2015 Subaru Outback problems
The 2015 Subaru Outback has 650 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (22%) concerns wipers, windshield & visibility. Next are electrical system (20%) and engine (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 650 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 36 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 30 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 21,000 miles 430 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 | 211 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 81 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 53 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 44 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 24 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 6 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Of the 430 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 21,000 miles. For wipers, windshield & visibility specifically, the median reported mileage is about 10,000 miles (126 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 36 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 30 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2015 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 31 model years of the Subaru Outback with enough data (456 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 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 contact owns a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at 20 mph, the brakes would not engage as the brake pedal was depressed. As a result, the vehicle rear-ended a parked vehicle on the side of the road. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed. Three of the passengers in the vehicle sustained head and neck injuries that required medical treatment. The vehicle was drivable and was taken to a local dealer where it has been for 5 months.
The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, he was alerted by another driver that the vehicle was smoking and flames were coming from under the vehicle. The contact stated that warning lights flashed off and on. The contact stated that he pulled over, exited the vehicle, and saw flames coming from underneath the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames and exploded.
Excessive oil consumption between oil change. When the vehicle reached to 45,000 miles, the low oil light is on less than 5,000 miles between oil change. If the driver ignore the warning and not add oil to the vehicle, the engine can be damages. A three years old vehicle with 45,000 miles should not have to change oil freqently. I spoke to the dealer, they said the oil level is normal, and oil consumption test is not needed.
Transmission failure. It is a known issue with models with their original CVT transmission, but rather than issue a recall, they're extending warranties and fixing as they break. This left me with no power on a state highway that had speed limits of 75MPH. I managed to make it to the shoulder to be stranded for an hour waiting for a tow truck. This is extremely unsafe and if it's a known issue, I'm not sure why they're not preventing these scenarios.