Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 102 safety complaints
about the 2024 Subaru Outback with the US government. Of those, 5 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 4 people were injured and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is visibility and the wipers,
named in 21 complaints, 21% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 3,098 miles,
the median across the 8
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers May 2023 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
102 complaints on file
102
Complaints
5
Describe a crash
2
Mention fire
4
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not
the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production
ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 29 · 28%
29 28%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 21 · 21%
21 21%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 18 · 18%
18 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 · 16%
16 16%
ENGINE 7 · 7%
7 7%
AIR BAGS 6 · 6%
6 6%
LANE DEPARTURE 6 · 6%
6 6%
POWER TRAIN 6 · 6%
6 6%
STEERING 5 · 5%
5 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 4%
4 4%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 · 3%
3 3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 3%
3 3%
01531
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 102.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2024 at 37.
40 30 20 10
232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2023 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2024 Subaru OUTBACK, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
SW AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
18.5%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
AIR BAGS
2 injured · crash · towed · 6,000 miles
The contact owned a 2024 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle was involved in a head-on collision. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated after the crash. The contact sustained a concussion and the driver of the other vehicle sustained a knee injury. The contact received medical attention via the hospital an hour after the incident. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure …
NHTSA complaint 11566351, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
1 injured · crash · 1,000 miles
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 mph, the vehicle suddenly and unintendedly accelerated and continued to accelerate. There were no warning lights illuminated. The brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to stop, crashed into a building, and a brochure bracket stand, and hit a pedestrian who was transported by ambulance with unknown injuries' to the hospital. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire or air bag deployment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed her that the failure was due to user error. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a …
NHTSA complaint 11569446, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
1 injured
Continued issue with phantom reverse automatic emergency braking occurring while backing up from my driveway causing the car to fully brake without me touching the brake pedal at all once the vehicle is into the street. The only time it doesn’t occur is when continuous brake pressure is applied while backing out. This has caused the car to come to complete harsh jerking stop, whipping my head and neck forward and back several times. Each time, there are NO people, cars, or anything around that could be seen as a potential hazard.
NHTSA complaint 11698068. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
fire
Was doing 55-60 mph in left lane of highway. Suddenly and without warning the car is decelerating, cannot accelerate any more, all warning lights suddenly flashing on dashboard. I was able to get over to the far right emergency lane, turn car off and put on hazards and started calling Subaru roadside assistance. While doing so I suddenly saw smoke coming out from under the hood. I got out of the car and continued my talk when the smoke suddenly turned to flames from under the hood and I called 911. Within 3 minutes of dialing for assistance, my car was completely engulfed in flames and it was burned to a crisp by the time the fire trucks put it out. My insurance company retrieved the car …
NHTSA complaint 11724586, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2024 Subaru Outback rapidly deaccelerated/tried to stop in the middle of the highway twice! This is a safety issue and an accident waiting to happen. This car has been to the Subaru dealer 4 times for this issue and the dealer says they can’t figure it out. The last time the car slowed drastically and in the middle of the highway, we had three of our little grandkids (all under 6) in the backseat. It was very scary and it almost caused a very serious accident. I am now too afraid to ride in that car especially with my babies.
NHTSA complaint 11763288. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I own a 2024 Subaru Outback Limited XT, VIN [XXX]. While traveling approximately 45–50 mph on a four-lane road with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged, my vehicle suddenly and rapidly decelerated and automatically applied the brakes as I approached a police vehicle traveling in the lane immediately to my right. There was NOTHING in my lane for at least one mile ahead of me. The police vehicle was not in my lane. It was traveling in the adjacent lane to my right. As I approached the police vehicle, my Subaru unexpectedly began rapidly decelerating and automatically braking. I did not apply the brakes. There was no warning beep before the automatic braking occurred. The vehicle behaved as …
NHTSA complaint 11763292, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
Automatic braking applied without warning . It activated with no imminent threat and cause my car to stop on the road . It would not go forward pushing the gas pedal and I had to stop in the road completely and put it in park and then put it in drive before I could proceed down the road .
NHTSA complaint 11762961. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
On at approximately XXX 5:30am, while driving my 2024 Subaru Outback Premium Northbound on [XXX] right in front of the [XXX], the EyeSight Driver Assist / Pre-Collision Braking system engaged with hard/sudden braking despite no vehicle, pedestrian, or object present in or near the roadway. There was a vehicle following behind me, and the sudden braking created a near rear-end collision. Road conditions were dry, weather was dark but clear, and traffic was light to moderate. I am concerned this represents a false-positive activation of the automatic emergency braking system that poses a collision risk. I am requesting this be logged as a safety complaint against the vehicle's Collision …
NHTSA complaint 11762971, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I own a 2024 Subaru Outback Limited XT, VIN [XXX]. While traveling approximately 45–50 mph on a four-lane road with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged, my vehicle suddenly and rapidly decelerated and automatically applied the brakes as I approached a police vehicle traveling in the lane immediately to my right. There was NOTHING in my lane for at least one mile ahead of me. The police vehicle was not in my lane. It was traveling in the adjacent lane to my right. As I approached the police vehicle, my Subaru unexpectedly began rapidly decelerating and automatically braking. I did not apply the brakes. There was no warning beep before the automatic braking occurred. The vehicle behaved as …
NHTSA complaint 11762881, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On our long driveway, the car strongly accelerated with no gas pressure. I firmly pushed the brake and brought it to a stop. Upon lifting the brake again, it immediately accelerated entirely on its own with no use of the gas pedal. Heavy braking stopped it again. The same exact thing happened a few more times, the only way to prevent runaway acceleration was to forcefully apply the brakes. We safely parked the car. This experience was extremely alarming. Had we not been in our driveway and on the street, we could have been in a serious accident. The SUV was totally out of our control.
NHTSA complaint 11762582. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst