2004 Subaru Outback problems & reliability
90 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Subaru Outback, alongside 10 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 25 | 28% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 20 | 22% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 13 | 14% |
| Power Train → | 10 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 8 | 9% |
| Visibility | 5 | 6% |
| Suspension | 4 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 3% |
| Unknown OR Other | 3 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 68,006 miles (middle 50% between 25,000 and 115,000 miles), based on 61 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Autozone sold me (via warranty exchange) aftermarket brake pads that supposedly were the same part #d929 as the brake pads autozone had previously sold me and was replacing under warranty. However, the brake pads that they provided to me today as warranty replacements were too large for the brake caliper and would be…”
Service Brakes · filed Oct 17, 2020
“I get cards,I call,I get letters ,I call doesn't matter who sends them,you or subaru dealer ,telling me I need to have an airbag swapped out as being defective,and me telling you I do not have the car anymore,it was picked up by an auction house but it needed alot done to it so they may have scrapped it,I don't know…”
Air Bags · filed Jul 26, 2019
“Purchased this car listed in iaa website as having $68,000.00 miles, this week my mechanic told me that the car had $220,000.00 miles. I just checked carfax unfortunately that is a odometer rollback.”
Unknown OR Other · filed May 25, 2018
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015 · open · led to recall 22V945
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Preliminary Evaluation PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015 · led to recall 15V226000
Technical service bulletins
185 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Subaru Outback. The 10 most recent:
This announcement is requesting retailer staff to retain the EyeSight protective hood covers from Generation 4 EyeSight cameras.
SubaruNet Annoucement (E · Other · issued Jun 12, 2026
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
01-167-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 18, 2026
This announcement provides information on the remanufactured CVT transmission program.
SubaruNet Announcement (R · Other · issued May 4, 2026
This Service Information Bulletin was developed to provide interim guidance for vehicles exhibiting DTC B2A20.
07-240-26R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2026
This bulletin announces the service manual correction regarding clutch master cylinder reservoir service procedures.
03-97-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2026
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
01-167-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 24, 2026
This Bulletin provides the diagnostic procedures to be followed when addressing customer concerns of steering wheel/vehicle body vibration when driving at highway speeds when tire/wheel balance is suspected.
05-97-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 20, 2026
This bulletin announces the new procedure and Warranty Fail Code for FirstTime air conditioning (A/C) performance concerns possibly resulting from an undetected A/C refrigerant leak.
10-105-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 26, 2026
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
01-167-08R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 26, 2026
This bulletin contains information to help when attempting to complete the STARLINK Telematics subscription process, an Error Code 202 and / or 204 may occur preventing the process from completing successfully
15-219-18R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 16, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 Subaru Outback has 10 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Subaru Outback?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 68,006 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.