Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
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).
My 2019 Subaru Outback unintentionally accelerated. I was sitting in my SUV waiting for an electronic gate to open at my storage unit. I was about 10-15 feet in front of the gate. My foot was firmly on the brake and the car was in drive. I have been at this gate many times. This time, before the gate could fully open, the car raced forward at top speed into the gate. Damaging my bumper and terrifying me! The gate did stop the car. I felt like a ghost had slammed a foot on the gas pedal!!! The breaks did nothing. The Subaru floor mat was attached with 2 pegs and sticks like velcro to the carpet. Thank God I was not at a crosswalk or in front of a building - I would have killed myself or someone else! I reported this to my local dealer and they referred me to Subaru of America. The dealer had my car for 6 weeks and S.O.A. sent a team to inspect the car for 6 hours. …
My complaint/safety issue is that while I was in my 2019 Subaru Outback, I experienced Unintentional acceleration. While waiting for the large chain-link fence at my storage unit to open, the Outback raced into the gate! I had one foot on the brake waiting for the gate, then I stomped the pedal with both feet, and I held that position while the car smashed through the gate. This happened in July of 2021. I don't recall if I shut the car off or if it just finally came to a stop. I was terrified to drive it for fear of it happening again, but this time hitting a person in a crosswalk! I did take the car to Subaru, and they said that they would go through it thoroughly. After one month, they said that there were no issues with the car and that my carpet must have caused the acceleration. I reminded them that my car had floor mats that clicked into place! It was a nightmare. …
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated while the accelerator pedal remained depressed. The engine misfired and the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated, then several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to maneuver the vehicle off the roadway. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that she purchased an OBD reader and diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved codes: P0177, P0174, P0102 and P0113. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump and mass airflow sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V218000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). …
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle hesitated and almost stalled. The failure was intermittent but caused the vehicle to stall on several occasions. The check engine warning light and the low oil pressure warning lights recently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, and the contact was informed that oil was leaking from the upper and lower oil pan, the head gasket, and other engine seals. The contact was aware that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V587000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact researched and became aware that a failure of the fuel pump could lead to other failures with the engine oil seals. The contact stated that the fuel pump had been ordered; however, the vehicle was not yet repaired. …
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to start the vehicle after several attempts; however, the vehicle was sluggish and was running rough while driving. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the vehicle was experiencing low fuel pressure, and the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was undrivable. The contact stated that the fuel pump was previously replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V587000 (Fuel system, Gasoline) in 2021. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,500.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start immediately as designed. The contact was able to start the vehicle after several attempts. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure recurred. The dealer diagnosed that the fuel pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 21V587000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 20V218000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the vehicle failed to perform as designed. The contact was able to move the vehicle onto the road shoulder. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the fuel pump failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The contact was informed that the Vin was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 20V218000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was 9,800.
Summary: I have a 2019 Subaru Outback 3.6r with approximately 30k miles. It spent most of it's life in Texas, a low-corrosion state. When I was camping in Colorado, it started leaking fuel for extended periods from the tank area on the passenger side just in front of the rear wheel. The left a strong gas odor/fire danger as it leaked for many hours. I can supplies photos and video. The leak appeared rather suddenly, and is worse when the vehicle tank was just filled. It leaves large puddles of fuel on the ground. Failed system: fuel storage. It is available for inspection upon request. Safety: this issue resulted in a large fuel spill/gasoline vapor cloud, and the leak continues for hours. there is no crash damage/etc. to the vehicle. I have not taken the issue to a dealer yet. Should I get the car looked at by them? …
At this point I dont know what to do. This has been a reoccurring problem since I initially purchased the car. - Electrical Issues have been a problem since the day we purchased the vehicle. Initially thought it was our toddlers fault. Raised multiple times at multiple dealerships. I have yet to find a service center that can tell me why my car will not start other than they can tell something is draining the battery. No warnings. Safety is of concern, because one never knows when the issue will occur. For example, brand new battery died in parking lot of my kids school. - Fuel pump issues - took car on drive from LA to Las Vegas, with child. Car struggled to maintain speed. Exited in Barstow, CA. Parked at a Midas, which was closed, and was stranded with a toddler. After 3 hours of waiting in parking lot, was able to get car started. Drove to closest hotel. …
While turning into a parking spot my wife had foot on the brake and vehicle accelerated over parking bumpers and into a fence and ultimately was stopped by a combination of a tree and the fence car drove through. This collision prevented her from crossing pedestrian sidewalk and continuing into Southbound traffic lane of state hwy. This incident put not only my wife at risk but also potentially any pedestrians or southbound vehicles. There were no system failures or warnings prior to my wife's arrival to her appointment. As mentioned this occurred within an approximate 5 second time frame. It is unknown as to what if any warnings occurred prior to/during the crash as my wife was pushing the brake to park when the sudden acceleration occurred. The braking system seems to have failed along with the sudden acceleration. …
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614.
Fuel System complaints in other Outback years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2019 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2019 Subaru Outback, 3% of the model year's 1,036 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2019 Subaru Outback fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 21V-587 (fuel pump, Jul 29, 2021); NHTSA recall 20V-218 (fuel pump, Apr 16, 2020). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2019 Subaru Outback fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 16,000 miles, and 69% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion system 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.