2019 Subaru OUTBACK

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2019 Subaru OUTBACK has 1281 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 16.0x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is visibility problems (30% of all complaints), specifically: navigation system failure! i have 3200 miles on my 2019 outback and since day 1 have had problems using the nav system. the system freezes up completely causing everything not work radio back up camera etc. systems stays on at night draining battery. it sporadically works and works less and less. ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.

2 fire reports 31 crash reports 14 injuries

1281

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

16.0x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

VISIBILITY

389 complaints

30%

• NAVIGATION SYSTEM FAILURE! I HAVE 3200 MILES ON MY 2019 OUTBACK AND SINCE DAY 1 HAVE HAD PROBLEMS USING THE NAV SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM FREEZES UP COMPLETELY CAUSING EVERYTHING NOT WORK RADIO BACK UP CAMERA ETC. SYSTEMS STAYS ON AT NIGHT DRAINING BATTERY. IT SPORADICALLY WORKS AND WORKS LESS AND LESS
• THE CAR WAS NOT USED OVER THE WEEKEND EXCEPT FOR A 5 MILE TRIP TO CHURCH WHERE IT DID NOT ENCOUNTER ANY ROCKS, HITS, ETC. DROVE HOME AND THE CAR WINDSHIELD WAS FIND. THE NEXT MORNING WHEN I GOT INTO THE CAR, AFTER I USED MY REMOTE TO START AND WARM UP MY OUTBACK, THERE WAS ABOUT AN 8-10 INCH CRACK
• WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED AT THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD, UNDER THE WIPER BLADE WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS NOT FOLLOWING ANY VEHICLES SO A ROCK CHIP COULD NOT BE THE CAUSE. THIS IS POOR WINDSHIELD QUALITY AND DESIGN BY SUBARU.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“NAVIGATION SYSTEM FAILURE! I HAVE 3200 MILES ON MY 2019 OUTBACK AND SINCE DAY 1 HAVE HAD PROBLEMS USING THE NAV SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM FREEZES UP COMPLETELY CAUSING EVERYTHING NOT WORK RADIO BACK UP CAMERA ETC. SYSTEMS STAYS ON AT NIGHT DRAINING BATTERY. IT SPORADICALLY WORKS AND WORKS LESS AND LESS”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

364 complaints

28%

• NAVIGATION SYSTEM FAILURE! I HAVE 3200 MILES ON MY 2019 OUTBACK AND SINCE DAY 1 HAVE HAD PROBLEMS USING THE NAV SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM FREEZES UP COMPLETELY CAUSING EVERYTHING NOT WORK RADIO BACK UP CAMERA ETC. SYSTEMS STAYS ON AT NIGHT DRAINING BATTERY. IT SPORADICALLY WORKS AND WORKS LESS AND LESS
• DEAD BATTERY IF THE CARS SITS PARKED 2 DAYS. NOTHING LEFT ON, IT IS A PARASITIC BATTERY DRAIN. HAPPENED TWICE AND BATTERY WAS TOTALLY DEAD EACH TIME, NEEDING TO BE FULLY RECHARGED AS IT WOULDN'T TAKE A JUMP. LESS THAN 2000 MILES ON THE CAR.
• WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY GARAGE, THE RADIO UNIT FROZE MAKING THE BACKUP SCREEN INOPERABLE. THIS IS A BRAND NEW CAR WITH 200 MILES ON IT. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, THEY WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE HEAD UNIT. THEY WERE ABLE TO GET THE UNIT WORKING, HOPEFULLY UNTIL THE NEW HEAD UNIT ARRIVES, BY PHYSICALL

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

209 complaints

16%

• PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK 3.6R LIMITED WITH EYESIGHT. WITH LESS THAN 23 MILES ON IT, THE WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED JUST SITTING IN THE GARAGE. RESEARCHING THE WEB SHOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH SUBARU OUTBACK.
• WINDSHIELD CRACK APPEARED OVERNIGHT ON THE 4TH DAY OF OWNERSHIP. THE CRACK COVERS 1/2 THE WINDSHIELD AND IS GROWING DAILY. NATURALLY IT CAN'T BE FIXED BECAUSE NO ONE HAS THE WINDSHIELD FOR A 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK IN STOCK OR AVAILABLE BY ORDER. NO VISIBLE CHIP DAMAGE APPARENT. NOTE THERE ARE MULTIPLE
• 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES WITH CONCERNS FOR FAULTY NAVIGATION SYSTEM THAT DISPLAYS THE WRONG POSTED LEGAL SPEED LIMIT WHILE DRIVING. *AS *JS

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK 3.6R LIMITED WITH EYESIGHT. WITH LESS THAN 23 MILES ON IT, THE WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED JUST SITTING IN THE GARAGE. RESEARCHING THE WEB SHOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH SUBARU OUTBACK.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

65 complaints

• 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DESIGN OR MALFUNCTIONING OF TECHNOLOGY. THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO MAINTAIN ADJUSTED SPEED. *AS THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET TO 45MPH AT WHICH POINT, THE VEHICLE SPEED UP AND CRASHED INTO THE CAR AHEAD.
• UNINTENDED ACCELERATION EVENT WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE AT SLOW SPEED, PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT. BRAKING FORCE WAS UNABLE TO OVER COME THE ACCELERATION. FORTUNATELY NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE. A SCARY SITUATION, CONFIDENCE LOST IN THE VEHICLE.SUBARU NORTH AMERICA CLAIMS "THE VEHICLE IS SAFE AND OPERATIN
• I WAS PICKING MY SON UP FROM SCHOOL WHEN THE CRACK STARTED, AS I SAT IN THE PARKING LOT IT CONTINUED DOWN AND ACROSS THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. THERE WERE NO CHIPS OR DINGS TO BE FOUND. I DO BELIEVE IT CAUSES THE FORWARD CRASH INDICATOR TO TRIP SOONER THAN IT SHOULD.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 10 crashes

“2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DESIGN OR MALFUNCTIONING OF TECHNOLOGY. THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO MAINTAIN ADJUSTED SPEED. *AS THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET TO 45MPH AT WHICH POINT, THE VEHICLE SPEED UP AND CRASHED INTO THE CAR AHEAD. ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

40 complaints

• ENGINE DOES NOT BRAKE WHEN GOING DOWNHILL AS THE MANUAL SAYS IT SHOULD. MY PREVIOUS OUTBACKS (2006, 2011, 2017) DID HAVE ENGINE BRAKING. REGIONAL SERVICE OFFICE SUGGESTED I PLACE THE CAR IN CRUISE CONTROL IN ORDER TO CONTROL THE SPEED. CAR PICKS UP SPEED QUICKLY, SO USING THE BRAKE PEDAL IS THE BES
• FIRST OIL CHANGE AT 5,850 MILES NO PROBLEM. AFTER SECOND OIL CHANGE AT 11,948 MILES, VEHICLE BECAME UNDRIVABLE AS IT STUMBLES AND LOSES POWER BETWEEN 2,000-2,700 RPM. DEALER HAS REPEATED OIL CHANGE 3 ADDITIONAL TIMES AS THEY ARE NOT CERTAIN IF THEY MAY HAVE OVERFILLED THE ENGINE (KNOWN SUBARU ISSUE
• CAR SOMETIMES ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN. I HAVE TO USE PEDAL SHIFTERS TO REDUCE THE SPEED. ALSO NOTICED THAT IT TAKES LONGER TO BRAKE SOMETIMES.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 4 crashes

“ENGINE DOES NOT BRAKE WHEN GOING DOWNHILL AS THE MANUAL SAYS IT SHOULD. MY PREVIOUS OUTBACKS (2006, 2011, 2017) DID HAVE ENGINE BRAKING. REGIONAL SERVICE OFFICE SUGGESTED I PLACE THE CAR IN CRUISE CONTROL IN ORDER TO CONTROL THE SPEED. CAR PICKS UP SPEED QUICKLY, SO USING THE BRAKE PEDAL IS THE BES”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

VISIBILITY(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 1281 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
VISIBILITY: NAVIGATION SYSTEM FAILURE! I HAVE 3200 MILES ON MY 2019 OUTBACK AND SINCE DAY 1 HAVE HAD PROBLEMS USING THE NAV SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM FREEZES UP COMPLETELY CAUSING EVERYTHING NOT WORK RADIO BACK UP CAMERA ETC. SYSTEMS STAYS ON AT NIGHT DRAINING BATTERY. IT SPORADICALLY WORKS AND WORKS LESS AND LESS
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: NAVIGATION SYSTEM FAILURE! I HAVE 3200 MILES ON MY 2019 OUTBACK AND SINCE DAY 1 HAVE HAD PROBLEMS USING THE NAV SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM FREEZES UP COMPLETELY CAUSING EVERYTHING NOT WORK RADIO BACK UP CAMERA ETC. SYSTEMS STAYS ON AT NIGHT DRAINING BATTERY. IT SPORADICALLY WORKS AND WORKS LESS AND LESS
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK 3.6R LIMITED WITH EYESIGHT. WITH LESS THAN 23 MILES ON IT, THE WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED JUST SITTING IN THE GARAGE. RESEARCHING THE WEB SHOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH SUBARU OUTBACK.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DESIGN OR MALFUNCTIONING OF TECHNOLOGY. THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO MAINTAIN ADJUSTED SPEED. *AS THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET TO 45MPH AT WHICH POINT, THE VEHICLE SPEED UP AND CRASHED INTO THE CAR AHEAD.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)