2022 Subaru Outback problems & reliability
459 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2022 Subaru Outback, alongside 4 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.
5 complaints report injuries (6 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2022 Subaru Outback vehicles were involved in 21 fatal crashes with 6 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility/wiper | 255 | 56% |
| Unknown OR Other | 85 | 19% |
| Electrical System | 49 | 11% |
| Visibility | 26 | 6% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 23 | 5% |
| Engine | 20 | 4% |
| Power Train | 17 | 4% |
| Lane Departure | 11 | 2% |
| Service Brakes | 10 | 2% |
| Structure | 7 | 2% |
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 13,947 miles (middle 50% between 4,030 and 31,125 miles), based on 39 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“When traveling eat 6-65 mph and needing to merge and stepping on the gas pedal all the way the car would just sit there and do nothing for 1-2 seconds. this was not a one off situation. The car would do this regularly until I found out subaru had a fix for the transmission software. I recently had to pay to have this…”
Power Train · filed Aug 5, 2026
“Vehicle is exhibiting signs of a possible design defect which causes windshields to prematurely crack, break, or shatter. My vehicle is a 22 Subaru Outback that when bought new, in the first week of ownership developed a windshield crack that the dealer ship refused to replace under warranty. We worked a deal out and…”
Visibility/wiper · filed Jul 31, 2026
“The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the message "EyeSight Disabling" was displayed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle then lost motive power and was unable to restart. The contact called 911, and two bystanders…”
Engine · filed Jul 24, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
385 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2022 Subaru Outback. The 10 most recent:
This bulletin announces the design change made to the high-pressure fuel pump developed to prevent DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail/System Pressure – Too Low Bank 1). (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
09-123-24R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 28, 2026
This bulletin announces design changes made to the fuel injector in response to the DTCs listed. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
09-81-21R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 27, 2026
This bulletin provides new diagnostic steps for DTC P0851 and P0852 to be used in conjunction with the applicable Service Manual.
16-159-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2026
This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel injectors and internal engine components (e.g. intake valves and / or manifold, and…
02-193-24R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 30, 2026
This Service Information Bulletin outlines a new required procedure to follow when performing immobilizer-related repairs on the vehicles listed. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
15-246-19R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 30, 2026
This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel injectors and internal engine components (e.g. intake valves and / or manifold, and…
09-74-21R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 26, 2026
This bulletin announces design changes made to the fuel injector and fuel pipe in response to the DTCs listed DTC P030* / Engine Knocking / DTC P219C-D-E-F. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
09-81-21R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 25, 2026
This bulletin provides new diagnostic steps for DTC P0851 and P0852 to be used in conjunction with the applicable Service Manual.
16-159-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2026
This bulletin outlines the diagnostic and repair procedure for white smoke emitted from the exhaust after startup.
02-196-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2026
This bulletin announces availability of new Electronic Brake Booster (EBB) & Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) module reprogramming files developed to address cases of a cracking-type noise heard under the dashboard in the…
06-94-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 20, 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 2022 Subaru Outback has 4 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 2022 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 13,947 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.