1,026 of the 3,749 complaints about the Subaru Outback (27.4%) concern Electrical, making it the model's second-largest problem area. That share is 1.7× the Electrical share across all tracked vehicles.
1,026Complaints · Electrical
27.4%Share of complaints
1.74×vs. all vehicles
57Last 12 months
2.1%Share involving a crash or fire
2Related recalls
Analysis
By model year, Electrical complaints peak with the 2019 model (355, 34% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2025 model (13). 57 Electrical complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 79 in the 12 months before — a steady pace.
Owners most often describe: “battery”, “dead”, “jump”, “drain” and “died”. 23 of these reports (2.1%) describe a crash or fire, with 4 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
2 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 20V766000 (2020-12-10, model years 2020).
I was already parked in a spot in a public parking lot. I tapped the accelerator pedal to move the car a few inches. The vehicle responded by violently accelerating, hitting a vehicle directly in front of me in another parking space.
Electrical · 2026-07-06 · ODI 11748480 · Crash
I was parking my car slowly until it suddenly accelerated. I hit a wall and car got totaled.
Electrical · 2026-03-19 · ODI 11725434 · Crash
The Starlink infotainment touchscreen in my 2019 Subaru Outback Touring has progressively failed. Visible bubbles have formed under the glass, consistent with screen delamination.
Electrical · 2026-09-02 · ODI 11761781
Vehicle's Auto Start-Stop system shut the engine off while stopped at a red light in [XXX], in rainy conditions in late XXX at approximately 29,000 miles.
Electrical · 2026-08-26 · ODI 11759871
Car battery has been failing since June it will not stay charged it started out losing power over weekends now it is every day. It is so bad I purchased a portable battery charger from auto zone to jump my car.
Electrical · 2026-08-22 · ODI 11758694
I am reporting a serious and intermittent steering safety issue with my 2021 Subaru Outback. On two separate occasions, the vehicle suddenly lost what appeared to be power-steering assistance while the vehicle was in motion, causing the steering wheel to…
Electrical · 2026-08-16 · ODI 11757279
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Related recalls
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION Campaign 20V766000 · 2020-12-10 · Model years: 2020
Summary: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with "high" grade and "mid" grade multimedia navigation. The August 2020 over-the-air software update may have timed out without completing the installation, corrupting the data, and causing the rearview display to shutoff intermittently. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the software and, if necessary, replace the Cockpit Control Module, free of charge. The recall began January 22, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-20.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE Campaign 18V773000 · 2018-11-01 · Model years: 2018
Summary: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles. Due to a software error, the low fuel warning light may not illuminate at the intended remaining fuel level and the miles-to-empty display may incorrectly indicate a positive number despite the tank being empty.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the combination meter software, free of charge. The recall began February 20, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTW-82.
How common are Electrical problems on the Subaru Outback?
1,026 of the 3,749 complaints about the Subaru Outback (27.4%) concern Electrical, making it the model's second-largest problem area. That share is 1.7× the Electrical share across all tracked vehicles.
Which Subaru Outback model years have the most Electrical complaints?
By model year, Electrical complaints peak with the 2019 model (355, 34% of that year's complaints) and are lowest for the 2025 model (13).
Is there a recall for Subaru Outback Electrical problems?
2 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 20V766000 (2020-12-10, model years 2020).