Complaint volume
1025 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2019 Subaru Outback Complaints
1025 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2019 Subaru Outback, grouped by component category.
1025 Total complaints
22 Crash reports
2 Fire reports
11 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are electrical system, visibility/wiper, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 22 crash reports, 2 fire reports, 11 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 466 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 15,557 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to electrical system, visibility/wiper, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2019 Subaru Outback?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2019 Subaru Outback
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2019 Subaru Outback complaints?
22 Crash
2 Fire
11 Injury
0 Fatality
22 Towed
7 Medical attention
What are the most common 2019 Subaru Outback complaint categories?
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 280
VISIBILITY/WIPER 271
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 124
VISIBILITY 55
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 27
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 23
STEERING 22
ENGINE 14
STRUCTURE 14
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11
1,025 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield durability is questioned. We have had a large crack form near the rearview mirror stem within 3 months of our purchase we have had more than a half dozen other crips and cracks occur during the past 18 months. My impression is the glass used in this vehicle, is not as durable as other windshields from other vehicle manufacturers. I understand other Subaru owners are reporting similar issues. The cost to replace the windshield is plus or minus $1,000. Please look into this matter. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Front windshield developed an 8" crack in one day that continues to grow. Crack is near one front-facing camera, leading to concern that safety features related to the camera may not be effective. Dealer acknowledges a number of complaints about windshield cracking, but will not cover in this case due to it failing a "pen-head" check. In 40+ years of car ownership, I've never seen a crack just take off like this, even from a rock chip, leading me to believe there is a design or manufacturing issue | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery keeps draining, leaving us without a vehicle. After numerous jump starts, the dealership replaced the first battery. Within a few months, the new battery has the same issues. So back to the dealership, now with the knowledge that many Subaru owners are experiencing the same issue with their Outbacks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, the battery was inadvertently drained, and the vehicle would not start. After recharging the battery, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who indicated that the battery was not faulty. The battery was recharged but the rear hatch door would not open while pressing the open button on both the key fobs, the driver’s side seat panel button, or while attempting to use the hatch button at the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the only way to open the rear hatch door was by using the emergency release inside the hatch space. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000 | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,000 |
| Jan 2022 | STEERING | Unknown, but seems like steering is affected. When turning the vehicle over and bump there is a clanking that you can hear and feel coming from under the bottom of the vehicle. It was present about 3 months after purchase of the car new, and has progressively gotten worse. The steering wheel feels loose for the moment it clanks. It has been reproduced by two dealers. The first was unable to provide a solution, stating it is a “manufacturing defect” of that model. The second replaced a spring in the steering box, but this did not fix the problem. It has been inspected by Subaru dealers. There are no warning lights on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that his vehicle was parked outside of his residence, and there were no issues with the vehicle. The following day while driving the vehicle he noticed that the windshield was cracked. The contact stated that no object had struck the windshield to cause the crack. The contact stated that the vehicle was still drivable however, he was concerned that the windshield might eventually shatter while driving. The local dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could be repaired out of pocket. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 14,000 |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I am leasing a 2019 Subaru Out back which has a battery drain issue. The most recent incident occurred on Jan. 21st 2022 when the battery failed after having been at the dealers for the 2 days prior to fix this problem. This was the fourth time the battery has gone dead in the past year. I have read articles that say the electrical system is draining the battery which is inadequate to handle the demands. I don't know that Subaru has a solution to this problem. Being left in a parking lot or remote location is a dangerous situation during these Winter months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | Sudden Acceleration Defect has occurred several times with last incident Friday 21Jan2022. Each time I have had the brake pedal engaged, yet vehicle fails to stop, and accelerates on it’s own, causing me to go through stop signs with potentially dangerous outcomes for pedestrians, other vehicles, barriers. Dealer appointment rescheduled for Monday 24Jan2022. No inspections to date. No warnings- the first time I thought I may have caused it by accidentally touching the accelerator, but now I know that is not the case. First occurrence was in Dec 2021, exact date not known, happened in a parking lot. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery keeps draining. We jumped it two days ago and already it's dead again. We've checked all lights and other systems for user error--it's not us, it's the car! I'm scared to go anywhere remote for fear of getting stranded, especially now that it's winter in New England! