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.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 28, 2022
I was driving on paved road, clear conditions, no other traffic, sunny, temperature around 10 F. Without warning, my front windshield cracked. There was no impact of any kind. The crack starts about 6 inches to the right of the driver's side A-post, about 6 inches above the dashboard. It extends horizontally about 2 feet and then curves down to the dashboard. There is no immediate hazard, but clearly any compromise to the front windshield represents a potential hazard. I am currently working with the dealership to resolve the issue.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 22, 2022
We purchased our 2019 Subaru in 2018, before the New Year from the showroom floor. We will now have had to replace the windshield twice. Once in October 30, 2019 in which the dealership said that it was too no fault of Subaru, and now today February 22, 2022, the windshield is cracked again from the passenger side towards the middle. This has been a costly expense for us as we are retired. The little round spot you see is from the light of the flash.
Structure, Feb 18, 2022
I purchased this car in July 2019. Three times the windshield has cracked without any explanation or cause. Three weeks ago, I replaced the second cracked windshield at my own expense. Three weeks later -- just yesterday, Feb. 17, 2022 -- the brand new windshield simply cracked. All three times the crack has appeared in roughly the same place. There was no road debris or anything else that came into contact with the windshield.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 14, 2022
Came out of Home Depot on Sunday February 13, 2022 to find large crack in our 2019 Subaru Outback windshield on drivers side for no reason. This spontaneous cracking happened on this same vehicle on Feb.20, 2021 on the previous windshield but on the passengers side and I reported it to NHTSA ID # 11397305. Had it replaced last year and now same issue with spontaneous cracking. Clearly these Subaru OEM windshields are defective and they are very expensive not to mention extra cost of eyesight recalibration on them. I am attaching photos but hard to get whole crack accurately as it originates from the very edge of the windshield and radiates across.
Electrical system, Feb 11, 2022
I purchased this car in 2019 and I have brought into into the dealership because it keeps dying and I have to jump it. It will die several times a day and this has been a consistent problem since I purchased the car. I have made the dealership aware and they have inspected the car 4 times and I am always told that there is no issue that they can find with the car.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 10, 2022
The windshield has cracked from the outer edge while sitting in the driveway. There was no initiating damage from where the crack started. I see online that there are concers with the integrity of the windshield and am concerned.
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.
Electrical system, Feb 7, 2022
The battery dies often. Liftgate opens spontaneously. Dealer replaced battery, issue persists. Vehicle is available for inspection; it isn't going anywhere right now! Battery failed 3 times in 2 weeks, and is dead right now. The vehicle is useless. No warnings. This has been a problem for the last year.
Electrical system, Feb 7, 2022
Bought car November 2019. New battery April 2020. Losing charge February 2021 got another battery. Reliable Subaru, Springfield, MO recommended trickle charge every night. Car losing charge June 2021. Reliable Subaru put in new battery. Again recommended trickle charge every night. August 2021 car dead and would not start. Reliable Subaru towed in and put in another new battery. December 2021 car was not started in four days and was dead, had to be jumped. 1/17/22 within four hours of drop off, Auto Nation West, Golden, CO determines the DCM unit which is connected to the Starlink system was,in fact, a parasitic drain. It is drawing more than it should. Fixed 1/20/2022 2/1/22 parked car n garage at 8:33 pm. Returned to vehicle at approximately 7:30 pm on 2/4/22. The key fob produced no response from the car. The car was dead— no lights, nothing. Called roadside assistance. The car was jumped the following morning.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 4, 2022
Windshield durability is questioned. We have had a large crack form near the rearview mirror stem within 3 months of our purchase we have had more than a half dozen other crips and cracks occur during the past 18 months. My impression is the glass used in this vehicle, is not as durable as other windshields from other vehicle manufacturers. I understand other Subaru owners are reporting similar issues. The cost to replace the windshield is plus or minus $1,000. Please look into this matter.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 1, 2022
Front windshield developed an 8" crack in one day that continues to grow. Crack is near one front-facing camera, leading to concern that safety features related to the camera may not be effective. Dealer acknowledges a number of complaints about windshield cracking, but will not cover in this case due to it failing a "pen-head" check. In 40+ years of car ownership, I've never seen a crack just take off like this, even from a rock chip, leading me to believe there is a design or manufacturing issue
Electrical system, Jan 31, 2022
The battery keeps draining, leaving us without a vehicle. After numerous jump starts, the dealership replaced the first battery. Within a few months, the new battery has the same issues. So back to the dealership, now with the knowledge that many Subaru owners are experiencing the same issue with their Outbacks.
Electrical system, Latches/locks/linkages, Jan 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, the battery was inadvertently drained, and the vehicle would not start. After recharging the battery, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who indicated that the battery was not faulty. The battery was recharged but the rear hatch door would not open while pressing the open button on both the key fobs, the driver’s side seat panel button, or while attempting to use the hatch button at the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the only way to open the rear hatch door was by using the emergency release inside the hatch space. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000
Steering, Jan 25, 2022
Unknown, but seems like steering is affected. When turning the vehicle over and bump there is a clanking that you can hear and feel coming from under the bottom of the vehicle. It was present about 3 months after purchase of the car new, and has progressively gotten worse. The steering wheel feels loose for the moment it clanks. It has been reproduced by two dealers. The first was unable to provide a solution, stating it is a “manufacturing defect” of that model. The second replaced a spring in the steering box, but this did not fix the problem. It has been inspected by Subaru dealers. There are no warning lights on.
