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 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Car was purchased 2/25/19. At 6,824 miles (10/28/19), our car began to no turn on. After a 3-4 times of jumping it, the battery stopped responding to the jump. Subaru had to tow it from our house because the battery was totally done and they couldn't even start it. Subaru said that the battery was defective (or might have a larger issue with the electrical system in their words). They replaced the battery and it began working again (7,000 miles - 11/4/19). Now, at 13,808 miles (6/16/21) - we've had 2 more instances in the past 2 weeks of the car not starting. In addition, the passenger side window no longer operates from the driver side door. We are confident that these issues are not being caused by lights left on, etc. We are taking it in again for another inspection. I have come to understand that this may be a design flaw with the electrical system including the 2019 Outback model. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Parasitic battery drain frequently causes my battery to die after only hours parked. I often have to jumpstart the car in the morning. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | STRUCTURE | Three windshields have now cracked beyond repair and needed to be replaced with barely 33,000 miles on the vehicle. The first replacement was done in July 2019 when the car was barely six months old. The second replacement was done in April 2021, barely two months ago. That third windshield cracked the second week of June 2021. It is currently scheduled for replacement. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while entering the vehicle after a short drive to the store he noticed a crack near the front passenger’s side of the windshield. The contact stated that there was no impact on the windshield to cause the damage. The contact stated it had started raining for a short time while he was in the store. Once he returned to the vehicle he noticed the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not provided. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | In February 2021 I noticed that there was a long crack developing in my windshield - literally not there the night before - and there was no chip or location of rock impact, it simply cracked from the very top of the windshield. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | While sitting at a stoplight, I heard a loud cracking sound and noticed a large crack had begun to form from the side of the windshield. Nothing had fallen onto, or hit the windshield, it seemed to just crack for no apparent reason. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Drove into the Walgreen's parking lot, made several low speed turns to arrive at the west side of the building. Pulled into an empty parking space. Entered parking space at very low rate of speed and proceeded to brake to a full stop. Moved shift lever with the intent to move transmission from Drive to Park and despite my foot still being on the brake, the car suddenly lurched forward, drove over the curb and sidewalk, crossed sidewalk and hit the side of the store (a brick wall). Car bounced back to a midpoint of the sidewalk. Engine was still running but car came to a full stop. I turned off the engine. Two Walgreen employees came out to see if I was OK (they heard the impact). I told them I was but later my chest hurt and I found a bruise suggesting impact with the steering wheel. Entire front of car is damaged. There were no warning notifications from the car (no parking or forward collision warnings). My right foot never left the brake pedal. The "unexpected acceleration" lunge forward occurred with the attempted shift of the transmission from Drive to Park. The transmission ended up being in Neutral when the car finally stopped moving. Floor mat was in the normal position, secured by the built-in pins, had not shifted and was not near the brake or accelerator (gas) pedal. Cruise control was not turned on. This was a routine trip to a local store. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 | 5,794 |
| Jun 2021 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Windshield seemingly cracked without any provocation/collision. Crack occurred while vehicle was parked away from traffic, and requires windshield replacement. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery in our brand new 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK kept on being drained after moderate usage. Twice it was from leaving the hatch up for a couple of hours, once we were driving out in the country and parked to look at the scenery briefly and the battery died leaving us stuck out in the middle of nowhere. It didn't feel safe to be out there as night was approaching and we were waiting for a tow truck. All in all had to call SUBARU Roadside Assistance and have the battery jumped on three or four separate occasions. Because of this we bought a portable battery charger to keep in the car at all times because we were afraid of getting stuck with a dead battery. We ended up needing to use that battery charger on about 3 different occasions. Eventually the electrical system started acting very erratic with spontaneous alarms, loud chirping sounds and door locks so we took it in to Southern Oregon SUBARU who replaced the battery for us. Changing the battery seemed to fix all of the problems. That was in February 2021. The battery had a 30 month warranty. This week on June 1, 2021 we came back from vacation where we had left the SUBARU safely parked in our driveway. It would not start when we returned. We only have 1 vehicle so this was very inconvenient for us. The battery was dead. We tried to charge it with our battery charger but the battery was just too dead to take a charge. So, we had one night without a vehicle. We called SUBARU roadside assistance and they sent out a tow truck driver who could not get the battery jumped because it was so dead it just would not start. That was our second night without a vehicle. The next afternoon SUBARU roadside service sent out another towbtruck driver who had a more powerful battery charger and he was able to get the battery to start. We drove the SUBARU OUTBACK to Southern Oregon SUBARU and they are working on it now. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield made a sound that sounded like it was hit by a rock or pebble, yet no car was around for a rock or pebble to cause it to fly through the air. The windshield cracked at around the edge of the windshield and within a couple of minutes, the crack extended to around 12 inches. After an hour, the crack extended to across the majority of the windshield. This is the 3rd windshield that had to be replaced. Either the windshield has extensive stresses or it's manufactured too weak and can cause a safety hazard. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | SEATS | Driver side seat is sounding like a weak and used bed. I have read on multiple Subaru sites that this has been happening since 2018 on various Subaru vehicles. It's apparently a weld that is weak. This makes it a safety hazard. Due to the fact that Subaru has known about this issue for a year and stilled installed these seats on a 2019 vehicle demonstrates that Subaru has poor quality checks. I asked for a replacement but was quoted over 2k for the replacement. This is just wrong and Subaru needs to replace these seats. If a weld is weak, think what will happen during an accident with that seat. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Repeated incidences of battery going dead on 2019 Subaru Outback. After 5 times of having to jump the battery to start vehicle, I had to purchase a Battery Booster to keep in the car. At first visit to my Subaru Dealership, a completely dead battery was found and replaced under warranty. Battery continued to die, sometimes after being in the garage for up to one week [when a boost was required], and once after a 76 mile highway trip, it was dead again after one full day parked. There have been 2-3 occasions when it seems to be related to operation of the liftgate. Liftgate becomes inoperative and must be manually opened and recycled and battery jumped for engine start. A second visit to the Dealership determined all in working condition after a full diagnostic check. Car is working normally at this time, one week after Dealership checkout. As this seems to be a frequent issue with other Subaru owners, I am carrying my Battery Booster on board at all times. This seems to be a known issue [by Subaru] for 2017-2019 models. Otherwise, I love the Outback, but this annoying issue is disconcerting, to say the least. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Broken windshield - twice in 5 months traveling the same road that I traveled with a 2007 Jeep and never had a broken windshield in 13 years. I believe these windshields are to thin and are subject to cracking. The first time I was hit with a very small rock, barely a ping, the 2nd time I was hit with a larger rock, but way up near the roof which shouldn't have caused a broken windshield. I have been driving 54 years and this is the first auto with such a sensitive windshield. I will sell this vehicle if this happens again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Small chip in windshield, quickly developed into a crack all the way across | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1. System failed. We purchased this car on 6/2/20, with a mileage of 6,174 miles. We are retired and don't drive much; for shorter distances we mostly rode our bicycles. In our recent living environment we can park cars outside in spaces, and in a large underground parking garage. While we did not drive much, I still needed to work on bicycles using tools stored in the rear trunk compartment, with the trunk lid in open position. What I did not know was that even the mere open car trunk was run electrically, though the large electronic dashboard gave a clue of a rather massive reliance on functions run electronically; after a mere 2-3 days of not driving we were made rudely aware that keeping the trunk lid open for any amount of time was a recipe for not being able to use the car when most needed; I should add here that the many Subaru drivers in our complex did not seem to have that problem as they are all "professional" drivers. We called our designated towing service and had to wait for over 3 hours for a rep to show up. Not having bought a car in years we were amazed how quickly the tow driver pulled out an electronic gadget and started the car. It immediately bought one like that, an electronic jump starter. SAFETY. Had my wife had to find transportation to an urgent appointment it would have become a safety problem. PROBLEM CONFIRMATION. No, it has not, except by me, as any greater than fleeting use of electricity in this car is a recipe for disaster. COMPONENT INSPECTED. Yes. After 2 more battery outages I took the car to the dealer and explained the problem (which had little impact on the employee). I had the battery checked, it was fine and working as designed. On 9/25/21, after another battery outage I took the car to the dealer again; again everything was operating as designed. SYMPTOMS OF THE PROBLEM. No. ASSESSMENT. I concluded I needed to keep the car RUNNING when using any function more than 5 minutes. This car is a computer on wheels. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, when she noticed there was a crack on the passenger's side windshield. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| May 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The windshield on this Subaru has been replaced 4 times. Each time has been a crack that starts where the frame and windshield meet. No breakage or cracks have occurred in the center of the glass. The glass has been replaced by the dealer, and replacement has been needed within 6-9 months. The last occurrence was in my (driver) line of sight, which was a safety hazard. The prior 3 occurrences originated on the passenger side. The manufacturer is aware of this problem, with no recall or attempt to change the windshield glass. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Today May 22 around 4:19 PM no cars close to us while driving we had the front windshield spontaneously crack there was no impact there was no impact heard all we heard was like cracking sound I have seen online where Subaru is using an acoustic type of glass and people are reporting cracked windshields I would like to have this investigated furthermore I’d like to have Subaru repair my vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | My battery has gone dead twice in the past 2 weeks leaving me stranded and needing to find someone to come jump start my car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Driving down the Interstate the front windshield sounded like a pebble hit it even though there were no other cars in front of ours. Later that day, the small mark cracked two more inches along the drivers side. Within another day the crack has now extended for approximately one foot in one direction and another foot in the other direction, in a circular pattern. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle was parked for four and a half days in a public garage, with which I pay for monthly parking. Upon my request, vehicle was waiting for me to pick it up. The vehicle seemed to be intact. Just after leaving the garage, I used the front, then the back wipers to clean the windshields. The back (hatch) windshield completely shattered into the vehicle. Nothing hit it, no accidents with other vehicles or objects occurred. While no one was hurt, the incident was alarming. The integrity and strength of a vehicle's windows/ and windshields are important. There was no prior warning or alert. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY | THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE FRONT WINDSHIELD SUDDENLY CRACKED WITHOUT INCIDENT OR IMPACT. THE CRACK WAS LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM CENTER SECTION OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWO TIMES PREVIOUSLY. THE LOCAL DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,600. | Crash: No Fire: No | 4,600 |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | Car battery has failed no less than three times. Upon failure, car is completely inoperable. Used Subaru roadside assistance to jump the car. The battery has drained on more than one occasion. No inspections. No warnings or prior symptoms before the dead battery. Available for inspection upon request. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WE WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN OUR WINDSHIELD CRACKED. WE AREN'T SURE IF THE CRACK WAS CREATED BY A ROCK OR NOT BECAUSE WE DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING HAPPEN. IT JUST CRACKED AND SPLIT AND AS WE DROVE, IT CONTINUED TO GROW. IT'S ABOUT 9 INCHES AT THIS POINT. | Crash: No Fire: No | 16,000 |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | THE BATTERY COMPLETELY DRAINED AFTER ONLY 30 MINUTES OF TURNING CAR OFF. WE HAD TO HAVE A SERVICE CALL. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |