"How reliable is the 2013 Subaru Outback?"

"Based on 403 NHTSA complaints, the 2013 Subaru Outback has a median complaint mileage of 40000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2013 Subaru Outback?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2013 Subaru Outback is ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 403 total complaints filed."

2013 Subaru Outback: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 403 complaints

403

Total Complaints

40,000mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

5,377 25th Percentile

40,000 Median Mileage

82,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE

POWER TRAIN

AIR BAGS

STEERING

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SERVICE BRAKES

SUSPENSION

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I BOUGHT A SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5 LIMITED ON 9/29/12. THERE HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT CLICKING NOISES DURING ACCELERATION AND WHEN TAKING FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL, USUALLY WHEN NEAR OR ABOVE 38 MILES PER HOUR. THE CLICKING NOISES RANGE FOR LOW TO LOUD. MY CAR HAS NOW BEEN IN THE DEALER FOR OVER 1 WEEK. THE F..."

"DRIVING 55-60 MPH CAR CONTINUALLY "DRIFTED" OFF OF CENTER WHEN DRIVING, MOST NOTICEABLE ON A STRAIGHT STRETCH OF ROAD. CONSTANT CORRECTION AND RECORRECTION NEEDED TO KEEP VEHICLE IN ITS OWN DRIVING LANE. DEALER INSPECTED VEHICLE AND CLAIMED THERE ARE NO MECHANICAL ISSUES HOWEVER MANY ONLINE COMPLAIN..."

"MADE A TURN AND WAS HALFWAY DOWN THE BLOCK GOING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH WHEN THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. THE INSTRUMENT GAUGE LIT UP WITH ALL SORTS OF ANNUNCIATORS. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO A SAFE LOCATION AND PARK. THE FOLLOWING ANNUNCIATORS WERE FLASHING; AT OIL TEMP, CRUISE CONTROL INDICATOR, A..."

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