2002 Subaru Outback problems
The 2002 Subaru Outback has 172 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (19%) concerns brakes. Next are fuel system (19%) and engine (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 172 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 19% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 14 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 75,000 miles 103 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 18 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 7 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 16 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 15 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 16 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 7 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 14 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 103 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 75,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 42,000 miles (17 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 14 complaints mention a crash; 15 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 20th most-complained-about out of 31 model years of the Subaru Outback with enough data (102 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The consumer states that while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle went into full throttle resulting in a crash. The cause is unknown. *nlm *scc
The vehicle started to fish-tail, the consumer depressed the brakes with force and discovered the vehicle had no brakes.
While driving 25 MPH on a dirt road the consumers vehicle began to fishtail. When the consumer applied the brakes they did not stop the vehicle and the steering failed. The consumer lost control of the vehicle and collided head on with a tree. Neither the front driver nor passenger air bags deployed. *nlm
Dates are approximate, problem is ongoing. Upon initial start-up, in cool/cold weather the brake pedal will be very hard and brakes are very weak requiring tremendous foot pressure with still reduced braking effectiveness. After a period of time and multiple stops brake assist seems to increase and the brakes get stronger or normal. I have researched that this is not an uncommon problem with subaru cars at higher mileage. It is said to be water in the brake booster hose one way valve.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 subaru outback. While the vehicle was being serviced for routine maintenance, the independent mechanic discovered that the rear suspension subframe had fractured due to severe rusting. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000. Update 01/13/16 ma; updated 4/17/18 the consumer stated traded vehicle due to the fact not knowing what to do about fixing it.