GarageCalc What the data says
Electrical system accounts for about 22% of this year's Subaru Outback complaints. Complaints are spread across several areas, which reads more like normal ownership noise than a single defect.
The 2025 model year contributes 33 complaints (13%). No single model year dominates, so this looks like a line-wide pattern rather than one bad year.
Complaints are essentially flat year over year (234 to 251, +7%), in line with a market that rose about 2%. Year-over-year movement is the most useful signal here: a model's sales are roughly stable from one year to the next, so a sharp rise means the per-vehicle complaint rate genuinely moved, not just that the model is popular.
How to read this
Raw complaint totals track how many Subaru Outbacks are on the road as much as they track quality, so a high count on a best-seller is partly a volume story. Complaints are also self-reported: they capture what owners chose to file, not a controlled survey. Use these numbers to know where to look during a pre-purchase inspection and which recalls to check, not as a verdict on their own. Compare any car instantly in the Car Complaint Checker, or read the full 2026 study for the market-wide picture and methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Subaru Outback reliable?
Complaint counts alone cannot answer that, because they track how many are on the road as much as build quality. What the 2026 data shows: 251 NHTSA complaints so far (rank 50 of 765 models), +7% year over year, with electrical system the most-cited area. Treat it as a starting point and cross-check recalls and a pre-purchase inspection for the specific vehicle.
What is the most common Subaru Outback complaint?
Electrical system: 56 of the 251 complaints filed in 2026 cite it (about 22%). Complaints are spread across several areas, which reads more like normal ownership noise than a single defect.
Which Subaru Outback model year has the most complaints?
The 2025 model year, with 33 of this year's 251 complaints (about 13%). No single model year dominates, so this looks like a line-wide pattern rather than one bad year.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, complaints received 2026-01-01..2026-08-24, compared with 2025-01-01..2025-08-24 (same window). Counted once per complaint ID, vehicles only. Aggregated data is available under CC BY 4.0 with a link to GarageCalc.