Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Subaru Outback owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Rear tailgate fails to open consistently making it impossible to enter or exit the vehicle from the rear, through the rear tail gate door (the 5th door). Nine times we have brought vehicle back to authorized Subaru dealerships over the last two years of ownership in Hanover Ma-Planet Subaru; San Francisco -Serramonte Subaru and lastly in San Diego- Kearny Mesa. The rear tail gate does not open consistently while pressing the open button on either of the key fobs or from trying the driver's side interior release button or while attempting to use the hatch release button at the exterior rear of the vehicle. Many times we have tried all three standard methods to open the rear tail gate but with no success making this rear tail gate feature on this mid size SUV useless. This problem has been verified at Planet Subaru, Hanover, Ma and at Serramonte Subaru S.F. …
Pressed the button on the electronic liftgate to have it raise. Half way through raising, it beeped 3 times and started closing. Had 3 dogs in the back of the vehicle and the lift gate started to close on one of them. I put my left arm underneath to stop it from closing where the lift gate put a lot of pressure on my forearm. The lift gate stopped and I was able to push it back up. Injury seems to be minor but will have it checked. Feels like it impacted the nerves going to the thumb and pointing finger. This is not the first time we had lift gate issues and have multiple videos demonstrating the problems at hand. This is the first time it actually caused injury.
The automatic liftgate fails to latch and requires extra steps that most car owner would not know to temporarily resolve the issue. My situation has been difficult to replicate. The liftgate will open but not close. It will also close but not open. It will also latch but not securely. This evening, the hatch opened but failed to close. It also latched but found out at 55mph that it was not properly secured when my dog leaned against it. It did not open but the light turned on like a door was opened. This has been a known issue with many other Subaru owners as well. The answer always seems to hold the button for 10 seconds to reset but this does not work every time.
continues issue with windshield cracks, cracks will spread over night across the windshield. car windshield will be replaced for a fourth time on [redacted]. I initially replaced it with in a year of purchase in North Carolina and will replace for a third time here in San Diego at the dealer Kearny Mesa Subaru address 4797 Convoy St. San Diego, CA 92111 phone number [phone]. Kearny Mesa has replaced my windshield for the last two times, first time was in spring of 2022, second time was in February 2024 and now again for a third time tomorrow [redacted]
We were driving down an interstate highway going 70 mph on a foggy Christmas Eve 2025 approximately 7 a.m. No cars were close around us. We had been on the road for 30 minutes or so, and it was in the 50-60 degree temperature range. Suddenly we heard what sounded like a gunshot right above our heads. We opened the sunshade under the sunroof, and saw that our sunroof had exploded and left a hole. Before this, we heard nothing strike the sunroof or the car. It seemed like a spontaneous explosion. The explosion noise is recorded on our dash cam video. I was unable to upload the video because it must not be in the correct format.
Windshield cracked spontaneously without impact. Upon further investigation, this is a common issue observed with Subaru on multiple models from previous and current years. There has been a couple of class action lawsuits against Subaru in other states for the same issue, and both cases were ruled in favor of the plaintiff and the court deemed these windshield defective. My concern and question is, why is Subaru still using parts/models that aren't safe and getting away with this?
The hood popped open at 35 mph causing loss of sight. I was in traffic and luckily was able to pull the car off the road. I am taking it to the dealer as soon as I can get an appointment. There were no warning lights or messages prior. I will secure the hood with something before I drive it to the dealer. If I had been driving on the Interstate I am sure the hood would have smashed into windshield. I consider this a very dangerous problem.
I purchased this car in July 2019. Three times the windshield has cracked without any explanation or cause. Three weeks ago, I replaced the second cracked windshield at my own expense. Three weeks later -- just yesterday, Feb. 17, 2022 -- the brand new windshield simply cracked. All three times the crack has appeared in roughly the same place. There was no road debris or anything else that came into contact with the windshield.
We bought the car from the Ford dealership. after nearly owning it. the windshield crack in a place where no rock or vandalism could have happened. It started underneath the windshield wiper and has scaled across the whole windshield within a week. I contacted my bumper to bumper warranty and they don't cover replacements. I looked up and their is a current lawsuit on suburu for this exact reason.
Parasitic battery drain when vehicle is turned off. The DCM module in these vehicles will not shut off properly and continue to drain the battery. Subaru has firmware on the vehicle that will not fully charge the battery when driving to save fuel. The vehicle has had 6 or more instances over the past two weeks where the car was undriveable unless jumped from another vehicle or a boost device is used.
Related recalls
Structure
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Legacy and Outback vehicles. Spot welds located on the duct below the cowl panel may have been improperly applied, impacting the vehicle's body strength.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and repair or repurchase the vehicle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019.
Body complaints in other Outback years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2019 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the body & structure of the 2019 Subaru Outback, 3% of the model year's 1,036 complaints. The component named most often is body (27 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2019 Subaru Outback body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 19V-493 (structure, Jun 26, 2019). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2019 Subaru Outback body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 6,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 3 injuries to body & structure 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.