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
296 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, Jun 2, 2023
Car would not start this morning. It’s driven every day, so it had not been sitting. Last service was 3/23 (today is 6/2/23), and the battery passed dealership inspection with no issues. Roadside serviceman stated this was the fourth “relatively new” Subaru he’d had to jump this week. Jumping the battery fixed the issue (for now), but the Subaru dealership, themselves, advised submitting a claim for potential “parasitic battery drain.” However, the current class action suit only covers 2015-2020 Subarus, and mine is a 2021 Outback.
Visibility/wiper, May 17, 2023
Faulty windshield cracking rapidly - without impact
Electrical system, Wheels, May 8, 2023
This vehicle has 3 major issues that the dealership has not been able to resolve and are as follows: 1) Battery---is not able to hold charge. In early 2022, dealership replaced a new battery, however, the problem still exists. Battery size does not have the charge capacity REQUIRED to start the vehicle even less than 1 week of parking during warm weather months. 2) Heating System---has a defect, specially on driver side of the system. With seat and steering heating on, the vents on driver side emit uncontrollable hot air that forces the driver to shut the driver side heating system. During winter this is unreasonable! Did inform the dealership of this issue and were unable to resolve the problem as I understand was inherent with the design. This problem is likely to cause fire if electrical wires are exposed to the heat. 3)Tires---are supposed to be inflated with nitrogen, and this innovation is to maintain the tire pressures for most weather conditions. However, all of my five tires are unable to maintain the pressures. Did bring it to the attention of dealership at each service. However the problem still persists. Possible problem can be any of the following individually or in combination: a) Seal between the tire and rim is inadequate. b) Slow leakage in tire valves or c) Tires are of poor quality permitting air to escape from the body of the tires.
Electrical system, Visibility/wiper, May 6, 2023
When there is an alert for “low windshield” washer fluid. I receive multiple audible alerts from the car while driving. The alert will go away and then come back. I think the fluid level sloshes while driving, going above and then below the sensor repeatedly. The multiple alerts are distracting and cause alarm fatigue. I think one alert per driving session would suffice.
Visibility, Apr 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that on three separate occasions the windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer after each failure and was informed each time that a rock chip might have caused the failure. The contact purchased a carbon steel film after which he was informed would prevent the windshield from breaking in the event of another cracked windshield, with the purchase of this protective film, he could have a total of 4 windshield replacements free of charge. The contact stated that each failure obstructed his vision while driving. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 19, 2023
The front windshield spontaneously cracked sometime overnight, while my car was parked in my garage. I noticed it when I got into my car one morning, and a roughly 6 inch horizontal crack had appeared, originating from the driver's side edge about halfway up the glass. I immediately got out and inspected the crack to find a point of impact, but it was a perfectly smooth crack line w/ zero points of impact. I drove the short distance to my destination, and an hour or two later when I got back in the car, it had continued to grow to maybe double the previous size (now 15-20" wide). The crack was directly in my line of sight from my eyes to the road ahead. The next day, I took it to my Subaru dealer, where they took photos and said they'd contact Subaru corporate to determine if they'd pay for the replacement. I just got news today that they'll replace it, but I'm responsible for a hefty "deductible" to replace their faulty glass.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 19, 2023
The front windshield has a rapidly growing crack that now spans almost half of the glass. Our car was parked in our garage overnight, like it always is, and one morning we got in to drive, and there was a 6-8 inch horizontal crack that started at the far edge of the driver's side, in the middle of the windshield (right in the line of sight between my eyes and the road). I immediately got out and inspected the crack to find absolutely zero point of impact. I took it to the Subaru dealer the next day, and by the time they looked at it, it had grown to at least 20+ inches across the glass. They contacted Subaru corporate, who just called me back today to tell me that I need to pay them a deductible to have the glass replaced.
Other or unspecified, Apr 18, 2023
Both passenger and driver doors leak water onto floor while using the car wash. The dealership has replaced the door moldings but it still leaks.
Electrical system, Apr 18, 2023
Infotainment screen goes blank. It has been addressed at dealership but still happens.
Electrical system, Apr 18, 2023
Issues with both driver and passenger windows. There are times when windows don’t close all the way or just go back down. Wind and rain while driving is very unpleasant. This has been addressed 3 times at dealership and still we have issues.
Electrical system, Apr 18, 2023
Tried to start outback and nothing, no clicking for battery dying, just nothing. Tried again and again, no noise in engine at all. Waited 2 minutes longer and it finally turned over and started.
Other or unspecified, Apr 15, 2023
The moonroof glass exploded yesterday in my parking lot. I contacted local dealers and they refused to cover it under factory warranty.
Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 14, 2023, crash
Car experienced unintended acceleration and the pre-collision safety system failed to engage. Car accelerated into a building and the driver stopped car's attempt to continue forward progress by taking the car out of drive mode. The pre-collision system failed completely. The Electronic Control Units seemed to fail entirely. This happened while pulling into a parking space at a very low rate to speed (until the car "took off").
Air bags, Apr 11, 2023
Passenger seat air bag system does not recognize my wife at times. She weighs some where around 100 pounds. Sometime the “The passenger is here light” comes on right a way, sometimes with in a mile and sometime never. Talk to the Subaru services rep. He said there was nothing they could about it. I told him I would bring the car in and leave for days so they could check it out, he told if I wanted to waste my time to go a head. Looking online this has been a safety problem for sometime that Subaru won’t do anything about. Like most safety issues someone will have to die before something is done.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 10, 2023
Hit a pothole while driving at highway speeds, that resulted in a large crack in the windshield. there are no visible chips in the windshield, just a large (approx. 5") crack that has since expanded. We have gotten a quote to replace it from a few repair shops and each one quoted roughly $1500.
Steering, Mar 27, 2023
The contact's wife owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced loss of power steering as the power steering warning light and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, that the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,500. The VIN was not available.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 26, 2023
Windshield cracked for second time, no warning given.
Other or unspecified, Mar 20, 2023
Defective windshield. I purchased my Subaru Outback XT from the Subaru dealership in Shoreline, Washington in October 2020. Since then, the windshield has cracked 4 times beyond repair. Each time, a small hairline fracture develops and quickly spreads across the windshield until the windshield has to be replaced. I have taken the car to the Subaru dealership each time to replace the windshield. The car remains under warranty. I reached out to Subaru of America after the windshield cracked for the 4th time, but I was told that the crack was a result of "outside influence". I have never had a car windshield crack until I purchased the Subaru, and 4 cracked windshields in about 2 years is beyond excessive. After doing additional research online, it appears that this is a frequent and ongoing issue with newer Subaru models possibly because the windshield used now is of a thinner material.
Other or unspecified, Feb 20, 2023
The front windshield of my vehicle cracked excessively after being hit by a pea sized piece of gravel while traveling less than 50 MPH. I felt that the safety of my family was put at risk as the crack quickly spread to over 8 inches in length by the end of that same day.
Other or unspecified, Feb 16, 2023
Subaru has a known issue with windshields being easily cracked. I purchased a new 2021 Subaru Outback Onyx XT and had to replace the windshield 2 times within the first year of owning due to cracked windshield, both happened after having a small chip from likely a small rock hitting windshield. I currently have another cracked windshield after hearing a slight hit on my windshield , after a semi truck passed me going in the opposite direction. I have had other vehicles that have had small chips after taking a slight hit from rocks and never developed cracked that required windshield replacement. Truly think that Subaru could do better and correct this issue as windshields are very expensive to replace and those who can’t afford replacement will continue to drive with potentially impaired visibility.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 13, 2023
Traveling toll road /fwy at approx 70mph at rush hour and lost all power with Check engine light , emergency brake, lurching engine, all flashing at the same time!!! Coasted through 4 fwy lanes to offramp and service station- extreme danger!!! How was there no pile up with me going from 70-10 to coasting on a busy 15 Northbound fwy at 7:30 am?????? Was in toll lane and crossed toll 3 foot sticks to exit at first available exit. 2 cars followed me off as they were concerned for my safety Towed to shop where they put in new thermo valve, gasket intake manifold, Pipe ay- fuel and gasket egr pipe 56000miles, 2 year old car 3 replaced windshields in last 6 months They said they've done 10 cars with this problem in the last year???? Insurance covered windshields , service center at Subaru inspected car
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 68 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that it was difficult while attempting to shift the gear lever out of drive(D). The contact stated that once she was able to shift the gear shifter, she shifted into park(P) to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted after multiple attempts. The contact then noticed that the parking brake had engaged independently. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000. The contact stated while driving on Mass Pike the Adaptive Cruise control was engaged, in the middle lane and no problems the vehicle lost power. After five minutes and traffic moving, the vehicle was trying to reboot but the emergency brake was on without anyone applying it. And the contact had a difficult time putting the vehicle into to park to restart the engine.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Jan 17, 2023
Vehicle was on highway in stop and go traffic when brake was applied. Auto stop-start feature engaged which turned engine off. On release of brake the auto stop-start feature failed to restart vehicle. Engine tried and failed to turn over and all console lights flashed on and off continuously. Ignition was turned off and attempted to restart car unsuccessfully. Four way hazard light button was activated and showed on dashboard as on. However, hazard lights on outside of vehicle were not on causing cars behind to not realize car was immobilized. Hazard lights malfunctioning on an immobilized vehicle on the highway is extremely unsafe.
Electrical system, Jan 16, 2023
Battery had been drained multiple times that required a jump start over the past four months. Also a new battery was purchased. No warnings we're presented before the issue occurred. The latest incident was today.
Electrical system, Jan 11, 2023
Battery of the vehicle continues to drain itself at seemingly random times. All sources that could possibly drain the battery while vehicle is not running have been turned off (dome light, tailgate light, exterior lights set to minimum time, etc...). Several times, this drainage has resulted in the car having to be jumped, so driver can get home. Car has been taken to dealer. Dealer indicates battery is fine. Took home, a few days later, battery is dead. Car does seem to struggle to turn over at times when trying to start. Lately this has been noticed while driving the car, and it engine was restarting while shutting down at stoplight (shutdown as part of limiting emmissions); had to turn the automatic shut-down feature off. Contacted local dealer again, was told that nothing can be done if battery is tested and it tests fine. We have resorted to carrying a recharging pack with the car to ensure that our kids don't get stranded with a dead battery.