2013 Subaru Outback: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 296 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 12 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
296
Complaints
12
Recalls
18
Crash reports
6
Fire reports
13
Injuries
85.1
Severity index
Severity index 85.1 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 145 2013 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2013 Subaru Outback ranks 51 of 145 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 65% of its model-year peers. See the full 2013 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 67 | 22.6% |
| POWER TRAIN | 59 | 19.9% |
| AIR BAGS | 42 | 14.2% |
| STEERING | 34 | 11.5% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 26 | 8.8% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 25 | 8.4% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 24 | 8.1% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 23 | 7.8% |
The single most-reported system is ENGINE, cited in 67 of 296 complaints (22.6%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 42 |
| 2014 | 16 |
| 2015 | 27 |
| 2016 | 13 |
| 2017 | 25 |
| 2018 | 28 |
| 2019 | 56 |
| 2020 | 23 |
| 2021 | 14 |
| 2022 | 14 |
| 2023 | 16 |
| 2024 | 11 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 6 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V008000 | 09/01/2019 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, and Legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, |
| 19V007000 | 09/01/2019 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texa |
| 18V626000 | 13/09/2018 | PARKING BRAKE | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with a manual transmission. The electronic parking brake (EPB) may not engage as intended, allowing the vehicle to rollaway if the transmission is not in the proper gear w |
| 19V009000 | 09/01/2019 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michi |
| 20V003000 | 02/01/2020 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Conne |
| 20V002000 | 02/01/2020 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, |
| 20V001000 | 02/01/2020 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Flo |
| 19V297000 | 11/04/2019 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as |
| 18V012000 | 09/01/2018 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Te |
| 16V694000 | 27/09/2016 | VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Legacy vehicles manufactured November 26, 2008, to June 7, 2013, and 2010-2014 Outback vehicles manufactured January 9, 2009 to June 7, 2013. Due to contamination, components within the windshield wiper m |
| 13V061000 | 25/02/2013 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote |
| 13V194000 | 13/05/2013 | STEERING | Subaru is recalling certain model year 2013 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from February 15, 2012, through June 15, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the inner and outer shafts of the steering column assembly may become disengaged from one another. |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.