Visibility, Jan 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that his vehicle was parked outside of his residence, and there were no issues with the vehicle. The following day while driving the vehicle he noticed that the windshield was cracked. The contact stated that no object had struck the windshield to cause the crack. The contact stated that the vehicle was still drivable however, he was concerned that the windshield might eventually shatter while driving. The local dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could be repaired out of pocket. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000.
Electrical system, Jan 23, 2022
I am leasing a 2019 Subaru Out back which has a battery drain issue. The most recent incident occurred on Jan. 21st 2022 when the battery failed after having been at the dealers for the 2 days prior to fix this problem. This was the fourth time the battery has gone dead in the past year. I have read articles that say the electrical system is draining the battery which is inadequate to handle the demands. I don't know that Subaru has a solution to this problem. Being left in a parking lot or remote location is a dangerous situation during these Winter months.
Power train, Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Jan 23, 2022
Sudden Acceleration Defect has occurred several times with last incident Friday 21Jan2022. Each time I have had the brake pedal engaged, yet vehicle fails to stop, and accelerates on it’s own, causing me to go through stop signs with potentially dangerous outcomes for pedestrians, other vehicles, barriers. Dealer appointment rescheduled for Monday 24Jan2022. No inspections to date. No warnings- the first time I thought I may have caused it by accidentally touching the accelerator, but now I know that is not the case. First occurrence was in Dec 2021, exact date not known, happened in a parking lot.
Electrical system, Jan 21, 2022
Battery keeps draining. We jumped it two days ago and already it's dead again. We've checked all lights and other systems for user error--it's not us, it's the car! I'm scared to go anywhere remote for fear of getting stranded, especially now that it's winter in New England!
Electrical system, Jan 21, 2022
We left our Outback at the airport and went on a 4 day vacation. When we came back on December 5,2021 the car would not start and the battery was in a deep failure. The battery had approximately 32,000 miles on it and was the original battery. Took home, put on charger and on December 7, 2021 the vehicle still would not start and had to be jumped. The Subaru dealer replaced the battery under warranty with a larger cranking battery. Fail Code L0XXF4Q-3J8KGD1. A month later and less than 1,000 mile later, the battery failed again. It was jumpted and taken to the dealer. They said they found no problem and replaced it with a "courtesy" battery as a ONE TIME only fix. I had to buy a portable jumper because I'm afraid the car will fail again. There are many instances on the Subaru website of other owners having this problem due to electrical failure. I did notice that my "welcome chime" only turns on some of the time, which leads me to believe that the vehicle is not shutting down properly every time.
Electrical system, Jan 19, 2022
2019 Subaru Outback. Two failed batteries in the space of one year. The first was on 2/11/21 with 21,520 miles on the car. We were on vacation in Florida and the local dealer (Bert Smith Subaru) in St. Petersburg confirmed that the battery failed and installed a new one. On 11/28/21, newer battery died. Local Dealer (Dean Team Subaru) performed a battery test, confirmed that the battery was bad and replaced it (with the same type of battery, 36000 miles). Being repeatedly stranded with a battery that is not working is a safety issue. We have a concern that there must be a larger electrical issue or that something is draining these batteries. We also have a concern that the battery is large and powerful enough for the vehicle. I have read of many Subaru Outback owners with similar issues.
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, Jan 16, 2022
2019 Subaru Outback purchased 7/10/19 during that fall and following winter had the battery die multiple times. We keep it in a garage where it does not freeze in the winter. Had to jump it to start each time. Finally took it to the dealership 4/29/20 with 4,669 miles on it to complain to dealership. They said that there was nothing wrong with the battery. They told us that it needed to be driven every couple of days to keep the battery charged to prevent the parasitic electrical draw from draining the battery. This was during the heart of the 'Stay at home/COVID' so we did not use it everyday. It continues to have the battery drain problem. Just this weekend 1/15/22 we had to jump the battery in our driveway to leave and drove 30 minutes to the store and expected the battery to keep the charge but after leaving the store found the battery dead again. Luckily we found a nice guy who offered to give us a jump. This is a continual problem.
Power train, Jan 15, 2022
I am trying to submit a complaint to the electronically with no success. Is there an email address that I can send my complaint directly to? The complaint in its entirety takes up one 8.5 by 11 inch-sized paper, I need enough space for 3494 characters. Not enough space given to explain my situation. In order for the context of the complaint to be understood, it must be read from top to bottom. As I have no idea where this is going, nor to whom, I am hoping to hear back from someone. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Visibility, Jan 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary at a traffic light, a crack developed at the center of the front windshield. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the front windshield to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but on 12/24/2021, he had experienced the failure for a second time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
Electrical system, Jan 10, 2022
The battery failed for no apparent reason. After getting it jumped, it would fail to keep a full charge. Starting the car, it was always a gamble as to whether it would start-up or not. This lasted a month or so until the car battery was completely dead. I then had a tow truck come from my insurance to replace the battery.