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, Jul 2, 2021
Windshield spontaneously fractures from drivers side edge in the shape of a curly bracket. First windshield was replaced Nov 2019 due to stone facture - legit breakage. Second windshield March 2020 suddenly cracked from drivers side midway up the window from drivers edge across drivers view while sitting still on a freeway in rush hour as the temperature changed (micro storm in Phoenix) a loud bang and the windshield split from the drivers edge across. Third time July 2021 sitting in the garage window spontaneously cracked over night from same area driver side midway up forming the same partial bracket like shape. Crack also appears to be the same height up from the bottom of the windshield. Never had so many broken windshields on one vehicle in my 35 years of driving.
Visibility, Jul 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the front windshield cracked when a stone hit the upper right corner of the windshield. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed that the windshield needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact was provided a 2021 Subaru Outback loaner and while driving, the windshield cracked when a stone struck the front windshield. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.
Electrical system, Jun 30, 2021
Battery will not hold a charge even after replaced 3 times by the factory
Visibility/wiper, Jun 29, 2021
We have had to replace 2 windshields on our vehicle and 1 on a loaner while ours was in shop for window replacement. Also while our car was in shop having 2nd windshield replaced, they had to delay giving us our car back stating the windshield shattered while being installed. That is 4 windshields in 30,000 miles. The smallest ding in these windshields cause an immediate crack from side to side obscuring visibility making them dangerous to drive. On these cracks you can see the windshields are incredibly thin. There is clearly an issue with how these are made and immediate safety hazard. I also believed the cost of these replacements should be made clear to consumers at purchase due to the extremely high cost associated with replacement.
Visibility, Jun 24, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the windshield abruptly fractured. The contact stated the windshield fractured on the driver’s side 1 to 2 inches and the fractured expanded to the entire windshield. The contact stated that an object did not hit the windshield The vehicle was taken to the dealer, the dealer information was not available however, they replaced the windshield. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 26,000. The VIN was not available.
Visibility, Jun 24, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated after exiting a car wash drive-thru, while drying the windshield he noticed and small 1-inch crack located on the lower driver side. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the windshield crack started to expand across the center of the windshield. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the windshield to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 22, 2021
Windshield cracked after small rock hit it. This should not have caused any damage.
Electrical system, Jun 21, 2021
Battery failed prematurely. Vehicle purchased in December 2018. Battery totally failed in February 2021 with only 22,576 miles on car. Battery charged at repair shop. Battery failed again and was replaced on March 15, 2021. Battery failed again on April 29, 2021. Subaru of Oregon in Medford service representative replaced the battery again. He said the battery put in on March 15 was faulty. Had that battery tested at independent repair shop. The tests showed nothing was wrong with the previous battery. On June 15 had to recharge the battery again. Concerned about being stranded due to battery failure. The Outback must have an electrical issue that is draining the battery (per class action law suit Amy Burd, et al, v. Subaru of America Case No 1:20-cv-03095, US District Court, District of New Jersey) Subaru of Medford denies problem
Electrical system, Jun 18, 2021
The battery died, 2 times in approximately 2 weeks with no lights left on or doors open. This has occurred at least one other time.
Electrical system, Jun 16, 2021
Car was purchased 2/25/19. At 6,824 miles (10/28/19), our car began to no turn on. After a 3-4 times of jumping it, the battery stopped responding to the jump. Subaru had to tow it from our house because the battery was totally done and they couldn't even start it. Subaru said that the battery was defective (or might have a larger issue with the electrical system in their words). They replaced the battery and it began working again (7,000 miles - 11/4/19). Now, at 13,808 miles (6/16/21) - we've had 2 more instances in the past 2 weeks of the car not starting. In addition, the passenger side window no longer operates from the driver side door. We are confident that these issues are not being caused by lights left on, etc. We are taking it in again for another inspection. I have come to understand that this may be a design flaw with the electrical system including the 2019 Outback model.
