Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Subaru Outback owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My 4 yr old son went into this car which was in park in our driveway. The keys were not in the car. He bumped into the shift mechanism which subsequently allowed the car to drift backwards from the slight grade. Fortunately, there was no injury, but there was considerable damage and under different conditions, it could have been tragic. The car was returned to suburu who verified that the safety interlock was not operating as designed. Suburu insists that this safety interlock is not their responsibility as the car is beyond the general 3 yr, 36,000 mile warranty (the car has approx 46,000 miles). They have no explanation other than a pin came disconnected.
Outside temperature was 25 degrees f. I was leaving from the parking lot at work. As I approached the intersection the brakes became so hard that I couldn't press them any farther. I sis some research and apparently lots of other Subaru owners have experienced this problem. It appears that the check valve on the brake booster line freezes up. If I had been moving any faster I would have went into the intersection possibly causing an accident or worse.
Vehicle does not brake properly when cold in sub-freezing weather conditions. Vehicle consistently has greatly increased stopping distances when it is very cold out and the condition resolves once the vehicle has warmed up.
Subaru 2001 ll bean 3.0 Outback. Front disc brake pads wore out at 13800 miles - squeaker was touching, pads were gone, and rotor was scored. Car was unsafe to drive so replaced pads and surfaced rotors at local shop on weekend. At about 20,000 miles had dealer inspect brakes - pads and rotor were worn again. Rotors were warped. Subaru refused to replace pads under warranty (we paid) but did replace rotors under warranty. At 31,600 rotors were experiencing shaking at brake initiation. Took car in, rotors were "warped due to heat" and pads (front and back) were again worn out. Dealer replaced front and back rotors and pads. Said that our "driving" might be the problem - using the brakes too much and should shift down on hills. At 33000 miles front pads and rotors are again showing wear. …
While parked in neutral, with the emergency brake on, and no occupants, our standard transmission vehicle rolled backwards out of our driveway, across the street & into the yard across the street. Our driveway has only a very slight grade (less than 5%), so I'm alrarmed with the ease with which this happened. There were about 8 children playing around the street & yards. My neighbor & I both confirmed that the emergency brake was in the upright position, which I always engage before exiting the car. We do not know if there is a problem with the emergency brake itself, or if I simply did not pull up enough on the brake; however, if this can happen to a safety hound like me, I'm assuming I'm not the only one & that it's a common enough occurence to warrant some kind of indicator to alert the driver as to whether the parking brake is actually engaged.
The 2001 Subaru Outback seems to have an unusually high incidence of needing brake repairs. We are on our 2nd brake job in under 40,000 miles. The disc rotors have warped twice, resulting in strong vibration (not ABS) when stopping. The brakes also squeal in reverse, annoying, and possibly a symptom of an underlying problem. The dealer has preformed a pad replacement ,even though there was adequate material remaining, and rotor turning 2 times. My on-line research, and the consumer reports documentation reports a significant percentage , over 14% have suffered similar problems. If this were occuring in a less critical component I wouldn't be as concerned.however this seems to be a very short lifespan for brakes in a non-high performance vehicle. Additionally the pads aren't wearing, but the rotors are failing.
Within 4 years, my Subaru Outback vcd needed 3 sets of brakes and 4 sets of rotors (not including the "resurfacing" to extend the rotors). Everytime when I brought the car to the dealership, they attribute the problems to my driving pattern. But I owned three other cars before (all were less expensive), and never needed to replace brakes nor rotors. As posted in this website, there are 13 other complains, with virtually identical problems. I strongly recommend NHTSA engineers to analyze the 2001 Subaru Outback brakes and rotors. Not only it is a public safety issue, it is also a company responsibility issue: Subaru should be responsible for all repair cost, not to mention the inconvenience, our time, emotional stress caused to the vehicle owners.
Shortly after I purchases a new 201 Subaru Outback (first 500 miles the brake rotors were warped. I was told by the dealere that the car had been sertting a long tiome and the rotors were rusted but it would clear up. It didn't and they turned the rotors and then replaced them stating that it was my driving that cuased the problem. I am still driving the car and the front brakes are defective and have been ever since it was new. Somw of my friends have had the same problem. I feel that the brakes are unsafe and are not as effective as they should be when stopping at freeway speeds. The brakes are noe out of warranty however, I feel that the manufacturer should correct the brake problem.
Front brake pads wore out at less than 36,000. Dealer replaced the pads under the warranty. Come to find out the rotors are warped too. We did not realize it until a little over 36,000 miles. Dealer will not fix rotors under warranty because we brought for service after warranty expired. A little research has identified that we are not the only people with this problem on this car. We are not at all hard on the brakes either. Only logical explanation for this failure is a.) car was manufactured with a defective part(s) or b.) Subaru has not designed / installed sufficient rotors etc. For this vcehicle. I'm guessing that option b is the problem here!
I had to replace the brakes in my 2001 Subaru Outback after 20,000 miles. I lived the last two years in alaska and was told by the dealer service department in seattle the salt from the roads created early corrosion on the brake pads and disc. The Outback is designed for more rugged driving and for geographic locations with harsher winters. Something about the design of the brakes causes the salt and dirt from winter roads to channel up through the brake system and cause excessive wear and tear. I just paid for a complete brake replacement as the front pads were no longer engaging correctly and the brakes are very worn due to the salt.
Brake complaints in other Outback years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2001 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the brakes of the 2001 Subaru Outback, 18% of the model year's 171 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › disc › rotor (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Subaru Outback brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2001 Subaru Outback, though it has 3 recalls 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 2001 Subaru Outback brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 36,000 miles, and 39% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes 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.