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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My Infotainment system randomly places phone calls, changes or cancels maps, and otherwise takes random actions that create distractions that makes for unsafe driving. It appears that the screen may be delaminating in multiple spots which would cause the above problems. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Parasitic draw of the battery. (DCM) class action lawsuit. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact inspected the battery and determined that the battery needed to be charged. The contact stated that the battery needed to be recharged every three days due to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. Additionally, the contact stated the failure was persistent. The contact stated that the dealer had replaced the battery with a genuine Subaru battery three months prior to the failure. However, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,879. | Crash: No Fire: No | 91,879 |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Purchased 2019 Subaru outback June 2019. Have had multiple batteries replaced. Approximately every year at least the battery fails and I am left stranded. January 2021 the fuel pump was not working properly and they said that was from low drain on the battery but that when the car went to sleep, the draw was normal so they didn’t do anything. February 5, 2025 I was in for an oil change and everything was working well. March 17, 2025 battery going dead again. I got a jump and drove to the dealership. They said that they replaced the DCM and installed the new battery. It is now May 27, 2025 and my car will not start again not even with the jump. Called the dealership and they said I have to pay for a tow which is 45 miles away and I am not under Warranty any longer so I will have to pay for it. He also suggested that I call my local tow company and get them to try to jump it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I have experienced two separate incidents of spontaneous windshield cracking on my 2019 Subaru Outback, with no external impact or road debris involved. The first windshield crack occurred, and Subaru replaced it under warranty after inspection showed no signs of impact. The second crack occurred again without any collision or impact. However, Subaru has now refused to cover the second incident, even though it clearly follows the same pattern. There is no visible point of impact. The cracks appear to originate near the bottom edge of the windshield and spread rapidly. I park the vehicle in a safe residential area and have not driven over rough terrain or been involved in any accidents. I have also referenced a known class action lawsuit involving similar spontaneous cracking issues with windshields in Subaru vehicles, including the 2017–2020 Outback and Legacy models. This suggests a manufacturing or design defect affecting structural integrity. This issue creates a serious visibility and safety hazard for drivers and passengers, especially if the windshield fails further while the vehicle is in motion. Subaru’s failure to cover a known defect and repeated issue puts drivers at risk. I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate this recurring defect in Subaru windshields to determine whether a recall or broader corrective action is necessary. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was driving 75mph in heavy, morning traffic. I was behind a large tractor trailer, switching lanes. My car’s ‘obstacle ahead’ warning was attempting to slow me down or stop me. The air pressure inside my car changed suddenly and I could feel the pressure difference. Then there was a huge explosion. It sounded like my back windshield broke. Instead, it was my sunroof. It had exploded outwards from the inside. It just shattered and blew up spontaneously. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery draining fast. installed new battery last month. Car is dead and had to be towed to dealer. DCM issues. System prematurely drains battery because system is trying to connect to 3g even when car is off. There should be a recall. Not just an extended warranty that Subaru may not accept for rebuilt titled cars | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Subaru did not notify consumers or aftermarket retailers that the Subaru battery in my vehicle was underamped. As a result, I unknowingly bought an underamped battery from Autozone to replace my dying battery in 2024, b/c their records indicated it was the right battery. I found out in 3/25 from Subaru service about the underamped battery issue when my car was dying. Autozone can’t replace it because their system (info they get from Subaru) says this is the right battery, because Subaru didn’t notify anyone. Subaru will not replace the battery for free because it’s not a Subaru battery. I have an internal service memo from 2023 that states what the right battery should be. However, Subaru didn’t notify the public or companies and so several people are probably driving around with underamped aftermarket batteries. I should not have to pay for a new battery, I should have received notice in 2023 about this issue and then I would have replaced it with the right Subaru battery. The battery I replaced in 2024 was the original Subaru underamped battery. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | On April 14, 2025, I experienced my fourth windshield break- others- 2 that were 3 months apart in 2023 and another in 2024. I do not know how this most recent crack occurred as I noticed it when I went to drive my car, which was parked inside my garage. I had driven 2 places earlier in the day with no signs of a crack and there were no noted strikes to the windshield during that time. I did ride on a highway the day prior, but did not hear any strikes to the windshield. The prior incidences I did hear something hit the windshield. I have been a car owner for decades and this is the first car I have ever had with any windshield crack. This complaint seems typical for this vehicle as many of the same issues were recently included in a class action lawsuit regarding a defect in the glass. Wile the 2019 model was not included for some reason, many NHTSA complaints from people with this model were included in this lawsuit so I certainly hope that NHTSA will seriously look into why these are a common occurrence for this vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | Car will lane correct when it's not needed. And all warning lights will come on in car when it's very hot. Cannot access touchscreen - because it constantly glitches as if it's being touched passenger side window continues to roll up and down when you click auto control on window and will not stop. I am afraid to drive because of these Electrical issues. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Every few days of car not being used battery is being completely drained. We replaced 3 new batteries with a span of a 1 year. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I am on my third battery for this car. It apparently has a known software issue of a parasitic battery drain that destroys the battery, leaving me stranded. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | AIR BAGS | According to my Subaru service technician the Occupant detection control module is faulty on my car. Research has found that this is a known problem with 2020-2022 Subaru outbacks that is under recall. I believe the recall should be extended to include the 2019 year model because a faulty occupant detection module means that the air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash which is a serious safety concern. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while reversing into a parking spot and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved and the vehicle seemed to attempt to accelerate unintendedly. The contact maintained the brake pedal depressed. The contact stated that the failure occurred while at a complete stop at the stop sign and while driving over a speed bump. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The Radio has what looks like water spots under the screen, this causes the infotainment system to go crazy, no hands free and I’m afraid it won’t show the backup screen while it is like this. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Noticed a huge crack in my windshield this morning before leaving for work. Definitely some sort of stress fracture. Not from any kind of impact or rock chip. It was not there yesterday. This is a huge safety issue due to the suddenness and size of the crack right down the center of the windshield and then branching off to both the driver side view and the passenger side. Difficult to see while driving to work and very worried that the crack will continue to expand. I’m contacting the dealership where I purchased the car in June of 2024. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Car screen is malfunctioning. Starts doing own things and can cause huge distraction to the driver. Beeping noise, blinking, calling and dialing phone numbers, raising volume. Becomes unresponsive and impossible to operate. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Screen is delaminating. Becoming unresponsive at times. Making ghost touches, phone calls, opening apps, messing with GPS. Seems unsafe when it could be going haywire and especially using GPS trying to navigate traffic. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The infotainment center not working. It makes ghost options. Examples: calls people arbitrarily. Changes radio stations out of the blue. Maps goes nuts when try to use navigation. Screen has bubbles. SOA has only offered to front 1/2 the cost of the fix when even the dealership advised this is a defect/ known issue. I probably haven’t even listed all the issues but it makes the radio/navigation/ starlink service unusable at this point unless I pay out to fix with no real assurance this will not occur again | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Subaru settled a class action lawsuit regarding faulty battery and DMC component that drains the battery continuously. My dealer just replaced my battery and DCM under warranty (I'm assuming the warranty is a result of the lawsuit). However, this does not ultimately remedy the problem. The new DMC will continue to draw on the battery causing future reoccurring issues. Subaru needs to make good on this problem in a permanent way. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | PARASITIC BATTERY DRAIN. I JUST BOUGHT THIS USED SUBARU OUTBACK IN JULY 2024. SINCE THEN, (WITHIN 8 MONTHS) THE CAR HAS HAD A DEAD BATTERY TWICE, IN 11/24 AND 2/25. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR JUMPED STARTED BY AAA SERVICES. THIS IS MORE THAN AN INCONVENIENCE NOW. IT HAS BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE IF MY CAR WON'T START IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. I HAVE TAKEN THIS TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND THEY DIAGNOSED A 6 DAY BATTERY DRAIN TIME. SEE UPLOADED INVOICE. THIS IS A KNOWN FAULT REGARDING THE DATA COMMUNICATIONS MODULE (DCM) PREVIOUS SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS ONLY REIMBURSED FOR COSTS OF BATTERY REPLACEMENTS, DIAGNOSIS UP UNTIL 2023. THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The Infotainment system has been glitching repeatedly with each drive I take; I am unable to operate any functions. This interferes with CarPlay. I reported this to the dealership and they informed me I would get a notice of recall in the mail. That was almost 2 months ago. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The head unit on the vehicle has an issue where it bubbles and it’s causing the touch screen to spaz out, change sources, etc creating a terribly distracting driving experience and you are unable to turn it of. The screen flashes, the radio changes stations, it messes with the navigation rendering it useless, etc. it’s a known issue and Subaru settled a class an action lawsuit related to it for 2018 models but has not issued recalls to for any year models. They should fix the issue on all models. It has been going on for months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I feel unsafe driving my car. My car could break down in the middle of nowhere at night, or worse. 2019 Subaru Outback **2023** October 2023 - Battery drain begins; neighbor/Darrel jump-starts repeatedly. - **First battery replacement** (Advance Auto Parts). - Driver-side window switch/trunk latch malfunctions. - Subaru of Kennesaw fails to diagnose drain; advises "electronic reset." - Trickle charger purchased as temporary fix. **2024** - **[XXX]** - **DCM replaced** at Subaru of Gwinnett (confirmed drain from DCM). - Car breaks down hours post-repair; **second battery installed**. - Case opened with Kelly of Subaru of America (no resolution). - **July 2024** - Dashcam installed (later blamed by Troncalli Subaru for drain). **2025** - **[XXX]** - Car taken to Cumming Subaru for battery drain. - **Third battery installed**; dealership blames dashcam (issue predates installation). - **[XXX]** - Denise (Customer Advocate) opens Case promises update (none received). - **[XXX]** - Barb (Executive Inquiry Specialist) promises update by Feb 21 (no follow-up). - **[XXX]** - Troncalli Subaru (Stephanie) claims car is ready but provides no diagnostic details. - No communication from Subaru executives (Thomas Doll, Jeff Walters). ————————- DCM Settlement: I believe there was class action law suit, and Subaru does not honor the extended warranty. 3+ repairs, 30+ days out of service. - **Subaru’s Negligence**: Note shifting blame and lack of follow-up. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE | 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |