2013 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data
Source: NHTSA — 403 complaints
403
Total Complaints
40,000mi
Median Mileage
Engine
Top Issue
34
Crash Reports
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
5,377
25th Percentile
40,000
Median Mileage
82,000
75th Percentile
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Engine
67
Power Train
58
Air Bags
39
Steering
34
Vehicle Speed Control
25
Unknown Or Other
24
Electrical System
23
Service Brakes
23
Suspension
15
Fuel/Propulsion System
12
Severity Assessment
34
Crashes
7
Fires
24
Injuries
2
Deaths
Sample Complaint Reports
"I BOUGHT A SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5 LIMITED ON 9/29/12. THERE HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT CLICKING NOISES DURING ACCELERATION AND WHEN TAKING FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL, USUALLY WHEN NEAR OR ABOVE 38 MILES PER HOUR. THE CLICKING NOISES RANGE FOR LOW TO LOUD. MY CAR HAS NOW BEEN IN THE DEALER FOR OVER 1 WEEK. THE F..."
"DRIVING 55-60 MPH CAR CONTINUALLY "DRIFTED" OFF OF CENTER WHEN DRIVING, MOST NOTICEABLE ON A STRAIGHT STRETCH OF ROAD. CONSTANT CORRECTION AND RECORRECTION NEEDED TO KEEP VEHICLE IN ITS OWN DRIVING LANE. DEALER INSPECTED VEHICLE AND CLAIMED THERE ARE NO MECHANICAL ISSUES HOWEVER MANY ONLINE COMPLAIN..."
"MADE A TURN AND WAS HALFWAY DOWN THE BLOCK GOING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. THE INSTRUMENT GAUGE LIT UP WITH ALL SORTS OF ANNUNCIATORS. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO A SAFE LOCATION AND PARK. THE FOLLOWING ANNUNCIATORS WERE FLASHING; AT OIL TEMP, CRUISE CONTROL INDICATOR, A..."
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.
Engine
67 complaints
25th: 10,000 mi
Median: 48,000 mi
75th: 90,000 mi
Power Train
58 complaints
25th: 25,399 mi
Median: 95,426 mi
75th: 119,500 mi
Air Bags
39 complaints
25th: 15,500 mi
Median: 40,000 mi
75th: 65,000 mi
Steering
34 complaints
25th: 312 mi
Median: 1,500 mi
75th: 8,760 mi
Vehicle Speed Control
25 complaints
25th: 5,021 mi
Median: 12,000 mi
75th: 37,850 mi
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
CA: 49
NY: 25
FL: 20
TX: 20
PA: 18
VA: 16
CO: 15
MA: 15
WA: 14
MD: 14
Who Files Complaints?
1.2%
Original Owners
98.8%
Second+ Owners
Subaru Outback — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
Active Recalls (12)
Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.
Inflator Module
Campaign 19V008000 | 09/01/2019
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 is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-19.
Inflator Module
Campaign 19V007000 | 09/01/2019
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 has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-19.
Parking Brake
Campaign 18V626000 | 13/09/2018
A vehicle rollaway can increase the risk of a crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EPB actuator assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 19, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTV-81.
Inflator Module
Campaign 19V009000 | 09/01/2019
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 is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-19.
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
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.
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.
Motor
Campaign 16V694000 | 27/09/2016
If the windshield wiper motor overheats, the wipers may fail, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, the wiper motor cover may melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor bottom cover assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTK-71. Note: This recall supersedes recall 11V-469
Electrical System
Campaign 13V061000 | 25/02/2013
The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headac
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
Steering
Campaign 13V194000 | 13/05/2013
If the shafts become disengaged, the driver would lose the ability to steer the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering column assembly with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on May 14, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQI-45.
Extend Your Engine Life
Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.
- Change oil on schedule — this is the single most important thing you can do
- Use the manufacturer-recommended oil weight and type
- Replace the air filter every 15,000-30,000 miles
- Don't ignore the check engine light — small issues become expensive fast
- Let the engine warm up for 30 seconds before driving hard in cold weather
- Address coolant leaks immediately to prevent overheating damage
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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