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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2012 Subaru Outback — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 292 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

292

Complaints

filed with NHTSA

Involved a Crash

owner-reported

Involved Fire

owner-reported

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.

2010 Subaru Outback

360 complaints

2011 Subaru Outback

652 complaints

2012 Subaru Outback

292 complaints

2013 Subaru Outback

297 complaints

2014 Subaru Outback

208 complaints

2015 Subaru Outback

509 complaints

2016 Subaru Outback

642 complaints

2017 Subaru Outback

917 complaints

2018 Subaru Outback

813 complaints

2019 Subaru Outback

1,035 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Power Train 107 reports

Engine 50 reports

Air Bags 39 reports

Service Brakes 38 reports

Electrical System 37 reports

Unknown Or Other 24 reports

Exterior Lighting 18 reports

Steering 9 reports

In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Power Train ODI 11164315 12/31/2018

I WAS TAKING IT FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND LUBE. AFTER DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 60-70 MPH, I CAME OFF THE FREEWAY, WENT 2 BLOCKS TO A STOPLIGHT. AS SOON AS I STOPPED, MANY WARNING LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING, AND BECAME ALARMED, WENT 3 BLOCKS TO THE LUBE SERVICE CENTER AND SOME STEAM STARTED COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE SERVICE MEN IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT IN TO CHECK IT OUT. THEY R…

Exterior Lighting ODI 10938860 12/30/2016

MY HEADLIGHTS ON MY OUTBACK ARE CONSTANTLY GOING OUT. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN OCTOBER OF 2015 AND I HAVE REPLACED MY HEADLIGHTS 9 TIMES. I LIVE IN ALASKA WITH VERY LITTLE DAY LIGHT AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS HAVE MY HEADLIGHTS ON, REGARDLESS OF WHERE I LIVE. I HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO NOT HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER FOR THIS YET BUT I CAN SEE IT HAPPENING IN THE NEAR FUT…

Engine ODI 11057039 12/28/2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE SHUTTERED AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO MASTRIA SUBARU (1255 NEW STATE HWY, RAYNHAM, MA 02767) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE WAS BURNING OIL. THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE…

Service Brakes ODI 10441373 12/27/2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V562000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES) AND HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT AN ABNORMAL CLICKING NOISE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT DENIED ANY ASSI…

Power Train ODI 11561859 12/26/2023

When coming to a quick or hard stop, car will rumble then stall out. To confirm that the issue is transmission based I shift the car into neutral then brake quickly and the issue does not arise.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2012 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 2012 Subaru Outback reliable?

Owners have filed 292 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2012 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.