2009 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data
Source: NHTSA — 141 complaints
141
Total Complaints
71,396mi
Median Mileage
Air Bags
Top Issue
2
Crash Reports
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
36,905
25th Percentile
71,396
Median Mileage
115,000
75th Percentile
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Air Bags
30
Electrical System
22
Engine
15
Exterior Lighting
9
Visibility/Wiper
8
Unknown Or Other
6
Fuel/Propulsion System
6
Power Train
5
Service Brakes
5
Body
4
Severity Assessment
2
Crashes
3
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths
Sample Complaint Reports
"I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5 SPECIAL EDITION. WHILE DRIVING ON I-35 NEAR CLOQUET, MN, THE CAR EXHIBITED DANGEROUSLY UNSTABLE HANDLING THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED BY OTHER SUBARU OUTBACK OWNERS. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE ICY AND EVEN WITH GREATLY REDUCED SPEED THE CAR WOULD SLIDE/DRIFT..."
"I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5 SPECIAL EDITION. WHILE DRIVING ON I-35 NEAR CLOQUET, MN, THE CAR EXHIBITED DANGEROUSLY UNSTABLE HANDLING THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED BY OTHER SUBARU OUTBACK OWNERS. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE ICY AND EVEN WITH GREATLY REDUCED SPEED THE CAR WOULD SLIDE/DRIFT..."
"SIDEWALL TIRE FAILURE IN ORDINARY USE; 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK, 5500 MILES, BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE TIRE FAILED, INNER RIGHT REAR SIDEWALL FRACTURED. NO EXCESSIVE DRIVING, SPEED, OR SEVERE USE AT ALL. I REPLACED ALL BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE TIRES AND HAVE THEM AVAILABLE FOR OSI/ODI EXPERT ANALYSIS. *TR"
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
30 complaints
25th: 42,500 mi
Median: 72,751 mi
75th: 109,750 mi
Electrical System
22 complaints
25th: 62,000 mi
Median: 101,000 mi
75th: 118,000 mi
Engine
15 complaints
25th: 87,000 mi
Median: 112,500 mi
75th: 123,750 mi
Exterior Lighting
9 complaints
25th: 51,500 mi
Median: 90,000 mi
75th: 119,500 mi
Visibility/Wiper
8 complaints
25th: 73,000 mi
Median: 94,500 mi
75th: 115,250 mi
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
NY: 18
MA: 13
CA: 8
WI: 7
CO: 7
MI: 7
OR: 7
MN: 6
VA: 6
PA: 6
Who Files Complaints?
1.4%
Original Owners
98.6%
Second+ Owners
Subaru Outback — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
Active Recalls (13)
Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.
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
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 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
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.
Inflator Module
Campaign 16V358000 | 25/05/2016
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 26, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Saab owners may contact GM at 1-800-955-9007. Su
Inflator Module
Campaign 18V013000 | 09/01/2018
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-18.
Inflator Module
Campaign 17V026000 | 11/01/2017
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger front air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-17.
Inflator Module
Campaign 17V014000 | 10/01/2017
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-17.
Inflator Module
Campaign 18V012000 | 09/01/2018
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-18.
Inflator Module
Campaign 18V014000 | 09/01/2018
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-18.
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.
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
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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