2021 Subaru Outback problems
The 2021 Subaru Outback has 418 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (26%) concerns wipers, windshield & visibility. Next are electrical system (18%) and forward collision avoidance (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 418 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 26% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 22 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 8 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 3,000 miles 70 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 | 59 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 8 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 2 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 70 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 3,000 miles. For wipers, windshield & visibility specifically, the median reported mileage is about 3,000 miles (29 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 22 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 8 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 31 model years of the Subaru Outback with enough data (418 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.
We are VERY concerned about the failure of some very important safety features of our 2021 Subaru Outback Touring Edition. We were involved in a bad car accident caused by a person under the influence who was in handcuffs when we were taken away by ambulance. As you can see by the photos, there was MAJOR damage to the other car and significant damage to ours. What is most concerning is the fact that NONE of the airbags deployed and the safety and security plan also failed - it did not call 911.
The contact owned 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 5 MPH turning a right hand corner into a shopping center, the vehicle began to accelerate without the contacts consent. and the contact proceeded to frantically apply the brakes. The vehicle came to a stop upon impact with a brick wall impacting the front drivers side of the vehicle. All of the airbags were deployed. The vehicle was going 43 mph at the time of the crash. The was towed to a junk yard.
Brand new 2021 outback premier @ 647 miles and while parked overnight in our private driveway we noticed that the windshield had cracked the next morning. Less than 7 days of ownership dealer claims it was a rock chip . The windshield is split down the middle of the screen. Dealer response is insulting. Especially since they know this is an issue with the glass. Dealer pushed their expensive insurance to cover when we purchased the car. We did not know this was a recurring issue at this time with the cars.
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact was unable to start the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact jump started the vehicle; however, approximately 5-7 days later, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.