What ownership is like, what breaks at what mileage, what the repairs cost, and what to check before you buy one.
← All Subaru Outback generations
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 1.53 for 2015 (509 complaints across 333 listings) to 3.97 for 2019 (1,036 across 261), against a generation median of 2.75. The highest year, 2019, is 1.4 times that median. No year reaches the 2.0x our rule needs together with an above-median ad share and 30 or more listings, so nothing is flagged.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| higher mileage | CVT chain stretch and valve body problems at higher mileage | New or reman CVT $4,500-$7,000, independent rebuild $3,500-$5,000, used unit $2,000-$3,500 (Gearbox Insider); valve body or internal failure $0-$4,500 where the warranty extension applies (Au7o) | Rohnert Park Transmission calls 2015-2019 significantly improved but still prone to chain stretch and valve body trouble. A forum post says only 2.5L 2019 cars have the 100K-mile extension, not the 3.6R. One Reddit owner reports a 2019 needing a CVT at 60.6K miles with about a $9,000 quote and a dealer that declined coverage. That is a single report. Confirm coverage by VIN. |
| varies | Windshield wiper and electrical complaints | Wiper motor recall repair is free; au7o lists $0-$150 for the wiper motor item | In our NHTSA data the top complaint areas for 2015-2019 are visibility/wiper and electrical system. CarComplaints lists electrical, interior accessories and engine as the worst areas for the 2016. MotorTrend names 2018 as the year to avoid in this stretch. Test wipers, infotainment and the driver-assist system on the drive. |
| any | Recalls on file: fuel pump (21V587000, 20V218000), steering column (16V292000, 16V716000), driveshaft (15V502000), air bag control module (19V910000), spot welds below cowl (19V493000), software (18V773000) | Free at a Subaru dealer when open | Confirm each by VIN. |
No year in this generation was flagged. A year is flagged by our rule only when all three hold: (1) its NHTSA complaints per catalog listing is at least 2.0x the median for its generation, (2) the share of ads that mention a problem is above the generation median, and (3) we track at least 30 listings for that year. The cutoff was fixed before we looked. Ad mentions are not failures, and a flag is a reason to inspect harder, not a verdict on any one car. We also re-ran the ad test with the 'rust' flaw left out, because the ad reader counts phrases like 'no rust' as mentions, and publish a flag only if it passes both ways.
| Year | Complaints | Top components | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 509 | Visibility/wiper, Electrical System, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2016 | 642 | Electrical System, Unknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper | |
| 2017 | 921 | Electrical System, Visibility/wiper, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2018 | 816 | Visibility/wiper, Electrical System, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2019 | 1,036 | Electrical System, Visibility/wiper, Unknown Or Other |
source: NHTSA complaints database (api.nhtsa.gov). Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed failures.
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We don't tell you to skip a year; we flag by a fixed rule, and it flags only 2010 (360 complaints across 162 listings, 2.22 per listing against a 2010-2014 median of 1.03). Third-party lists commonly name 2013 (CoPilot, a Reddit thread) for 2.5L oil consumption and 2018 (MotorTrend). 2013 has 0.90 per listing in our data and 2018 has 2.75, both short of the 2.0x cutoff for their generations.
Older EJ25 cars do. Vehicle Rides says signs often show around 150,000 miles and puts the repair at $1,500 to $2,000 or more; Allied Motor Parts says around $2,000; a forum member was quoted $3,700 on a 2008 H6 at 150,000 miles. Check for oil seepage at the heads and coolant loss. This is a model-wide pattern from repair sources, and our complaint data does not isolate it.
The Lineartronic CVT debuted on the 2010 generation. Sources describe shudder, overheating and premature failure, and Subaru extended CVT coverage to 10 years or 100,000 miles on many 2010-2015 Legacy and Outback cars (Gearbox Insider). A replacement runs $4,500 to $7,000 new or reman, $3,500 to $5,000 for a rebuild and $2,000 to $3,500 used. Confirm coverage by VIN.
Gearbox Insider gives $4,500 to $7,000 for a new or remanufactured CVT, $3,500 to $5,000 for an independent rebuild, $2,000 to $3,500 for a used unit, and $300 to $1,000 for early fluid or valve body work. One Reddit owner reports about $9,000 quoted for a 2019; that is a single report.
We don't rank generations. Our own numbers: the 2010-2014 generation has a median of 1.03 NHTSA complaints per catalog listing and the 2015-2019 generation has 2.75. Those rates are not directly comparable across generations, because newer cars have had less time and different ways of filing complaints.
Yes. NHTSA files it under OUTBACK WILDERNESS from 2023. We counted both names and each complaint once. The 2024 model year is almost entirely under the Wilderness name.