Body complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2024 | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2023 | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2022 | 7 | 2% | — |
| 2021 | 7 | 2% | 1,000 miles |
| 2020 | 21 | 2% | 9,000 miles |
| 2019 | 27 | 3% | 6,000 miles |
| 2018 | 15 | 2% | 15,000 miles |
| 2017 | 26 | 3% | 25,000 miles |
| 2016 | 19 | 3% | 22,000 miles |
| 2015 | 33 | 6% | 18,000 miles |
| 2014 | 11 | 5% | 51,000 miles |
| 2013 | 11 | 4% | 67,000 miles |
| 2012 | 5 | 2% | 47,000 miles |
| 2011 | 11 | 2% | 120,000 miles |
| 2010 | 14 | 4% | 50,000 miles |
| 2009 | 5 | 5% | 52,000 miles |
| 2008 | 6 | 3% | 53,000 miles |
| 2007 | 5 | 4% | 190,000 miles |
| 2006 | 2 | 1% | 122,000 miles |
| 2005 | 7 | 3% | 77,000 miles |
| 2003 | 5 | 5% | 73,000 miles |
| 2002 | 10 | 7% | 150,000 miles |
| 2001 | 15 | 9% | 181,000 miles |
| 2000 | 13 | 6% | 130,000 miles |
| 1999 | 4 | 4% | 156,000 miles |
| 1998 | 2 | 2% | 109,000 miles |
| 1997 | 3 | 4% | 176,000 miles |
| 1996 | 3 | 7% | 88,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The glass sheet on the vehicle's sunroof spontaneously exploded while I was driving on the freeway. Some broken shards fell onto myself and into the cabin as the interior pull cover was in the open position at the time of the explosion. Luckily no additional passengers were in the vehicle at the time of the incident. I was in shock as I heard and felt the explosion. As broken shards were falling onto me and into the cabin, I thought I was a victim of an intentional freeway shooting or an unlucky recipient of a stray bullet. After realizing I was unharmed, I immediately drove my car to a trusted Subaru dealership for further investigation of the damage. At the time, the dealership did not have the appropriate personal on site for an investigation, however a service associate took photos of the damage. …
I have bought 2 subaru vehicles...brand new off the lot. Both my 2017 subaru impreza and now my 2022 subaru outback wilderness had brittle windshields from the factory.. I had 4 cracks within the first 2 months of owning this outback and I'm probably going to have to pay to have my windshield replaced. The replacements are always strong, safe and reliable. Why is my 41,000$$ car come with an unsafe windshield that cracks with small pebbles?. Hopefully nothing bigger ever hits it. Subaru makes plenty of money from us to supply us with a quality windshield. And I see there is already a pending windshield lawsuit for earlier models.. this year and model should be included!! The situation..I bought a brand new subaru and they refused to sell windshield replacement with the vehicle and now this happens..4 cracks within 2 months!! Unsafe. Thank you so much for your help!
On[redacted] while accelerating to travel speed (45 mph) on a rural Maine highway, the little used glass moon roof of our 2021 Subaru Outback Touring with 24,100 miles on the odometer exploded with a huge, shocking BANG!. Weather was clear and bright, wind ~5 mph, temperature about 68 F, no traffic. We never saw or heard anything strike the car, either from the road or falling down from the trees at or prior to this incident. We had the interior shade closed so no glass fell into passenger compartment thankfully. Upon inspection at the road side and discovery of the problem, the glass panel had a large hole in the middle and the edges of the remaining glass looked like it had been blown upward.
During heavy rains, the vehicles leak water into the driver's side wheel well. Numerous times back to the dealer and the vehicle being piece by piece all seals are being replaced. As per numerous blogs on Subaru forums, an indication of a faulty windshield seal could be the issue, but the dealership refuses to replace or reset the windshield seal. Bought the car on June 28, 2021, and have been to the dealership 3 times for the same issue. The dealership is replacing seals on the skylight and door but as of yet no resolution. At the time of this complaint, the vehicle has been at dealership for 3 weeks with no resolution.
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 mph when multiple warning lights were illuminated and a "Stop Driving the Vehicle" message was displayed. The contact stated he was able to drive to a nearby gas station. The contact stated while inspecting under the hood, he noticed the drive belt was shredded. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the drive belt to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated in February of 2021, the tailgate failed to open with the key fob or manually. The contact stated after opening the tailgate, it failed to latch and close properly. The contact stated the tailgate ajar warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was called and made aware of the failure. The dealer informed the contact to disconnected the battery. …
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at a slow speed, the trim on the front driver's side door started to detach from vehicle. Several days later, the front passenger's side door also experienced the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the trim on both doors were reattached; however, the failure returned on the front driver's side door. The contact reached out to the manufacturer online and completed a survey. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.
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.
Related recalls (1)
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which Subaru Outback years have body problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2015 (33), 2019 (27), 2017 (26), 2020 (21) and 2016 (19) model years. Body complaints make up 6% of all complaints for the 2015.
Is there a recall for Subaru Outback body problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 19V-493 (structure, Jun 26, 2019). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Subaru Outback body problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles; 58% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the body (212 mentions), followed by the frame and members (10).
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.