2019 Subaru Outback Owner Complaints

My complaint/safety issue is that while I was in my 2019 Subaru Outback, I experienced Unintentional acceleration. While waiting for the large chain-link fence at my storage unit to open, the Outback raced into the gate! I had one foot on the brake waiting for the gate, then I stomped the pedal with both feet, and I held that position while the car smashed through the gate. This happened in July of 2021. I don't recall if I shut the car off or if it just finally came to a stop. I was terrified to drive it for fear of it happening again, but this time hitting a person in a crosswalk! I did take the car to Subaru, and they said that they would go through it thoroughly. After one month, they said that there were no issues with the car and that my carpet must have caused the acceleration. I reminded them that my car had floor mats that clicked into place! It was a nightmare. Even big wigs from Headquarters called me to explain this was a one-time thing and mentioned the floor mats again! I hope no more people are injured by the corrupt managers.

NHTSA ID

11756599

Incident

Jun 7, 2021

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH the front windshield cracked approximately 6 inches from the heat sensor, no warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted however the vehicle was not diagnosed as the contact was advised that the vehicles VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,250.

NHTSA ID

11754601

Incident

Aug 2, 2026

Mileage

40,250 mi

Driver controls for windows do not work for front windows .. Can not put windows down. Therefore if window on passenger side or driver side gets foggy, can not lower to see out Dealer has stated that there is dirt in window. Not dirt , bad window motor per my experience. This has been occurring for about 2/3 years.

NHTSA ID

11751582

Incident

Jan 2, 2020

The touch screen monitor which controls the audio system, navigation, phone, and other car systems has delaminated. It turns on and off, makes phone calls, switches car systems like the audio, and turns off navigation. At best, it is a very annoying distraction. At worst, it is a safety issue when the screen is making emergency phone calls, canceling navigation, or turning on and off constantly and beeping and causing distraction to the driver. It is possible to turn the entire screen off, but it then randomly comes back on. A safety recall has been issued for 2018 but not 2019 Subaru Outbacks. I strongly urge you to consider a safety recall for the 2019 Subaru Outback as the very common screen delamination is widely known and causing issues for many Subaru drivers. The issue began in the summer of 2025 and has continued to be an issue, and is getting worse.

NHTSA ID

11748449

Incident

May 1, 2025

CAR WOULDN'T START IN PARKING LOT, 40K MILES. I NEVER TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE DEALER AND RECEIVED A NOTICE ABOUT A FUEL PUMP REPLACEMENT/RECALL/REPAIR. I DIAGNOSED THIS PROBLEM MYSELF. THE VIN LOOKUP ON SUBARUS WEBSITE SAYS THAT THE PROBLEM WAS ADDRESSED/REPAIRED WHEN IT CLEARLY WAS NOT AND I NEVER RECEIVED ANY PAPERWORK OR VERBAL STATEMENT FROM SUBARU SAYING THEY PERFORMED THAT WORK WHEN I WENT IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE OR TO REPAIR THE BATTERY PROBLEM. THE BATTERY STILL DRAINS EXTREMELY FAST AS WELL. SO NEITHER THE BATTERY CHARGING WORK, OR THE ***SUPPOSED AND UNVERIFIED*** FUEL PUMP WORK HAVE BEEN DONE ON THIS CAR. NOT GOOD. ALSO - THE ORIGINAL SUBARU EL CAJON DEALERSHIP CLOSED AND THEN REOPENED WITH "NEW OWNERSHIP" AS A SUBARU DEALERSHIP. THIS ALL APPEARS EXTREMELY CROOKED.

NHTSA ID

11748189

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

Vehicle battery continues to drain. Since I have owned the vehicle, it has had 4 batteries. It has had 2 batteries within the last year and half. Installed another battery a 2 weeks ago, vehicle was completely dead after a week of not driving. The last 3 batteries were all purchased (or warranty replaced, new. All forums are pointing to DCM for other years. Yet, 2019's have the same issue, and I haven't received any service bulletin regarding such issues. I presume they need to have a certain number of complaints before action is taken.

NHTSA ID

11746098

Incident

Jun 24, 2026

The driver lost control of the vehicle, possibly due to a failure involving the rear driver's-side tire. The vehicle initially made contact with the guardrail, causing moderate damage to the driver's side. Following this impact, the vehicle began to fishtail, and the automatic braking system activated. The driver recalls being thrown about within the seat during the incident, as the seat belt's emergency locking retractor appeared to fail. The seat belt did not lock during the collision sequence, which is supported by the absence of visible bruising across the chest area. Prior to the vehicle's final impact with the embankment, the seat belt unexpectedly released and struck the driver on the right cheek, resulting in visible bruising. Upon the final impact, after the seat belt had released, the driver was lifted from the seat and struck her head against the door frame. The vehicle's airbags did not deploy at any point during the crash. There were no warning messages, alerts, or noticeable symptoms indicating a mechanical issue prior to the incident. The vehicle has since been towed to a local body shop for a damage assessment and further inspection.

NHTSA ID

11744208

Incident

Jun 12, 2026

I am reaching out regarding the cam carrier leak on my 2019 Subaru Outback. After researching this issue, I discovered that cam carrier leaks are extremely common among Subaru vehicles equipped with the boxer engine, especially Outbacks from this generation. Many owners have reported the same exact issue, often at relatively low mileage, with repair costs commonly ranging between $3000 - 5000 What has been most discouraging is learning that Subaru dealerships and technicians openly acknowledge how common this problem is, yet Subaru has not issued a recall or meaningful warranty extension to help loyal customers facing these expensive repairs. This does not appear to be caused by neglect or misuse, but rather by a known design issue involving the sealant used on the cam carriers.

NHTSA ID

11736217

Incident

May 5, 2026

Front exhaust pipe bellows cracked, allowing exhaust gases including carbon monoxide to enter the passenger cabin. This is the same defect Subaru acknowledged in Service Program WUJ-95R (2015-2016 models) and Warranty Extension WI22-013 (2017-2018 Foresters). The failure pattern extends to 2019 model year vehicles and should be investigated for a recall expansion. This is a design flaw, consistent problem across multiple years, and a dangerous problem that needs to be addressed. My local Subaru dealer diagnosed and acknowledges the issue but won't cover it. Subaru of America won't cover the full cost--only 25%. Thank you for your help.

NHTSA ID

11734436

Incident

Feb 2, 2026

Windshield window crack without any reason couple month ago and it keep crack bigger

NHTSA ID

11723685

Incident

Dec 13, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the touch screen on the radio failed to properly operate. The screen was delaminated, causing unintended operation of the radio, distracting the driver. This failure caused the back over prevention to become inoperable, and the HVAC defroster options were inoperable. The touch screen and the functions were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with an electrical system failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.

NHTSA ID

11721704

Incident

Feb 24, 2026

Mileage

119,000 mi

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after the vehicle was not started for approximately five days, the battery was completely drained. The battery was replaced two years previously because of the same issue. The vehicle remained at the residence and the battery was charged. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,000.

NHTSA ID

11721447

Incident

Mar 1, 2026

Mileage

122,000 mi

Battery completely dead after 4 days of not driving; this is after I purchased a $210 brand new batteyr from Autozone. Looks like there is potential class action lawsuit based on the parasitic draw by the DCM unit. I need this repaired at Subaru's expense.

NHTSA ID

11720185

Incident

Feb 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle hesitated and almost stalled. The failure was intermittent but caused the vehicle to stall on several occasions. The check engine warning light and the low oil pressure warning lights recently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, and the contact was informed that oil was leaking from the upper and lower oil pan, the head gasket, and other engine seals. The contact was aware that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V587000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact researched and became aware that a failure of the fuel pump could lead to other failures with the engine oil seals. The contact stated that the fuel pump had been ordered; however, the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

NHTSA ID

11719040

Incident

Jan 4, 2025

Mileage

82,000 mi

Today 13 Feb 2026, around 3pm I was following traffic it was slow (5 miles an hour) and the traffic light turned red so I pushed on my brake to stop the car and it surged forward I pushed down on the brake again and the my vehicle stopped. Lucy I was travel a couple car lengths behind the vehicle in front of me or we would have ran into his back bumper. This is the second time this year this happen the other time was a couple of weeks back and I thought I did something wrong but my wife was in the car this time with me and she thought I did something I told her I pushed on the brake and the car surged forward. I told her I wasn't going nuts as this was the second time this year the car did this. I live in Central Florida and the weather was over 70 degrees, we were shopping and were heading home I estimate we were in the car traveling 4/5 minutes when this happened.

NHTSA ID

11717942

Incident

Feb 13, 2026

The Tumble Generator Valve (TGV) assembly within the intake manifold failed on my 2019 Subaru Outback at only 48,000 miles causing catastrophic engine failure. This is a critical engine component that is expected to last significantly longer than the vehicle's current low mileage. The premature failure of this part triggers engine warning lights and disables key driver-assist safety features (such as EyeSight), creating a distraction and potential hazard while driving. This indicates a material defect in the TGV components used in this model year, causing catastrophic failure well before reasonable service life expectations.

NHTSA ID

11712860

Incident

Jan 13, 2026

We were driving down an interstate highway going 70 mph on a foggy Christmas Eve 2025 approximately 7 a.m. No cars were close around us. We had been on the road for 30 minutes or so, and it was in the 50-60 degree temperature range. Suddenly we heard what sounded like a gunshot right above our heads. We opened the sunshade under the sunroof, and saw that our sunroof had exploded and left a hole. Before this, we heard nothing strike the sunroof or the car. It seemed like a spontaneous explosion. The explosion noise is recorded on our dash cam video. I was unable to upload the video because it must not be in the correct format.

NHTSA ID

11708662

Incident

Dec 24, 2025

The car repeatedly drains the battery after being left for a short time (a day or 2). This has now happened at least four times and has destroyed multiple batteries. I have taken it to the dealer and complained multiple times. They check for software updates and sell me a new battery and then the same thing happens again. Because of this, the car is essentially unusable because I can't trust it to run. The problem seems to come and go, though that may simply be due to having a new battery for a while. There doesn't seem to be any indication before this problem occurs.

NHTSA ID

11707469

Incident

Dec 28, 2025

I was involved in a car crash where another car crashed into me at an angle and hit the driver side door and part of the front and the wheel air bag not deploy. The side air bags did. I was going 30, this other car was going 40-50 mph.

NHTSA ID

11706222

Incident

Dec 18, 2025

I was driving on I-95 South in Georgia on Thursday, 18 December at approximately 9:00 pm in my 2019 Subaru Outback (6 cylinder engine). There was good visiblity and dry road conditions. I did not have the cruise control on. I was traveling at 75 mph and wanted to pass a truck. As I increased my speed to 78 mph to pass the truck, the Subaru began to accelerate to 85 mph and my rpms went up to 4000. The car continued to accelerate. I checked the cruise control and it was in fact off. I felt with my foot to make sure the accelerator was not stuck and it was not. I pushed hard on the brakes to counter the acceleration and after about 1 minute the car became controllable again. I drove the rest of my trip going 70 mph and did not have a further incident that evening. Because of the traffic ahead of me, this acceleration caused me great concern for myself and the passenger in the car. I have not had this problem before and have not reported it to my Subaru dealer yet. No one else has examined the car since this incident yesterday. I did not receive any warning lights or dashboard messages prior to the incident.

NHTSA ID

11706194

Incident

Dec 18, 2025

Windshield cracking for no reason.

