2009 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 141 complaints
141
Total Complaints
71,396mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS
Top Issue
2
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

36,905 25th Percentile
71,396 Median Mileage
115,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS
30
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
22
ENGINE
15
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
9
VISIBILITY/WIPER
8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
6
POWER TRAIN
5
SERVICE BRAKES
5
STRUCTURE:BODY
4

Severity Assessment

2
Crashes
3
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5 SPECIAL EDITION. WHILE DRIVING ON I-35 NEAR CLOQUET, MN, THE CAR EXHIBITED DANGEROUSLY UNSTABLE HANDLING THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED BY OTHER SUBARU OUTBACK OWNERS. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE ICY AND EVEN WITH GREATLY REDUCED SPEED THE CAR WOULD SLIDE/DRIFT..."
"I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5 SPECIAL EDITION. WHILE DRIVING ON I-35 NEAR CLOQUET, MN, THE CAR EXHIBITED DANGEROUSLY UNSTABLE HANDLING THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED BY OTHER SUBARU OUTBACK OWNERS. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE ICY AND EVEN WITH GREATLY REDUCED SPEED THE CAR WOULD SLIDE/DRIFT..."
"SIDEWALL TIRE FAILURE IN ORDINARY USE; 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK, 5500 MILES, BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE TIRE FAILED, INNER RIGHT REAR SIDEWALL FRACTURED. NO EXCESSIVE DRIVING, SPEED, OR SEVERE USE AT ALL. I REPLACED ALL BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE TIRES AND HAVE THEM AVAILABLE FOR OSI/ODI EXPERT ANALYSIS. *TR"

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