2004 Subaru Outback buying guide

A data-driven checklist for buying a used 2004 Subaru Outback, built from 90 owner complaints, 10 recall campaigns, 185 service bulletins and federal safety records — not opinions.

Know before you buy

10 recall campaigns affect this model year. Check each one and confirm the repairs were done — recall work is free at any authorized dealer.
Main problem areas: air bags (25), vehicle speed control (20), engine and engine cooling (13), power train (10), electrical system (8).
Symptoms owners describe: hesitation / surging (10), stalling (7). Test-drive with these in mind.
Reported incident mileage: among 61 complaints with a usable odometer reading, half were filed between 25,000 and 115,000 miles (median 68,006). If the car you’re looking at is near that range, ask for service records covering it.
2 federal investigations have named this model year — read what they cover.

When problems get reported

Reported incident mileage among 61 complaints with usable odometer readings.

under 20k		13
20–40k		6
40–60k		7
60–80k		6
80–100k		11
100–150k		8
150k+		10

Before you hand over money

Run the VIN through our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact build.
Check open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall that was never fixed is a free repair you can claim.
Get a pre-purchase inspection focused on the problem areas listed above.

This guide is generated from official NHTSA, EPA and FARS records. Complaints are unverified owner reports and raw counts are not adjusted for sales volume.