2019 Subaru Outback reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 1,034 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Subaru Outback over 8 years — 184 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Outback years here — over the median of the other years, which is 56. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Fuel pump and Structure.

2012 Subaru Outback — Photo by Vauxford, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

1,034

Per year

184

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (363 of 1,034), then Visibility and wipers (326) and Visibility (63). Those filings include 24 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 12 that report an injury.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 Outback has 811 complaints, 135 per year, and the 2020 has 897 complaints, 240 per year. The 2019 has more complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2019 Subaru Outback. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall Fuel pump 2021-07-29 · NHTSA campaign 21V587000

Summary 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.

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.

Recall Fuel pump 2020-04-16 · NHTSA campaign 20V218000

Summary Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.

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.

Recall Structure 2019-06-26 · NHTSA campaign 19V493000

Summary 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.

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.

Complaints by component (1034 total)

Electrical system

363

Visibility and wipers

326

Visibility

Engine

Forward collision avoidance

Steering

Structure

Speed control

Fuel and propulsion system

Service brakes

Lane departure

Powertrain

Air bags

Exterior lighting

Back-over prevention

Fuel system, gasoline

Suspension

Equipment

Seats

Latches, locks, and linkages

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Seat belts

Tires

Wheels

Air brakes

Engine and engine cooling

Insert and padding

Show 19 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Subaru has a tsb for a steering rack pinion rattle noise problem front end rattle, Subaru refused to repair it"
Steering · filed 2026-09-24
"The Starlink infotainment touchscreen in my 2019 Subaru Outback Touring has progressively failed. Visible bubbles have formed under the glass, consistent with screen delamination. The screen registers phantom inputs on…"
Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-02
"My complaint/safety issue is that while I was in my 2019 Subaru Outback, I experienced Unintentional acceleration. While waiting for the large chain-link fence at my storage unit to open, the Outback raced into the…"
Service brakes, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-08-12
"The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH the front windshield cracked approximately 6 inches from the heat sensor, no warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was…"
Visibility · filed 2026-08-03
"Driver controls for windows do not work for front windows .. Can not put windows down. Therefore if window on passenger side or driver side gets foggy, can not lower to see out Dealer has stated that there is dirt in…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2019 Subaru Outback SW AWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Outback all-wheel drive	3.6L, 6-cyl	Automatic (AV-S6)	All-wheel drive	20	27	22 MPG	$2950
Outback all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AV-S7)	All-wheel drive	25	32	28 MPG	$2300

Specs and fitment

5th generation (BS), 2015–2019

Body styles Wagon

Oil 0W-20 synthetic (2.5L FB25; 5W-30 if 0W-20 unavailable) , 5.1 qt capacity

Tire size 225/65R17 (base), 225/60R18 (Limited/Touring)

Towing capacity 2,700 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Safety recall 20V-218 (Subaru WRD-20) covers certain 2019 Outback, Legacy, Impreza, and Ascent vehicles whose low-pressure fuel pump may become inoperative; if the pump fails, the engine may stall without restart capability. Dealers replace the low-pressure fuel pump free of charge. The campaign unit total covers those models together, not Outback alone. Safety recall 19V-493 (Subaru WUH-93) covers a small build run of 2019 Legacy and Outback vehicles whose spot welds on the duct below the cowl panel may have been improperly applied, reducing body strength in a crash; dealers inspect and repair or repurchase as needed. Safety recall 18V-935 (Subaru WTZ-85) covers certain 2018 Legacy, Outback, and BRZ vehicles when audio-display software can leave the backup camera blank, failing FMVSS 111; dealers reprogram the display.

Compare

Previous year 2018 Subaru Outback Next year 2020 Subaru Outback See every Subaru Outback model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Subaru Outback reliable?

What are common problems with a 2019 Subaru Outback?

Is the 2019 Subaru Outback more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2019 Subaru Outback been recalled?

The 2019 Subaru Outback has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2019 Subaru Outback?

Owners have filed 1034 complaints about the 2019 Subaru Outback with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 Subaru Outback get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 Subaru Outback is 25 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Subaru Outback use?

US manuals specify 0W-20 synthetic for recent FB and turbo engines, with temporary 5W-30 only when 0W-20 is unavailable.

What does NHTSA recall 19V-008 cover on the Subaru Outback?

Recall 19V-008 covers certain 2010-2014 Subaru Outback and Legacy vehicles (among other Subaru models) sold or ever registered in listed Zone B states: the front passenger air bag inflator may explode during deployment and send sharp metal fragments into the cabin.

What generation is the 2013 Subaru Outback?

4th generation (BR) (2012-2014).