2021 Subaru Outback
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Visibility/wiper is the leading concern among 296 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 11th highest complaint count among 26 Outback model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 9 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 4 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMar 22, 2024
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
Campaign 24V227000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, park/neutral start interlock switchNov 9, 2023
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
Campaign 23V755000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)Jul 8, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) may allow the clutch to engage before the drive chain is completely clamped.
An improperly secured drive chain may slip and break, causing a loss of drive power and increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will reprogram the TCU, inspect TCU data for chain slip, and visually inspect the chain guide. If evidence of chain slippage or damage is found, the transmission will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 24, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRK-22. This recall is an expansion of previous recall number 21V-955.
Campaign 22V485000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, shift linkage/cable/rodJan 26, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2021 Outback and Impreza vehicles. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) select lever cable nut may not have been tightened properly, allowing the nut to loosen.
A loose nut can lead to a lost of retention in the CVT select lever cable and the gear selector not functioning properly, increasing risk of crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and, if necessary, tighten the nut, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-21.
Campaign 21V024000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: visibility/wiper
97 reports, newest first. Show all
Visibility/wiper, Mar 26, 2023
Windshield cracked for second time, no warning given.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 10, 2023
This is the second time in the two years I have owned this car that the windshield has cracked on the passenger side. The car was parked and had not been driven in three days.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 3, 2023
Crack appeared when I entered car in parking lot. Large crack Originated from where the windshield needs the frame on the passenger side of the front window. Crack originates about in the middle of the windshield on the Passenger side and travels 5 inches horizontally and then travels north at a 90° angle for another 4 inches. When I inspected car there was no trauma no impact and no chips on the windshield near on or around the craft area. No trauma to the frame correct accent paint or chips as well near on or around the crack
Visibility/wiper, Nov 25, 2022
Cracked front windshield. Replaced November 2021 & cracked again November 2022 in same spot. First incident parked in garage over night & next morning hairline crack on passenger side that continued across the window. 2nd incident, drove to work, parked & came out at lunch with a hairline crack lower left passenger side.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 27, 2022
Spontaneous windshield crack developed beginning on drivers side edge of windshield. dealer confirmed that there was no sign of impact to cause the crack and agreed to replace windshield free of charge.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 7, 2022
Crack in windshield rapidly developed into line of driver sight.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 5, 2022
Windshield crack developed and requires replacement for the third time in 18 months on a new car.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Visibility/wiper, Sep 5, 2022
The headlights on this vehicle are obnoxiously bright! I get flashed by oncoming drivers constantly at night. I even get flashed by pickup trucks. I'm not sure if it's the main headlamps or the fog lights. It does seem like the fog lights have really poor beam control. When driving on a country road at night I can tell the fog lights are lighting up the tops of trees by toggling them on and off. I passed an oncoming car just like mine a while back and I could finally understand why I get flashed all the time. They ARE really blinding. I tried to bring it up with Subaru of America and the guy on the phone literally laughed at me and just told me to not use the fog lights. They don't seem to care at all about all the safety issues the current generation Outback has. Very unprofessional. Subaru doesn't appear to welcome feedback at all.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 1, 2022
I had a rock hit my windshield and it instantly cracked and kept cracking in multiple directions looking like a spider. Had it repaired and same thing happens like 1 month later. And it seems when it rains there is some water that is getting through. I do not feel like Subaru has fixed the windshields since the recall on previous models. Pictures make it hard to really see severity.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 22, 2022
Hey NHTSA! This needs to be looked into ASAP!! My windshield has broken twice now after getting hit with debris so small I couldn't even hear it hit. I've been driving for 24 years and I've never broke a windshield. The windshield on these is hilariously weak. After they get chipped the crack spreads to the whole windshield in a matter of a couple days. The cracks are also delaminating and letting water in. This needs to be addressed ASAP. It's scary how thin and weak the windscreen is on these. This is a huge safety issue.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 18, 2022
The front windshield developed a crack. It was not struck or damaged in any way - it appeared out of nowhere. The crack spreads quickly and the windshield must be replaced. This has happened to countless other Subaru Outback owners. The volume of broken windshields must be caused by some defect on the manufacturer’s side.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 19, 2022
Windshield spontaneously cracked while parked. I parked the vehicle around 3pm and at that time, no crack was present. I left the house at 5:30pm and in that 2.5 hours, a 12-18 inch crack appeared. There’s no visible impact point and it starts from the bottom edge of the glass on the passenger side. I have not brought it to the dealer yet as I’m working through a claim center for windshield coverage. This is the third time since I purchased the vehicle (May of 2021) that the windshield has cracked.
Electrical system, Visibility/wiper, Jul 5, 2022
Windshield has needed constant repair due to either small debris or even in one instance, self-cracking. On-board unit is constantly turning off.
Visibility/wiper, May 17, 2022
Crack in windshield, line of sight of driver.
Visibility/wiper, May 5, 2022
on January 3, 2022 my windshield cracked and spread right away. I took it to get it fixed. On May 4, 2022 my windshield cracked again and spread immediately. Both times it started from the edge and went inwards. I consider this as a safety hazard for the windshield to crack and spread so easily. This is the second time and we are only covered for 2 replacements on the warranty in a year. This expense can add up quickly
Visibility/wiper, May 3, 2022
Like many others have complained about, a small rock chip in the front windshield has spidered out across nearly the whole length of the windshield within a few hours of impact.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 18, 2022
Tiny spec of one sand grain instantly put a 14” crack across a windshield of a 2021 Subaru Outback I have pictures, how does a spec of sand crack a windshield?
Visibility/wiper, Apr 11, 2022
Noticed a 6 inch crack on passenger side starting under the wiper. Crack started spreading across the windshield, now about 18 inches long.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 13, 2022
Windshield has cracked for no reason. Heard a small cracking noise driving on the road. No accidents or anything, see a ding on the windshield and a crack growing after two days of parking in the garage.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 28, 2022
The windshield cracked from the bottom corner and slowly spread across the entire windshield. I took a picture before replacing the windshield, a repair that cost ~$900 to replace and recalibrate the eyesight system.
Visibility/wiper, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 15, 2022
My windshield cracked within a few months and few thousand miles of purchasing my vehicle for no real apparent reason.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 4, 2022
We were literally sitting in the car, parked, and the lower left driver side windshield cracked! No visible chips. We will contact Subaru if America and out local dealership as well.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 2, 2022
Upon entering my car I noticed a 7-8” crack on the driver side of my windshield. There was no evidence of anything chipping or causing the crack. It seems to be spontaneous. If the crack continues to spread it will affect visibility and the windshield cannot be replaced on site due to the forward facing camera and anti collision system. I will have to drive over and hour to get it repaired. Also need wait for a new windshield to be in stock. I have submitted pictures to my insurance company.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 11, 2022
The component that has failed twice is the windshield. They current windshield is available for inspection but not the first. In fact, I am taking it my Subaru dealer tomorrow so they can look at it. This is the second windshield in 13 months that has failed. The first one became heavily pitted across the entire windshield. This one has a crack starting from the passenger side, 2/3 of the way up and then continues 1/3 of the way towards the driver. I do not recall any impact on the windshield prior to the crack occurring. I am concerned about the frequency of this model's windshield issues and whether it can stay intact. As noted above, this problem has happened twice for me. I posted my concerns on Reddit to see if other owners of this vehicle are having issues and I have received numerous responses that others are also having quality issues and those issues are similar to mine. There was no warning prior to the issues with my windshield. It is interesting to note that Subaru had a class action lawsuit against them just a few years ago related to this very same issue with the windshields. I am concerned that the windshield issues have not been adequately addressed.
Visibility/wiper, Jan 10, 2022
Front Windshield crack so easily that I have to replace it two times already. The first time the windshield crack from using the defrost in the snow, and the second time was a small rock while I was driving on the highway. I've driven many cars in the past and have had rocks strike my windshield all the time and never experienced anything like this. I'm surprised the windshield recall isn't extended to the 2021 model Outback yet.