2025 Subaru Outback problems & reliability
80 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Subaru Outback. Last verified Sep 22, 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 components.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 19 | 24% |
| Unknown / Other | 18 | 23% |
| Lane Departure → | 14 | 18% |
| Electrical System → | 12 | 15% |
| Steering | 6 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 6% |
| Back Over Prevention | 5 | 6% |
| Engine | 5 | 6% |
| Service Brakes | 5 | 6% |
| Visibility/wiper | 5 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 26 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The brakes failed and could be inspected upon request. My safety and the safety of two other passengers was put at risk because my vehicle rear ended an another vehicle at a red light. The problem has not yet been confirmed or reproduced by the dealership or inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance…”
Service Brakes · filed Sep 16, 2026
“While traveling along I-94E outside of Macomb County on September 10th at around 8:30AM, forward collision warning triggered twice while facing the direct sun. It triggered for around 6 seconds. Shortly after getting off the Shook Rd exit at around 8:45M and turning right, I had a full AEB activation while again…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Sep 14, 2026
“The large LCD screen infront the shifter just goes blank. Been to the dealer the reload the operating system to no avail.”
Electrical System · filed Sep 5, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
154 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2025 Subaru Outback. The 10 most recent:
This bulletin announces an inspection procedure for the Smart Rear View Mirror Assembly.
15-342-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2026
This Announcement provides diagnostic assistance for CVT issues.
SubaruNet Announcement (C · Other · issued Aug 21, 2026
This bulletin provides guidance when diagnosing chain slip, judder, shudder, and hesitation concerns on the TR580 model CVT transmissions used in the models listed.
16-158-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This service bulletin outlines the diagnostic and repair procedure for white smoke emitted from the exhaust after startup. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
02-196-26R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This Service Information Bulletin announces the release of a new diagnostic assistance application for TR690 and TR580 CVT-equipped vehicles. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
16-154-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
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, 2026
This bulletin announces a reprogramming file availability and provides a software update installation procedure to optimize the new Gen 4.5 Denso CP1.5 Audio and Navigation head units utilized in the models listed. This…
15-305-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This 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, 2026
Techtips newsletter locator index.
Article Locator · Other · issued Aug 5, 2026
This 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
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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2025 Subaru Outback in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 2025 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.