IllustrationTAKATA RECALL WE HAVE BEEN ON THE WAITING LIST FOR THE REPLACEMENT AIRBAG SINCE SEPTEMBER 20, 2016. THE DEALER TELLS US WE ARE STILL NUMBER 45 ON THE LIST AND WILL NOT PREDICT WHEN THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SERVICE THE CAR.
2006 Subaru Outback
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2006 Subaru Outback do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 207.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Outback years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
170–25K
2625–50K
3050–75K
4875–100K
65100–150K
39150K+
225 reports with mileage · 51 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 98 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports3 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
276 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V323000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE MOREHART MURPHY DEALER…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V323000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE MOREHART MURPHY DEALER (30 PARKER AVE, DURANGO, CO 81303) AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THEY ONLY RECEIVED TEN PARTS PER MONTH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, BUT DID NOT RESPOND. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
TAKATA RECALL - FIRST CONTACTED SUBARU AT BEGINNING OF DECEMBER 2016 ABOUT SCHEDULING REPAIRS. RECALL HAS STILL NOT BEEN COMPLETED. DEALER IS WAITING FOR PARTS.
UPON PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR TO ENTER TRAFFIC, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE THROTTLE. THE ENGINE REMAINED RUNNING AND THE CAR IDLED INTO THE STREET AND DRIVER WAS ABLE TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT AND COAST TO A STOP. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WHERE THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT DIAGNOSED THE CAUSE AS FAILURE OF THE ACCELERATO…
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UPON PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR TO ENTER TRAFFIC, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE THROTTLE. THE ENGINE REMAINED RUNNING AND THE CAR IDLED INTO THE STREET AND DRIVER WAS ABLE TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT AND COAST TO A STOP. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WHERE THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT DIAGNOSED THE CAUSE AS FAILURE OF THE ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR COMPONENT OF THE THROTTLE BY WIRE SYSTEM.
AS I WAS CHECKING UNDER THE HOOD OF MY CAR I NOTICED THE BRAKE FLUID WAS LOW. I WENT TO PICK UP A NEW CONTAINER OF BRAKE FLUID. L.P. I NOTICED MY BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR BUT I WAS ABLE TO BRAKE WHEN I PUSHED IT TO THE FLOOR. I WENT TO A SHOP THAT SHOWED ME WHERE THE LEAK WAS COMING FROM. UNDER THE GAS TANK.
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V323000 (AIR BAGS). THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NO…
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TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V323000 (AIR BAGS). THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
HI, I'M WRITING YOU TO TO INFORM YOU OF A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE 05-09 SUBARU OUTBACK AIRBAG SYSTEM. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG NOTIFICATION BOARD, LOCATED IN THE DOME LIGHT ASSEMBLY IS ASSEMBLED WITH POOR QUALITY SOLDERS BETWEEN THE BOARD AND DIODES, THIS RESULTS IN FAILURE OF THE BOARD, THIS IS OFTEN SEEN IN LOWER TEMPERATURES …
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HI, I'M WRITING YOU TO TO INFORM YOU OF A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE 05-09 SUBARU OUTBACK AIRBAG SYSTEM. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG NOTIFICATION BOARD, LOCATED IN THE DOME LIGHT ASSEMBLY IS ASSEMBLED WITH POOR QUALITY SOLDERS BETWEEN THE BOARD AND DIODES, THIS RESULTS IN FAILURE OF THE BOARD, THIS IS OFTEN SEEN IN LOWER TEMPERATURES WHEN THE SOLDERS CRACK DUE TO THERMAL CONTRACTION. WHEN ONE OF THESE SOLDERS FAILS, IT CAUSES 2 ISSUES, 1, THE INDICATOR LIGHTS DON'T COME ON CORRECTLY, AND 2, THE ENTIRE AIRBAG SYSTEM IS DISABLED. THIS IS AN ISSUE KNOWN TO THE SUBARU OWNERS COMMUNITY. MY DEALER WANTS ABOUT $260 TO FIX IT. THANKS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CRUISE CONTROL FLASHED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE PARKING LOT. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AFTER FEW MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHA…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE CRUISE CONTROL FLASHED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE PARKING LOT. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AFTER FEW MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
