295 of the
12,381 complaints filed about the Subaru Outback
are about the body and structure —
2% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2015.
I own a 2010 Subaru Outback. While parked at a college in Medford, Oregon, it suffered a spontaneous electrical fire that originated inside the driver's door. This is the exact failure described in Subaru Safety Recall Campaign WQE-41. The NHTSA website states the recall was completed on this VIN, meaning the recall repair itself has failed and caused a total loss of the vehicle at this time as we are unsure if it’s fixable or even worth fixing. Fire dept did come out and confirm fire was out completely and instructed me not to drive car at all until it could get looked at.
NHTSA complaint #11753313 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Please contact Carvana and make them take that vehicle off the market. I purchased it and by chance found out that bottom parts like subframe and exhaust pipe were inadequately installed . The mechanic said eventually I was going to flip over myself on the highway in that car. He also stated that this repair cost would be around $8000 - more than half of this used car was offered for on Carvana. I returned the car. Half a month later is back on Carvana website for the same price. Please help! I have no alt motive but try and save someone’s life.
NHTSA complaint #11750991 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a severe saftey and crash-compatibility defect on the front passenger side of the 2026 Subaru Outback Premium trim. This vehicle is equipped with a fixed-height passenger seat that is positioned unsafely high relative to the headliner and sun visor assembly. Because the seat height cannot be lowered, an adult passenger of average height sits with their head in immediate proximity to the sun visor. Under standard deployment of the vehicle brakes, forward occupant kinematics cause the passenger’s forehead to travel collide into the rigid, unyielding lower edge of the sun visor, which act as a hard/sharp parts cut the forehead and twisting the neck seriously. During a recent braking event, this lack of structural clearance caused a direct head-strike incident. The occupant’s forehead collided with the sharp bottom edge of the visor, acting as a blunt knife edge that resulted in a laceration to the forehead and a hyper-extension strain injury to the neck. This is a critical design failure where occupant safety clearance envelope was poorly designed for this elevated fixed-seat configuration. In a high-speed collision, this layout poses an imminent risk of severe facial trauma, skull fractures, or catastrophic cervical spine injuries from the visor before the seatbelt pre-tensioner can fully lock. This requires immediate investigation and a mandatory safety recall to provide height-adjustable/lower seat frames to affected vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11741702 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Windshield moulding disconnected from body. It is the same part and the same issue that you have flagged in this TSB [XXX] but for some reason this doesn't cover 2024 even though the 2024s are subject to the same issue. Dealer refuses to fix as this TSB does not include 2024. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11736327 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
OUR SUNROOF EXPLODED AND SHATTERED. IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A BAD ACCIDENT AS THE SPEED LIMIT IS 65-70 FULL OF CARS AND TRUCKS ON I-95 NORTH. THERE WAS NO WARNING, JUST A LARGE EXPLOSION AND SHATTERED GLASS. LUCKILY OUR SUNSHADE WAS CLOSED SO THE GLASS WAS CONTAINED. IT WAS RAINING AND ABOUT 50 DEGREES.
