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
1,034 reports, newest first.
Other or unspecified, Apr 5, 2023
The battery is depleted with no known reason. Even after a new battery is installed it stalls. And an internet search shows that Subaru knows this is their issue. When I contact Subaru they told me that I should drive it every day. That is a ridiculous statement. This battery issue creates a potential for a bad incident.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 2, 2023
I bought this certified car in Feb 2020 from authorized Subaru dealer in NJ. After few months in 2020, while driving on highway, I got crack on my windshield. I replaced it at same authorize dealer from where I bought that car. After few months around early 2021, my windshield again got crack. I replaced it again at same location. I have my 3rd windshield right now which is also got crack few months back. I owned my car since 3 years and I already have my 3rd windshield which I need to replace again with 4th windshield. Every windshield costs me around $1000 with going back and forth to dealership service center.
Electrical system, Mar 31, 2023
Starting December 2022, I've had a problem with my 2019 Subaru Outback - the battery goes dead when parked for as little as 24 hours. I have had the battery replaced twice - first by AAA in mid-December, 2022 and then by my local Subaru dealer in early February, 2023. Each time, the car seems fine for 4-6 weeks, then the problem starts again. Each time I take it to a Subaru dealer, they tell me they have found a different problem with the electrical system causing a "parasitic draw" on the battery while shut off. In February, Koeppel Subaru in Queens performed an ECM programming update at the same time they installed a new battery and told me that would fix the problem. But this past week, the problem resurfaced. I then visited Premier Subaru in Branford, CT who examined the car and they have told me I have a faulty DCM component, which will cost me over $900 to replace despite me having the Subaru Gold + Extended warranty. They keep telling they've found the cause of the problem (different each time) but it never seems to get fixed. Googling my car's problem, a lot of Subaru Outback owners are having dead battery problems and there seem to be a couple of class action lawsuits regarding getting Subaru to pay for replacement batteries. But those lawsuits seem to only address the symptom (dead battery) of a bigger problem - there is a design flaw in the Subaru Outback that is causing this "parasitic draw" on the battery when the car is not in use. It's a flaw that Subaru is not addressing by having a recall. It seems to me to be
Other or unspecified, Mar 29, 2023
Touchscreen control head has delaminated making the unit disfunctional. When reporting an injury accident to 911 the defect on the controlhead unit disconnected my 911 call for help without an input from me. The manufacturing defect of the screen has rendered the back-up camera useless. This is the same issue that occured with the 2018 models. Both the dealership and Subaru of America (SOA) are aware of the associated safety issues and have refused to correct the defective equipment. Both the dealership and SOA agree that this is unsafe and needed to be replaced. The milage at time of occurance was 76,000.
Other or unspecified, Mar 29, 2023
Windshield cracked due to wiper deicer defect.
Equipment, Mar 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the Navigation System failed to operate as needed. The instrument panel failed to illuminate properly. The contact stated that he attempted to turn off the vehicle; however, the push to start failed to operate. Additionally, when the contact attempted to lock the vehicle using the key fob, the vehicle failed to lock, and the alarm failed to engage. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vehicle was inspected; however, the part to do the repair was on backorder. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60.
Electrical system, Mar 26, 2023
Battery keeps draining when off. It has left me stranded and needing to call for help several times. The battery checks out fine and will charge, but drains overnight. There is no warnings or low battery indicator.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Mar 25, 2023
Vehicle would not start after turning off the motor! This has happened 3 times until it would not start at all, which left myself and young girls stranded for 2 hrs until AAA arrived! The battery is good but something is draining the battery!!! Will take to Subaru dealership to diagnose the problem!
Visibility, Mar 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, an unknown object struck the lower driver’s side windshield and formed a horizontal crack on the windshield. The crack quickly expanded to the middle of the windshield. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the windshield was replaced. While driving 40 MPH, a rock struck the lower passenger’s side windshield and formed another horizontal crack. The contact stated that the cracks obstructed his vision while driving. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Mar 21, 2023
Trunk popped open and will not close. Power rear gate latch control needed to be replaced. Couldn’t fully open or close trunk while driving or even after stopped
Electrical system, Mar 21, 2023
Battery drain, if you don't drive the car everyday, car will not start due to electrical parasite. My wife works overnight at a hospital and found car's battery dead after working late shifts. Frequent needs a jump after shift. Dangerous area where she works. Dealer indicated nothing wrong with car and blamed car started for discharge. Looking onsite, many experiencing same unsafe issue. Just purchased new battery and still discharge.