RINGLAND ISSUE ONCE AGAIN ANOTHER RINGLAND ISSUE THIS IS WITH MY 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK XT. YES, THIS CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY BUT HAS BEEN DRIVEN GENTLY BY A GRANDMOTHER AND SERVICED WITH THE PRECISION OF A FORMULA RACE CAR. WHY HAS SUBARU NOT JUST COME OUT AND SAID YES OUR VEHICLES FROM 2005-2006 WERE GARBAGE AND THE RINGLANDS WERE…
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RINGLAND ISSUE ONCE AGAIN ANOTHER RINGLAND ISSUE THIS IS WITH MY 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK XT. YES, THIS CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY BUT HAS BEEN DRIVEN GENTLY BY A GRANDMOTHER AND SERVICED WITH THE PRECISION OF A FORMULA RACE CAR. WHY HAS SUBARU NOT JUST COME OUT AND SAID YES OUR VEHICLES FROM 2005-2006 WERE GARBAGE AND THE RINGLANDS WERE JUNK. I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM EVEN THINKING ABOUT REPLACING A STOCK RINGLAND ON A VECHICLE...NO OTHER CAR....NONE HAS HAD AS MANY ISSUES WITH RINGLANDS AS SUBARU. CAR IS NOW EXPERIENCING MISFIRES, AND SOME LOSS OF OIL AS LOSS OF POWER...COMPRESSION IN CYLINDERS IS NOW DOWN TO 30% SO THIS IS NOT A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE...THIS IS A DEFECT A MANUFACTURES DEFECT OR A METALLURGICAL DEFECT AND THEY REALLY NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THIS AND MAKE IT RIGHT FOR OLDER CUSTOMERS...WE ARE ALL JUST SITTING ON TICKING BOMBS. LOVE YA GUYS AND STAY CLASSY
ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, I WAS DRIVING MY OUTBACK, WHEN IT WENT "LIMP". THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR. MY CAR CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD AT THE SPEED I WAS DRIVING. WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE, IT SLOWED BUT, WHEN I LET UP ON THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE CONTINUED …
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ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, I WAS DRIVING MY OUTBACK, WHEN IT WENT "LIMP". THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR. MY CAR CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD AT THE SPEED I WAS DRIVING. WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE, IT SLOWED BUT, WHEN I LET UP ON THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV AND MY CAR CONTINUED IN FORWARD MOTION BEFORE TOTALLY DYING OUT FROM UNDER ME. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ON A SIDE STREET NEAR MY HOUSE. ON THE FIRST OCCASION, AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME, THE ENGINE STOPPED REVVING AND I COASTED TO A STOP. ON THE SECOND OCCASION, I WAS PULLING IN MY DRIVE, AFTER A TWO MILE TRIP, WHEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THE MOTOR CONTINUED REVVING WITH THE CAR MOVING FORWARD AND I HAD NO CONTROL OF THE ACCELERATOR. WHEN I TRIED TO BRAKE, THE CAR WOULD SLOW DOWN BUT IMMEDIATELY PICK UP WHEN I LET UP ON THE BRAKE. I NEARLY HIT A 6' BANK OF FIREWOOD AT THE END OF OUR DRIVE.
Official recalls
720V001000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
Jan 2, 2020
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 passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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.
20V002000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
Jan 2, 2020
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." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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.
20V003000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
Jan 2, 2020
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." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: 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.
19V297000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch
Apr 11, 2019
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 move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
15V323000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
May 28, 2015
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 with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed NHTSA of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.
14V311000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
Jun 10, 2014
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 lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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 may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQK-47. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V-110 which applied to certain 2005-2009 Legacy/Outback vehicles. Vehicles that were remedied under the previous campaign still need additional areas rust-proofed.
13V110000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings
Mar 27, 2013
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 protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.