IllustrationEYESIGHT WINDSHIELD BROKE WHILE DRIVING ON A FREEWAY IN LIGHT RAIN. NO KNOWN CAUSE. CRACK CONTINUED EXPANDING FOR 2 DAYS IN WARM, DRY WEATHER. HAD WINDSHIELD REPLACED ON AN INSURANCE CLAIM WITH SAFELITE AND THEY ALSO CALIBRATED THE EYESIGHT CAMERAS.
2019 Subaru Outback
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Outback years
Owner complaints for the 2019 Subaru Outback are substantially higher than 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
3730–25K
7725–50K
1050–75K
575–100K
4100–150K
0150K+
469 reports with mileage · 564 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 363 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 326 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
24 crash reports2 fire reports12 injury reports
Visibility/wiper complaints
326 reportsWINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED. PARKED AT A CONVENIENCE STORE, NOTHING AROUND THE VEHICLE, CAME OUT AND NOTICED A CRACK FROM THE A POST INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. HAPPENED ON A SATURDAY, ATTEMPTED TO CALL INSURANCE COMPANY AND WAS TOLD I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL MONDAY.
WINDSHIELD CRACK APPEARED NEAR THE TOP, BY THE DRIVER ASSIST CAMERA. UNKNOWN HOW IT OCCURRED. OWNER ASSUMED CAUSED BY ROCK SLUNG BY ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY, BUT CRACK WAS NOT NOTICED UNTIL MANY DAYS LATER. INSURANCE REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD, BUT A SUBARU DEALERSHIP CHARGED $270 FOR EYESIGHT RE-CALIBRATION.
MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED SPONTANEOUSLY WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED IN A RAMP. THE CRACK IS AT THE LOWER PASSENGER SIDE.
I GOT A BRAND NEW SUBARU 2019 SUV IN SECOND WEEK OF MAY 2019. CAR HAS AROUND 5500 MILES ON IT. WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED A CRACK THAT I OBSERVED WHEN I GOT INTO MY CAR NEXT MORNING. OVERNIGHT CAR WAS PARKED ON MY DRIVE WAY. THERE ARE NO TREES AND I DONT SEE ANY ROCKS HITTING. IT CRACKED OUT OF NO WHERE
DRIVING DOWN NORMAL HIGHWAY AND NOTICED A CRACK FORMING. WINDSHIELD CRACKED NEAR WIPER FROM MAYBE SOME ROAD DUST HIT IT THAT IS COMMON ON ANY HIGHWAY. NEVER HAD SUCH A BIG CRACK FROM NORMAL ROAD DUST BEFORE.
CRACK APPEARED ON WINDSHIELD WITHOUT ANY PRIOR DAMAGE TO THE AREA WHILE DRIVING. STARTED BELOW WINDSHIELD WIPER ON DRIVERSIDE AND CONTINUES FOR 24" ACROSS THE CENTER OF THE GLASS IN A CURVED 40 DEG ANGLE.
WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUS CRACK UNDER WIPER DEICER CONNECTION VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY
SUBSTANTIAL WINDSHIELD CRACK WITH NO VISIBLE PREVIOUS DAMAGE. VEHICLE WAS PARKED OUTDOORS AT APPROXIMATELY 2045 CENTRAL TIME ON 8/15/2019 FACING WEST. AT APPROXIMATELY 0900 CENTRAL TIME ON 8/16/2019 VEHICLE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL 7+ INCH CRACK DESCENDING FROM TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD DIRECTLY ABOVE AND DESCENDING VERTICALLY DOWN F…
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SUBSTANTIAL WINDSHIELD CRACK WITH NO VISIBLE PREVIOUS DAMAGE. VEHICLE WAS PARKED OUTDOORS AT APPROXIMATELY 2045 CENTRAL TIME ON 8/15/2019 FACING WEST. AT APPROXIMATELY 0900 CENTRAL TIME ON 8/16/2019 VEHICLE HAD A SUBSTANTIAL 7+ INCH CRACK DESCENDING FROM TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD DIRECTLY ABOVE AND DESCENDING VERTICALLY DOWN FROM NEAR THE DRIVER EYESIGHT CAMERA. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR FOR GLASS WHICH IS MEANT TO PROTECT THE DRIVER AND PROVIDE A VIEW PORT FROM WHICH MOST SAFETY SYSTEMS OF THE VEHICLE OPERATE.
WE HAD OUR FIRST SPONTANEOUS CRACK ABOUT A WEEK AFTER PURCHASING OUR OUTBACK IN NOVEMBER 2018. I'M NOT SURE WHERE IT HAPPENED BUT WE HAD NOT HAD ANY ROCKS HIT THE WINDSHIELD. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED IT WAS A CHIP (THEY USED A BALLPOINT PEN TO INSPECT AND I BELIEVE THEY CREATED A SMALL CHIP ALONG THE CRACK LINE) BUT THEY REPLACED …
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WE HAD OUR FIRST SPONTANEOUS CRACK ABOUT A WEEK AFTER PURCHASING OUR OUTBACK IN NOVEMBER 2018. I'M NOT SURE WHERE IT HAPPENED BUT WE HAD NOT HAD ANY ROCKS HIT THE WINDSHIELD. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED IT WAS A CHIP (THEY USED A BALLPOINT PEN TO INSPECT AND I BELIEVE THEY CREATED A SMALL CHIP ALONG THE CRACK LINE) BUT THEY REPLACED IT FOR FREE. THE SECOND CRACK OCCURRED ABOUT A MONTH AFTER THE NEW WINDSHIELD WAS INSTALLED. I WAS DRIVING AT THE TIME AND HEARD IT HAPPEN; THERE WAS NO APPARENT ROAD HAZARD THAT CAUSED THE CRACK.THIS TIME I DIDN'T ALLOW THEM TO INSPECT WITH A BALLPOINT PEN AND, SURE ENOUGH, THEY CONFIRMED IT WAS A SPONTANEOUS CRACK AND SUBARU REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD FOR US. THE THIRD CRACK JUST OCCURRED AND I BELIEVE IT IS ALSO A SPONTANEOUS CRACK THAT HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT. THERE IS NO APPARENT CHIP. ALL OF THEM START IN THE BLACK AREA BELOW THE WIPERS. I WONDER IF THERE COULD BE A DEFECT IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE CAR THAT CAUSES UNDUE STRESS ON THE WINDSHIELD. I WENT TO A LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT INSPECTED AND THE FIRST THING THEY DID WAS GET THEIR BALLPOINT PEN OUT. I WILL WAIT TO GO TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR AND WILL ALSO PURSUE ISSUE WITH SUBARU CUSTOMER RELATIONS.
Official recalls
321V587000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Jul 29, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
20V218000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Apr 16, 2020
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the low pressure fuel pump fails, the engine may stall without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-20.
19V493000 · Structure
Jun 26, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Legacy and Outback vehicles. Spot welds located on the duct below the cowl panel may have been improperly applied, impacting the vehicle's body strength.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash, the reduced strength of the vehicle body may increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and repair or repurchase the vehicle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUH-93.
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.