2008 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 277 complaints
277
Total Complaints
80,000mi
Median Mileage
Air Bags
Top Issue
12
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

50,875 25th Percentile
80,000 Median Mileage
107,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags
102
Electrical System
33
Service Brakes
29
Engine
13
Power Train
11
Exterior Lighting
11
Visibility/Wiper
8
Suspension
7
Unknown Or Other
7
Engine And Engine Cooling
5

Severity Assessment

12
Crashes
2
Fires
6
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE REAR TRIM THAT RETAINS THE CENTER LIGHT WILL BREAK OFF IF THERE IS ICE BUILT UP ON THE INSIDE OF THE HINGE AREA. ALL ICE AND SNOW CAN BE REMOVED FROM THE TOP OF THE CAR, HOWEVER THERE IS NO SEAL BETWEEN THE REAR HATCH AND THE BODY TO PREVENT ICE FROM BUILDING UP. THERE IS NO WARNING WITH THE CA..."
"THE REAR TRIM THAT RETAINS THE CENTER LIGHT WILL BREAK OFF IF THERE IS ICE BUILT UP ON THE INSIDE OF THE HINGE AREA. ALL ICE AND SNOW CAN BE REMOVED FROM THE TOP OF THE CAR, HOWEVER THERE IS NO SEAL BETWEEN THE REAR HATCH AND THE BODY TO PREVENT ICE FROM BUILDING UP. THERE IS NO WARNING WITH THE CA..."
"WHEN DRIVING OUR NEW 2008 SUBARU OUTBACK IN DARKNESS THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS DO NOT PROJECT THE BEAM FAR ENOUGH AHEAD TO ADEQUATELY SEE. THIS CONDITION IS VERY NOTICEABLE IN HILLY TERRAIN WHERE AS THE VEHICLE IS MOVING IN A FORWARD DOWN MOTION WITH A UPWARD HILL APPROACHING. THERE IS A D..."

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.

Air Bags 102 complaints
25th: 55,000 mi Median: 78,700 mi 75th: 100,000 mi
Electrical System 33 complaints
25th: 55,000 mi Median: 80,500 mi 75th: 104,500 mi
Service Brakes 29 complaints
25th: 120,000 mi Median: 138,573 mi 75th: 174,000 mi
Engine 13 complaints
25th: 75,815 mi Median: 100,450 mi 75th: 128,000 mi
Power Train 11 complaints
25th: 48,571 mi Median: 57,523 mi 75th: 78,250 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 23 CA: 20 ME: 18 MN: 17 CO: 15 MA: 15 MI: 14 OH: 11 WI: 9 MD: 9

Who Files Complaints?

4.3%
Original Owners
95.7%
Second+ Owners

Subaru Outback — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
19965719
1997947
199816513
199915022
200024722
200120718
200217114
20031167
200410816
200535320
200640412
200718217
20091412
201046620
201185135
201236718
201340334
201427526
201563336
201675737
2017109155
201896242
2019127748
2020112237
202139416
202252118
202311815
20241119
2025879

Active Recalls (8)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Inflator Module
Campaign 20V002000 | 02/01/2020
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assista
Inflator Module
Campaign 20V003000 | 02/01/2020
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assista
Inflator Module
Campaign 20V001000 | 02/01/2020
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact
Switch
Campaign 19V297000 | 11/04/2019
The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
Electrical System
Campaign 16V738000 | 13/10/2016
If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.
Inflator Module
Campaign 15V323000 | 28/05/2015
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owne
Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings
Campaign 14V311000 | 10/06/2014
Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be r
Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings
Campaign 13V110000 | 27/03/2013
Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These serv

Airbag Safety

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

  • Check for open airbag recalls at NHTSA.gov using your VIN
  • Never ignore the airbag warning light — get it diagnosed immediately
  • Don't install aftermarket steering wheel covers that block the airbag
  • Keep the area around airbag deployment zones clear of accessories

Compare Subaru Outback

vs Toyota Rav4 →

Vehicle Rankings

Most complained Worst transmissions Worst engines Worst brakes Most crashes Compare vehicles

Looking for a replacement?

Based on the data above, here are relevant options.

2008 Subaru Outback parts on Amazon
→

Affiliate link

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