Complaint volume
447 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
447 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2022 Subaru Outback, grouped by component category.
Buyer interpretation
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
447 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
The most common categories are visibility/wiper, unknown or other, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Enriched records include 10 crash reports, 4 fire reports, 4 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage is available on 37 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 18,243 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
447 total complaints on record
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Cracked windshield from no impact | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | 18" crack in the windshield was noted originating from passenger side pillar extending toward the middle of window. Crack occurred while car was parked in an insulated and locked garage. No crack when parked and large crack the following morning. No known trauma or known rocks striking the windshield. On close inspection there was no star pattern, bubble pattern or palpable concave defect that would suggest a previous rock chip. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield cracked during normal operation of the car. This is the 4th windshield since purchasing the 2022 Subaru OBW. The first crack, with no visible impact to the windshield, occurred at 13K, the second, with no visible impact, occurred at 20K, and this third occurred at 41K. They have occurred in different areas of the windshield (from each side and the bottom). Each replacement has been OEM and the 3rd windshield (which lasted the longest) had an additional ceramic coating. I reported the 3rd windshield to the nhtsa and when I reviewed nhtsa's assessment, it was incorrect. I emailed nhtsa requesting the assessment be corrected, but never received a reply and believe the report is still incorrect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Windshield cracked while parked. Date of crack 9-13-2022 All the electronic safety features rely on an intact windshield to work properly. This crack occurred for no reason. No impact to windshield. Parked in an open parking lot. Not reproduced that I know of. Vehicle will be inspected tomorrow by dealer. 9-14-2022 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise and noticed a crack on the front passenger’s side bottom corner of the windshield. The contact stated that no object had struck the windshield to cause the crack. The contact stated that she was awaiting an appointment for the replacement. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 6,000 |
| Sep 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | On or about April 28, 2022, while traveling on route 95 North (an interstate highway) utilizing the Factory GPS system which is in the center console, the entire console went blank. I immediately grew concerned the vehicle steering or acceleration was about to fail and pulled over on the shoulder of the interstate. I turned off the vehicle and restarted it, yet the screen remained blank, which meant I could not control the heat, defroster, air conditioning, GPS, radio, the USB ports, the telephone connections, and etcetera; all were inoperable. As I continued to drive the screen remained blank or blacked out. I pulled into a rest area and waited 20 minutes with the vehicle turned off, and when I restarted the vehicle, it operated normally. On April 29, 2022, vehicle mileage 10,389, I took my 2022 Outback to Subaru, while at the dealership the dealership diagnosed the problem as follows: a new center console Cockpit Control Unit Assembly-Navigation and Display Assembly was ordered. I was told the dealership would contact me when the part arrived. I did not hear from the dealership and on June 27, 2022, vehicle mileage 16,282, I returned to Subaru for the third (3rd) time, and I informed them the problem with the center console continued. I was advised that additional testing was needed. According to the service records a miscellaneous check for the latest software was completed, issue was not resolved, the console failed to accept the updates and a new console was ordered. No warning lamps, codes or errors were noticed, the screen goes blank and the driver wonders what will occur next. In this model, 2022 Outback XT Limited, the screen is over 12 inches tall and is the predominant electrical system in the vehicle. The problem was replicated by the dealership on 5 service visits, it is available for inspection, although the concern occurs daily it is intermitent. After 6 visits the problem has not been repaired/rectified. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER,VISIBILITY | My first complaint was filed on 8/2/2022 @2,807 miles. Here we are again, not even 6 weeks later and it happened again. The dealer did replace my windshield. It took me driving there three different times to finally catch the manager so he could take pictures and file a claim with Subaru. Subaru did accept the claim and replaced the windshield. I was without my car for three days while this repair was done. Driving home last night, My 19 year old so was in the passenger seat. He says look mom, the windshield is cracking. Sure enough, no impact was heard or seen, it just started cracking in the same spot as the first time. It was such a hassle to get the first repair done and now I have to do it again!!! Ugh...I now wish I had never bought this car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield cracked without any cars near me, only dragonflies and butterflies. Happened with less than 2k miles in car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While stopped in a line at a drive through the vehicles automatic shutoff (fuel savings feature) engaged. When the brake is released the car completely shut down, including all computer, dash and vehicle lights. The cars transmission was in Drive and could not be placed in Park in an attempt to restart the vehicle. After several minutes the car shifted to Park and was able to be restarted after more than one attempt. I exited the very busy parking lot and proceeded to my place of work approximately a half mile away which is a safer location. Each time the brake was depressed the automatic shutoff would attempt to engage immediately, fearing a shutoff/failure in a major intersection I "feathered" the brake to keep engine running. Upon reaching my place of work parking lot and placing the vehicle in Park I was able to disengage the feature. This vehicle has been plagued with issues, it currently has very low miles (less than 5000) and is one year old. It had a battery failure at 600 miles, and has had several issues since that time with the vehicle not starting. Fortunately these issues occurred out of traffic but the latest incident could prove hazardous if it occurred in traffic. When the vehicle diagnostics are run it shows "Normal" and the problem remains unresolved. I have also noted hesitation with the shifting during acceleration from day one of owning the vehicle. It does not shift smoothly and will often hesitate which can pose a danger if attempting to avoid an accident. I have learned to compensate for the issue when pulling into traffic, especially if rapid acceleration is needed. Again, the vehicle diagnostics do not show an issue and the problem remains unresolved. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I parked the vehicle on 8/5/22 in the evening and noticed a crack in the windshield 18" long starting from the edge of the glass on 9/6/22 in the morning. There are no impact chips from rocks or any other signs of damage such as a tree branch falling on the windshield. The temperature overnight was is the upper 50s. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Within 2000 miles the windshield stressed fractured from the passenger side edge and then progressed inwards in multiple directions. There was no impact. The dealer (Balise Subaru-Warwick RI) called me a liar about an impact and gave me nothing but lip service about Subaru of America possibly performing a "good will" replacement. The crack is large enough to place a credit card into. Never before have I seen a crack that wide. Safety glass usually hairline cracks. A glass replacement company told me Subaru is using unreasonable thin glass to lighten the cars to make the MPG numbers. But at the risk of safety to drivers?? I think windshields are pretty important to not mess around with. Minimum thickness should be a standard. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | STRUCTURE | I have bought 2 subaru vehicles...brand new off the lot. Both my 2017 subaru impreza and now my 2022 subaru outback wilderness had brittle windshields from the factory.. I had 4 cracks within the first 2 months of owning this outback and I'm probably going to have to pay to have my windshield replaced. The replacements are always strong, safe and reliable. Why is my 41,000$$ car come with an unsafe windshield that cracks with small pebbles?. Hopefully nothing bigger ever hits it. Subaru makes plenty of money from us to supply us with a quality windshield. And I see there is already a pending windshield lawsuit for earlier models.. this year and model should be included!! The situation..I bought a brand new subaru and they refused to sell windshield replacement with the vehicle and now this happens..4 cracks within 2 months!! Unsafe. Thank you so much for your help! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield developed a fracture while driving on the freeway w/ no impact by any foreign objects. Location of fracture is on bottom end of windshield next to windshield wipers. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I just brought this new 2022 Subaru Outback one day before this happened. I made a right turn on a local road at a speed near 30 mph. Suddenly, I heard a big sound from the windshield. Then I found there was a hole in the windshield. There was one SUV in front of my car when this happened, and its speed was similar with my car. I just brought this car and total mileage was around 50 miles. I can't image this happened at low speed. I think maybe one small stone caused this problem and I was lucky that it didn't hit me. We let our dealership to repair it and prevent it cracking. I hope I don't need to replace this windshield in the near future. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The car was not used for two weeks (parked at home garage). When we came back from our trip, the battery died. Everything (lights etc.) had been turned off. The tow service came to jump started my car, and I drove to the dealership. I took it to the dealership, they inspected the car, recharged the battery, sent me home. The service person suggested I put in a battery tender to keep car outback charged while being away for a while. The car was purchased in late May 2022. If we had driven the car to park at airport while we were on vacation, we would have been stranded at the parking lot. A safety hazard! Apparently the dead battery issue with Subaru Outback is an known issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | On August 19, 2022, approximately 11:30 a.m., after parking my 2022 Subaru Outback Limited in a private driveway, the windshield began cracking from the bottom edge and has grown 25 inches toward the center of the windshield. There was no impact to the windshield. The weather was moderately cool--74 degrees, slight mist precipitation (wiper use minimal), and no wind. And, my previous drive (as with my history with this vehicle, 2,831 miles) was a gentle and uneventful four miles. I've spent fourty years entering and exiting the driveway and driving in that area, with other cars, and never once had a problem. I spent twenty years investigating traffic accidents and vehicle related problems in metro-Atlanta (Cobb County Police 1992-2012), and never saw a problem like this. But, since buying the car (my first Subaru), I've read countless Internet posts of similar events, from folks who have purchased a Subaru in the past five or so years. Subaru of America hasn't responded to my concern; and, my dealership (Subaru of Kennesaw (Georgia)) is dodging the burden of replacement costs. Not only is Subaru of America being irresponsible in the manufacturing and promotion of their cars, when they know there's a serious design flaw, but they show little interest in working to resolve a simple and important problem that affects everyone on roadways throughout the world. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Crack formed in windshield. Did not notice any chips or impact points. Crack formed on front right corner through the heated wiper blade rest. This seems to be an ongoing issue with Subaru. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Spontaneous 18" windshield crack on the driver's side with no impact point noted. Completely unprovoked. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Crack appeared on lower passenger section of windshield for no apparent reason. Windshield was replaced by certified repair center due to same issue a month ago with less than 2000 miles of driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I purchased this vehicle brand new in August 2021 (so 1 year ago exactly). There is an issue with their windshields and cracking immediately the second you even get the smallest rock impact. Just today I got another one cracked across my entire windshield within seconds and the impact point is smaller than 1cm. This is my FIFTH windshield crack and replacement in ONE year. I am in insurance and in 12 years of being in the industry and also driving multiple vehicles myself... I have NEVER myself or my clients had this many cracked windshields within 1 year of a brand new vehicle. There was already a class action lawsuit on the windshields from 2014 to 2018 Outback models... clearly 2022 model is doing the same thing. Also, funny enough, in financing they offer glass coverage you can purchase which is something i have never seen financing offer and I didnt choose because I had glass insurance through my auto insurance BUT NOW I realize why they actually offer it because they are WELL AWARE that Subaru has glass issues. Of course, they don't tell you that. This is not a location issue, or a where I am driving and what types of roads issue. This is a city car used to go to and from my office. I am not on dirt roads etc. this is NOT normal. 5 massive cracks from things that are less than 1cm is a car issue not a driver/user issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I was driving down the highway with no other vehicles around me. Suddenly, the middle of the windshield cracked from the bottom edge up and toward the passenger side. The car was parked overnight, and the crack spread further toward the driver side, directly in my sight line. There are 4,300 miles on the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that there was a crack on the windshield. There was no impact on the windshield that could have caused the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,800 |
| Aug 2022 | SEAT BELTS | No component failed or malfunction. It is working as designed but it is a serious safety concern that can not be addressed except by purposely bypassing the safety system or systems. For whatever reason Subaru added rear seat belt chime alarms to the rear seats. Three in total it appears. Driver, passenger, and center. The chimes will continue to grow louder until it blocks all radio and becomes a distraction. In theory this is not a bad idea. In practice it is a safety concern. Subaru markets their vehicles as being pet friendly. The issue is when I have my dog in the back seat the seat beat alarm continues to go of sporadically and she is not done growing yet. I don't use harness/restraints but even if I did there would be no way to keep her in the correct position to not make the adjacent seat chime. This is a major distraction while driving because I have to constantly take my eyes off the road and try to reposition her to stop the chime/alarm. It is also putting others at risk as I am not focused on driving. Problem confirmed by the dealer and Subaru (SOA) with no plan to fix except cut wires, buy seat belt buckles from Ebay to stick in holder, or clip seatbelts when not in use. Concern is this will cause passengers to not buckle up due to the hassle. Safety can't be an inconvenience or there is less chance it will be followed. No police have been involved. Dealer and SOA have confirmed it is a problem with no solution. Possible software update in the future. Not a failure but a design flaw. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Cracked windshield, brittle thin glass causes visibility issues! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery drained, car would not start. First occurrence with new car at 831 miles, battery diagnosed as defective and replaced by manufacturer. Second occurrence at 4620 miles after sitting unused 8 days at airport parking, battery drained and most "check engine" lights on after jump-starting. EyeSight and most safety features disabled until checked and reset by manufacturer. Manufacturer quote "CAUSE: Problem due to vehicle sitting for more than a week low battery voltage concern. Recharged battery and it passes test. 100009 No problem found." Maintenance rep said car is working to specs. However a periodic dead battery to seniors who do not drive daily but desperately need a reliable car in case of sudden emergencies is cause for a safety concern. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |