2011 Subaru Outback problems
The 2011 Subaru Outback has 859 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (24%) concerns drivetrain & axles. Next are lighting (14%) and engine (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 859 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 24% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 37 and 11
- Injuries and deaths
- 13 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 81,000 miles 607 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 | 110 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 55 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 63 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 60 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 80 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 92 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 70 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 52 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 8 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 12 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Of the 607 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 81,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 114,000 miles (169 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 37 complaints mention a crash; 11 complaints mention a fire; 13 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 9th most-complained-about out of 31 model years of the Subaru Outback with enough data (399 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 16 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.
1. Propulsion, acceleration, brakes, transmission- no longer available for inspection 2. The vehicle went completely out of control; I stood on the brakes as hard as I could but would not stop or slow the car at all. We careened down a hill and head on into a large tree 3. not reproduced or confirmed 4. Vehicle was inspected by insurance company and was declared a total loss 5. no signs of any malfunction prior to wreck
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. The contact stated that the brakes failed at a very low speed in a parking space. When the brakes failed, the vehicle continued forward about 20 feet, pushing down a metal fence before stopping. The contact felt that the master cylinder was the cause of the failure. The vehicle was inspected by an authorized dealer and the dealer stated that there was nothing wrong.
Purchased this car 7/2011. No problem with exterior headlights until about one year after purchase. Highbeams are fine. Never had to replace them. Running lights have never had an issue. Around 11/2012, regular headlights(both bulbs in the headlight housing )have been repeatedly replaced. In oct 2013, both bulbs on driver side were replaced. Went several weeks later for my state safety sticker, the small bulb needed to be replaced on the driver side.