RoadVitals

2013 Subaru Tribeca Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
3
Latest May 17, 2026
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
3
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2013 Subaru Tribeca, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Airbags133.3%
  • Engine133.3%
  • Powertrain (other)133.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Airbags

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

TAKATA RECALL

NHTSA ID 11040744 · filed Oct 28, 2017

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

SUBARU OF AMERICA CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT HELLO I OWN A 2013 SUBARU TRIBECA WITH VIN [XXX] THAT HAS RECENTLY LOST ALL THE ENGINE OIL AND NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ALERTING ME THE VEHICLE WAS LOW OR HAD NO OIL. THIS VEHICLE WAS JUST IN THE SUBARU SERVICE DEPARTMENT FROM 1/301/9-2/5/19 FOR LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND A REPORTED BELT BREAK AT HIGHWAY RATE OF SPEED REQUIRING IT TO BE TOWED. SUBSEQUENTLY IN 2/25/19, I NOTICED MY CAR MAKING A "KNOCKING" NOISE AND SOMEONE ASKED IF I HAD CHECKED THE OIL AND I HAD NOT BECAUSE 1. IT WAS JUST IN FOR SERVICE WITH A MULTI-POINT INSPECTION BY A SUBARU CERTIFIED TECH NOTING THEY HAD TOPPED MY OIL AND SECONDARILY BECAUSE I HAD NO WARMING LIGHTS TO ALERT ME OF SUCH INCIDENCE. ADDITIONALLY, THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF AN OIL LEAK IN MY GARAGE OR PARKING SPOT AT WORK. I PROCEEDED TO ADD 5 QUARTS OF OIL UNTIL IT WAS ABLE TO BE REGISTERED ON THE DIP STICK. I LATER LOST POWER AND REQUIRED TO BE TOWED INTO THE SUBARU DEALER-LOU FUSZ ST. PETERS, MISSOURI (636-397-2012). I HAVE BEEN CONVERSING WITH SUBARU AMERICA AND ST PETERS SERVICE MANAGER REGARDING THIS MATTER AND THEY ARE WILLING TO OFFER A FRIENDS AND FAMILY INCENTIVE OF 1500. I FOUND THIS TO BE UNACCEPTABLE SO I PROCEEDED TO CONTACT THE MAYOR OF ST PETERS, MISSOURI; MISSOURI ATTORNEY GENERAL, BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND OUR LOCAL NEWS CHANNEL THAT INVESTIGATES ISSUE LIKE THIS ONE. IT WAS THE NEW STATION THAT ALERTED ME TO THIS CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT FILED BY YOUR FIRM. MY VEHICLE FALLS WITHIN THE YEAR OF THE CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT BUT NOT THE MODEL. PERHAPS BECAUSE THERE WERE NO CLAIMS MADE TO DATE REGARDING THIS SUBARU MODEL. BOTH OCCURRENCES, VEHICLE STALLED ON HIGHWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEED REQUIRING TOWING AFTER STALL. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID 11185480 · filed Mar 9, 2019

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

ALT TEMP LIGHT CONTINUES TO COME ON THE CARE WILL HAVE A FUNNY SHIFT THEN A STRONG JERK, SPEED CAN ONLY GO UNDER 20 MPH AND THEN THE ALT TEMP LIGHT COMES ON ALONG WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND CURISE CONTROL LIGHTS.

NHTSA ID 11738386 · filed May 17, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .