"How reliable is the 2004 Subaru Outback?"

"Based on 108 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Subaru Outback has a median complaint mileage of 67190 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Subaru Outback?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Subaru Outback is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 108 total complaints filed."

2004 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 108 complaints

108

Total Complaints

67,190mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

16,000 25th Percentile

67,190 Median Mileage

102,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD

SUSPENSION

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY 2004 SUBARU OUTBACK COMES EQUIPPED WITH FRONT SIDE AIRBAGS. WITH ONLY 900 MILES ON MY CAR, I WAS "T-BONED" BY A FORD EXPLORER UNDER FULL ACCELERATION. WE WERE STRUCK ON THE DRIVERS SIDE WITH ENOUGH IMPACT TO CAUSE MY WIFE, IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, TO HIT HER HEAD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR POST ..."

"ON A VERY COLD DAY THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED AFTER TURNING ON THE DEFROSTER. NO CRACKS WERE PREVIOUSLY OBSERVED ON THE WINDSHIELD. THE CAR IS ONLY 3 WEEKS OLD. *NLM"

"WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SPUTTERED AND STALLED. CONSUMER COULDN'T SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE, AND COULDN'T REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AND THE BATTERY, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *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