Complaint volume
84 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
2023 Subaru Outback Complaints
84 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Subaru Outback, grouped by component category.
84 Total complaints
8 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
2 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 visibility/wiper, unknown or other, forward collision avoidance. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 8 crash reports, 1 fire report, 2 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 12 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 30,900 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to visibility/wiper, unknown or other, forward collision avoidance?
- 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 2023 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.
2023 Subaru Outback
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2023 Subaru Outback complaints?
8 Crash
1 Fire
2 Injury
0 Fatality
6 Towed
2 Medical attention
What are the most common 2023 Subaru Outback complaint categories?
VISIBILITY/WIPER 15
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 11
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 3
AIR BAGS 2
POWER TRAIN 2
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2
84 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2024 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | While traveling at highway speeds (75 mph) the hood release mechanism released causing the hood to lift several inches. While the manual release kept the hood from opening completely, I had to immediately pull to the shoulder and firmly close the hood. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | My entire infotainment system, including the "EyeSight" sensors regularly shut off, or won't turn on upon vehicle start. Happens to the radio and other parts of the infotainment system too. It's been happening since about September 2023. I purchased the car in March 2023. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My son was traveling at an appropriate highway speed when the truck in front of him stopped suddenly. He braked immediately and was able to slow down significantly, but not enough to avoid colliding with the back of the truck in front of him. He was going approximately 20 mph, still braking, when the collision occurred. His best recollection is that the vehicle's pre-collision system did not engage until after he collided with the truck. There was damage to the front end of the vehicle but it was not severe. My son moved the vehicle onto the shoulder of the highway and put it in park. The driver of the truck called the police. My sons got out of the vehicle. While they were talking with the other driver and the police, a fire started under the hood of the vehicle and within several minutes the entire vehicle was consumed. The wreckage was towed to 1022 Shannon Court, Livermore CA 94550. In July 2023 we were involved in an accident that impacted the front bumper, left front quarter panel, and Subaru EyeSight system of the same vehicle involved in this accident. Repairs after the July 2023 accident were performed by Kraft Body Shop in Santa Clara, CA. Repair and calibration of the Subaru EyeSight system were performed by Santa Cruz Subaru after that accident. | Crash: Yes Fire: Yes Towed | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Driving on the highway approximately 65 mph a rock hit the lower right side of the windshield on the passenger side. This caused a broken round style depression in the glass and 2 cracks that radiated out about 5-6 inches. This is will be the second replacement windshield and 3rd repair within 1 year of ownership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | It was 5:30 PM and I was driving 80mph (the speed limit) down interstate 84 near Mountain Home Idaho. There was no one near me and I heard a very loud bang and my sunroof had exploded. It exploded out as from the inside and not down as though something had hit it. I did not see anything that could have caused this is just exploded on its own. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the Eyesight feature of the vehicle was no longer operable. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH uphill, the accelerator pedal was released; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 63 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that she continuously pumped the brake pedal until the vehicle responded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that no issues were found. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH around a roundabout, the failure recurred, and the front passenger's side tire struck the curb. The vehicle then decelerated and bounced. The contact depressed the brake pedal and stopped the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and test driven. The dealer informed the contact that due the vehicle striking the curb, the steering wheel was off center, the front passenger's side wheel was bent and imbalanced, and there was an abnormal wheel bearing sound. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the ball joint had detached from the knuckles, the brackets were shifted, and the tie rod and control arm showed marks. A Subaru field inspector inspected the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the unintended acceleration. The manufacturer later informed the contact that there were no abnormalities found. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 6,000 |
| Jan 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The windshield immediately cracked from a small pebble. I’ve had bigger rocks hit glass in other vehicles and only left a chip. This impacted the upper passenger side corner of the windshield close to the edge, the windshield spider webbed immediately, I’ve never seen anything like it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | ON 12/15/23 TRAVELING ON A CITY STREET AT APROX. 40 MPH A ROCK/PEBBLE HIT THE WINDSHIELD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE CAUSING A ROUNDISH CHIP CRACK THE SIZE OF A DIME/ .10 CENTS. THIS WAS REPAIRED AT A WINDSHIELD SHOP WITH EPOXY. THIS IS THE SECOND CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD IN 8 MOTHS ON A NEW VEHICLE. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD CRACKED EASILY WITH A SMALL PEBBLE ON 2/2023 MIDWAY UP THE WINDSHIELD ON PASSENGER SIDE. SIZE WAS ABOUT QUARTER/ .25 CENTS. THE VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN 1 MONTH OLD. WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED IN APRIL 2023 BECAUSE TOOK 2 MONTHS TO GET A NEW WINDSHIELD. ON 12/15/2023 TRAVELING UNDER 40 MPH ON A STREET NOT A HIGHWAY A ROCK/PEBBLE HIT THE WINDSHIELD MIDWAY UP ON THE PASSENGER SIDE CREATING A ROUNDISH CRACK THE SIZE OF A DIME/.10 CENTS. THIS WAS FIXED AT A WINDSHIELD SHOP WITH EPOXY. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | WHILE DRIVING ON A STATE HIGHWAY I HIT A DEER AND MY FRONT END WAS PUSHED IN TO WHERE I COULD NOT OPEN THE DOORS AND THE AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED. I PAID EXTRA WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR FOR SUBARU STARLINK EMERGENCY SERVICES. THEY HAD GUARENTEED THAT IN ANY ACCIDENT ANYWHERE IF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED STARLINK WOULD CONTACT ALL EMERGENCY SERVICES SO THAT AMBULANCES AND POLICE WOULD COME TO THE SCENED OF THE ACCIDENT. THE STARLINK SERVICES DID NOT WORK AND I WAS FORCED TO GET OUT AND WALK UNTIL I WAS PICKED UP BY A PASSERBY TO TAKE ME TO A SPOT WHERE I WOULD HAVE CELL SERVICE. IF I HAD SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN SERIOUS TROUBLE. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I literally just purchased this vehicle two days ago and I already have a crack in my windshield. There was no accident, and I did not notice any rock/debris hitting the windshield while driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Spontaneous front windshield crack on passenger side, no impacts in that area. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Traveling on I-75 SB just outside Atlanta, was in lane 2 of about 7 lanes. One car in lane 1, bumper was near my driver door, another truck in lane 4 or 5 approx 200' in front of us. We were in the front of a pack of vehicles. I had the cruise control set about 70, weather was clear, about 3 in the afternoon. With nothing in front of us and no warning, the car began flashing the red dash lights, the cluster flashed the red warning about braking, and the brakes were automatically applied with enough force to set the seat belt pretensions and we unweighted the seats. The car drastically slowed, I am unsure the slowest speed, I was attempting to override the braking by pressing the accelerator. The system complied with my command and the car sped back up. We were nearly hit from behind when the following cars attempted to brake and go around us. No physical damage occurred in the incident. The Subaru dealership in Kennesaw attempted to recreate the problem without success. The diagnostic computer found no error codes in the vehicle. We have disabled the advanced safety systems of the Subaru to prevent any further unwanted braking. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | My 23 Subaru Outback Wilderness windshield cracked within 3 months of ownership. The crack occurred directly at eye-level of the driver side, posing a serious safety hazard. I do not know what, if anything, hit the windshield but it occurred while driving on a busy interstate highway during rush hour. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Sunroof/Moonroof spontaneously shattered OUTWARD. Car was being driven, inside slider was closed. Driver heard a bang, followed by hearing glass on the roof. Car driven another mile and parked where local police responded, examined the damage and took photos. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | When driving east into direct sunshine, the entire windshield sparkles with thousands of diamonds, making it hazardous to drive. Just bought the car June 8, 2023, as a Certified Pre-Owned (it had been a dealer loaner). Had to dealer last week, they claim not a defective windshield and I must have gotten behind a truck with sand or gravel. Well, I have not and there is no damage to the hood or any other part of the vehicle. I am sure it is a defective windshield and they want $1008 to replace and the insurance is not wanting to pay for it. I called Subaru Customer Service and filed a report and have a case number with them. Disgusting to say the least and afraid to drive during the morning hours or late afternoon heading west into the sunset. What should I do? I believe Subaru needs to replace at their cost, not mine. I see other complaints on the Internet about sparkles in the windshield, then it just cracks all over and breaks. That is not something to look forward to. I am 78 and I bought this as my last car. May have to bury me in it. My husband was just diagnosed in July with inoperable cancer and I have to take him to chemotherapy several times a week for several months. Some of those appointments I have to be at the doctor by 8:30 a.m. and don't get out until after 5 p.m. So you can see my dilemma with the windshield driving in the morning sunshine and afternoon sunshine. Please have someone contact me, soon. If there is someplace in Maryland I can take to have the windshield professionally examined, and have them report their findings back to you, let me know. I am close to the Pennsylvania border as well and only 45 minutes from West Virginia if there is no place in Maryland. I thank you for your consideration and time. Regards. The contact wants to thank you for your support and good work getting her windshield fixed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STEERING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On my 2023 Outback my Subaru Eyesight is intermittently inoperable, which causes my cruise control and automatic braking to not work. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the headlights were very dim while driving at night. Additionally, the contact stated that a black square shadow would appear in the illumination of both headlights which also impaired her vision while driving at night. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who found no defect with the vehicle. The contact was then referred to the manufacturer for further assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | I purchased this Outback and did not test drive at night (assuming I'd never have issues with headlight functionality). Upon driving at night, however, there are safety issues with the low beams. As others have mentioned, there are two shadow artifacts near the top of the field of vision that move from side to side. They are distracting (almost looks like an animal darting across the road) and dangerous. Secondly, the cutoff line with the projector headlights on low-beams severely limits field of vision. I have to slow way down going around curves and down hills, as I can only see about 20 feet in front of the vehicle. I tried adjust the headlights up higher, but that just causes on-coming drivers to constantly flash me. I owned a 2015 Outback before this and had none of these issues. In researching forums, this is a widespread issue: [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The Eyesight keeps disabling itself. And the infotainment system is not working properly. My car is at the dealership and they are telling me they are waiting for back up camera to come off backorder 10/3/23. This means my vehicle will have been at the dealership for repair a total of 45 days if backorder date is correct. I purchased this vehicle brand new 5/6/23. I have researched online and there is a class action lawsuit for the issue. The braking safety system does not work properly and warns with red lights beeping that collision is ahead which then brakes the car automatically when not needed. I have taken the car to dealer 3 times to have this repaired | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The car will begin to jolt/shake when coming to a stop. It has been found to be the torque converter. We are at a loss. 10,000 miles and the car has major issues. Just bought the car 28 days ago with just about 6700 miles. We’ve put about 3,400 miles on the car and experience the issue almost every time we drive the car. Due to the safety issues about the torque converter we no longer want this car in fear of what may happen. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | AIR BAGS | Passenger side a-pillar trim has come loose exposing airbag mechanism. Dealer unable to repair and indicates part was installed incorrectly at the factory. Awaiting new part to see if this can be corrected. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds on three separate occasions, a rock struck the front windshield causing the windshield to crack. While driving at unknown speeds in the fog, the Apple car play safety feature disengaged. The contact was unable to use the driver's assist. The eye safety center disabled message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a glass repair facility and the windshield was replaced. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the safety features might disengage under various weather conditions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 2,200. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,200 |
| Jul 2023 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | My car's battery died when I was on vacation. A friend of mine tried to jump start with his car and he couldn't. Then a roadside service jump started the car. After the jump start I was told to drive the car around so that it can charge the battery. The car did two unexpected things: 1- The steering was jittery and sometimes moving to the opposite direction that I was turning. This issue has been confirmed by the dealership. 2- When I was at a traffic light, my foot was on the brake, both traction control and brake warning lights came on and the car moved couple of inches forwards while my foot was firmly on the brake. This happened more than once to me but did not happen at the dealership. And the car didn't hold the charge at all after driving for more than 30 minutes. Meanwhile the car got towed to Subaru dealership (EastSide Subaru in Seattle) and they replaced the battery as a fix. But they did not provide any information about why all those issues happened and how to avoid them in the future. My concern is this, a brand-new car shouldn't have lost all its power in the first place. If it did, it should have charged itself with driving after jump-start and it should have been safe to drive even on low battery. Subaru advertises heavily to be the 'adventure' vehicle, image all what I explained happened to you on top of a mountain or remote places. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Spontaneous crack in front windshield, passenger side near edge of wiper blade, dealer says not covered by warranty, had not been inspected yet. Have pictures | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |