2019 Subaru Outback Problems

2019 Subaru Outback problems owners report most

2019 Subaru Outback problems are documented in public: owners have filed 1,036 complaints with NHTSA, the earliest in 2018 and the most recent in 2026. Sorting those by the component the filer named puts the electrical system clearly first, at 364 of the 1,036 complaints, close to a third of everything filed.

A complaint is not a repair bill and not a defect finding. It is one owner telling the regulator something went wrong. What makes the count useful is the concentration: when one component takes 35 per cent of everything filed on a car, the pattern is doing more than chance.

Against the 2018 car, this model year has drawn 27 per cent more complaints (1,036 against 816). Both years are led by the electrical system, so this is a fault that carried over rather than one introduced with the 2019 car. A rise is worth more attention than a fall here, because a newer car has had fewer years on the road to accumulate reports.

Of those complaints, 24 describe a crash and 2 describe a fire. Filers reported 18 injuries.

Recalls on the 2019 Subaru Outback

A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator found a safety defect, and the repair is free at a franchised dealer however old the car is. There are 3 recalls on this model year. Your own car may be covered by some, all or none of them, so check the VIN rather than the model.

In owners own words

These are complaints filed about the electrical system, quoted as written. They are one persons account rather than a diagnosis, and they are here because a symptom described by a driver is easier to recognise than a component name.

Good Morning. I am the victim of a lemon of a car, a 2019 Subaru Outback and no one, I mean no one wants to get involved with exposing this disgraceful uncaring car manufacturer. I am forwarding the 10, yes 10 issues with this dangerous piece of junk I am unfortunately driving putting our lives at risk!! Please see the information below and my hope is that you will care enough to expose and help us get a resolution with this horrible company manufacturing rolling death traps. Thank you [XXX] [XXX] Listed below are the continuing problems with my 2019 Subaru Outback which was purchased n

We had dealt with a parasitic battery drain issue related to the DCM, which was improperly addressed by Johnson Subaru of Cary. The dealership bypassed the problem, which was not what we requested or expected. While they have stated they will replace the DCM once parts become available, this is unacceptable, given that we paid for this part with the initial purchase. If they follow through with the replacement, that would resolve one issue, but their initial response seemed like an attempt to avoid responsibility. After the DCM was replaced, a new issue arose: the radio head unit became inope

My 2019 Outback has had 2 incidents where the battery was dead without an explanation. There are 24000 miles on it. The most recent incident occurred less than a week after the dealer serviced the vehicle. The service included a battery test and I was told it tested good. The car was parked in my home garage, and from all indications, no lights were left on, doors/tailgates open etc. This was confirmed when the Subaru STARLINK roadside assistance provider came to jump the vehicle. Immediately after the vehicle was started, I took it to the dealer and requested a battery check. They showe

1. System failed. We purchased this car on 6/2/20, with a mileage of 6,174 miles. We are retired and don't drive much; for shorter distances we mostly rode our bicycles. In our recent living environment we can park cars outside in spaces, and in a large underground parking garage. While we did not drive much, I still needed to work on bicycles using tools stored in the rear trunk compartment, with the trunk lid in open position. What I did not know was that even the mere open car trunk was run electrically, though the large electronic dashboard gave a clue of a rather massive reliance on func

The battery in our brand new 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK kept on being drained after moderate usage. Twice it was from leaving the hatch up for a couple of hours, once we were driving out in the country and parked to look at the scenery briefly and the battery died leaving us stuck out in the middle of nowhere. It didn't feel safe to be out there as night was approaching and we were waiting for a tow truck. All in all had to call SUBARU Roadside Assistance and have the battery jumped on three or four separate occasions. Because of this we bought a portable battery charger to keep in the car at all ti

I own a 2019 Subaru Outback Touring. This is the second Subaru Outback I have owned. In Aug of 2022, my windshield cracked out of nowhere. The crack came up from the center and spread out across the windshield. I had it replaced at the Subaru dealership in which I bought the car. Everything seemed fine until 12/23/22, when we got some heavy rain and I get in my car only to see water steadily dripping inside via the vehicle the left A-pillar on the front drivers side. I return to the dealer where it turns out that there was a problem with the brand new factory-brand windshield that was replaced

Every component, by complaint count

The full breakdown of what owners named when they filed. Components below the top ten are grouped out of this table.

How other model years compare

The same nameplate across the years we hold. Complaint counts fall naturally for newer cars because fewer of them have been on the road for long, so read the column as a rough signal rather than a ranking. In this set the 2019 Subaru Outback has drawn the most complaints and the 2021 Subaru Outback the fewest.

What to check on the electrical system

Electrical reports cover a wide spread: screens that reboot, cameras that go black, charging that stops, and warning lights that arrive in groups. The common thread is that the fault comes and goes, which makes it hard to show a mechanic on demand.

Buying a used 2019 Outback

Sit in the car with the engine running and work through every switch, screen and camera before you talk about price. An intermittent fault that appears once during a ten minute check is likely to appear often once you own it.

If you already own one

Have the battery and charging system tested before replacing any module. A weak battery produces electrical faults that look like a dozen separate failures, and the test is free at most parts retailers.

• Test every screen, camera and switch before agreeing a price.
• Have the battery and alternator tested before replacing a module.
• Ask for stored fault codes, including the ones already cleared.
• Check whether the fault is covered by a software update.