2000 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data

247
Total Complaints
78,000mi
Median Mileage
Tires
Top Issue
22
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

51,000 25th Percentile
78,000 Median Mileage
116,266 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Tires
22
Automatic Transmission
18
Engine
12
Vehicle Speed Control
12
Engine And Engine Cooling
9
Clutch Assembly
8
Tread/Belt
7
Suspension
7
Stabilizer Bar
6
Power Train
6

Severity Assessment

22
Crashes
9
Fires
11
Injuries
5
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"UNDER NORMAL BRAKING WHEN APPLYING FORCE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, THERE IS TOO MUCH PLAY IN THE PEDAL, STOPPING ABLILTY NOT ACCURATE. BRAKE PEDAL MOVES EXCESSIVLEY, MORE THAN THE OWNER MANUEL STATES. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. CONSUMER HAS ADJUSTED THE..."
"BRAKE PEDAL NEEDS ADJUSTMENT. YH"
"BRAKE PEDAL NEEDS ADJUSTMENT. YH"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Automatic Transmission 18 complaints
25th: 55,750 mi Median: 62,500 mi 75th: 68,746 mi
Engine 12 complaints
25th: 55,000 mi Median: 68,000 mi 75th: 94,685 mi
Vehicle Speed Control 12 complaints
25th: 54,000 mi Median: 56,000 mi 75th: 58,620 mi
Engine And Engine Cooling 9 complaints
25th: 63,000 mi Median: 88,000 mi 75th: 105,423 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 36 NY: 27 MA: 22 PA: 17 VA: 16 OR: 8 NJ: 8 MD: 8 WA: 8 NH: 8

Who Files Complaints?

56.3%
Original Owners
43.7%
Second+ Owners

Subaru Outback — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
19965719
1997947
199816513
199915022
200120718
200217114
20031167
200410816
200535320
200640412
200718217
200827712
20091412
201046620
201185135
201236718
201340334
201427526
201563336
201675737
2017109155
201896242
2019127748
2020112237
202139416
202252118
202311815
20241119
2025879

Active Recalls (2)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Fuel Pump
Campaign 13E065000 | 29/11/2013
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Airtex will notify owners, and will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Recall is expected to begin on January 2, 2014. Customers may contact Airtex at 1-800-880-3056. The recall is expected to begin during January 2014. This recall is being conducted by Airtex, not by Subaru.
Rear
Campaign 03V153000 | 22/04/2003
IF SUCH BREAKAGE OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING OPERATED, CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE COULD BE AFFECTED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
DEALERS WILL CLEAN AND RUST-PROOF THE REAR SUSPENSION SUBFRAME. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 14, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.

Extend Your Tire Life

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

  • Check tire pressure monthly — underinflation is the #1 tire killer
  • Rotate tires every 5,000-7,500 miles
  • Get an alignment check annually
  • Inspect for uneven wear patterns which indicate alignment or suspension issues
  • Replace tires when tread reaches 4/32 inch — don't wait for 2/32

Compare Subaru Outback

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28