2013 Subaru Outback electrical system problems
23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the electrical system on the 2013 Subaru Outback — 8% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“I purchased this car may 28th 2025 and had it over the weekend and check engine light came on and took it Monday once shop opened and came back for catalytic converter and o2 sensor I letted the dealership know about it and said its not much that i can fix it but I figured would say that since was…”
filed Jan 6, 2026
“My horn became intermittent, and stopped working. The car will not pass state inspection. It was diagnosed as a faulty clock spring. The dealership stated that this was a common failure on Subaru's, especially those that had the Takata airbag replacement recall. They said there was no TSB or recall…”
filed Jan 19, 2023
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switchCampaign 19V297000 · Apr 11, 2019
Related service bulletins
This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or…
15-308-23R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
15-304-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 13, 2026Techtips newsletter locator index.
Article Locator · Other · issued Aug 5, 2026This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin
15-333-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2026
Electrical System problems in other Outback years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Outback | 12 | 15% |
| 2024 Outback | 16 | 16% |
| 2023 Outback | 17 | 19% |
| 2022 Outback | 51 | 11% |
| 2021 Outback | 75 | 25% |
| 2020 Outback | 258 | 29% |
| 2019 Outback | 363 | 35% |
| 2018 Outback | 265 | 33% |
| 2017 Outback | 391 | 43% |
| 2016 Outback | 309 | 48% |
| 2015 Outback | 127 | 25% |
| 2014 Outback | 32 | 15% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2013 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.