2019 Subaru Outback

Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues

Electrical system is the leading concern among 1,034 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the highest complaint count among 26 Outback model years with reports.

Complaints by model year
  1. 1,034

Of the 2019 reports, 24 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 18 people were injured.

Primary concernElectrical system363 reports · 35% of complaints
Owner complaints1,034Filed with NHTSA
Recall relationship3 safety recallsNHTSA campaign records

What owners report most often

  1. Electrical system363
  2. Visibility/wiper326
  3. Other or unspecified204
  4. Visibility63
  5. Engine39
  6. Forward collision avoidance36
  7. Steering36
  8. Structure27

Recalls and investigations

  1. Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpJul 29, 2021

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

    Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.

    Campaign 21V587000 on NHTSA.gov

  2. Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpApr 16, 2020

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.

    If the low pressure fuel pump fails, the engine may stall without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-20.

    Campaign 20V218000 on NHTSA.gov

  3. StructureJun 26, 2019

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Legacy and Outback vehicles. Spot welds located on the duct below the cowl panel may have been improperly applied, impacting the vehicle's body strength.

    In the event of a crash, the reduced strength of the vehicle body may increase the risk of injury.

    Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and repair or repurchase the vehicle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUH-93.

    Campaign 19V493000 on NHTSA.gov

Representative owner complaints: electrical system

363 reports, newest first. Show all

  1. Electrical system, Apr 9, 2021

    BATTERY DEAD, NO ELECTRICAL FUNCTION FROM CAR

  2. Electrical system, Apr 8, 2021

    2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO BATTERY FAILURE. *LD *JS

  3. Electrical system, Apr 4, 2021

    VEHICLE PURCHASED Q2 2020. BATTERY HAS COMPLETELY DISCHARGED TWICE DESPITE NOTHING BEING LEFT ON AND VEHICLE IN CONSTANT USE. BATTERY JUMP STARTER UNABLE TO DETECT ANY VOLTAGE AND COULD NOT JUMP BATTERY.

  4. Electrical system, Mar 31, 2021

    REAR HATCH DOOR BEING OPENED DRAINED BATTERY TO THE POINT WHERE THE CAR HAD TO BE JUMP STARTED. THE REAR HATCH WAS ONLY OPEN FOR ABOUT FIVE HOURS WITH NO LIGHTS OR ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ON. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO USE THE VEHICLE WITHOUT JUMP STARTING IT UNTIL A NEW BATTERY WAS INSTALLED. VEHICLE HAS ONLY 30,000 MILES.

  5. Electrical system, Mar 27, 2021

    COMPLETELY DEAD BATTERY WHEN GOING OUTSIDE TO START THE CAR. REMOTE NOT ABLE TO OPEN LOCKED CAR - ALL FUNCTIONS OFF BEFORE LAST ENGINE SHUTDOWN. THIS 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK HAS 5800 MILES ON IT AND HAS HAD TO HAVE THE BATTERY RECHARGED 3 TIMES OVER THE LAST 8 MONTHS OR SO - THE LAST 2 TIMES BEING 1 WEEK APART. THE CAR IS PARKED IN THE GARAGE AND THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS ABOVE 40' THIS TIME OF YEAR.

  6. Electrical system, Mar 24, 2021

    DEAD BATTERY.

  7. Electrical system, Mar 21, 2021

    BATTERY HAD PREMATURE FAILURE

  8. Electrical system, Mar 18, 2021

    TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY FAILED TO START-UP WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, SEVERAL UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS WOULD APPEAR ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WITH THE EYESIGHT TECHNOLOGY FEATURE FAILING TO OPERATE AS NEEDED. THE CONTACT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO YARK SUBARU (6141 CENTRAL AVE, TOLEDO, OH 43615) ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS HOWEVER, EACH TIME THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE AND WAS PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000.

  9. Electrical system, Mar 16, 2021

    THE BATTERY HAS DRAINED OVERNIGHT TWICE SINCE I BOUGHT THIS CAR. THIS HAPPENED AT HOME BOTH TIMES. THIS HAPPENED IN MY GARAGE BOTH TIMES EACH TIME I RECHARGED IT WITH A BATTERY CHARGER AND IT WAS OKAY AFTER THAT. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN WHILE TRAVELING WHICH WOULD BE A SEVERE INCONVENIENCE. THE LAST TIME WAS ON FEB 25 2021. THE FIRST TIME WAS IN 2020

  10. Electrical system, Mar 14, 2021

    VEHICLE DID NOT START DUE TO DEAD BATTERY. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP ON THREE SEPARATE DATES DUE TO THE SAME ISSUE. ON 12/14/20 THE CAR WOULD NOT START WE CHARGED THE BATTERY AND GOT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY CHARGED THE BATTERY AND SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND WE DROVE IT HOME. ON 1/18/21 WE COULD NOT START THE CAR WE CHARGED THE BATTERY AND TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG BUT FOR OUR PEACE OF MIND THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY SENSOR AND KEPT THE CAR FOR SEVERAL DAYS TO START IT AND DRIVE IT AROUND TO TRY AND RECREATE THE ISSUE. THEY COULD NOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM. ON 3/6/21 THE CAR DID NOT START AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE BATTERY AND THE BATTERY FAILED THE LOAD TEST. BATTERY WAS REPLACED. WE EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THEY WERE FIXING THE SYMPTOM AND NOT THE PROBLEM, WE ALSO DISCUSSED ERRATIC BEHAVIOR WITH THE REAR GATE ALL THREE TIMES THESE ISSUES HAVE OCCURRED. THE DEALERSHIP THEN DECIDED TO REPLACE THE POWER REAR GATE ECU AND LATCH & ACTUATOR REAR GATE. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM WE HAVE DISCOVERED THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR OF SUBARU VEHICLE AS OURS AND SUBARU HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING TO ADDRESS THE ACTUAL PROBLEM. WE ARE CONCERNED THAT THIS ISSUE WILL CONTINUE AND WE DON'T FEEL WE CAN SAFELY DRIVE OUR CAR FAR FROM HOME BECAUSE OF ITS UNRELIABILITY AND POTENTIALLY PUTTING US IN DANGEROUS SITUATIONS . THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR IS 8800 AND IT IS A 2019 MODEL.

  11. Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 9, 2021

    CONTINUING PROBLEMS WITH THE BATTERY BEING DEAD (FIVE). THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP TWICE AND HAD THE BATTERY REPLACED BOTH TIMES. THE SERVICE APPOINTMENTS OCCURRED NOV. 2019 AND MARCH 2021.

  12. Electrical system, Mar 2, 2021

    BATTERY FOUND DISCHARGED ON AT LEAST 4 OCCASIONS (8/18/20..3/2/21). CAR HAS LESS THAN 11000 MILES ON IT.

  13. Electrical system, Feb 26, 2021

    BATTERY DEAD.. LESS THAN 6K MILES AND CAR ONLY18 MONTHS OLD

  14. Electrical system, Feb 25, 2021

    BATTERY FAILED AFTER 11K MILES. HAD TO BE REPLACED BY AAA WHEN STRANDED WITH DAUGHTER. HAVE HAD STARTING ISSUES WITH THE CAR SINCE I GOT IT WHERE IT WON'T TURN OVER. I NORMALLY TURN OFF CAR THEN LICK AND UNLOCK AND TRY AGAIN. NORMALLY STARTED AFTER SEVERAL TRIES. SUBARU CHALKED THIS UP TO SOFTWARE AT MAINTENANCE.

  15. Electrical system, Feb 22, 2021

    TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THE BATTERY WAS DRAINED AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BILL RAPP SUBARU (3446 BURNET AVE, SYRACUSE, NY 13206, (315) 437-2501) WHERE THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000.

  16. Electrical system, Feb 19, 2021

    WE PURCHASED THE CAR IN JULY 2019. BY MAY 2020 WE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY. BY THE END OF JANUARY 2021 WE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY AGAIN. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATE THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. AFTER OWNING THE CAR FOR 19 MONTHS IT ONLY HAS 7,300 MILES ON IT AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN KEPT IN THE GARAGE WHEN NOT IN USE.

  17. Electrical system, Feb 19, 2021

    FREQUENT PROBLEMS WITH CAR STARTING DUE TO RUN DOWN BATTERY. WE HAVE HAD BATTERY RELATED SERVICE CALLS FROM AAA ON 7/29/19, 5/23/20, 6/4/20, 12/2/20, 1/23/21, AND 2/10/21. TODAY (2/19/21) THE CAR ONLY STARTED ON THE THIRD ATTEMPT AFTER PUMPING THE GAS A BIT. WE DID NOT CALL AAA BUT MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SUBARU DEALER. THIS WILL NOT BE OUR FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH THEM. PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS WITH DEALER RELATED TO DIFFICULTY STARTING CAR WERE ON 6/9/20 (WHEN BATTERY WAS REPLACED), 12/22/20, AND 1/15/21. WE HAVE ALSO HAD REPLACEMENT OF A FUEL PUMP THAT WAS THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL, REPLACEMENT OF POWER STEERING GEAR BOX, AND A BRAKE ISSUE. ALL OF THE ABOVE WERE WHEN CAR WAS ON WARRANTY, AS IT IS STILL IS AS OF THIS WRITING. THE CAR CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT 15,500 MILES ON IT.

  18. Electrical system, Feb 15, 2021

    THE CAR FREQUENTLY DOES NOT START WHEN FOLLOWING CONDITIONS OCCUR: 1) FEW DAYS OF NON-USE, 2) AFTER SEVERAL SHORT DRIVES, AND, 3) HATCH IS KEPT OPEN FOR 2-3 HOURS. THE ISSUE WAS FIRST NOTICED 8 MONTHS AFTER THE START OF THE LEASE. SINCE THEN, IT HAS OCCURRED MORE FREQUENTLY. THE CAR NEEDS TO BE JUMP STARTED SUGGESTING THE BATTERY IS DRAINED. I HAVE MENTIONED THIS ISSUE TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES AND FEW MONTHS BACK THE DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY UNDER WARRANTY. THE ISSUE HAS STARTED AGAIN.

  19. Steering, Electrical system, Visibility/wiper, Feb 14, 2021

    I REQUESTED MANY TIMES TO HAVE OUR CAR CHECKED FOR NHSTA CAMPAIGN : 19V493000. THE DEALERSHIP SAID OUR CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT CASE. OUR LANE ASSIST WAS TOO AGGRESSIVE FROM THE FIRST DAY WE DROVE THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE STEERING WAS SPEED SENSITIVE AND WE WERE DRIVING TOO FAST. WE EXPLAINED THAT WE COULD NOT KEEP THE CAR IN THE LANE WHEN DRIVING OVER 40 MPH. IN THE FIRST 24 MONTHS WE CARRIED THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP 20 TO 30 TIMES FOR THE UNSAFE STEERING ISSUE. TWENTY FOUR MONTHS LATER WE HAD A ROCK CHIP THE WINDSHIELD AND THE CHIP RAN INTO 3 CRACKS EACH OVER 8 INCHES LONG THAT AFTERNOON WHILE THE CAR WAS IN OUR HOME GARAGE. AFTER WE PAID A $500.00 DEDUCTIBLE AND THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD , THE CAR DROVE BETTER. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES, THE FUEL PUMP REPLACED, ALL THE SENSORS ON THE TAIL GATE HAVE BEEN, THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW WOULD STICK 1/2 UP, AND MANY OTHER PROBLEMS. A SCAN OF THE CAR SHOWS 10 MODULES FAILED WITH MANY ACTIVE CODES. THE CODES ARE THE SAME AS BEFORE THE THIRD BATTERY WAS INSTALLED. MANY OF THE CODES ARE SAFETY ISSUES.

  20. Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Feb 12, 2021

    BATTERY TOTALLY DEAD UPON ENTERING AND ATTEMPTING TO START. WINDSCREEN COMMENCED TO CRACK WHILE TRAVELING.

  21. Electrical system, Feb 11, 2021

    WE PURCHASED OUR 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK BRAND NEW. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS UNTIL 1.5 YEARS INTO THE PURCHASE. WE HAVE APPROX 8,800 MILES ON IT AND NOW EVERY TIME WE GO TO DRIVE IT, THE BATTERY IS DEAD. DEALER HAS TESTED THE BATTERY TWICE AND SAYS IT IS FINE AND THAT WE NEED TO KEEP THE CAR PLUGGED IN TO A BATTERY TENDER. EVEN THOUGH WE DRIVE IT A FEW TIMES A WEEK, INCLUDING ON THE HIGHWAY.

  22. Electrical system, Feb 10, 2021

    BATTERY'S KEEP DISCHARGING. IN DEALERSHIP FOR THE SECOND TIME WITH DEAD BATTERY. LAST BATTERY IS ONLY 1.3 METS OLD. DEALERSHIP SAYS TO HAVE CAR TOWED AND NOT CHARGE BATTERY SO THEY CAN TROUBLESHOOT PROBLEM. READ ABOUT THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AND TO CONTACT NTHSA.

  23. Electrical system, Feb 10, 2021

    BATTERY ON VEHICLE IS CONSTANTLY AND CONSISTENTLY LOSING CHARGE. JUST REPLACED 2ND REPLACEMENT BATTERY. VEHICLE HAS LESS THE 5000 MILES. DEALERSHIP INSTALLED REMOTE STARTER THAT THEY STATED WAS CAUSING EXCESS DRAW ON BATTERY SO IN NOVEMBER THEY DISCONNECTED IT. THREE MONTHS LATER, THEY JUST REPLACED 2ND BATTERY.

  24. Electrical system, Feb 8, 2021

    BATTERY DRAINED WHILE PARKED AND HAD TO BE JUMPED LESS THAN TWO YEARS AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE. ALSO, REAR TAILGATE IS NOT OPENING PROPERLY.

  25. Electrical system, Feb 8, 2021

    WOKE UP THIS MORNING AND THE REAR DOOR WAS OPEN AND THE CAR WOULDN'T START. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE BATTERY FAILED FOR SEEMINGLY NO REASON AND THE 1ST TIME THE REAR DOOR WAS OPEN. CAR WAS PARKED AND HADN'T BEEN STARTED FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.