2007 Subaru Outback problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (37) · Vehicle Speed Control (14) · Engine (9)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Subaru Outback model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
93 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (8)
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2020-01-02 · campaign 20V001000 · 258,813 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passeng
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-20.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2020-01-02 · campaign 20V002000 · 127,547 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally 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 Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B."
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-20.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2020-01-02 · campaign 20V003000 · 111,562 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." Thes
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.
Electrical System:ignition:switch 2019-04-11 · campaign 19V297000 · 511 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to m
Risk: The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
Electrical System 2016-10-13 · campaign 16V738000 · 100,127 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.
Risk: If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2015-05-28 · campaign 15V323000 · 432,016 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped wit
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners of Saab vehicles may call 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is WQR-53. Note: The recall completely supersedes recall 14V-399 (WQL-48) and partially supersedes recall 14V-763 (WQP-5
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2014-06-10 · campaign 14V311000 · 461,338 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake l
Risk: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 2014 and second notifications will run through November 2014. Owners
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2013-03-27 · campaign 13V110000 · 274,402 vehicles
Defect: Subaru is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from December 2003, through April 2009 and currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protecto
Risk: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQG-43.
Service bulletins (204)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-05 · SubaruNet Announcement (M · Other
this announcement provides information on a new software update for the midtronics dss and dca machines.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-18 · 13-109-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · SubaruNet Announcement (C · Other
this announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-14 · 15-333-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Electrical System 2026-09-14 · 15-304-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of infotainment concerns. this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Electrical System 2026-08-20 · 15-308-23R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service information bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts.this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 204 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-22 · Air Bags“i purchased this 2007 subaru outback for my daughter after checking subaru's official recalls website. that site listed takata recall wqr-53 as completed [xxx]. my independent subaru-certified mechanic diagnosed code 72 on the passenger airbag circuit and referred me to don k subaru in whitefish, noting that the master technician there had traine…”
2025-08-15 · Air Bags“the contact owns a 2007 subaru outback. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v003000 (air bags). the vehicle was taken to the local dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer declined to repair the vehicle due to possible damage to the dashboard while replacing the air bags. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.…”
2024-11-01 · Service Brakes“lost brakes. corroded brake lines. recall was completed for this very issue. fix was ineffective. …”
2024-06-10 · Service Brakes“2007 subaru legacy outback 2.5i automatic. had recall campaign 14v311 completed in 2018 for brake lines. according to subaru brake lines were rustproofed and/or replaced. 9 june 2024 i start vehicle and place it into drive in doing so applying brake pedal to allow selection of transmission range. pedal goes to floor without feedback pressure. no br…”
2023-12-01 · Power Train“both front driver and passenger side cv boots have failed prematurely on several occasions well before the expected life and mileage expectancy for these parts (they have been replaced on four separate occasions). the cv boots hold grease in to provide lubrication to the axels. safety was at risk as lack of lubrication increased chances of axel…”
2023-01-22 · Suspension · 💥 crash“driving down the freeway, snowy conditions, going roughly 50 mph in a straight line, no curves or turns in sight, hit a very small hump in the road and suddenly i found myself sideways from what seems like a rear steer situation, i corrected as best i could and luckily i was in the only section of the road that didn't have a wall, ended up backward…”
2021-12-17 · Air Bags“a couple of months ago i noticed the airbag lamp stayed on after starting my car. after i had parked and later restarted the car, the airbag light went off as normal. a month or so later the airbag light again stayed on after starting the car. i also noticed that the passenger airbag indicator (on or off) didn’t seem to be working. it didn’t say “…”
2021-12-01 · Exterior Lighting“all rear lights, rear hatch lock, brake lights all failed due to wiring going from the body to the hatch getting cut from the action of opening and closing the hatch door. this seems to be a pretty common thing with at least the 2005-2007 models years. …”
2021-10-19 · Seat Belts“the airbag light on my dash was lighting intermittently. i called kendall subaru here in fairbanks, ak and was told i shouldn't drive the car as such a light indicated a problem with my airbags and that even a low level bump could set them off or that they might not function at all in a major accident. i scheduled an appointment to have this prob…”
2021-06-16 · Suspension · 190,000 mi“the contact owns a 2007 subaru outback. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went over a bump in the roadway and went sideways. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and it was diagnosed that the rear stabilizer bar had detached. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the fa…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.