Most common 2003 Subaru Outback problems
Share of the 93 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Subaru Outback complaints by model year
Best Outback years: 1996, 2004, 2003. Years to avoid: 2019, 2020, 2017, 2018, 2022. Compare all years →
2003 Subaru Outback recalls (14)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2009-2011 Legacy, Outback, Forester, 2006-2011 Impreza, Tribeca, 2003-2006 Baja, and 2006 Saab 9-2x vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 26, 2016.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, and Baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South…
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 24, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy, Outback, 2006-2008 Impreza, Tribeca, 2006 Saab 9-2x, and 2003-2006 Baja vehicles originally sold or that have ever been registered in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 24, 2016.
Show 8 more recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015.
Air bags
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy and Outback vehicles, and 2003-2005 Baja vehicles sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S.
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Vehicle speed control › Cables
On certain passenger sedans, wagons, and sport utility vehicles, the cruise control cable could come out of its track on the cruise control lever and lodge on the control lever tab when the accelerator pedal is released.
Remedy: Dealers will install a cruise control cable retaining clip to the cruise control lever tab on the throttle shaft in order to prevent the cruise control cable from coming out of its track.
Suspension › Front
On some passenger and sport utility vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west…
Remedy: Dealers will apply anti-rust material to the left front transverse link. Owner notification began August 1, 2003. Owners should contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Suspension › Rear
This recall applies to certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west…
Remedy: Dealers will clean and rust-proof the rear suspension subframe. Owner notification began July 14, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free…
Power train › Automatic transmission
Certain sport utility and passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions were produced with an improperly manufactured transmission parking rod. When the transmission selector lever is placed in the "p" (park) position, the transmission park mechanism, that is intended to hold your vehicle, May not engage.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the automatic transmission parking rod assembly. Owner notification January 8, 2003. An interim owner notification will be sent during November 2002.
Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
On certain sport utility and passenger vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines, the water pump pulley center hole was improperly machined.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the water pump. Owner notification began September 12, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Wheels
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with 6-cylinder engines, the aluminum wheels May have an off-center diameter.
Remedy: Dealers will replace all 4 aluminum wheels. Owner notification began September 12, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2003 Subaru Outback:
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
What 2003 Subaru Outback owners say
Engine & cooling
While driving home, the car just "shut down" on the highway,and we had to glide off to the side. Had to have it towed. Our mechanic had to replace the entire engine. He did not know why it failed. Now, after researching this site, I see that there was a recall due to faulty water pump in 2003. I am wondering if this costly incident was a result of this not being repaired? How can I find this out please? I purchased the vehicle certified used from a local dealership. I would also like to mention the unusually large amount of rusting underneath the car, as well as in the wheel areas. Thank you.
After previous repairs to transmission fluid leak and head gasket repair, the car's transmission failed and had to be rebuilt. The transmission failed as I was driving. I could not shift from first to second. I was able to get the car to the dealer by driving in first and living with a sharp clunk into second. I was close to the dealer or else this would have been a tow. If this had happened on the freeway it could have been catastrophic.
Air bags
Takata recall this May pertain to the Takata air bag recall. My wife and I were in a "t-bone" type collision at ~45 MPH and the driver and passenger airbags failed to deploy in our 2003 Outback. When I check the VIN I did not see any open recalls nor did I ever receive any recall notifications for the car.
On or about oct 23, 2017, received 3rd notice of airbag recall. Appt with Subaru missoula, mt for recall. At 9:45 on fri nov 3, 2017 informed that the manager "just a few minutes ago" received, recall of recall" and no parts there. My 2003 "May not need a replacement." said would do a check to see. Under protest I signed, after 1 and half hours, requested another signature which also under protest I signed. "it won't cost you anything." 85 year old single woman. 50 miles nearest Subaru dealer. Nothing said about result of test. Keys returned to me.
Transmission & drivetrain
After previous repairs to transmission fluid leak and head gasket repair, the car's transmission failed and had to be rebuilt. The transmission failed as I was driving. I could not shift from first to second. I was able to get the car to the dealer by driving in first and living with a sharp clunk into second. I was close to the dealer or else this would have been a tow. If this had happened on the freeway it could have been catastrophic.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the while parked, the vehicle rolled away. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the parking mechanism within the transmission failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 194,000.
2003 Subaru Outback engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 19 / 26 / 22 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 18 / 25 / 21 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 18 / 25 / 20 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Wagon.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2003 Subaru Outback a good car?
Based on 93 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2003 Outback rates better than average: 61% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Outback at the same age. It is one of the best Outback years by this measure. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Subaru Outback?
The engine & cooling — 19 complaints, 20% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the air bags (19) and transmission & drivetrain (13).
How many recalls does the 2003 Subaru Outback have?
There are 14 recalls for the 2003 Subaru Outback, the most recent from January 2, 2020 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Subaru Outback?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 1996, 2004 and 2003. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2019, 2020, 2017, 2018 and 2022. See the full Subaru Outback years comparison.
At what mileage do 2003 Subaru Outback problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 74,000 miles; 41% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.