2015 Subaru Outback Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: August 3, 2026 · Filed: August 27, 2026

Front subframe is rusted out. Went to do brakes and found holes in frame. I contacted subaru of north olmsted and was told this is common. Was told to call subaru of America and complain and see if they would help. So I called and was told it's common because the car is exposed to snow salt. I have never seen anything like this. I joined a subaru Facebook page and everyone confirmed that this really common. Some reported accidents and suspension failures caused by it. The lower control arms mount right in the rusted out area. The attached photos are the same ones I submitted to subaru of America. They offered no help or discount on the parts. I bought a new subframe from subaru and when I picked it up the parts guy said this is very common and that it's half his sales is subframes.

Incident: January 1, 2016 · Filed: August 19, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera was inoperable. The maps and radio were glitching and then seized stuck. The screen was difficult to read. The screen was pixelated due to the brightness outside. The camera was inoperable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall coverage for the head unit. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case, but declined any further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 73,022.

Incident: August 11, 2026 · Filed: August 12, 2026

The Subaru's Starlink Radio has completely delaminated on the layer between the display and the digitizer, which does not allow the radio to be controlled in any way, shape, or form. This means that the touch screen is not working anymore, and because the radio is so delaminated, whenever the car is put into reverse during the daytime, the backup camera is nowhere near visible enough to be seen safely. The radio delaminated to the point where it was unusable after the 100k-mile warranty period. At the start of the issue, the radio developed a ghost touch on the bottom-left corner of the screen, and during a Bluetooth phone call, it would repeatedly hang up the phone, leading to distraction while driving.

Incident: January 1, 2023 · Filed: July 19, 2026

Vehicle Component Affected: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM / FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE / BACK OVER PREVENTION Description of the Safety Defect: The factory infotainment touchscreen in my 2015 Subaru Outback Limited (VIN: [XXX]) has suffered a severe manufacturing defect where the internal chemical gel adhesive has melted, creating large, oily liquid bubbles across the display. This physical degradation causes the screen to suffer from continuous "ghost touches," registering non-stop phantom inputs while the vehicle is in motion. This hardware failure creates three active, severe driving safety hazards: DANGEROUS OPERATOR DISTRACTION: The ghost-touching triggers a loud, high-pitched, non-stop audible dinging sound through the speakers that cannot be muted, severely compromising driver focus on the roadway. INOPERABLE NAVIGATION CONTROL: The system recently registered phantom touches that autonomously programmed a random destination into the factory GPS. The system then overrode all driver controls, preventing me from canceling the navigation instructions or turning off the screen audio while driving. OBSCURED BACKUP CAMERA VISIBILITY: The large, oily chemical delamination bubbles create a severe visual distortion on the screen. In direct or bright sunlight, the backup camera image is completely unreadable and obscured, creating an active striking hazard to pedestrians and vehicles behind me. This manufacturing defect began approximately in Jan 2023 and has gotten progressively worse over time, transitioning from minor cosmetic bubbling to severe, non-stop hardware malfunctions. This component failure is an active driving hazard that completely compromises driver attention and vehicle safety systems. Subaru of America is aware of this chemical breakdown across this generation of head units but is refusing to remedy the safety defect out of warranty. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: July 11, 2026 · Filed: July 13, 2026

This is an odometer fraud situation. The car was reported at 187,062 with photo documentation on 4/17/2026 via a mechanics office. It was then reported at 104,332 during a CO Emissions Test inspection. I called to verify the mileage reported from the mechanics office and they sent me a photo from 4/17/2026 of the odometer reading 187,062. This car has been rolled back!

Incident: January 29, 2026 · Filed: July 4, 2026

My car horn stopped working. The dealership said the clock spring (steering roll connector) component has failed, confirmed by the resulting complete loss of the horn function. The dealership did not communicate the fact that my drivers airbag would not function properly in an accident. I couldn’t afford the repair at the time, putting my life in danger should an accident occur. Returning to the dealer they still state it is not a covered item, and I need to pay to repair the part so my horn and airbag functions as intended.

Incident: June 24, 2025 · Filed: June 26, 2026

NHTSA issued a notice for a recall on the 2015 Subaru Outback for an exhaust pipe bellows crack which causes exhaust noise and odor which affects emission and engine performance. I had noticed our Subaru's exhaust smoke coming in through the air vents while idling and also a general loss of power for the vehicle. When I dug into the causes, I came across this recall and did the VIN look up on the NHTSA website and also the Subaru website for active recalls. The Subaru website states that the recall was completed. I then called the subaru retailer to check if there were any records for the recall work that was completed for NHTSA ID Number: 10199936. They could not find any records. I called in Subaru corporate to see if they could shed any light on the recall. Subaru corporate says that the recall work was performed on August 6th, 2020 but is unable to tell me where it was performed or even if it was actually replaced. My local Subaru dealer has no records and Subaru corporate says that the work was performed. I am stuck with an exhaust leak that is potentially dangerous as time goes on where it might fail emissions. Subaru corporate has not wanted to address this or investigate the discrepancy, but instead asks me to work with the dealer to get records. The dealer says there's no records of the work ever being done. So I'm in limbo with a particularly faulty car.

Incident: May 1, 2026 · Filed: June 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the horn was completely inoperative. The dealer was not notified the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 126,000.

Incident: February 19, 2025 · Filed: June 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the exhaust manifold detached from the vehicle. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer advised the contact that a recall repair was previously performed on the vehicle, which was related to an exhaust pipe cracking, and that additional repairs would be at the owner's expense. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 244,000.

Incident: May 25, 2026 · Filed: May 28, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact stated that he recently purchased a 2015 Subaru Outback. The vehicle was purchased through a private sale. At the time of purchase the odometer reading was 91,000. The contact stated while obtaining insurance was informed the mileage was 194,000. A Carfax report was not obtained. There was no other agency contacted.