2022 Subaru Outback
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Visibility/wiper is the leading concern among 463 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 8th highest complaint count among 26 Outback model years with reports.
Of the 2022 reports, 10 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 6 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
Visibility, windshieldSep 22, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Impreza and Outback vehicles. The incorrect paint clearcoat may have been applied, which can cause the windshield to be insufficiently bonded to the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 212, "Windshield Mounting."
An insufficiently bonded windshield can detach during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Subaru will offer owners a vehicle exchange or repurchase, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 21, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-22.
Campaign 22V712000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engine, engine control module (ecu/ecm)Jul 1, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
Campaign 22V473000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
463 reports, newest first.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 24, 2022
Windshield cracked while parked in garage. No object impacted the windshield. No temperature extremes. Approximately 12 to 14 inches in length starting from passenger side.
Exterior lighting, Visibility/wiper, Oct 17, 2022
While driving the vehicle at night with auto diming feature there is a line across the top of the windshield, and it is exceedingly difficult to see through the windshield above that line. When the lights are automatically dimmed the line is extended downward about a third of the windshield. It is difficult to see thru the windshield above this line. Extremely dangerous.
Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 15, 2022
No matter what Subaru does the infotainment system which controls the safety systems crashes randomly and weekly. Disabling all the Eyesight safety features.
Other or unspecified, Oct 13, 2022
The windshield on our 2022 Subaru Outback with less than 2000 miles was hit by a small object. The windshield chipped and then cracks began to expand. Small projectiles hit windshields all the time yet don't break like Subaru windshields. Subaru will not cover this under warranty and the repair will cost us over $1200 (front cameras need to be realigned). The reason we are reporting this is that our old 2015 Subaru Outback required the windshield to be replaced 4 TIMES in less than 8 years. Obviously this is a defect that Subaru knows about as they extended the warranty for windshields on previous year models, but only for certain defects that started at the top of the windshield. From our perspective this is an unsafe manufacturer defect that needs to be addressed.
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 9, 2022
On a reoccurring basis, my Subaru will randomly slam on the breaks, detecting an object that isn't there. Dealership has done nothing, and Subaru of America has ignored my complaints
Visibility/wiper, Oct 8, 2022
I walked into my garage and found that I have a massive crack across my windshield. It never got hit by a rock or anything, there haven’t been extreme temperature changes, it just doesn’t make sense. It has seemingly cracked for no reason.
Visibility, Oct 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated the vehicle was parked outside his driveway for four days; however, while approaching the vehicle, he noticed that the front windshield was cracked. The contact stated that no object had struck the windshield to cause the crack. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and photos were taken and sent to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the complaint was reviewed and the replacement might not be covered under warranty. The failure mileage was 7,000. The contact stated that both the glass shop and the Subaru dealer said that there was a microscopic chip that may have caused the crack.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 1, 2022
Unknown. A large Crack appeared on the front windshield starting from the bottom to the middle and then branching off to the left and right of the windshield. There is no evidence of any impact to the windshield. Crack is much to large for me to continue to drive safely. The Subaru car dealership inspected the windshield and submitted a claim to the car manufacturer for possible replacement.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 28, 2022
Windshield cracked in the lower middle about 6 inches from bottom . The defrost had been on because the window was fogging up. Went in to store and when I restated car noticed the crack. I am concerned about the crack getting larger and also that it is illegal to drive with a vehicle in that condition in my state. This just happened and I have not looked into how it will be fixed and at what cost to me. there was no warning before or after it happened. Crack is dead center about 2 feet horizontally.
Electrical system, Sep 28, 2022
Battery is draining without cause. It's required two jumpstarts in one week.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 27, 2022
Windshield cracks from pressure from initial installation.
Other or unspecified, Sep 26, 2022
Windshield cracked while driving did not see anything large object hit
Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 22, 2022
Rab system not working, no foward or reverse cameras work. No climate control access, no radio, no GPS, can't access any touch screen controls
Visibility, Sep 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while reversing out of his residence garage at approximately 2 MPH, he had noticed a long crack in the front windshield which had started on the passenger’s side of the windshield and extended across, moving upwards and stopped underneath the rearview mirror. The contact had not noticed any strike marks on the windshield that could have caused the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer where it was determined that the windshield needed to be replaced. The contact was directed to a third-party windshield repair shop. The vehicle had been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 15, 2022
Cracked windshield from no impact
Visibility/wiper, Sep 15, 2022
The windshield cracked without any noticeable impact. I noticed a crack 12-15 inches when I got into the vehicle the next day. The day prior I had not noticed the crack, not noticed any impact sound, no incident happened. I’d not been driving on the highway and I maintained more than 3 car lengths of following distance. I was driving under 40mph the day prior to noticing the crack. The vehicle is just over a month old and has 3000 miles on the odometer when the incident happened. Dealership inspected and found a impact point which is invisible to the naked eye. Such small debris cracking the windshield suggests the windshield is too weak and is a possible safety hazard. Manufacturer and dealer are not able to replace it under warranty. They are offering a one time good will replacement, but if such small specks of debris(not noticeable to the naked eye) can crack the windshield It’s very likely the windshield will st the minimum crack again or worse could lead to a safety hazard if the debris was a noticeable and more substantial. I’ve been finding a number of complaints of the exact same issue and similar response from the dealerships/customer service on online forums and youtube.
