Dodge RAM vs Subaru Outback

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	Dodge RAM	Subaru Outback
Complaints on file	5,489	12,381
Model years covered	1976–2010	1995–2026
Worst model year	1995	2017
Best model year	2009	1997
Crashes reported	605	686
Fires reported	196	149
Injuries reported	335	307
Deaths reported	18	8
Most complained-about part	Brakes	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	21%	9.3%

Dodge RAM by year

2 2 4 2 1 2 14 20 21 27 35 23 63 75 66 623 852 905 513 644 496 212 417 152 65 71 47 36 20 33 13 33

76 77 79 81 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Brakes 995 18.1%

Transmission & Drivetrain 730 13.3%

Steering 413 7.5%

Engine & Cooling 411 7.5%

Electrical System 399 7.3%

Suspension 380 6.9%

Airbags 354 6.4%

Fuel & Propulsion 268 4.9%

Subaru Outback by year

3 57 94 165 150 247 207 172 116 108 354 404 182 281 143 469 857 369 408 276 650 775 1,106 991 1,288 1,135 415 556 126 138 120 19

95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 2,289 18.5%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 2,092 16.9%

Other & Unspecified 1,322 10.7%

Engine & Cooling 1,023 8.3%

Transmission & Drivetrain 990 8.0%

Airbags 701 5.7%

Brakes 613 5.0%

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 538 4.3%