Other or unspecified, Mar 17, 2023
My radio and navigation screen started getting bubbles under the screen. Now the screen goes crazy constantly changing radio stations and changing information on maps. The screen is suppose to be a touch screen and nothing works. It randomly calls people if you're connected to Bluetooth, changes to different apps, goes to different destinations on maps and changes setting features.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 16, 2023
Front windshield glass has cracked spontaneously without known or evidence of obvious impact. The crack was first noticed on 3/12/2023 while parked in garage and had continued to increase so felt it was critical to have replaced so not to experience issue with driver visibility or complete windshield failure. Claim has been filed with Progressive and windshield replacement is currently scheduled for 3/17/2023 with Safelite Glass in Cartersville, GA.
Electrical system, Mar 15, 2023
My 2019 Subaru Outback is used primarily for short-interval driving within my village. On the initial instance during the summer of 2022, the car would not start and did not have enough battery voltage to crank the engine. Lights and electrical components were non-responsive. After recharging the battery, the condition resolved. On January 2nd of 2023 the car was once again experiencing a dead battery condition. My assumption was that the battery was approaching end of life and I replaced the battery with a new one. Once again the condition resolved. On February 27th 2023 the car again experienced a dead battery condition and would not start. The battery was less than 2 months old. After recharging the battery the condition resolved. I took the battery to the place of purchase for testing, and the battery tests normal. The car is available for inspection upon request. The safety of my family members that drive the car are at risk of being stranded at any moment if the car will not start. I have not had a dealer or independent service center perform a diagnosis. However, an independent service center informed me that this was a common problem with Subaru vehicles ranging from model years 2016 to 2019 and was related to a Subaru technical service bulletin (#11-174-17R) addressing potential battery discharging after repeated periods of short-trip-driving resulting in a dead battery. The newly purchased battery has been inspected by the place of purchase and deemed as functioning properly. There was no indication or symptoms prior to failure.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 14, 2023
Windshield replaced twice in an 8 month period. No visible chips, just spontaneous cracks that are longer the 24 inches and grow quickly.
Engine, Mar 6, 2023, crash
2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE CONSUMER FEELS SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BEAR THE COST OF THE REPAIRS AND FEELS UNSAFE IN THE VEHICLE.
Electrical system, Mar 5, 2023
Screen of Harman Kardon stereo developed bubbling that at first only impaired visibility of the display. Visibility of the backup camera video became reduced as the bubbling progressed. Soon the unit began experiencing electrical issues like not responding when the screen was pressed or acting like it had been pressed when it had not. Trying to use Apple CarPlay will occasionally result in the entire system freezing the rebooting. Audio using Bluetooth connections will skip. I took the car to the dealership and they confirmed they have seen this issue multiple times before and the screen may be overheating and shorting out.
Electrical system, Air bags, Visibility/wiper, Mar 4, 2023
I own a 2019 Subaru Outback Touring. This is the second Subaru Outback I have owned. In Aug of 2022, my windshield cracked out of nowhere. The crack came up from the center and spread out across the windshield. I had it replaced at the Subaru dealership in which I bought the car. Everything seemed fine until 12/23/22, when we got some heavy rain and I get in my car only to see water steadily dripping inside via the vehicle the left A-pillar on the front drivers side. I return to the dealer where it turns out that there was a problem with the brand new factory-brand windshield that was replaced in August, and it had been slowly leaking water into my car over those 4 months, resulting in massive damage to the airbag system, electrical system, among other things. These damages came to over $10,500. The water had gathered under my carpets and padding and started growing mold. All of this needed to be replaced. This was the third time I had to replace a windshield on the two Subarus that I have owned. Due to this, I have been without a vehicle for over 60 days now. It has caused me incredible stress, time out of work, and money. I am a caretaker for my paraplegic father who has also suffered due to my being without a vehicle to care for him, run errands, and food shop for him. Throughout my research, I have come to learn that this is a known problem in the Subaru brand vehicles yet they choose to ignore it and do nothing about it. I am not comfortable driving my car any longer, which still has electrical issues and unfortunately, I am losing trust in Subaru as a brand. It is unfortunate that they will not address this and fix this issue because I believe it is damaging their reputation. I have not been left in a good position here, with a junked car that is only 3 years old, 40k miles, and that I owe $15,000 on still, and I now need to find a new vehicle.
Other or unspecified, Mar 2, 2023
The windshield cracks and chips excessively easy. I'm 47 years old and have never needed to replace a windshield til this vehicle and I've now had 4 cracks in the 2 years I've owned it as well as numerous chips. I know road hazard happens - but this has been excessive!
Other or unspecified, Mar 2, 2023
In November 2022, I reported my radio unit was faulty due to a peeling covering for the radio. The resulting problems includes: flashing screen, continual beeping, self-navigating menu changes, making phone calls, sending messages, etc. I was told in early Nov it would 10 days before a radio would be available. In early December I called the dealership to inquire of the progress, now overdue. I was told it would be 10 days again and the representative told me he was going to re-roder it. In early January 2023 the radio began to flash, beep, and self-navigate menus including factory resetting itself while in operation. The covering at this point was peeling more. Explaining that it was no inoperable and was being covered with paper to avoid distraction while driving though the beeping was still happening. I called the dealership to inquire and was told no radio replacement was available and to call Subaru direct with my issues. I called Subaru directly and was told a radio replacement would be available in 10 days and to call back if I didn't hear from them. I called back with no response. I called several more times with no response. In early February 2023, I called an opened another case but was re-routed to the original case and was told radios were being replaced for orders in late October/early November and mine would likely be available soon and to call back in a few days if I did not hear back. I called several times without a response. The radio is flashing, beeping, self-navigating menus, turning on, turning off, turning on the radio, changing stations and volume while in motion making driving unsafe.
Electrical system, Feb 20, 2023
Today is Monday February 20th 2023, The car (2019 Subaru ) will not start if it's not driven daily or if a door is left open for longer than 20 minutes (i.e. cleaning, loading/unloading) because the electrical system is faulty and draws too much on the battery when the car is off. We already replaced the battery and the issue continues. Subaru is aware and I hope they issue a recall soon to repair this broken electrical system. It's a serious safety hazard when your car is unreliable, for example it's frightening to be a stuck in an unfamiliar area. So far I have had the nicest people jump start the battery. But it's already caused many losses by causing me to be late to work and doctors' appointments. These are real life scenarios in which so many of us have been affected by this faulty system. Subaru, please provide a recall with a lasting solution.
Electrical system, Feb 18, 2023
Bought a new car battery and a battery charger because the car is often dead.
Electrical system, Feb 14, 2023
Several models of Subarus from 2017-2020 have a known parasitic drain that kills the battery frequently. My Subaru Outback (2019) battery has died four times in one year. This occurred more recently in December and the dealership replaced the battery and updated the software, saying it would fix the problem. It happened again (now in February) after I was out of town for a week. Anytime you don't drive every day, this will happen, and Subaru has admitted that there is no fix. There is a class action settlement that did nothing but pay for a couple replaced batteries, no fix, and even that is limited to lower miles and for a certain time. That doesn't begin to cover the cost of having to sell my car, buy a new one at a higher price, when a 2019 outback with low miles should have lasted me at least ten years. They should do a recall.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 6, 2023
Driving 60 mph on freeway in Northern California for about 20 minutes. Ambient temperature about 50 degrees. Drove over a slight dip in road and hear a loud pop and my moonroof glass exploded outward. Moonroof cover was closed so no glass came into interior of vehicle. Moonroof is OEM Subaru (Aisin -Pilkington)
Visibility/wiper, Feb 3, 2023
Unknown randomly cracked one day while parked.