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.
Of the 2019 reports, 24 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 18 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
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
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
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: other or unspecified
204 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Jul 12, 2022
Rear axle seal was leaking. Found during oil change and tire rotation. Vehicle has 47,000 miles.
Other or unspecified, Jun 12, 2022
I will be on my FOURTH windshield in less than a year. Cracked for no reason four times!
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jun 11, 2022
Battery drained. Will not hold a charge. From what I’ve been reading it seems there is a problem in the electrical system that is draining the batteries of these cars.
Other or unspecified, May 31, 2022
Minor rock caused major windshield damage where the crack line continues to creep across the window.
Other or unspecified, May 10, 2022
While car was parked overnight the windshield cracked. The windshield was not cracked and there were no signs of any damage when I left the car 12 hours prior. The next morning it was cracked with no sign of any debris or solid matter that may have caused it. I am happy it did not happen while driving. I have an appointment to get it fixed May 10, 2022 at 10 am. I was told by an independent service provider that the wind shield was cracked but had no signs of being struck by anything. He told me he had multiple customers who had similar stories about their windshields. He suggested I check for a recall. There is not a recall yet, but there has been a lawsuit that ruled against Subaru. (see link) https://www.torquenews.com/1084/new-ruling-subaru-cracked-windshield-lawsuit-now-adds-25m-cars
Electrical system, Structure, Other or unspecified, Apr 26, 2022
Rear tailgate fails to open consistently making it impossible to enter or exit the vehicle from the rear, through the rear tail gate door (the 5th door). Nine times we have brought vehicle back to authorized Subaru dealerships over the last two years of ownership in Hanover Ma-Planet Subaru; San Francisco -Serramonte Subaru and lastly in San Diego- Kearny Mesa. The rear tail gate does not open consistently while pressing the open button on either of the key fobs or from trying the driver's side interior release button or while attempting to use the hatch release button at the exterior rear of the vehicle. Many times we have tried all three standard methods to open the rear tail gate but with no success making this rear tail gate feature on this mid size SUV useless. This problem has been verified at Planet Subaru, Hanover, Ma and at Serramonte Subaru S.F. Could not duplicate it at our last appointment in Kearny Mesa San Diego in 2022 but it still continues to be a real problem. On multiple occasions, the car battery had been inadvertently drained because the rear tail gate did not close completely and the dash warning light confirmed this to be the case. Subaru adjusted the closing mechanism/replaced it and this seems to have solved the closure issue but not the opening function of the tailgate. The problem surfaced soon after our initial purchase of vehicle in July of 2020. Car is available for inspection.
Other or unspecified, Apr 25, 2022
The car was purchased as a certified used vehicle in January of 2022 and has been driven under 10,000 miles at this point. Last weekend, after returning to the car where it was parked, a crack extending from passenger side of the windshield near the edge all the way to the middle of the windshield had appeared. Nothing hit the car. It had not been there earlier that day. The car had not been exposed to any excessive heat or cold. The repair is over 1000$ and I was sure there had to be other people with this experience- I was not surprised to find a class-action lawsuit for this very problem already filed against Subaru. I am 100% sure this is Subaru's fault and I believe they are obligated to reimburse us the cost of the repair.
Other or unspecified, Apr 20, 2022
THE COMPONENT IS THE REMOTE AND THE BUTTON INSIDE THE CAR THAT CONTROLS THE HATCH. *WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK BUT STILL RUNNING, THE RELEASE BUTTON WON'T OPEN THE GATE. *WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND NO DOOR IS OPENED, THE GATE WILL NOT RELEASE.* SOMETIMES THE REMOTE WON'T RELEASE THE GATE. *THE SAFETY ISSUE IS IT REDUCES AN EMERGENCY EXIT. *I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT SET FOR WED. APRIL 27, 2022 FOR ANALYSIS AND REPAIR. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE I FIRST PURCHASED THE CAR.* I MENTIONED IT WHEN I HAD IT IN FOR a separate REPAIR, BUT WAS TOLD THERE WASN'T A PROBLEM. *THERE WAS NO SIGN OR SIGNAL OF ANY ISSUE FOR THE CAR.
Other or unspecified, Apr 14, 2022
My windshield cracked as I was driving,a pop type noise. The cracks are at the bottom area in the middle of the windshield in a T slight Y shape.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Apr 14, 2022
The battery has gone dead 4 (four) times. The dealer checked it twice and said nothing was wrong with it. We have had to replace the battery ($178.07) but it also went dead. Three times, the car was in our garage, had been driven within a couple of days and the keys were not left in the car. Once it died when I had driven to the next town and had popped into a store for not more than 10 minutes and my husband had to leave work to come jump the car. We have found out that this is a persistent problem with some Subaru models and we feel the dealer did not disclose this. We now have to keep the car on a trickle charger ($74.18) and have to remember to disconnect when we leave and reconnect when we get back. Also, the passenger window cannot be lowered from the driver's side and the dealer didn't even look at it.
Other or unspecified, Apr 9, 2022
The windshield cracked without any reason
Other or unspecified, Mar 30, 2022
Car windshield cracked with no reasons on a high way. The dealer has inspected the vehicle and confirmed the issue. Safety of the passengers at the front is at risk. Car is within three years.
Other or unspecified, Mar 27, 2022
Purchased new 2019 outback in 4/09/19 then on 12/31/2020 the battery died and a new battery had to be installed/ mileage:14135 then on 2/22/22 the battery died and a new battery had to be installed/ mileage: 22710 Dealer verified and installed new battery each time. No warning beforehand.
Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Mar 1, 2022
I own a Subaru Outback 2019, and am based out of Chicago. The car was parked outside during a snowfall. After snowfall I went out to clear the snow off my car, and turned on the defoggers of the car to help clear out the snow on the windshield. After brushing off the snow I noticed a huge crack on the lower part of the windshield across the windshield wiper deicer. There was no other probable cause for the crack. I believe it is the change in temperature when from using the defogger which has caused the windshield to crack. Subaru dealership denies that it is possible, and claims that I was somehow responsible for the crack.
Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 8, 2022
Once in a while when I back up out of my driveway the brakes slam on but there is nothing behind me. My windshield cracked and I have to get a new one.
Other or unspecified, Jan 16, 2022
Windshield on 2019 Outback cracked without being chipped. This is the same as many, many other owners are complaining about. Lower passanger side of windshield cracked while setting at wifes work. Subaru knows about this defect and will not fix .
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Dec 12, 2021
Abnormal draining of battery when I dont drive for a couple of days leaving me stranded due to my medical immobility. This has been ongoing for the past six months. . Several instances of where I have had to jump start it only to find the battery dead in a few days Have alerted dealer on issue and will need to be checked when I take it in for the Fuel Pump recall for which I was put on a waiting list as they did not have the parts in???? A very annoying problem with the battery even had to have it jump started thi evening. Unrelable
Other or unspecified, Dec 7, 2021
Chipped and cracked windshield. My first Subaru Outback was a 2018. The windshield was chipped 2 times than the third time I had it replaced at my expense. Traded that car in and the 2019 windshield cracked.
Other or unspecified, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 10, 2021
Two windshield cracking incidents in 6 months, from no apparent cause. Interferes with “eyesight” system.
Other or unspecified, Oct 2, 2021
The 2019 Subaru Outback Multimedia Touch Screen has stopped working multple times even when the software was updated. When the touch screen stops working there are two significant safety issues, hands free/blue tooth no longer works and the rear view camera stops working. 09/20 Touch Screen froze, stopped working 10/20 Touch Screen Call end button redialed previous number, touch screen froze 12/20 New Radio installed 04/21 Touch Screen had loud buzzing sound, black screen and then rebooted 08/21 Touch Screen loud buzzing, black screen, rebooted 09/21 Touch Screen rebooted Subaru of American contacted 08/21 no resolution as of yet
Other or unspecified, Sep 30, 2021
2019 Outback with 6500 miles on it. Battery just died. Sounds like the battery drain issue mentioned in ongoing lawsuit.
Other or unspecified, Aug 30, 2021
Front windshield has cracked 3 times from bottom, goes up and across to halfway point when driving on freeway after a stone is kicked up.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Aug 27, 2021
Not sure if it’s the battery itself or the alternator but the battery keeps draining and I have to keep calling to have the vehicle jump started. The vehicle is available for inspection and safety will be of concern if this continues to happen and I am out on the road somewhere remote. The dealer offered to test the battery but did not confirm the issue has occurred in other vehicles. There were no warning lights nor messages.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 7, 2021
My battery died overnight . I jumó started and took it to Subaru who said I needed a new battery . My car has 28k miles and under 3 years since I bought it . They replace the battery and same thing happened 2 days later . I keep having to jumó start my car every other day and they don’t seem to know what the problem is .
Other or unspecified, Jul 23, 2021
The windshield all of the sudden cracked. There was no impact, nothing hit the window, it just suddenly cracked and keeps getting larger. Started on the very edge of the window on the passenger side and Crack is now grown to the middle of the windshield