USED VEHICLE RESEARCH

2023 Subaru Outback

Is This A Good Car? organizes available NHTSA-derived research for the 2023 Subaru Outback. This page includes owner complaint records, safety recall campaigns, manufacturer communications, defect investigations, and information about the completeness of the available evidence.

DATA CONFIDENCE: Moderate

Owner complaints

87NHTSA records

Recall campaigns

2Year, make and model lookup

Manufacturer communications

0Matched NHTSA records

Investigations

0Matched NHTSA records

EVIDENCE AVAILABILITY — NOT VEHICLE RELIABILITY

DATA CONFIDENCE

Moderate

Data Confidence measures how much usable evidence CarIQ has for this vehicle. It does not measure how reliable the vehicle is.

Why this rating?
Owner complaint data
Available
Manufacturer communications
Available
Recall data
Available
Investigation data
Available
Production denominator
Unavailable
Complaint component completeness
100%
Mileage completeness
0%
Incident-date completeness
100%

DESCRIPTIVE ANALYTICS

DATA INSIGHTS

Derived from official NHTSA source records. These statistics are descriptive and are not a reliability score.

Complaint records analyzed
87
NHTSA complaints
Most reported component
Forward Collision Avoidance
25% of categorized complaint records
Top-three component concentration
56%
Records mentioning at least one top-three component
Median reported incident mileage
Not available from current source
0 valid mileage observations
Recall campaigns
2
NHTSA recalls
Most recent recall report
November 9, 2023
NHTSA recalls
Manufacturer communications
0
NHTSA manufacturer communications
Most documented component
Not available
NHTSA manufacturer communications
Top-three communication concentration
Not available
Share of categorized manufacturer communications

SOURCE COMPLETENESS

DATA QUALITY

Complaint records analyzed
87
Component classification available
100%
Incident date available
100%
Mileage available
0%
Structured outcome fields available
100%

Completeness describes fields present in the retrieved complaint records. It is not a data-quality grade or a vehicle assessment.

Learn about CarIQ methodology

PRODUCTION-ADJUSTED DESCRIPTIVE METRIC

NORMALIZED COMPLAINT CONTEXT

Production-normalized complaint data is not currently available for this vehicle.

This metric compares the number of NHTSA owner complaint records retrieved by CarIQ with NHTSA-reported production volume for the corresponding vehicle population.

It is not a vehicle failure rate. Complaint reporting behavior, vehicle age, time on the road, production definitions, and other factors can affect the result.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Early Warning Reporting, Light Vehicle Production Data. Read the methodology.

OFFICIAL NHTSA OWNER COMPLAINT DATA

OWNER-REPORTED COMPLAINTS

TOTAL COMPLAINTS87

COMPONENT CATEGORIES

Forward Collision Avoidance22 complaints
25%of categorized complaint records
Electrical System17 complaints
20%of categorized complaint records
Unknown or Other16 complaints
18%of categorized complaint records
Visibility/wiper16 complaints
18%of categorized complaint records
Exterior Lighting6 complaints
7%of categorized complaint records
Service Brakes6 complaints
7%of categorized complaint records
Power Train4 complaints
5%of categorized complaint records
Latches/locks/linkages3 complaints
3%of categorized complaint records
Vehicle Speed Control3 complaints
3%of categorized complaint records
Visibility3 complaints
3%of categorized complaint records
Air Bags2 complaints
2%of categorized complaint records
Fuel/propulsion System2 complaints
2%of categorized complaint records
Steering2 complaints
2%of categorized complaint records
Structure2 complaints
2%of categorized complaint records
Buckle1 complaint
1%of categorized complaint records
Chest Clip1 complaint
1%of categorized complaint records
Engine1 complaint
1%of categorized complaint records
Harness1 complaint
1%of categorized complaint records
Lane Departure1 complaint
1%of categorized complaint records
Seats1 complaint
1%of categorized complaint records
Tires1 complaint
1%of categorized complaint records

A complaint may list more than one component and therefore contribute to multiple categories. Percentages show the share of categorized complaint records that mention each component—not the percentage of vehicles affected. Category percentages may overlap.

INCIDENT REPORTS BY YEAR

2022
9
2023
48
2024
16
2025
10
2026
4

Grouped from complaint records with a valid incident date.

RECENT OWNER COMPLAINTS

Forward Collision Avoidance

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11754558
Read complaint narrative

Phantom Braking of Pre-Collision Braking 2023 Subaru Outback Turbo Wednesday, July 29, 2026. 9:30 am, sunny day Driving south on local city street. Brakes slammed on, car stopped, flashing yellow lights on left Combination Meter stating that Pre-Collision Braking was activated. There was no vehicle/obstacle/animal in the road. No parked cars, no cars backing out of a driveway. Road was completely clear. No strange shadows, no cracks in street. Pre-collision braking system hallucinated an obstacle and activated, throwing me forward into steering wheel, and dog in the back seat thrown forward into back of driver’s seat. Restarted car and drove off. Turned off system every time I drove the car until I took it to the dealer 2 days later. Problem was not reproduced by dealer . No messages or warning lights prior to incident. The repair order stated that there was a "sticky" substance on the windshield, but I had just had the car washed. I didn't notice anything on the windshield.

Unknown or Other

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11753730
Read complaint narrative

The original equipment Yokohama Avid GT tires experienced rapid, catastrophic structural degradation (extreme inner-edge wear and chunking of the exterior edge over ~7,000 mi.). I have photos of the tires, and Carr Subaru (Beaverton, OR) has one of the tires available for inspection. I am the original owner of this vehicle. It has been regularly serviced at the appropriate intervals by the dealership where it was purchased in November 2022. At ~15,000 mi., the tires were rotated and the alignment was adjusted by the dealership. Between 15,000 and 22,000 mi., the tires completely wore through. When I noticed the wear, I brought the car to the dealership to replace the tires, check the alignment, and check whether there might be other issues contributing to the tire degradation. According to the service department, the alignment was within spec when the car arrived, but the inner tread was completely smooth, the outer tread was coming apart, and the tires "were within 1,000 miles of a blowout." I regularly transport my children in this vehicle on the steep, windy, rainy roads of [XXX]. If the tires had blown out or lost traction due to wear, my family, cyclists, pedestrians, or I could have been badly injured or killed. Additionally, on the morning before I discovered the extreme tire wear, I drove my wife and children 45 mi. on XXX from [XXX] to [XXX]. If the tire had blown out when we were going 65 mph on the heavily-traveled highway, it could have been catastrophic for us and other motorists. On XXX, I reported the incident to Subaru of America (case #XXX). I shared photographs of the tires and service records with Subaru of America. On XXX, Carr Subaru -- a representative of the manufacturer -- inspected the tires, confirmed the extreme wear, and reserved a tire for inspection. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The tires were deemed fit ~7,000 mi. ago. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Electrical System · Forward Collision Avoidance

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11749144
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The Advanced Driver Assistance System (EyeSight/Automatic Emergency Braking), the Service Brakes, and the Central Electrical System malfunctioned. The vehicle is currently held at an authorized dealership and is available for inspection.On Monday, June 22, 2026, at approximately 4:47 PM, while traveling at highway speeds on I-295 South under clear weather conditions, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic, unprompted automatic emergency braking event. While my right turn signal was active and I was initiating a lane change to pass a truck, the autonomous braking system engaged with maximum force, pulling the brake pedal completely to the floorboards with zero obstacles present. A consumer mobile telematics application (Life360) officially registered the extreme hard-braking event at 4:47 PM. This unprompted stop caused the vehicle to violently lose traction, fishtail across highway lanes, and nearly roll over in high-speed traffic, placing my life and the safety of surrounding motorists at extreme risk.Symptoms of systemic electrical network instability occurred prior to this failure, including a dashboard GPS clock that precisely jumps four hours ahead in specific geographic location, and a power rear liftgate/hatch that randomly opens only halfway or reverses direction unprompted. Furthermore, this identical bouncing and jumping brake system behavior was first reported to an authorized dealership service center in November 2023 at 14,435 miles while operating on factory-original wheels and tires, but the dealer was unable to duplicate or resolve the issue at that time. The manufacturer's corporate customer advocacy team has been notified and a formal vehicle inspection is scheduled for next week.

Vehicle Speed Control

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11731476
Crash reported
Read complaint narrative

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. While turning into a parking spot, the accelerator pedal was slightly depressed, and the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, crashing into a parked vehicle on the driver's side. The contact stated that the vehicle continued to move forward after the crash into the next parking spot. No warning lights illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,300.

Electrical System

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11702638
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Recently, in my 2023 Subaru Outback, I have been having pop-up ads for SirusXM take over my infotainment screen. The ad appears in the center, does not allow the user to interact with the screen - including air conditioning control and traction control selection - and will not go away until I acknowledge the ad. It has appeared when I start the vehicle and while I am driving. I contacted Subaru of America; they first told me to contact SiriusXM. I asked why I was being told to contact SiriusXM for a pop-up ad in my Subaru - of course SiriusXM wants to advertise to consumers, but why would Subaru allow them to display ads in my car whenever they chose? I own my car outright; it is neither a lease nor do I owe money on it, so I should control what sort of media is presented to me and when, and I definitely shouldn't have third party ads appearing in my car at random times without my consent. I was persistent with the Subaru of America representative, and then they claimed they would push an over-the-air software update to my car to resolve the issue, but that has not happened. Now I read that other people have been having this same issue, so I am very disappointed that Subaru would first tell me to call SiriusXM and second pretend like it was a software fluke, but I later read that hundreds of other consumers are having similar problems.

Latches/locks/linkages

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11700576
2 reported injuries
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The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while walking around the vehicle attempting to put her husband in the passenger seat, the hatchback opened independently, and they both got pushed independently from the vehicle on the ground from the impact. The contact mentioned by the standers came out of the office to check on them and called 911 immediately. The contact stated that she sustained injuries to the knee and left shoulder, and her husband sustained injuries from the left elbow to the arm. Medical attention was required, and they were transported to the ER by ambulance. The contact stated that a police report was not filed. The contact stated that the failure was not diagnosed by a dealer or independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,000.

Unknown or Other

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11700696
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I have had no working SOS safety button in case of a crash despite having a 3 year plan. This started after a Starlink update failed to load to this date. I took it to the dealer and my software was found to be up to date and I was told not a Subaru problem for months. I wrote to Subura America and told not to take the car in as no fix but any day but never came. I am to renew the Safety and Security on 12-12-2025 but I do not want to pay for an SOS safety alert that does not work. My Subaru told me that I was at fault for failing to take my car in for repair and stated they would cancel both safety and security plans, I repsonded by hanging up. I called Subaru American who did not respond. My 2023 Subaru Outback has 9000 miles. I am [XXX] old and disabled with a serious hip issue and a victim from another party of a HIPPA cyberattack when the government was closed. I assume your the Department of Transsportation does not care either. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Electrical System

Owner-submitted NHTSA complaint · ODI 11695441
Read complaint narrative

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outlook. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the Starlink system failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact was informed that it was a known failure; however, there was no fix available. In addition, the contact was informed that there were more than 44,000 consumers experiencing the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 24,200.

NHTSA complaints are reports submitted by vehicle owners and other consumers. Complaint counts do not represent the percentage of vehicles affected and do not by themselves establish that a safety defect exists.

A higher complaint count can partly reflect how many vehicles were sold, vehicle age, and other factors. CarIQ does not yet normalize complaint counts by vehicles sold.

Data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This site is not endorsed by NHTSA.

OFFICIAL NHTSA MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION DATA

MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATIONS

TOTAL COMMUNICATIONS0

No NHTSA manufacturer communication records were returned for this year, make, and model.

Manufacturer communications include service bulletins and other technical information submitted by manufacturers to NHTSA. The existence or number of communications does not establish how often a condition occurs or whether an individual vehicle will experience it.

Some manufacturers may issue more detailed service documentation than others, so communication counts should not be used alone to compare vehicle reliability.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration manufacturer communications

NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

NHTSA DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS

TOTAL INVESTIGATION RECORDS0

No applicable NHTSA defect investigation records were returned for this year, make, and model.

NHTSA investigations evaluate potential motor-vehicle safety defects. The existence of an investigation does not by itself establish that a safety defect exists, and the absence of an investigation does not establish that a vehicle is problem-free.

Open and closed describe NHTSA's process status, not a CarIQ reliability judgment.

View official NHTSA investigation data ↗

DESCRIPTIVE SOURCE OVERLAP

CROSS-SOURCE VEHICLE DATA

CarIQ compares categories appearing across independent NHTSA datasets. Overlap can help identify areas with more available documentation, but it does not establish defect frequency or prove that an individual vehicle will experience a problem.

ComponentOwner complaintsManufacturer communicationsRecall campaignsNHTSA investigationsOfficial sources containing records
Forward Collision Avoidance220001 of 4
Electrical System170001 of 4
Unknown or Other160001 of 4
Visibility/wiper160001 of 4
Exterior Lighting60001 of 4
Service Brakes60001 of 4
Power Train40001 of 4
Latches/locks/linkages30001 of 4
Vehicle Speed Control30001 of 4
Visibility30001 of 4

Displayed first by the number of source categories containing the component, then by owner complaint count, then alphabetically. This is a presentation rule, not a vehicle ranking. Complaint reports, manufacturer communications, recalls, and investigations describe different events and are never added into a combined total.

complaint
Available
communication
Available
recall
Available
investigation
Available
production
Unavailable

OFFICIAL NHTSA SAFETY RECALL DATA

SAFETY RECALLS

2 recall campaigns found

01POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCHCampaign 23V755000November 9, 2023

Summary

Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.

Safety Consequence

An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

02POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFTCampaign 23V647000September 21, 2023

Summary

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Outback, Legacy, Ascent, and Impreza vehicles. The center support bolts for the driveshaft may loosen, resulting in the disconnection of the front end of the driveshaft.

Safety Consequence

Separation of the front end of the driveshaft increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will clean the bolt mounting surfaces of the center support brace and install new bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 20, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRN-23.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Recall results shown here are based on year, make, and model. A specific vehicle may or may not be affected. Check the vehicle's VIN with NHTSA to confirm open recalls before purchasing. Data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

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