2014 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data
Source: NHTSA — 275 complaints
275
Total Complaints
30,500mi
Median Mileage
Air Bags
Top Issue
26
Crash Reports
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
7,000
25th Percentile
30,500
Median Mileage
64,000
75th Percentile
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Air Bags
36
Engine
35
Electrical System
31
Power Train
24
Service Brakes
22
Unknown Or Other
22
Steering
17
Vehicle Speed Control
14
Fuel/Propulsion System
12
Body
10
Severity Assessment
26
Crashes
3
Fires
23
Injuries
0
Deaths
Sample Complaint Reports
"WE RECENTLY PURCHASED A NEW 2014 OUTBACK. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND I NOTICED THE STEERING FELT A BIT "OFF" UPON DRIVING IT HOME BUT WAS CERTAIN IT WAS JUST AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, WHO CORRECTED THE ALIGNMENT. THE CAR STILL FELT OFF. I NOTICE THAT THE WHEEL RETURNS TO CENTER..."
"I RECEIVED MY OUTBACK ON NOV 1 2013 AND HAVE BEEN HAVING A STEERING LANE CENTERING ISSUE SINCE DAY ONE. THE CAR WILL NOT DRIVE IN A STRAIGHT LINE WITHOUT MAJOR INTERVENTION BY CONSTANT CORRECTION. THE CAR WILL GO LEFT OR RIGHT, BUT WILL NEVER GO STRAIGHT. IF I CHECK MY MIRRORS AND BLIND SPOT FOR A L..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DECELERATED. THE CONTACT HAD TO PUMP THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD RESPOND AND DRIVE NORMALLY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE AT A STOP LIGH..."
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
36 complaints
25th: 33,500 mi
Median: 45,250 mi
75th: 62,733 mi
Engine
35 complaints
25th: 9,632 mi
Median: 31,733 mi
75th: 69,750 mi
Electrical System
31 complaints
25th: 8,525 mi
Median: 47,000 mi
75th: 77,145 mi
Power Train
24 complaints
25th: 2,543 mi
Median: 16,250 mi
75th: 63,900 mi
Service Brakes
22 complaints
25th: 1,666 mi
Median: 14,000 mi
75th: 40,000 mi
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
CA: 33
OH: 21
VA: 18
NY: 17
PA: 16
MA: 13
WA: 13
IL: 11
MI: 10
WI: 10
Who Files Complaints?
1.1%
Original Owners
98.9%
Second+ Owners
Subaru Outback — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
Active Recalls (10)
Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.
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 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.
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 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
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.
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
Automatic Transmission
Campaign 13V336000 | 01/08/2013
As a result of the parking rod detaching, the transmission may not be able to be moved from the "park" position preventing the vehicle from being moved or driven. Furthermore, even with the transmission shifted into the 'park' position, the parking mechanism may not engage, and the vehicle may roll
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. The recall began during August 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall number is WQJ-46.
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