2003 Subaru Outback air bags problems
19 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the air bags on the 2003 Subaru Outback — 20% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“2003 subaru outback. Consumer writes in regards to defective front passenger side airbag. *ld the consumer refused to have the recall repair completed due to being afraid of entering an intersection leading to the dealer's repair shop. *js”
filed Aug 24, 2018
“Takata recall. The closest subaru dealership is 125 miles away. When I called subaru we were told that the car must be repaired at a subaru dealership. This constitutes a hardship for us to have a manufacturer defect repaired for a number of reasons. 1) I am handicapped and have trouble sitting in…”
filed Dec 22, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to…Campaign 20V002000 · Jan 2, 2020
- Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators…Campaign 20V001000 · Jan 2, 2020
- Inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to…Campaign 20V003000 · Jan 2, 2020
- Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." These vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag…Campaign 16V358000 · May 25, 2016
- These vehicles may be equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the…Campaign 16V361000 · May 25, 2016
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators…Campaign 16V359000 · May 25, 2016
Air Bags problems in other Outback years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Outback | 5 | 7% |
| 2024 Outback | 6 | 6% |
| 2023 Outback | 2 | 2% |
| 2022 Outback | 6 | 1% |
| 2021 Outback | 16 | 5% |
| 2020 Outback | 18 | 2% |
| 2019 Outback | 13 | 1% |
| 2018 Outback | 8 | 1% |
| 2017 Outback | 16 | 2% |
| 2016 Outback | 10 | 2% |
| 2015 Outback | 14 | 3% |
| 2014 Outback | 38 | 18% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2003 Subaru Outback
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.