Structure, Jun 11, 2021
Three windshields have now cracked beyond repair and needed to be replaced with barely 33,000 miles on the vehicle. The first replacement was done in July 2019 when the car was barely six months old. The second replacement was done in April 2021, barely two months ago. That third windshield cracked the second week of June 2021. It is currently scheduled for replacement.
Electrical system, Jun 11, 2021
Parasitic battery drain frequently causes my battery to die after only hours parked. I often have to jumpstart the car in the morning.
Visibility, Jun 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while entering the vehicle after a short drive to the store he noticed a crack near the front passenger’s side of the windshield. The contact stated that there was no impact on the windshield to cause the damage. The contact stated it had started raining for a short time while he was in the store. Once he returned to the vehicle he noticed the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not provided.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 8, 2021
While sitting at a stoplight, I heard a loud cracking sound and noticed a large crack had begun to form from the side of the windshield. Nothing had fallen onto, or hit the windshield, it seemed to just crack for no apparent reason.
Other or unspecified, Jun 8, 2021
In February 2021 I noticed that there was a long crack developing in my windshield - literally not there the night before - and there was no chip or location of rock impact, it simply cracked from the very top of the windshield.
Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 7, 2021, crash
Drove into the Walgreen's parking lot, made several low speed turns to arrive at the west side of the building. Pulled into an empty parking space. Entered parking space at very low rate of speed and proceeded to brake to a full stop. Moved shift lever with the intent to move transmission from Drive to Park and despite my foot still being on the brake, the car suddenly lurched forward, drove over the curb and sidewalk, crossed sidewalk and hit the side of the store (a brick wall). Car bounced back to a midpoint of the sidewalk. Engine was still running but car came to a full stop. I turned off the engine. Two Walgreen employees came out to see if I was OK (they heard the impact). I told them I was but later my chest hurt and I found a bruise suggesting impact with the steering wheel. Entire front of car is damaged. There were no warning notifications from the car (no parking or forward collision warnings). My right foot never left the brake pedal. The "unexpected acceleration" lunge forward occurred with the attempted shift of the transmission from Drive to Park. The transmission ended up being in Neutral when the car finally stopped moving. Floor mat was in the normal position, secured by the built-in pins, had not shifted and was not near the brake or accelerator (gas) pedal. Cruise control was not turned on. This was a routine trip to a local store.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Jun 5, 2021
Windshield seemingly cracked without any provocation/collision. Crack occurred while vehicle was parked away from traffic, and requires windshield replacement.
Electrical system, Jun 4, 2021
The battery in our brand new 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK kept on being drained after moderate usage. Twice it was from leaving the hatch up for a couple of hours, once we were driving out in the country and parked to look at the scenery briefly and the battery died leaving us stuck out in the middle of nowhere. It didn't feel safe to be out there as night was approaching and we were waiting for a tow truck. All in all had to call SUBARU Roadside Assistance and have the battery jumped on three or four separate occasions. Because of this we bought a portable battery charger to keep in the car at all times because we were afraid of getting stuck with a dead battery. We ended up needing to use that battery charger on about 3 different occasions. Eventually the electrical system started acting very erratic with spontaneous alarms, loud chirping sounds and door locks so we took it in to Southern Oregon SUBARU who replaced the battery for us. Changing the battery seemed to fix all of the problems. That was in February 2021. The battery had a 30 month warranty. This week on June 1, 2021 we came back from vacation where we had left the SUBARU safely parked in our driveway. It would not start when we returned. We only have 1 vehicle so this was very inconvenient for us. The battery was dead. We tried to charge it with our battery charger but the battery was just too dead to take a charge. So, we had one night without a vehicle. We called SUBARU roadside assistance and they sent out a tow truck driver who could not get the battery jumped because it was so dead it just would not start. That was our second night without a vehicle. The next afternoon SUBARU roadside service sent out another towbtruck driver who had a more powerful battery charger and he was able to get the battery to start. We drove the SUBARU OUTBACK to Southern Oregon SUBARU and they are working on it now.
Electrical system, Jun 3, 2021
Repeated incidences of battery going dead on 2019 Subaru Outback. After 5 times of having to jump the battery to start vehicle, I had to purchase a Battery Booster to keep in the car. At first visit to my Subaru Dealership, a completely dead battery was found and replaced under warranty. Battery continued to die, sometimes after being in the garage for up to one week [when a boost was required], and once after a 76 mile highway trip, it was dead again after one full day parked. There have been 2-3 occasions when it seems to be related to operation of the liftgate. Liftgate becomes inoperative and must be manually opened and recycled and battery jumped for engine start. A second visit to the Dealership determined all in working condition after a full diagnostic check. Car is working normally at this time, one week after Dealership checkout. As this seems to be a frequent issue with other Subaru owners, I am carrying my Battery Booster on board at all times. This seems to be a known issue [by Subaru] for 2017-2019 models. Otherwise, I love the Outback, but this annoying issue is disconcerting, to say the least.
Seats, Jun 3, 2021
Driver side seat is sounding like a weak and used bed. I have read on multiple Subaru sites that this has been happening since 2018 on various Subaru vehicles. It's apparently a weld that is weak. This makes it a safety hazard. Due to the fact that Subaru has known about this issue for a year and stilled installed these seats on a 2019 vehicle demonstrates that Subaru has poor quality checks. I asked for a replacement but was quoted over 2k for the replacement. This is just wrong and Subaru needs to replace these seats. If a weld is weak, think what will happen during an accident with that seat.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 3, 2021
Windshield made a sound that sounded like it was hit by a rock or pebble, yet no car was around for a rock or pebble to cause it to fly through the air. The windshield cracked at around the edge of the windshield and within a couple of minutes, the crack extended to around 12 inches. After an hour, the crack extended to across the majority of the windshield. This is the 3rd windshield that had to be replaced. Either the windshield has extensive stresses or it's manufactured too weak and can cause a safety hazard.
Visibility/wiper, Jun 1, 2021
Broken windshield - twice in 5 months traveling the same road that I traveled with a 2007 Jeep and never had a broken windshield in 13 years. I believe these windshields are to thin and are subject to cracking. The first time I was hit with a very small rock, barely a ping, the 2nd time I was hit with a larger rock, but way up near the roof which shouldn't have caused a broken windshield. I have been driving 54 years and this is the first auto with such a sensitive windshield. I will sell this vehicle if this happens again.
Visibility/wiper, May 27, 2021
Small chip in windshield, quickly developed into a crack all the way across
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, May 26, 2021
1. System failed. We purchased this car on 6/2/20, with a mileage of 6,174 miles. We are retired and don't drive much; for shorter distances we mostly rode our bicycles. In our recent living environment we can park cars outside in spaces, and in a large underground parking garage. While we did not drive much, I still needed to work on bicycles using tools stored in the rear trunk compartment, with the trunk lid in open position. What I did not know was that even the mere open car trunk was run electrically, though the large electronic dashboard gave a clue of a rather massive reliance on functions run electronically; after a mere 2-3 days of not driving we were made rudely aware that keeping the trunk lid open for any amount of time was a recipe for not being able to use the car when most needed; I should add here that the many Subaru drivers in our complex did not seem to have that problem as they are all "professional" drivers. We called our designated towing service and had to wait for over 3 hours for a rep to show up. Not having bought a car in years we were amazed how quickly the tow driver pulled out an electronic gadget and started the car. It immediately bought one like that, an electronic jump starter. SAFETY. Had my wife had to find transportation to an urgent appointment it would have become a safety problem. PROBLEM CONFIRMATION. No, it has not, except by me, as any greater than fleeting use of electricity in this car is a recipe for disaster. COMPONENT INSPECTED. Yes. After 2 more battery outages I took the car to the dealer and explained the problem (which had little impact on the employee). I had the battery checked, it was fine and working as designed. On 9/25/21, after another battery outage I took the car to the dealer again; again everything was operating as designed. SYMPTOMS OF THE PROBLEM. No. ASSESSMENT. I concluded I needed to keep the car RUNNING when using any function more than 5 minutes. This car is a computer on wheels.
Visibility, May 24, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, when she noticed there was a crack on the passenger's side windshield. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.