Subaru Outback years to avoidWhat NHTSA complaint data does and doesn’t say
We compared 22 model years of the Subaru Outback by owner complaints to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. 2019, 2020, 2022, 2017, 2018, 2016, 2021 stand out with at least twice the typical complaint rate.
Complaints per year on the road
| Year | Complaints | Per year on road | Index | Recalls | Crashes | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 21 | — | 0 | 1 | Too new to judge |
| 2025 | 83 | 42 | 1.9 | 0 | 5 | Typical |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | Fewest complaints |
| 2023 | 89 | 22 | 1.0 | 2 | 8 | Typical |
| 2022 | 465 | 93 | 4.2 | 4 | 10 | Most complaints |
| 2021 | 299 | 50 | 2.2 | 4 | 9 | Most complaints |
| 2020 | 905 | 129 | 5.8 | 6 | 19 | Most complaints |
| 2019 | 1,036 | 130 | 5.8 | 3 | 24 | Most complaints |
| 2018 | 816 | 91 | 4.1 | 3 | 27 | Most complaints |
| 2017 | 921 | 92 | 4.1 | 4 | 33 | Most complaints |
| 2016 | 642 | 58 | 2.6 | 4 | 22 | Most complaints |
| 2015 | 509 | 42 | 1.9 | 5 | 19 | Typical |
| 2014 | 208 | 16 | 0.7 | 10 | 14 | Typical |
| 2013 | 297 | 21 | 1.0 | 12 | 18 | Typical |
| 2012 | 295 | 20 | 0.9 | 16 | 15 | Typical |
| 2011 | 653 | 41 | 1.8 | 16 | 24 | Typical |
| 2010 | 360 | 21 | 1.0 | 18 | 12 | Typical |
| 2009 | 112 | 6 | 0.3 | 13 | 1 | Fewest complaints |
| 2008 | 230 | 12 | 0.5 | 8 | 12 | Typical |
| 2007 | 130 | 7 | 0.3 | 8 | 9 | Fewest complaints |
| 2006 | 281 | 13 | 0.6 | 7 | 7 | Typical |
| 2005 | 273 | 12 | 0.6 | 9 | 13 | Typical |
- 202621 complaints · 0 recallsToo new to judge
- 202583 complaints · 0 recallsTypical
- 20242 complaints · 0 recallsFewest complaints
- 202389 complaints · 2 recallsTypical
- 2022465 complaints · 4 recallsMost complaints
- 2021299 complaints · 4 recallsMost complaints
- 2020905 complaints · 6 recallsMost complaints
- 20191,036 complaints · 3 recallsMost complaints
- 2018816 complaints · 3 recallsMost complaints
- 2017921 complaints · 4 recallsMost complaints
- 2016642 complaints · 4 recallsMost complaints
- 2015509 complaints · 5 recallsTypical
- 2014208 complaints · 10 recallsTypical
- 2013297 complaints · 12 recallsTypical
- 2012295 complaints · 16 recallsTypical
- 2011653 complaints · 16 recallsTypical
- 2010360 complaints · 18 recallsTypical
- 2009112 complaints · 13 recallsFewest complaints
- 2008230 complaints · 8 recallsTypical
- 2007130 complaints · 8 recallsFewest complaints
- 2006281 complaints · 7 recallsTypical
- 2005273 complaints · 9 recallsTypical
Fewest complaints for their age: 2024, 2009, 2007.
About this comparison
What Subaru Outback years have the most complaints?
Adjusted for years on the road, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2017, 2018, 2016, 2021 drew at least twice the typical rate of NHTSA owner complaints among the 22 model years compared.
Is this a reliability rating?
No. These are counts of unverified owner complaints to NHTSA. They are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so a popular year can collect more complaints. Use them to find patterns, then read the reports.
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.