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | We left our Outback at the airport and went on a 4 day vacation. When we came back on December 5,2021 the car would not start and the battery was in a deep failure. The battery had approximately 32,000 miles on it and was the original battery. Took home, put on charger and on December 7, 2021 the vehicle still would not start and had to be jumped. The Subaru dealer replaced the battery under warranty with a larger cranking battery. Fail Code L0XXF4Q-3J8KGD1. A month later and less than 1,000 mile later, the battery failed again. It was jumpted and taken to the dealer. They said they found no problem and replaced it with a "courtesy" battery as a ONE TIME only fix. I had to buy a portable jumper because I'm afraid the car will fail again. There are many instances on the Subaru website of other owners having this problem due to electrical failure. I did notice that my "welcome chime" only turns on some of the time, which leads me to believe that the vehicle is not shutting down properly every time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2019 Subaru Outback. Two failed batteries in the space of one year. The first was on 2/11/21 with 21,520 miles on the car. We were on vacation in Florida and the local dealer (Bert Smith Subaru) in St. Petersburg confirmed that the battery failed and installed a new one. On 11/28/21, newer battery died. Local Dealer (Dean Team Subaru) performed a battery test, confirmed that the battery was bad and replaced it (with the same type of battery, 36000 miles). Being repeatedly stranded with a battery that is not working is a safety issue. We have a concern that there must be a larger electrical issue or that something is draining these batteries. We also have a concern that the battery is large and powerful enough for the vehicle. I have read of many Subaru Outback owners with similar issues. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2019 Subaru Outback purchased 7/10/19 during that fall and following winter had the battery die multiple times. We keep it in a garage where it does not freeze in the winter. Had to jump it to start each time. Finally took it to the dealership 4/29/20 with 4,669 miles on it to complain to dealership. They said that there was nothing wrong with the battery. They told us that it needed to be driven every couple of days to keep the battery charged to prevent the parasitic electrical draw from draining the battery. This was during the heart of the 'Stay at home/COVID' so we did not use it everyday. It continues to have the battery drain problem. Just this weekend 1/15/22 we had to jump the battery in our driveway to leave and drove 30 minutes to the store and expected the battery to keep the charge but after leaving the store found the battery dead again. Luckily we found a nice guy who offered to give us a jump. This is a continual problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Windshield on 2019 Outback cracked without being chipped. This is the same as many, many other owners are complaining about. Lower passanger side of windshield cracked while setting at wifes work. Subaru knows about this defect and will not fix . | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | POWER TRAIN | I am trying to submit a complaint to the electronically with no success. Is there an email address that I can send my complaint directly to? The complaint in its entirety takes up one 8.5 by 11 inch-sized paper, I need enough space for 3494 characters. Not enough space given to explain my situation. In order for the context of the complaint to be understood, it must be read from top to bottom. As I have no idea where this is going, nor to whom, I am hoping to hear back from someone. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary at a traffic light, a crack developed at the center of the front windshield. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the front windshield to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but on 12/24/2021, he had experienced the failure for a second time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 25,000 |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery failed for no apparent reason. After getting it jumped, it would fail to keep a full charge. Starting the car, it was always a gamble as to whether it would start-up or not. This lasted a month or so until the car battery was completely dead. I then had a tow truck come from my insurance to replace the battery. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I have a large crack that started below my field of vision on the passenger side. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Parasitic Battery Drain left battery dead and unable to start vehicle. This was caused by a defective DCM (Data Communication Module). This problem first surfaced within weeks of new car purchase and took about 6-months and several visits to dealer to remedy. I also replaced the oem battery with a new upgraded battery at my own expense. Recently the problem reoccurred as the DCM module again failed and created a parasitic drain. This has probably damaged the new battery which is only a year old as it was completely discharged. The dealer again fixed the problem but as before was initially skeptical that it was caused by user error or letting vehicle sit too long between use; both of the most problematic failures occurred when the vehicle was left parked for 2-weeks at parksleepfly hotels while on trips and returned to find dead battery. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | In Feb, 2021, I went to start my car in the garage. It was totally dead. It had just been in for 6 month svc 2 weeks earlier. I called dealership, they sent a tech to my home to get the car started. He said it was totally drained, left and came back later with a jumper system and got it started and drove it to the dealership. They installed a new battery and the tech said they were having trouble with original equipment batteries but this one should not have the problem. Now, Jan, 2022, the car is dead again. I am 79 and the sole caregiver to my wife who has dementia and cannot talk. At this moment, I have left a message for dealer service manager but have not received call back after 5 hours. It is just like the information posted on line about this Subaru issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact noticed that the windshield was cracked from the middle going upward. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the windshield needed to be replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 46,000 |
| Jan 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | CRACKED WINDSHIELD | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery will drain in under a week if the car is not driven. Subaru dealer gave me 3 batteries in 6 months. The battery tests fine, but discharges if the car sits for a week. Subaru USA gave $350 to go buy a top of the line battery and the issue persists with an Optima yellow top. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield cracked overnight in garage without any driving or other incident Crack is over 12 inches long | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I have had battery failures in the last 34 months 3 times. I have reported this problem before. The dealer replaces my battery and gives advice about not driving enough. not keeping my fob the proper distance from the car. This is casing me to be concerned about safety issues. I know there is a class action 2020 for this problem but subaru needs to solve this issue. It is a computer on wheels and I realize that uses a great deal of electrical power but you should not be stranded because subaru refuses to solve their issues. My next step is to contact subaru but I doubt they will take any action. So I guess next step is to change cars. Its a shame as they charge a great deal of money for this car. I owned the first outback when it came out and had no problems. I am extremely disappointed in their cars now. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage unattended, the front windshield cracked without impact. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 27,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 27,000 |