NHTSA ID

11688808

Incident

Sep 20, 2025

While turning left from left turn lane, eyesight failed to detect oncoming traffic resulting in right front side impact. No warning, no braking action. This is an advertised safety system supposedly designed to prevent this type of accident. In addition, passenger side airbag deployed (no passenger in the passenger seat) but driver side airbag did not deploy. Newton's third law of motion says both should deploy. Significant injury occurred to the driver as a result.

NHTSA ID

11688632

Incident

Jul 31, 2025

I was told by the dealer that my 2019 Outback had a cam carrier oil leak. At the time, my car had 50,700 miles on it. My drivetrain warrantee was for 5 years or 60,000 miles. I was over on the years but under on the miles. The repair was estimated to cost $4,500.00. The dealer said that this oil leak is common and even when repaired it could leak again. This is a design flaw that Subaru has not addressed. There are many articles on it. This has been a problem because Subaru uses a Boxter engine and this engine has historically always had problems with oil leaks that cannot be fixed. It was also disclosed that there was a chance that oil leaking onto the manifold or exhaust could cause a fire in the car which caused me alarm. My wife and I are seniors, and we cannot afford to get stuck in the car and perhaps with car on fire. The dealer could not do anything, so I called Subaru directly and spoke to their consumer advocate dept. (Incidentally, I had two previous repairs to the electrical system and computer system fixed by Subaru at no cost even though we were past warrantee. Subaru decided to extend the warrantee on the two previous issues.) After several calls Subaru told me that they would give me a $1,500 credit towards the $4,500.00 for the repair, which I said was not nearly enough and did not solve the problems. I explained that we are apprehensive about the car because the leak could happen again and there is a chance of fire. Subaru told me that the chance of fire is low and at an acceptable level. Any chance of fire is NOT acceptable to us. I was going to sell the car outright, but the oil leak would cause a major devaluation of the car, so I had it fixed and repaired last week. My ongoing concern is that this oil leak is a recurring hazard that can cause a fire. I believe this problem should have been handled through a no cost recall. The dealer said this is a common problem, but I could not get any further info on the issue.

NHTSA ID

11687608

Incident

Sep 8, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20-25 MPH, the vehicle started reversing unintendedly while the gear shifter was in drive(D). The contact stated that the vehicle reversed on a steep road, drove onto a curb, and onto the poles that were lying down, and the vehicle stopped. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained pain on the right side of the lower back but had not yet received medical assistance. The vehicle sustained damage. The vehicle was towed to the Executive Auto Body repair shop. A police report was filed. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

NHTSA ID

11686851

Incident

Sep 11, 2025

Mileage

55,000 mi

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 new: 3 new batteries in a mileage span of 40,000 or 50,000 miles up to 80,000 miles. These replacements were done at no cost as a result of a class action lawsuit. A windshield settlement which only extends the warranty mileage and not an automatic replacement. Talk about a huge safety risk if this windshield just cracks or breaks, especially if on a major highway. A fuel pump settlement which only extends the warranty mileage and not an automatic replacement unless the fuel pump fails. Very unsafe in my opinion. What if the fuel pump fails while on a major highway. This puts us and our safety at serious risk if this fuel pump were to fail especially going at a high rate of speed. Engine burns a quart of oil, by the way at $11.00 per quart every 3,000 miles which is not normal, and in my opinion, is an engine problem. Replacement of an ECM or Engine Control Module. Received a letter about the VCT or variable control transmission, more ridiculous problems going on. A broken right front axle replaced and then that same axle which was replaced by an incompetent mechanic, the axle seal on the replaced axle started leaking and I was charged $100 for that incompetence. Just this past week, the car was in for a radio issue with radio stations and the cd arbitrarily jumping around only to find out the radio needs to be replaced. While on my way to the dealership my tire press INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI

NHTSA ID

11684247

Incident

Dec 15, 2022