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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | while driving heard a POP from windshield area. Didn't observe anything. Within a mile windshield started to crack from the bottom molding area, passenger side, Spread approximately 16 inches in moments. Nothing had hit the windshield. Dealership was contacted and windshield was replaced, and EyeSight had to be recalibrated. Insurance contacted and stated that they had heard of problems with Subaru vehicles windshields cracking. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield abruptly cracked at the top middle without any impact while driving at highway speed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The 2019 Subaru Outback Multimedia Touch Screen has stopped working multple times even when the software was updated. When the touch screen stops working there are two significant safety issues, hands free/blue tooth no longer works and the rear view camera stops working. 09/20 Touch Screen froze, stopped working 10/20 Touch Screen Call end button redialed previous number, touch screen froze 12/20 New Radio installed 04/21 Touch Screen had loud buzzing sound, black screen and then rebooted 08/21 Touch Screen loud buzzing, black screen, rebooted 09/21 Touch Screen rebooted Subaru of American contacted 08/21 no resolution as of yet | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Twice the vehicle’s battery went dead leaving my wife stranded. Contacted local Subaru dealer and they replaced the battery under warranty. The service manager told my wife that the reason the battery went dead was that she was not driving it enough. My wife drives the car every day so that is not the problem. When the battery was tested under load it showed the battery had failed and that was the reason it went dead. The battery was defective. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2019 Outback with 6500 miles on it. Battery just died. Sounds like the battery drain issue mentioned in ongoing lawsuit. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | My windshield, after two years of ownership, is covered with tiny chips and abrasions. These abrasions obsure my vision when driving in bright sun. They cannot be rubbed out with grease or alcohol (assuming it may be sap). It seems the windshield material may be defective as this issue has not occured with any of our other vehicles, even after years of driving. I contacted Subaru of Missoula to see what they could do and they told me to replace the windshield at my expense. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The car battery has been abnormally draining when I don't drive the car for 2-3 days leaving me stranded at home. Subaru claims I'm not driving my car enough and need to drive it at least 40 mins a week. They refuse to admit any problems. I put 1000 miles on the car a month so can't understand how a 2019 Car battery drains after just a few days. I believe the car has an electrical issue that's draining the battery. I'm most concerned if this happens when I can't get a jump start and become stranded. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield of the car just spontaneously cracked starting down at the wiper blades and extending up and across the windshield about 24 inches | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact's husband owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, she heard an abnormal, popping noise emit from the vehicle and noticed that a crack had formed on the bottom passenger’s side of the windshield without incident. The contact stated that the crack spread horizontally over to the driver’s side of the windshield. The contact stated that the crack obstructed her vision while driving the vehicle. The contact initially called the dealer where she purchased the vehicle and was informed that the repair would not be covered under warranty. The contact was then referred to Tom Wood Subaru (3300 E 96th St, Indianapolis, IN 46240) where she was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 36,000 |
| Sep 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery in my 2019 Subaru Outback died without warning, just under 13,000 miles, on Aug. 26, 2021. AAA replaced the battery, which had only 3.7 volts remaining, at a cost of $156 for a 6-year battery. Exactly one week later, on Sept. 2, 2021, my new battery died. Another call to AAA, whose technician said the new battery was completely drained. He jumped the battery for me and checked the starter and alternator, which were fine. I drove directly to the Subaru dealer yesterday afternoon and they still have my car. I don't know for certain what the problem is, but based on owner complaints (and a class-action suit) I found online it appears that the problem is in the CAN unit, which in 2015-2020 Outbacks (and other Subarus as well) fails to put the car's electrical system to sleep when the engine isn't running, thereby draining the battery. I am very afraid of being stranded without the ability to get help quickly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Front windshield has cracked 3 times from bottom, goes up and across to halfway point when driving on freeway after a stone is kicked up. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Not sure if it’s the battery itself or the alternator but the battery keeps draining and I have to keep calling to have the vehicle jump started. The vehicle is available for inspection and safety will be of concern if this continues to happen and I am out on the road somewhere remote. The dealer offered to test the battery but did not confirm the issue has occurred in other vehicles. There were no warning lights nor messages. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | STEERING | I bought the 2019 Subaru Outback less than 2 months ago. While driving either on the street or on the freeway at reasonable speeds, the car will suddenly without warning veer to the left or right causing me to believe I was about to lose control. At first I thought I hit a pothole or some other road hazard. There is nothing that I can see on the road to cause this.This is occurring once every other time I drive the car. I looked online and noticed many other complaints which are exactly the same as mine.This is very dangerous as this veering can cause a serious accident. I spoke with Subaru and am now trying to have it looked at since it is still under warranty. There were no warning lights, etc. Please look into this safety concern. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery has drained six times since April 15, 2021. Available for inspection upon request. Risk factors for safety: unable to get husband and mother to medical appointments; unable to leave residence for ANY reason; potential for stranding in unsafe areas. Problem has been addressed with dealership who has not identified a specific problem, from June 11, 2021. No inspection by anyone other than service department at dealership who stated "Inspected customer concern, found battery and charging system testing good, found no parasitic draw for power. Found vehicle operating as designed (June 11, 2021). Of course battery was charged after it was driven 60 miles to dealership! There have been NO warnings of any kind. First of six failures occurred on April 15, 2021. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield cracked while driving. Within a few minutes the crack line on the windshield had moved in all directions and some parts are in a 'shattered' pattern. In all of my years of driving (44 licensed years) I have never experienced a cracked windshield and discovered that this is a defect of the manufacturer. For Subaru to claim they are one of the safest vehicles on the road, overlooking the importance of the windshield is ludicrous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | Certain year models of Subaru vehicles suffer from ‘sudden and unexpected acceleration’. We know since it has happened to us and, research shows, many, many other people. Waiting for the automatic garage door to open, the vehicle experienced the sudden and uncontrollable acceleration. This resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, garage and contents in the garage. What will Subaru do when this happens at a crosswalk? | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield started to crack and we have no recollection of any impact on it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | In Oct 2020 (12055 mi) and June 2021 (17059 mi) the battery drained overnight while parked in the garage. I was able to jump it the first time. Second time it had to be towed. Dealer replaced the battery both times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Less than a month after purchasing vehicle a chip on passenger side of windshield occurred, probably from a rock kicked up from road. I never bothered to get it fixed as it didn’t effect my ability to operate vehicle. On 07/25/2021 a rock struck the windshield. The next morning I discovered a large crack near the rear view mirror. On 07/28/2021, I had the windshield replaced. Several days later another rock struck the windshield on the driver’s side, and caused a chip, which was directly in my field of vision. I brought it back and they repaired the damage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | My battery died overnight . I jumó started and took it to Subaru who said I needed a new battery . My car has 28k miles and under 3 years since I bought it . They replace the battery and same thing happened 2 days later . I keep having to jumó start my car every other day and they don’t seem to know what the problem is . | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would tighten and oversteer while switching lanes without warning. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to regain complete control of the vehicle after the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle had to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 9,000 |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the battery was drained, and the vehicle would not start-up. The vehicle required a jump start each time the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that there was no failure with the battery. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 40,000 |
| Aug 2021 | STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | Under the following three conditions the front tires appear to become airborne and the tires skip making the vehicle seem to be out-of-control; When traveling at speeds >35 MPH, Wheels are turned >10 degrees, Any long bump (such as a rough transition "bump" from asphalt to concrete). This has been worsening over the last year and is now unsafe for my children to be in the car. My local Subaru dealership spent nearly 2 days inspecting all aspects of the car to include the alignment, bushings, and shocks. A senior technician was taken for a test-drive in the car and I was able to recreate the "skip". The technician was alarmed and surprised by the skip and thus held the car for a 2nd day to further investigate the reason for the "skip". They were unable to diagnose any defect. There has been no inspection by the police or insurance company. There have been no alarms or warning. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My 2019 Subaru Outback unintentionally accelerated. I was sitting in my SUV waiting for an electronic gate to open at my storage unit. I was about 10-15 feet in front of the gate. My foot was firmly on the brake and the car was in drive. I have been at this gate many times. This time, before the gate could fully open, the car raced forward at top speed into the gate. Damaging my bumper and terrifying me! The gate did stop the car. I felt like a ghost had slammed a foot on the gas pedal!!! The breaks did nothing. The Subaru floor mat was attached with 2 pegs and sticks like velcro to the carpet. Thank God I was not at a crosswalk or in front of a building - I would have killed myself or someone else! I reported this to my local dealer and they referred me to Subaru of America. The dealer had my car for 6 weeks and S.O.A. sent a team to inspect the car for 6 hours. Customer service after 6 weeks said my car was fine. That no issues were found! They will not provide me with a list of tests completed or what was reported by the "Black Box" on board. All I have is a email from Peter at Customer Service (that was my 3rd and final rep.) that that is all the information that he has or can get and the care is fine to drive! If that is so, why is there a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT against them! | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Have had 2 batteries fail in 2 1/2 years. New battery installed and my electrical system is failing. Can't lock my car unless fob is in an RFID bag, has not started several times, and has refued to open several times for about a minute. Will be taking car back to dealer to see if they can fix the problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |