2025 Subaru Outback: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
75 NHTSA owner complaints · 0 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
The Outback's record is quiet through the fourth and fifth generations apart from the FB25 engine's oil-consumption complaints on 2013–2014 cars, which Subaru settled with a class action. The sixth generation launched for 2020 on a new platform with a new infotainment system and a turbocharged 2.4-litre option, and the 2019–2020 years carry the highest counts in the Outback's history: the Starlink touchscreen freezing and rebooting, the battery draining, the windscreen cracking. Read the full note on the model page. 2025 specifically: a year the record favours — 75 complaints, score 79/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Subaru Outback and Forester: oil consumption, then Starlink, then a clean run, including 2025 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
Owner complaints: 75 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 75.0
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Car battery has been failing since June it will not stay charged it started out losing power over weekends now it is every day. It is so bad I purchased a portable battery charger from auto zone to jump my car.
When engine auto-restarts after Auto Start-Stop has started engine, steering wheel jerks violently if it is not completely straight, dislocated my 5th finger.
Needed to move quickly out of way of oncoming traffic, but delay/hesitation in CVT made it almost impossible to avoid traffic.
Recalls: 0 campaigns
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size SUV of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 28 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,200
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Unknown Or Other18 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Forward Collision Avoidance17 complaints · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration (3.0 h labour + parts)$780–$2,160
- Lane Departure13 complaints · typical job: Camera module replacement and calibration (2.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,700
- Electrical System11 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Steering6 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
- Engine5 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
Other Subaru Outback years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2025 Subaru Outback?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Unknown Or Other (18 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2025 Subaru Outback a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 79/100, computed from 75 NHTSA complaints and 0 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2025 Subaru Outback's most common problem?
18 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2025 Subaru Outback sit in the Unknown Or Other group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is diagnosis and mixed repair: about 2.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $360–$940 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2025 Subaru Outback cost to run per year?
About $4,435 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $22,175 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Compare with
Other midsize suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2025 Subaru Outback really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & 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: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 75 complaints, 0 recalls on record
- 75 NHTSA complaints on record (75.0/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (64.2/yr)
- 0 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems