2012 Subaru Tribeca: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
4 NHTSA owner complaints · 7 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Owner complaints: 4 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 0.29
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Vehicle had been on the highway for about 20 minutes when the transmission temperature light and other warning lights came on. pulled off the highway and checked transmission fluid level and temp, all were normal. pulled away and the engine reved up then banged into gear. drove normally for several miles. the warning lights went off. drove the next day and for several days with no incidence. occurred again when on th…
2012 subaru tribeca- torque converter failure known issue on subaru cars from that year, recall/extended repair doesn't cover model. car stalls when automatic transmission downshifts. started as strong hesitation and progressed rapidly to unpredictable/sudden stalling. happened at both high speeds on highway and at slow speeds in traffic. results in total engine shut down and requires time for engine restart. h…
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 subaru tribeca. while parked, the front driver and passenger side doors failed to open from inside the vehicle. there was also an oil leak under the vehicle and the headlights and brake light bulbs were replaced several times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with an oil and head gasket leak. there was no diagnosis for the doors not being able to open and the freque…
Recalls: 7 campaigns (5 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 16V060000 | Structure:Body:Hood | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Tribeca vehicles manufactured November 16, 2004, to January 27, 2014. |
| 18V012000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan),… |
| 19V007000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan),… |
| 19V008000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, and Legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico,… |
| 19V009000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode… |
| 17V014000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Subaru Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), 2006-2012 Tribeca, 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto… |
| 12V602000 | Exterior Lighting | Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010 and 2011 Legacy and Outback vehicles, certain model year 2006 through 2012 Tribeca vehicles sold before January 2012, and certain model year 2009 through 2012 Forester vehicles sold before January 2012. Up to 78,650 of these vehicles may have been equipped with accessory puddle lights that, when illuminated,… |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a full-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 18 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $3,400
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.
- Power Train2 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Exterior Lighting2 complaints · typical job: Headlamp assembly or lighting-module replacement (1.5 h labour + parts)$360–$1,380
- Structure1 complaints · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,070–$2,920
- Engine1 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Steering1 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
- Electrical System1 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
Other Subaru Tribeca years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Subaru Tribeca?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Power Train (2 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2012 Subaru Tribeca a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 75/100, computed from 4 NHTSA complaints and 7 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2012 Subaru Tribeca's most common problem?
2 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2012 Subaru Tribeca sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is transmission service or clutch-pack repair: about 7.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,290–$4,040 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 2012 Subaru Tribeca cost to run per year?
About $5,825 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $29,125 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.
Does the 2012 Subaru Tribeca have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 7 recall campaign(s) for the 2012 Subaru Tribeca, 5 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 03/02/2016. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other fullsize suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2012 Subaru Tribeca 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.
Thin evidence — 4 complaints, 7 recalls on record
- 4 NHTSA complaints on record (0.3/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (0.3/yr)
- 7 recall campaigns, 5 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality