Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Subaru Outback owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tire seam blew out in perfect circumference accompanied by profuse smoke. Extremely dangerous situation since I could not see what was happening to my car due to the smoke. I thought I blew a gasket. Brought tire to Firestone dealer where they did a soap test. No punctures were there except the complete breakdown of the seam on the outside of the tire. They replaced it, however they replaced it with another wilderness tire. In the 28 years of driving I have had, I have never experienced a blow out like this or even seen one. The degree of smoke and perfect failure of the seam point to a problem worthy of your investigation. Please notify me, in kind, of the procedure you will under take to insure that the thousands of people driving the new 2000 Outback equipped with the wilderness tires will be safe from harm. I believe with all my heart that there is a serious problem here. …
Tire seam blew out, in a perfect circumference, accompanied by profuse smoke. Extremely dangerous situation since I could not see what was happening to my car due to the smoke. I thought I blew a gasket. Brought tire to Firestone dealer, where they did a soap test. No punctures were there except the complete breakdown of the seam on the outside of tire. They replaced it, however, they replaced it with anotherk wilderness tire. In thye 28 years of driving I have had, I have never experienced a blow out like this, or even seen one. The degree of smoke, and perfect failure of the seam point to a problem worthy of your investigation., please notify me, in kind, of the procedure you will under take to insure that the thousands of people driving the new 2000 Outback equiped with the wilderness tires will be safe from harm. I believe with all my heart that there is a serious problem here. …
I am not sure if I hit the center island and both tires blew or both tires blew and I hit the center island. If I hit the center island and both tires blew, then there is a problem since this is an off-the-road vehicle and the tires should not have sustained any damage. If the tires blew, and then I hit the island, then we have the same problem as the other Firestone tires. Either way is not good. I lost control of the vehicle temporarily, but was able to bring it to a stop without sustaining any body damage. Only the wheels were destroyed along with both left side tires. I notified my insurance company, state farm, of my suspicions of Firestone tires and also the dealer. But, this size was not included on the recall. I believe that there is something wrong. State farm has taken pictures of the tires through the body shop.( dot number: tire size: p22560697h )
As you can see by the mileage, I have a brand new Subaru Outback legacy stationwagon and it is a beautiful machine. It came equipped with Firestone wilderness tires and we are very concerned. I do not want to see my Outback flipped over in the road with me or my husband in it. We bought this car to replace our Saturn which was totalled in an accident when someone hit it at 50 MPH. I work for the consumer product safety commission and as you May be aware we do lots of recalls on defective products. The accidents are racking up almost daily with these tires. Please issue a recall. I don't want to add insult to injury and have to go out and replace brand new tires on a brand new car. Lives are at stake here and so is May brand new Subaru! Help!( dot number: )
Dt: the caller used spare tire and the sidewall blew out. Tire had 110 miles on it at the time. The caller was going between 60 and 65 MPH. The tire was full of black powder and the rubber was crumbling. The caller heard a rumble, and when he was trying to pull over to see what it was ,the tire blew out. Tire was only on vehicle for a week. Manufacturer told the caller to go to dealer and they would take care of the tire. Dealer would offer no help. However, manufacturer did pay for tire.
Tire blew out on highway causing loss of control of vehicle. No known objects hit. Accident occurred after driving from south carolina to virginia in hot weather. Tire was shredded leaving little tire on wheel.( dot number: tire size: 225/60r16 )
My Subaru Outback 2000 was brought to a Subaru dealer in sioux falls, after battery died, and they changed alternator and battery, and then they also stated that brake pad needed to be changed, so I agreed and they did. It was in mid August 2009. Since then I drove that car between sioux falls and rochester mn, which is abour 240 miles one way over the weekends. On sept 20th, when we were driving back from sioux falls to rochester, I noted some noise coming back from the left reaf wheel, and it became worse. Eventually that caused vibration, and could not keep going. We went off from high way, and checked the car, and found that the wheel nat was gone, and otehr nats were all loose. The car was fixed at a local rochester repair shop, and I called Subaru dealer in sioux falls about the incident. …
This car comes with Firestone wilderness tires made especially for the Outback. At only 24000 miles, I had a blowout in which the complete left side of the tire disintegrated. A few months after I bought the car and heard of the trouble with Firestone tires, I called the dealer who assured me that these tires were safe and not on the recall list. When this dangerous incident happened two days ago, I went to a local Firestone dealer who told me he could not get these wilderness tires, and didn't even have them in his computer. He wanted to blame Subaru for the failure. I called both my Subaru dealer and the head office in georgia (spoke with manager kevin triplett), and he wanted to blame Firestone. These tires are obviously defective, as it simply disintegrated under normal driving conditions. I will be happy to email you pictures or to show you the tire in person. …
My Subaru came stock with Firestone wilderness tires. When the Ford/Firestone incident was happening, the Subaru website posted a message that the tires used on the Subaru's were not in the recall. This morning, I had a blow out that caused me to swerve violently into the #3 lane causing the traffic to swerve. When I pulled over and inspected the tire, I noticed that the sidewall of the tire has delaminated from the rest of the tire. No other foreign objects or other visible signs can be seen to have caused the blow out. It's plain to see that it's definitely a manufacturers defect. I contacted Subaru and they insist that the tires that came on the vehicle are not a part of the recall from Ford. And that I should go to a Subaru dealer to have them inspect the tire. (tiresize: 225 60/16)
With less than 1,000 miles on a brand new Subaru Outback, I had an unexplained flat tire (no nail/screw/obvious damage)on my way to work. I had to replace the tire due to the fact I drove on it briefly and damaged the tire beyond repair (cost $165). 8/15, with less than 8,000 miles on the car, I was driving at 25- 30 MPH and heard a "pop". As the car's handling changed I realized I had had a blow out and pulled over. Subaru roadside emergency service assisted me (case#sub0008000902). The following day, I purchased 4 replacement Michelin tires and reported my problem to Firestone (file # 262-223). I hope to get financial satisfaction from Firestone. I received no support from the car dealership uninterested in my dilemma.( dot number: w2ko w66 tire size: p22560r16 )
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Outback years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2000 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2000 Subaru Outback, 15% of the model year's 207 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Subaru Outback wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2000 Subaru Outback, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Subaru Outback wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 53,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries and 1 death to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.