2021 Subaru Outback: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
294 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
294 NHTSA owner complaints · 4 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 58.8
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
I was already parked in a spot in a public parking lot. I tapped the accelerator pedal to move the car a few inches. The vehicle responded by violently accelerating, hitting a vehicle directly in front of me in another parking space. I applied my brake but the car would not stop. The force of the acceleration pushed the car out of the it's spot and it hit a curb and tree appox 30 ft away. In defensive move I turn…
First battery drain in car. Bought a new battery and it drained again for the second time. Called Suburu to ask about a parasitic drain from the DCM and they said it was likely that and told me to call Suburu America. Did that but they wanted me to take it to a Suburu dealer to get the problem verified. I don’t have the $ to do that. I notice there is a class action in court right now for this exact problem.
We are VERY concerned about the failure of some very important safety features of our 2021 Subaru Outback Touring Edition. We were involved in a bad car accident caused by a person under the influence who was in handcuffs when we were taken away by ambulance. As you can see by the photos, there was MAJOR damage to the other car and significant damage to ours. What is most concerning is the fact that NONE of the ai…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 22V485000 | Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Contr | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A programming error in the Transmission Contro… |
| 23V755000 | Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Park/ | Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insuffici… |
| 24V227000 | Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification: | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant De… |
| 21V024000 | Power Train:Shift Linkage/Cable/Rod | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2021 Outback and Impreza vehicles. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) selec… |
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 Visibility/Wiper (97 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 30/100, computed from 294 NHTSA complaints and 4 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for the 2021 Subaru Outback, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 08/07/2022. 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.