The 2023 drew 83 owner complaints in its first three years, against 311 for a typical Outback year since 2016. No open NHTSA investigation names it, and it has no recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside.
Years to avoid: 2020; best years: 2021 and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
Risk: An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles.
The center support bolts for the driveshaft may loosen, resulting in the disconnection of the front end of the driveshaft.
Risk: Separation of the front end of the driveshaft increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will clean the bolt mounting surfaces of the center support brace and install new bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 20, 2023. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRN-23.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Outback, Legacy, Ascent, and Impreza vehicles.
NHTSA listing: OUTBACK. Subaru campaign WRN-23.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2023 Subaru Outback.
What owners report
Owners have filed 89 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Outback. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Cracked or shattered windshield18 · 20%
Shattered sunroof6 · 7%
Unintended acceleration or surging6 · 7%
Phantom braking or false collision alerts4 · 4%
Cruise control problems4 · 4%
Infotainment or touchscreen failures4 · 4%
Driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages3 · 3%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (17); adaptive cruise control (10)
Electrical system17 · 19%
Visibility/wiper16 · 18%
Brakes7 · 8%
Exterior lighting6 · 7%
Powertrain5 · 6%
Latches, locks and linkages3 · 3%
Unknown or other15 · 17%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Subaru Outback recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2023 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2020 Outback drew the most (720) and the 2023 drew 83.
Owner complaints
2023: 89 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Subaru Outback
Model year
Complaints
2010
360
2011
653
2012
295
2013
297
2014
208
2015
510
2016
644
2017
921
2018
816
2019
1,036
2020
906
2021
300
2022
467
2023
89
2024
106
2025
84
2026
21
Safety recalls
2023: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Subaru Outback
Model year
Recalls
2010
18
2011
16
2012
16
2013
12
2014
10
2015
5
2016
4
2017
4
2018
3
2019
3
2020
6
2021
4
2022
4
2023
2
2024
0
2025
0
2026
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 89 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Subaru Outback, the problems described most are a cracked or shattered windshield (18), a shattered sunroof (6), and unintended acceleration or surging (6). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2023 Subaru Outback safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2023 Subaru Outback earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2023 Subaru Outback?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2023 Subaru Outback.
How do I check if my Outback has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Subaru dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: OUTBACK.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.