IllustrationA very short time, only weeks after new purchase, a very small rock impact resulted in large crack across entire windshield. Replaced with very costly genuine branded Subaru Replacement Part. 6 Months into the new windshield, while parked and without any impact, crack formed from the edge to the center of the windshield.
2022 Subaru Outback
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Outback years
Owner complaints for the 2022 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
Limited mileage data: 39 of 463 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 255 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
10 crash reports4 fire reports5 injury reports
What owners actually said
463 reportsWhile driving at approximately 55 miles per hour, a crack suddenly occurred in the lower passenger side of the front windshield. The crack extended to approximately 20 inches. There was no vehicle in front of the Subaru - no object struck the windshield. The failure mileage was 1100. When taken to the dealership, Subaru dete…
Read full complaint
While driving at approximately 55 miles per hour, a crack suddenly occurred in the lower passenger side of the front windshield. The crack extended to approximately 20 inches. There was no vehicle in front of the Subaru - no object struck the windshield. The failure mileage was 1100. When taken to the dealership, Subaru determined that the windshield was broken by "outer influences." When taken in to the Subaru dealership for repair, the new windshield had received "some shipping damage" and the repair had to be rescheduled.
While parked and without any impact a Crack formed from the edge to the center of the windshield. There was no impact While driving previously and to this point there is still no impact damage, just a smooth crack accross half the windshield.
Battery completely died on a nearly brand new car overnight, after being parked for less than 48h at temperatures around 5°F. Took it to a dealer who claims that the LED dome light was left on, draining the battery. However, the dome light is an LED light rated at about 100mA @ 13V, and the battery is rated over 100 Amp-hours …
Read full complaint
Battery completely died on a nearly brand new car overnight, after being parked for less than 48h at temperatures around 5°F. Took it to a dealer who claims that the LED dome light was left on, draining the battery. However, the dome light is an LED light rated at about 100mA @ 13V, and the battery is rated over 100 Amp-hours (de-rated to 45% at ~0°F, so a single dome light by itself should take around ~450 hours to drain a fully-charged battery. It seems like even brand new Subaru Outback 2022s are affected by major parasitic drain battery issues.
1st windshield crack at 13603 miles 2nd windshield crack less than one month later. THE CONSUMER STATED FORD ESCAPE VEHICLES BETWEN MODEL YEARS 2016-2019 HAVENT COOLANT LEAK ISSUES. THE CONSUMER OWNS A 2018 FORD ESCAPE WITH 80,000 MILES. THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED.
In first 5,000 miles two windshields have cracked. The first had NO obvious impact. The second was hit by a VERY SMALL pebble (<1/4”). Seems like Subaru hasn’t resolved their windshield issues.
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, a rock struck and cracked the passenger’s side windshield. The contact was able to continue driving to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who replaced the windshield with a factory windshield. However, a few weeks…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, a rock struck and cracked the passenger’s side windshield. The contact was able to continue driving to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who replaced the windshield with a factory windshield. However, a few weeks later the contact entered the vehicle and noticed a new crack had formed on the driver’s side of the windshield and had started to expand. The contact stated that there was no impact to the windshield to cause the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he noticed there was a crack on the windshield. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of …
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he noticed there was a crack on the windshield. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,200.
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, a crack suddenly occurred in the lower center of the front windshield. After parking the vehicle, the crack extended to approximately 18 inches in length. The contact described the crack as having a spider web effect. The contact …
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, a crack suddenly occurred in the lower center of the front windshield. After parking the vehicle, the crack extended to approximately 18 inches in length. The contact described the crack as having a spider web effect. The contact indicated that no object had struck the windshield to cause the crack. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not yet notified. The failure mileage was 3,000.
On 9 February 2022 I was driving the vehicle when a Crack appeared on the front driver's side of the windshield. No object hit the windshield before hand that had caused a chip or Crack. The Crack extends from the bottom drivers side up about 1/4 of the height of the windshield and then takes a turn towards the passenger side ap…
Read full complaint
On 9 February 2022 I was driving the vehicle when a Crack appeared on the front driver's side of the windshield. No object hit the windshield before hand that had caused a chip or Crack. The Crack extends from the bottom drivers side up about 1/4 of the height of the windshield and then takes a turn towards the passenger side approximately 9 inches.
Official recalls
424V227000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger
Mar 22, 2024
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
23V755000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:park/neutral Start Interlock Switch
Nov 9, 2023
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
22V712000 · Visibility:windshield
Sep 22, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Impreza and Outback vehicles. The incorrect paint clearcoat may have been applied, which can cause the windshield to be insufficiently bonded to the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 212, "Windshield Mounting."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An insufficiently bonded windshield can detach during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Subaru will offer owners a vehicle exchange or repurchase, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 21, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-22.
22V473000 · Electrical System:wiring; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm)
Jul 1, 2022
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
Electrical System:wiring
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
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.