2019 Subaru Outback problems and recalls

Owners have filed 1,033 complaints on the 2019 Subaru Outback, and NHTSA has issued 3 recalls. The most cited component is the Electrical System (363 complaints).

1,033
Complaints
3
Recalls
24
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
18
Injuries
27.6
Severity index

Severity index 27.6 Low. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 27.6p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 118 of 123 by severity index among 2019 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 4% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2019 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

Electrical SystemElectrical System: 363 complaints (35.1%)363 35%Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 326 complaints (31.6%)326 32%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 204 complaints (19.7%)204 20%VisibilityVisibility: 63 complaints (6.1%)63 6%EngineEngine: 39 complaints (3.8%)39 4%Forward Collision Avoid…Forward Collision Avoidance: 36 complaints (3.5%)36 3%SteeringSteering: 35 complaints (3.4%)35 3%StructureStructure: 27 complaints (2.6%)27 3%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM36335.1%
VISIBILITY/WIPER32631.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER20419.7%
VISIBILITY636.1%
ENGINE393.8%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE363.5%
STEERING353.4%
STRUCTURE272.6%

Complaints filed per year

01152302018: 42019: 1182020: 2302021: 2012022: 1702023: 1292024: 1142025: 492026: 18 (partial year)181920230212223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20184
2019118
2020230
2021201
2022170
2023129
2024114
202549
2026 (year to date)18
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 0.5x those in 2020 to 2022 (292 against 601).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
19V49300026/06/2019STRUCTURESubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Legacy and Outback vehicles. Spot welds located on the duct below the cowl panel may have been improperly applied, impacting the vehicle's body strength.
21V58700029/07/2021FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMPSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
20V21800016/04/2020FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMPSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.

Other Subaru Outback model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 14 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-09-05. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.