2010 Subaru Tribeca Problems & Complaints

Few complaints1.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the Tribeca at the same age

Owners have filed 4 complaints about the 2010 Subaru Tribeca with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is a low number of complaints for a car on sale this long. The most reported problem area is the electrical system (2 complaints, typically around 20,000 miles). 10 recalls cover this model year.

4complaints
10recalls
0crashes
0fires
0injuries
0deaths

Most common 2010 Subaru Tribeca problems

  • Electrical system~20,000 miles
    250%
  • Body & structure~72,000 miles
    125%
  • Transmission & drivetrain
    125%

Share of the 4 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.

Subaru Tribeca complaints by model year

2006200720082009201020112013201494145423
Owner complaints per model year, Subaru Tribeca. Colour = our verdict for that year (red: avoid, orange: caution, green: better than average, blue: too new).

Best Tribeca years: 2014, 2007, 2011. Compare all years →

2010 Subaru Tribeca recalls (10)

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 19V-009 · Jan 9, 2019 · 452,630 vehicles

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York,…

Remedy: Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614.

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 19V-008 · Jan 9, 2019 · 330,120 vehicles

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, and Legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska,…

Remedy: Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614.

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 19V-007 · Jan 9, 2019 · 43,394 vehicles

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the…

Remedy: Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614.

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 18V-013 · Jan 9, 2018 · 93,209 vehicles

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2010 Tribeca, Impreza, Forester, WRX, Legacy, and Outback vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North…

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783.

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 18V-012 · Jan 9, 2018 · 64,179 vehicles

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the…

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783.

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 17V-014 · Jan 10, 2017 · 53,480 vehicles

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Subaru Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), 2006-2012 Tribeca, 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783.

Show 4 more recalls

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 16V-358 · May 25, 2016 · 302,127 vehicles

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.

Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch

NHTSA recall 16V-060 · Feb 3, 2016 · 77,017 vehicles

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Tribeca vehicles manufactured November 16, 2004, to January 27, 2014. Due to a possible malfunction of the hood safety system and hood lock system, the hood may open unexpectedly while driving.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will complete this recall in two phases. Phase one will involve inspection, cleaning, and lubricating the hood safety and hood lock systems.

Exterior lighting

NHTSA recall 12V-602 · Dec 26, 2012 · 633,842 vehicles

Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010 and 2011 Legacy and Outback vehicles, certain model year 2006 through 2012 Tribeca vehicles sold before January 2012, and certain model year 2009 through 2012 Forester vehicles sold before January 2012.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional fused-harness, free of charge. The recall began February 19, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.

Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch

NHTSA recall 10V-108 · Mar 18, 2010 · 1,585 vehicles

Subaru has notified NHTSA about a defect in certain model year 2010 tribeca passenger cars manufactured from September 4, 2009 through March 8, 2010. The door latch cables located inside the vehicle's driver and front passenger doors were improperly positioned during production.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners and dealers and will repair the vehicles by repositioning and securing the latch cable in both front doors free of charge. The safety recall began on March 19, 2010.

2010 Subaru Tribeca engines & fuel economy

EngineTransmissionDriveMPG city / hwy / combined
3.6L 6-cyl5-speed automaticAWD16 / 21 / 18

EPA ratings. Class: SUV.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2010 Subaru Tribeca a good car?

Based on 4 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2010 Tribeca rates few complaints: 1.5× as many complaints as a typical year of the Tribeca at the same age. 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 2010 Subaru Tribeca?

The electrical system — 2 complaints, 50% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the body & structure (1) and transmission & drivetrain (1).

How many recalls does the 2010 Subaru Tribeca have?

There are 10 recalls for the 2010 Subaru Tribeca, the most recent from January 9, 2019 (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 Tribeca?

The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2014, 2007 and 2011. See the full Subaru Tribeca years comparison.

At what mileage do 2010 Subaru Tribeca problems happen?

The median mileage reported in complaints is about 20,000 miles; 67% 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.