Structure, Sep 15, 2022
Plastic trim on my front driver side door is falling off. The plastic that is clipped and taped at the bottom of the door.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 14, 2022
18" crack in the windshield was noted originating from passenger side pillar extending toward the middle of window. Crack occurred while car was parked in an insulated and locked garage. No crack when parked and large crack the following morning. No known trauma or known rocks striking the windshield. On close inspection there was no star pattern, bubble pattern or palpable concave defect that would suggest a previous rock chip.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 13, 2022
Windshield cracked while parked. Date of crack 9-13-2022 All the electronic safety features rely on an intact windshield to work properly. This crack occurred for no reason. No impact to windshield. Parked in an open parking lot. Not reproduced that I know of. Vehicle will be inspected tomorrow by dealer. 9-14-2022
Visibility/wiper, Sep 13, 2022
The windshield cracked during normal operation of the car. This is the 4th windshield since purchasing the 2022 Subaru OBW. The first crack, with no visible impact to the windshield, occurred at 13K, the second, with no visible impact, occurred at 20K, and this third occurred at 41K. They have occurred in different areas of the windshield (from each side and the bottom). Each replacement has been OEM and the 3rd windshield (which lasted the longest) had an additional ceramic coating. I reported the 3rd windshield to the nhtsa and when I reviewed nhtsa's assessment, it was incorrect. I emailed nhtsa requesting the assessment be corrected, but never received a reply and believe the report is still incorrect.
Visibility, Sep 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise and noticed a crack on the front passenger’s side bottom corner of the windshield. The contact stated that no object had struck the windshield to cause the crack. The contact stated that she was awaiting an appointment for the replacement. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000.
Electrical system, Sep 11, 2022
On or about April 28, 2022, while traveling on route 95 North (an interstate highway) utilizing the Factory GPS system which is in the center console, the entire console went blank. I immediately grew concerned the vehicle steering or acceleration was about to fail and pulled over on the shoulder of the interstate. I turned off the vehicle and restarted it, yet the screen remained blank, which meant I could not control the heat, defroster, air conditioning, GPS, radio, the USB ports, the telephone connections, and etcetera; all were inoperable. As I continued to drive the screen remained blank or blacked out. I pulled into a rest area and waited 20 minutes with the vehicle turned off, and when I restarted the vehicle, it operated normally. On April 29, 2022, vehicle mileage 10,389, I took my 2022 Outback to Subaru, while at the dealership the dealership diagnosed the problem as follows: a new center console Cockpit Control Unit Assembly-Navigation and Display Assembly was ordered. I was told the dealership would contact me when the part arrived. I did not hear from the dealership and on June 27, 2022, vehicle mileage 16,282, I returned to Subaru for the third (3rd) time, and I informed them the problem with the center console continued. I was advised that additional testing was needed. According to the service records a miscellaneous check for the latest software was completed, issue was not resolved, the console failed to accept the updates and a new console was ordered. No warning lamps, codes or errors were noticed, the screen goes blank and the driver wonders what will occur next. In this model, 2022 Outback XT Limited, the screen is over 12 inches tall and is the predominant electrical system in the vehicle. The problem was replicated by the dealership on 5 service visits, it is available for inspection, although the concern occurs daily it is intermitent. After 6 visits the problem has not been repaired/rectified.
Visibility/wiper, Visibility, Sep 11, 2022
My first complaint was filed on 8/2/2022 @2,807 miles. Here we are again, not even 6 weeks later and it happened again. The dealer did replace my windshield. It took me driving there three different times to finally catch the manager so he could take pictures and file a claim with Subaru. Subaru did accept the claim and replaced the windshield. I was without my car for three days while this repair was done. Driving home last night, My 19 year old so was in the passenger seat. He says look mom, the windshield is cracking. Sure enough, no impact was heard or seen, it just started cracking in the same spot as the first time. It was such a hassle to get the first repair done and now I have to do it again!!! Ugh...I now wish I had never bought this car.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 11, 2022
Windshield cracked without any cars near me, only dragonflies and butterflies. Happened with less than 2k miles in car.
Other or unspecified, Sep 8, 2022
While stopped in a line at a drive through the vehicles automatic shutoff (fuel savings feature) engaged. When the brake is released the car completely shut down, including all computer, dash and vehicle lights. The cars transmission was in Drive and could not be placed in Park in an attempt to restart the vehicle. After several minutes the car shifted to Park and was able to be restarted after more than one attempt. I exited the very busy parking lot and proceeded to my place of work approximately a half mile away which is a safer location. Each time the brake was depressed the automatic shutoff would attempt to engage immediately, fearing a shutoff/failure in a major intersection I "feathered" the brake to keep engine running. Upon reaching my place of work parking lot and placing the vehicle in Park I was able to disengage the feature. This vehicle has been plagued with issues, it currently has very low miles (less than 5000) and is one year old. It had a battery failure at 600 miles, and has had several issues since that time with the vehicle not starting. Fortunately these issues occurred out of traffic but the latest incident could prove hazardous if it occurred in traffic. When the vehicle diagnostics are run it shows "Normal" and the problem remains unresolved. I have also noted hesitation with the shifting during acceleration from day one of owning the vehicle. It does not shift smoothly and will often hesitate which can pose a danger if attempting to avoid an accident. I have learned to compensate for the issue when pulling into traffic, especially if rapid acceleration is needed. Again, the vehicle diagnostics do not show an issue and the problem remains unresolved.