1998 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 165 complaints
165
Total Complaints
91,056mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Top Issue
13
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

68,000 25th Percentile
91,056 Median Mileage
120,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
18
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
7
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
7
AIR BAGS
6
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4

Severity Assessment

13
Crashes
2
Fires
11
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE BECAME TANGLED WITH WIPERS ON DRIVER'S SIDE, BECAUSE OF A LOOSE BOLT. THIS DISTRACTION ALMOST CAUSED DRIVER TO CRASH. THE WIPERS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED. *AK *NLM"
"CONSUMER HAS POOR VISIBILITY. WHENEVER IT RAINS ALL GLASS GIVES A FILM AND STREAKING WHEN USING THE WIPERS. *AK"
"WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE DOES NOT STOP. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HAS TO BE APPLIED IN ORDER TO STOP. DEALER CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28