2016 Subaru Outback: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
640 NHTSA owner complaints · 4 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
640 NHTSA owner complaints · 4 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 64.0
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
UNKNOWN When pulling into a parking space at the [XXX] diner my 2016 OUTBACK suddenly accelerated while I was ready to shift from drive to park. It was as if I put the gas peddle to the floor. There was a car about 6feet in front of me which I hit. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On 05/08/2026 the brakes failed while in a queue at a drive-up restaurant. The car was steered away to a flat part of the parking lot. After a restart the brakes returned to operation and the car was taken to the dealership where the brake line were flushed and the brake fluid replaced. On 05/25/2026 the brakes failed after backing out of an inclined parking space in a parking garage. The car came to a stop when it b…
Parasitic battery drain due to a faulty DCM module. I've purchase 3 batteries in the past 16 months. I now have to keep a trickle charger on my car at night to ensure my battery is not dead in the morning. Unable to park overnight without charger due to fear of another dead battery.
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 15V502000 | Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015 and 2016 model year Subaru Legacy 4-Door and Outback vehicles manufactured July 3… |
| 16V292000 | Steering:Column | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to Ma… |
| 19V910000 | Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Modu | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Outback vehicles. A replacement air bag control module may have been instal… |
| 15V794000 | Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016 Legacy vehicles manufactured October 24, 2015, to November 16, 2015, a… |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Electrical System (308 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 25/100, computed from 640 NHTSA complaints and 4 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for the 2016 Subaru Outback, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 10/08/2015. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.