Complaint volume
455 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
455 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.
455 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, 5 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage is available on 38 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 21,915 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
455 total complaints on record
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2021 | STEERING,POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | The 2022 Subaru Outback has a "feature" called AUTO START STOP. This is intended as a fuel saving feature. In the car's Setup Menu, you have the choice to turn this feature off. However, this feature MUST be turned off EACH and EVERY TIME you start the car. The change is NOT held in memory. This fact was confirmed by a Subaru Customer Service Representative in a call on the morning of 9/7/2021. This Auto Start/Stop feature works just like a gasoline powered golf cart. Take your foot off the gas and the engine dies. Press the accelerator and the engine restarts. However, there is NOT oncoming traffic on a golf course. If the wheels are canted to the left or right, a notable amount of force is experienced in the steering wheel. Subaru should be FORCED IMMEDIATELY to make a software change to allow this feature to be disabled permanently. I also suspect that in extreme cold or as these vehicles age, this "feature" will become an extreme safety hazard. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ENGINE | The initial incident occurred on July 31, 2021. I used the push button start to start the car, put the vehicle in reverse, and the vehicle proceeded to roll uncontrolled down my driveway, which is on a slope. I had no power steering or power brakes. I was able to safely stop the vehicle with no incident other than damage to the plastic over the right rear taillight. I turned the vehicle off and restarted it, and everything seemed operational. It seemed that the car's engine had not turned on, only the electrical system. The same issue happened repeatedly over the next few days. In observing what was happening, I have noticed that the push button ignition requires a significant press in order for the vehicle to start correctly - quite different from my experience with our previous two push-button start vehicles. In the "Getting Started Guide, Outback 2022", p. 41, instructions clearly state "briefly press and release the Engine START/STOP button." I submit that this is inaccurate, and that new vehicle owners should be advised as to what to do, and what to look for in the dashboard to understand that the vehicle engine has, in fact, started properly. I am a user experience researcher, including in automotive research, and we have an expression that there's no such thing as user error, just poor design. This is a clear example of poor design. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | A little penny sized chip on the front windshield has turned into a severe crack from the middle of the windshield to passenger side as well as the the driver side. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2022 Subaru Outback is new as of June 2021. 2 times I have had to get a jump start. No light were left on and doors and hatchback closed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle was purhased in early June 2021. Vehicle was being operated on State Highway Route 55 at Milepost 46.7, in Elk Township, Gloucester County. Traffic was heavy, with southbound transient traffic traveling to New Jersey Shore points. Vehicle simultaneously lost power and began to display several error/warning messages on dashboard at approximately 13:52 hours. Vehicle was pulled to the right shoulder of the roadway and I began to smell something burning. As I removed personal effects from vehicle I exited and saw smoke coming from the passenger's side wheel well. I walked back approximately 100 feet and called 911, by time a dispatcher came answered, the engine compartment of the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames. No modifications of any kind were done to the vehicle since its purchase. I was the sole occupant of the vehicle and not injured. The vehicle is fully insured and payments are current. It's mileage at the time of the incident are 3,042. That information along with the error messages were provided through the Subaru Starlink App. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |