2022 Subaru OUTBACK

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2022 Subaru OUTBACK has 539 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 6.7x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is visibility problems (52% of all complaints), specifically: a little penny sized chip on the front windshield has turned into a severe crack from the middle of the windshield to passenger side as well as the the driver side.. ⚠️ 7 fire reports filed.

7 fire reports 15 crash reports 2 injuries

539

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

6.7x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

VISIBILITY

279 complaints

52%

• A little penny sized chip on the front windshield has turned into a severe crack from the middle of the windshield to passenger side as well as the the driver side.
• My windshield cracked with out a direct impact to the windshield. I replaced the windshield with an OEM windshield, approximately one week after install the windshield cracked again. There is most likely a bad lot of windshields.
• The windshield cracked without an object striking it while driving. It cracked from the center lower edge of the windshield. This issue was part of a clas action suit in 2019.

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

“A little penny sized chip on the front windshield has turned into a severe crack from the middle of the windshield to passenger side as well as the the driver side.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

86 complaints

16%

• Vehicle was purhased in early June 2021. Vehicle was being operated on State Highway Route 55 at Milepost 46.7, in Elk Township, Gloucester County. Traffic was heavy, with southbound transient traffic traveling to New Jersey Shore points. Vehicle simultaneously lost power and began to display sev
• 2022 Subaru Outback is new as of June 2021. 2 times I have had to get a jump start. No light were left on and doors and hatchback closed
• The windshield is warped on the passenger side, approximately 6 - 8 inches from the right seal, bottom corner. This creates a blurred distortion from traffic merging to the right, and causes a hazard in spatial relationship to the vehicle. Pictures show distortions through the windshield that do n

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

“Vehicle was purhased in early June 2021. Vehicle was being operated on State Highway Route 55 at Milepost 46.7, in Elk Township, Gloucester County. Traffic was heavy, with southbound transient traffic traveling to New Jersey Shore points. Vehicle simultaneously lost power and began to display sev”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

46 complaints

• Vehicle was purhased in early June 2021. Vehicle was being operated on State Highway Route 55 at Milepost 46.7, in Elk Township, Gloucester County. Traffic was heavy, with southbound transient traffic traveling to New Jersey Shore points. Vehicle simultaneously lost power and began to display sev
• 2022 Subaru Outback is new as of June 2021. 2 times I have had to get a jump start. No light were left on and doors and hatchback closed
• The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle would independently accelerate without warning. The contact would be forced to place the vehicle into neutral to stop the acceleration. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and recen

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 3 fire reports💥 1 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

44 complaints

• (ADAS) R WAVE RADAR SENSOR/BLIND SPOT WARNING SENSOR. NO WARNING FOR THE STATIONARY OBJECT (TREE) BEHIND MY VEHICLE CAUSING A COLLISION. A REPORT WILL BE MADE TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP ONCE THE VEHICLE IS REPAIRED BY THE COLLISION CENTER. INSURANCE ADJUSTERS HAVE REVIEWED. NO WARNING LIGHTS, OR ANY S
• In 3 months of owning this vehicle, the Auto Emergency Braking (AEB) system has spontaneously triggered with no cause at least a handful of times (multiple incidents). I am driving with no danger or risk of collision and the vehicle will slam on the brakes and make horrible noises. Not only is this
• Vehicle navigation system crashes with a black screen once or twice a day. While the system is rebooting, navigation, Eyesight and Reverse Automatic Braking are disabled. Needless to say, this is very distracting and especially bad since Eyesight is required to avoid a collision. This has happened

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 7 crashes

“(ADAS) R WAVE RADAR SENSOR/BLIND SPOT WARNING SENSOR. NO WARNING FOR THE STATIONARY OBJECT (TREE) BEHIND MY VEHICLE CAUSING A COLLISION. A REPORT WILL BE MADE TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP ONCE THE VEHICLE IS REPAIRED BY THE COLLISION CENTER. INSURANCE ADJUSTERS HAVE REVIEWED. NO WARNING LIGHTS, OR ANY S”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

19 complaints

• The initial incident occurred on July 31, 2021. I used the push button start to start the car, put the vehicle in reverse, and the vehicle proceeded to roll uncontrolled down my driveway, which is on a slope. I had no power steering or power brakes. I was able to safely stop the vehicle with no i
• On January 28, 2023 at approximately 1930 hours, vehicle battery was dead after being in a parking garage for a week. Vehicle was jump started and being driven on a highway for about 10 miles at highway speeds. At a location on the NYC Harlem River Drive, traffic came to a stop for a minute or so. T
• This has happened many times since my vehicle ownership in May. Today for example I am on the highway cruising along (cruise control set) and alarms start going off, the vehicle lurches as it self-disables safety features one by one - Cruise control shuts off automatically - check engine light on, r

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 3 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“The initial incident occurred on July 31, 2021. I used the push button start to start the car, put the vehicle in reverse, and the vehicle proceeded to roll uncontrolled down my driveway, which is on a slope. I had no power steering or power brakes. I was able to safely stop the vehicle with no i”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

VISIBILITY(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~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 539 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
VISIBILITY: A little penny sized chip on the front windshield has turned into a severe crack from the middle of the windshield to passenger side as well as the the driver side.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: Vehicle was purhased in early June 2021. Vehicle was being operated on State Highway Route 55 at Milepost 46.7, in Elk Township, Gloucester County. Traffic was heavy, with southbound transient traffic traveling to New Jersey Shore points. Vehicle simultaneously lost power and began to display sev
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: Vehicle was purhased in early June 2021. Vehicle was being operated on State Highway Route 55 at Milepost 46.7, in Elk Township, Gloucester County. Traffic was heavy, with southbound transient traffic traveling to New Jersey Shore points. Vehicle simultaneously lost power and began to display sev
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: (ADAS) R WAVE RADAR SENSOR/BLIND SPOT WARNING SENSOR. NO WARNING FOR THE STATIONARY OBJECT (TREE) BEHIND MY VEHICLE CAUSING A COLLISION. A REPORT WILL BE MADE TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP ONCE THE VEHICLE IS REPAIRED BY THE COLLISION CENTER. INSURANCE ADJUSTERS HAVE REVIEWED. NO WARNING LIGHTS, OR ANY S
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)