"How reliable is the 2001 Subaru Outback?"

"Based on 207 NHTSA complaints, the 2001 Subaru Outback has a median complaint mileage of 74999 miles. The most common issue is Fuel System, Gasoline."

"What are common problems with the 2001 Subaru Outback?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2001 Subaru Outback is Fuel System, Gasoline, accounting for a significant portion of the 207 total complaints filed."

2001 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 207 complaints

207

Total Complaints

74,999mi

Median Mileage

Fuel System, Gasoline

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

30,000 25th Percentile

74,999 Median Mileage

112,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Fuel System, Gasoline

Rotor

Suspension

Clutch Assembly

Vehicle Speed Control

Automatic Transmission

Engine And Engine Cooling

Tires

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Engine

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ENGINE ACCELERATES SPONTANEOUSLY AT SLOW SPEED ENTERING GARAGE WITH FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL WHILE BRAKING TO KEEP SPEED LOW."

"WHEN YOU PUT CAR IN R AND START TO GO ALL 4 TIRES DONT ENGAGE AT THE SAME TIME. *AK"

"WHILE TRAVELING AT 20MPH AND WHEN STOPPING AT A LIGHT DEPRESSED BRAKE PEDAL, NOTICED PEDAL TRAVELING TO FLOORBOARD, AND LOST BRAKE POWER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK"

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.

Fuel System, Gasoline 19 complaints

25th: 70,000 mi Median: 83,000 mi 75th: 104,750 mi

Rotor 14 complaints

25th: 18,875 mi Median: 26,000 mi 75th: 34,777 mi

Suspension 13 complaints

25th: 130,000 mi Median: 180,980 mi 75th: 195,000 mi

Clutch Assembly 12 complaints

25th: 12,500 mi Median: 20,750 mi 75th: 27,875 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 10 complaints

25th: 17,125 mi Median: 48,000 mi 75th: 61,250 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 30 CA: 14 MA: 14 IL: 11 PA: 11 MN: 10 CT: 9 NJ: 9 VA: 8 NH: 7

Who Files Complaints?

46.9%

Original Owners

53.1%

Second+ Owners

Subaru Outback — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1996	57	115,000	Frontal	19
1997	94	103,995	Engine	7
1998	165	91,056	Engine	13
1999	150	87,000	Automatic Transmission	22
2000	247	78,000	Tires	22
2002	171	75,000	Fuel System, Gasoline	14
2003	116	74,110	Air Bags	7
2004	108	67,190	Air Bags	16
2005	353	85,000	Suspension	20
2006	404	95,316	Vehicle Speed Control	12
2007	182	83,000	Air Bags	17
2008	277	80,000	Air Bags	12
2009	141	71,396	Air Bags	2
2010	466	66,800	Power Train	20
2011	851	80,500	Power Train	35
2012	367	87,000	Power Train	18
2013	403	40,000	Engine	34
2014	275	30,500	Air Bags	26
2015	633	20,000	Visibility/Wiper	36
2016	757	34,000	Electrical System	37
2017	1091	30,000	Electrical System	55
2018	962	15,000	Electrical System	42
2019	1277	10,200	Electrical System	48
2020	1122	6,000	Visibility/Wiper	37
2021	394	3,250	Visibility/Wiper	16
2022	521	11,963	Visibility/Wiper	18
2023	118	6,000	Electrical System	15
2024	111	1,900	Visibility/Wiper	9
2025	87	1,249	Unknown Or Other	9

Active Recalls (4)

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.

Cables

Campaign 04V128000 | 16/03/2004

IF THIS OCCURS DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, THE DRIVER COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A CRUISE CONTROL CABLE RETAINING CLIP TO THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER TAB ON THE THROTTLE SHAFT IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE FROM COMING OUT OF ITS TRACK. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON APRIL 12, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.

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.

Automatic Transmission

Campaign 02V282000 | 30/10/2002

THE VEHICLE COULD THEN MOVE/ROLL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION JANUARY 8, 2003. AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BE SENT DURING NOVEMBER 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WI

General Vehicle Maintenance

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule in your owner's manual
Don't ignore warning lights — early diagnosis prevents expensive repairs
Keep records of all maintenance and repairs
Use OEM or equivalent-quality parts for repairs
Address unusual noises, vibrations, or smells promptly

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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