2012 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 367 complaints
367
Total Complaints
87,000mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN
Top Issue
18
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

47,000 25th Percentile
87,000 Median Mileage
121,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN
102
ENGINE
50
AIR BAGS
39
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
35
SERVICE BRAKES
34
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
24
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
16
STEERING
9
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
7
VISIBILITY/WIPER
5

Severity Assessment

18
Crashes
11
Fires
12
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V562000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES) AND HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT AN ABNORMAL CLICKING NOISE WHEN AP..."
"WHILE DRIVING THE CAR ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY THE CAR WAS OUT OF CONTROL. WE HAD ONLY 2 INCHES OF SNOW DURING THE DAY, THE HWY. WAS MOSTLY CLEAR EXCEPT FOR SOME PACKED SNOW BECAUSE OF COLD TEMPS. BUT IT WAS MOSTLY CLEAR. WE COULD NOT KEEP THE CAR GOING STRAIGHT, IT WAS CONSTANTLY SWERVING. WE COULD NOT G..."
"WHILE DRIVING THE CAR ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY THE CAR WAS OUT OF CONTROL. WE HAD ONLY 2 INCHES OF SNOW DURING THE DAY, THE HWY. WAS MOSTLY CLEAR EXCEPT FOR SOME PACKED SNOW BECAUSE OF COLD TEMPS. BUT IT WAS MOSTLY CLEAR. WE COULD NOT KEEP THE CAR GOING STRAIGHT, IT WAS CONSTANTLY SWERVING. WE COULD NOT G..."

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