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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2015 Subaru Outback — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 509 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

509
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
19
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
5
Involved Fire
owner-reported
16
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

1,035 complaints

899 complaints

296 complaints

464 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Visibility/wiper 130 reports
Electrical System 127 reports
Unknown Or Other 108 reports
Engine 47 reports
Power Train 37 reports
Structure 33 reports
Service Brakes 28 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 26 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Power Train ODI 10669374 12/31/2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 856. UPDATED 02/18/15*LJ UPDATED 9/12/2017*CN

Structure ODI 11164079 12/30/2018

WE WERE DRIVING OUR 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK AT ABOUT 55MPH ON US20, THE TEMPERATURE WAS IN THE MID 30'S, IN EAST OREGON WHEN OUR SUNROOF SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODED. THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND AND THERE WAS NO IMPACT FROM FOREIGN OBJECTS. THERE WAS A LOUD, DISTRACTING, BANG FOLLOWED BY A CLOUD OF SHATTERED GLASS COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR. THE SUNROOF COVER WAS CLOSED AND…

Steering ODI 11632999 12/29/2024

The clock spring that controls the steering wheel, horn and other electrical accessories doesn’t work. This put my life and family’s lives at risk. This is a known issue for Subarus 2015-2019. There’s multiple videos online, I have spoken to multiple owners personally that have encountered the same issue. I spoke to the Subaru dealer and they said due to no recall has been iss…

Service Brakes ODI 10938672 12/29/2016

INVALID BRAKING INCIDENTS WITH SUBARU OUTBACK'S EYESIGHT PRE-COLLISION BRAKING SYSTEM. MY CAR HAS BRAKE SUDDENLY, WITHOUT CAUSE ON 3 OCCASIONS. 1) SUNNY MORNING ON A CROWDED RESIDENTIAL STREET GOING LESS THAN 25MPH WITH NO CARS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME, CAR GAVE WARNING AND IMMEDIATELY BRAKED STOPPING THE CAR. 2) SUNNY AFTERNOON ON A WIDE RESIDENTIAL STREET GOING ABOUT…

Unknown Or Other ODI 11445193 12/28/2021

Outback 2015 Windshield cracked with no obvious reason even at about 30 mph.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2015 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 2015 Subaru Outback reliable?
Owners have filed 509 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2015 Subaru Outback, most often about visibility/wiper. 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.