NHTSA complaint #11727236 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1. The under carriage has corroded creating a safety hazard. Senior dealer representative indicated verbally that 2010-2014 models years are the most prone. 2. If the under carriage fails the engine and transmission could fall out of the car potentially creating a serious issue. 3. The dealer brought the issue to my attention after performing an inspection of the car. 4. I was unaware of the issue until the dealer brought the issue to my attention. 2014 Subaru Outback. The car has been taken care of in a manner that exceeds the manual recommendations including always flushing the underside of the chassis during washes; especially the winter season. The car was taken to a dealer to have the intake manifold gasket looked at. The dealer took the opportunity to raise the car in the air, conduct an inspection and reported that the front carriage assembly is rusting away and considered dangerous. The Service Manager indicated that the model years 2010 to 2014 exhibit a high-degree of corrosion to the supportive member which holds the engine and transmission in place and if it fails could cause an extremely dangerous situation. What if any information has NHTSA compiled regarding these issues and Subaru's use of an under-designed, defectively manufactured part that could potentially cause a serious accident if the support structure collapsed? And if the NHTSA has conducted any research into this issue is there any option for a consumer to recoup or require Subaru to cover the cost of replacement which according to two Subaru Dealers is approximately $4,200. Below is a recap of the repair costs including parts and labor: CRADLE FRM CP OBK 2-3 Day QT 1 $842.66 20202AJ04B ARM ASSY F RH In Stock QT 1$173.41 901000346 BOLT FLG 14X128 In Stock QT 2 $8.18 / $16.36 20420XA000 LINK AY F STABILIZER In Stock QT 2 $72.85 / $145.70 20202AJ05B ARM ASSY F LH In Stock QT 1 $173.41 901000060 BOLT FLANGE In Stock QT 2 $2.88 / $5.76 The labor is calculated at 13.5 Hours @ $189.00
NHTSA complaint #11711258 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
We were driving down an interstate highway going 70 mph on a foggy Christmas Eve 2025 approximately 7 a.m. No cars were close around us. We had been on the road for 30 minutes or so, and it was in the 50-60 degree temperature range. Suddenly we heard what sounded like a gunshot right above our heads. We opened the sunshade under the sunroof, and saw that our sunroof had exploded and left a hole. Before this, we heard nothing strike the sunroof or the car. It seemed like a spontaneous explosion. The explosion noise is recorded on our dash cam video. I was unable to upload the video because it must not be in the correct format.
NHTSA complaint #11708662 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for an oil change and snow tire replacement, the contact was informed that the sub frame and the brake lines were severely corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, 802 Toyota (30 Berlin Mall Rd, Berlin, VT 05602) for a Trade-In, and it was confirmed that the sub frame was corroded during the appraisal inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was caused by salt damage; however, the contact stated that the vehicle was used for leisure rather than commute since the contact was retired. The failure mileage was 86,801.
NHTSA complaint #11700816 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I opened the trunk door went to retrieve my groceries and the trunk door came down with extreme force on the top of my head without warning hitting me in the head causing a concussion. The window sensors on the driver and passenger doors also were acting off prior. Not every time but I would try to close the window and it would go up half way and then come back down.
NHTSA complaint #11699581 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sunroof exploded driving home in 90 degree sunny and clear weather. It sounded like a gun went off right over my head. It scared me so bad I jerked my steering wheel into the other lane. Thank God no one was in that lane. I had to get it replaced at Mid State Glass company. according to what I found on the internet this happens rather frequently. No notification by Subaru that this was even a possibility. I have the receipt the replaced sunroof and photos of the sunroof after it exploded.
NHTSA complaint #11690946 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased a car from Middletown Nissan on May 24, 2025. The car was assured to have all these different safety checks so far it had to have the power steering pump replaced twice the power steering lines replaced all new control arms a new bearing brand new back brakes which include rotors and pads, and four new tires When the tires were put on they found that the car had significant damage in the subframe from rotting there are holes in it. The car was at the dealership several times for different problems and they never disclose this problem. They basically told me it was my fault when I’ve had the car for two months that the frame is completely rotted. The car is clunking and not driving mechanically the way it should
NHTSA complaint #11684961 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2025 Subaru Outback was parked in the garage. The high temperature for the day was in the upper 80's. The temperature on the thermometer in the garage was 85. The car had been parked in the garage after the drive home from work for over 3 hours. I heard a noise in the garage and the sunroof had exploded outward. I had not been hit by any debris and it was not damaged. The glass was still crackling as I walked up and took a video. It looked like a miniature volcano with the upward, circular ridge of glass. It was towed to the dealership and their initial response was they did not think the factory warranty or extended warranty will cover it. I have 35,000 miles on the vehicle. Began to investigate known issues with the Subaru and discovered this has been happening to other Subaru's and manufacturer's.
NHTSA complaint #11684097 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The front subframe on my 2015 subaru 3.6r has rapidly rusted in a few years to the point of a safety concern. The vehicle is lightly driven, with 91,000 miles on it after almost 10 years. We live in the Northeast. I take this car in for regular inspections and service every six months and the service center I work with has not alerted me of any issues until this past march when they found the subframe almost completely rotted in the middle. Subaru has had similar issues subject to recalls for the rear subframe. Notably, my rear subframe does not have this issue. Evidence is available that this is exact issue is happening to many cars in this generation, found upon scanning forums such as reddit [XXX] and the subaruoutback.org owners forum [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11652007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I have owned the 2020 Subaru Outback since December 2020. Staring in 2021 there have been problems with the lift gate not opening to where it now closes immediately after opening it. This occurs randomly and causes a dangerous situation where one never knows when it will happen. The car has been brought in for service four times over the last four years. Now, that it is out of warranty, and Royal Subaru, Cortland NY, charged us, two weeks ago, $170 to repair the dysfunctional lift gate. The problem was not fixed. The car was left at last Thursday for the repairing the lift gate which they didn’t fix. Subaru who now want to charge $991 to repair what the dealership was supposed to repair. The work had not been done as yet as it is a manufacturing defect, and a dangerous one at that. This Outback issue is not on my car alone as there have numerous online complaints about a malfunctioning lift gate problem. It’s a law suit waiting to happen as one (family members, grandchildren, friends) may not be aware that the lift gate may close upon their head causing a possible concussion or worse. There needs to be a recall before someone gets seriously hurt.
NHTSA complaint #11648691 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sunroof shattered while driving 45mph on a city street. It was not hit by anything we could see, nor was there any debris flying in the air. We pulled over and took a photo. I called the dealership who said to call Subaru USA to start a case, but of course their offices are closed for the weekend.
NHTSA complaint #11648394 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Parasitic battery drain when vehicle is turned off. The DCM module in these vehicles will not shut off properly and continue to drain the battery. Subaru has firmware on the vehicle that will not fully charge the battery when driving to save fuel. The vehicle has had 6 or more instances over the past two weeks where the car was undriveable unless jumped from another vehicle or a boost device is used.
NHTSA complaint #11643837 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My sunroof glass just shattered spontaneously while I was driving. Thankfully the door was closed or me and my daughter would have been showered by glass while in the road. Nothing hit the car , I just heard a loud bang over my heard and when I stopped to see what happened my sunroof was in pieces!
NHTSA complaint #11637190 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On 08/17/17 I purchased a new Outback off a Subaru dealers' lot. The fall of 2023 I noticed rust starting on the column portion of the driver's side door. It is on the CAR INTERIOR, ABOVE THE WINDOW. This is a highly unusual area for rust to start. Typically rust starts on the bottom of a car, not 2/3 of the way up from the bottom. I was told by the dealership that it was not covered under warranty, and I was on my own. On 10/22/24 I went to an autobody shop to have the rust repaired. I was told that based off of the bubbling that was occurring on the rust, the rust is not surface rust but occurring on the interior of the door. He said that this was a flaw in production as this should not be occurring. This is evident by the fact that there is no rust on any of the other doors or anywhere else on the car. I called the Subaru dealership and had them look at it. They did not have an autobody shop but the appointment clerk submitted a request for a review to Subaru of Americ. The outcome of the review was a rejection due to being beyond the warranty of the car. This was a production error. I drove out of the lot with a defective door. This resulted in the door being completely rusted on the interior as is evident by the rust through on the INTERIOR of the door. Also, the rust is now presenting itself on the bottom seam. To have this patched is a waste of money as the whole door interior is rusted. I am concerned about the integrity of the door. If I was T-boned or in a roll-over accident, would this door provide the safety I am expecting from a fairly new car? I believe it will crumble in a pile of rust. Subaru is aware of this issue as there are a couple of forums about this reoccurring problem. I hope enough people file a complaint so some action can be taken to keep us safe. I am now forced to pay out $3,368.53 in order to replace the door so I and my passengers have the safest auto construction this car should offer. Car is available.
NHTSA complaint #11634430 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.