, 16V-292 on the steering system, covers 3 model years.
How many Subaru Outback complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
4% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2014 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for windshield on the Subaru Outback?
On 3 of the 12 model years where owners report it: 2014, 2018 and 2022.