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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2011 Subaru Outback — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 652 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

652
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
23
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
6
Involved Fire
owner-reported
6
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Subaru Outback — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

360 complaints

652 complaints

292 complaints

297 complaints

208 complaints

509 complaints

642 complaints

917 complaints

813 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Power Train 216 reports
Exterior Lighting 117 reports
Engine 85 reports
Service Brakes 76 reports
Air Bags 73 reports
Electrical System 67 reports
Unknown Or Other 39 reports
Steering 36 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Power Train ODI 11633292 12/31/2024

Coolant leak, steering power fluid leak, break pad leak, gasoline line leak, seat heater, clicking noise after turning off car, leaking seats and rear view mirror also leaking, steering wheel expanding due to possible air bag, heater and ac vents lose and also chemical smell/gas/coolant coming from front and back of car, sunroof not secured. Every wiring wet, charger port in m…

Power Train ODI 11292336 12/31/2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHEN THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE, IT SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. AFTER RESTARTING THE ENGINE, THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF…

Power Train ODI 10817163 12/31/2015

VEHICLE STALLS WHEN BRAKING HARD WHEN COMING TO A STOP.

Air Bags ODI 11633232 12/30/2024

The contact owned a 2011 Subaru Outback. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V001000 (Air Bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted.

Engine ODI 11164004 12/29/2018

ENGINE SOMETIMES FALTERS AND DIES WHEN COMING TO A STOP; USUALLY ONLY IN THE FIRST FEW MILES OF DRIVING. SIMILAR TO WHAT A MANUAL TRANSMISSION WOULD DO IF YOU DON'T PUT THE CLUTCH IN, EXCEPT THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC. GIVING IT A LITTLE BIT OF GAS WHEN IT FALTERS CAN ABORT THE STUTTERING, BUT NOT ALWAYS, AND IT ISN'T ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO DO SO SAFELY WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO COME TO A S…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2011 Subaru Outback, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2011 Subaru Outback reliable?
Owners have filed 652 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 Subaru Outback, most often about power train. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Subaru Outback years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.