Subaru Outback vs Nissan Pathfinder: which is more reliable?
The Subaru Outback and the Nissan Pathfinder are level on the federal record — 68/100 against 71/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Subaru Outback
- 13 model years scored
- 6,232 owner complaints on record
- about 72 complaints per year on the road
- 57 recall campaigns, 34 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (93/100) · worst 2020 (35/100)
Nissan Pathfinder
- 14 model years scored
- 2,708 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 49 recall campaigns, 30 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (95/100) · worst 2013 (26/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Outback against Pathfinder
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
| Year | Outback | Pathfinder | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 79 BUY | 65 CAUTION | +14 |
| 2024 | 93 BUY | 68 CAUTION | +25 |
| 2023 | 88 BUY | 75 BUY | +13 |
| 2022 | 56 CAUTION | 71 BUY | -15 |
| 2021 | 78 BUY | — | — |
| 2020 | 35 AVOID | 94 BUY | -59 |
| 2019 | 41 AVOID | 89 BUY | -48 |
| 2018 | 60 CAUTION | 86 BUY | -26 |
| 2017 | 56 CAUTION | 82 BUY | -26 |
| 2016 | 74 BUY | 89 BUY | -15 |
| 2015 | 82 BUY | 67 CAUTION | +15 |
| 2014 | 72 BUY | 38 AVOID | +34 |
| 2013 | 72 BUY | 26 AVOID | +46 |
| 2012 | — | 95 BUY | — |
| 2011 | — | 92 BUY | — |
What owners actually complain about
Subaru Outback
- Electrical System — 1,898 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 1,659 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,128 complaints
Nissan Pathfinder
- Power Train — 782 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 471 complaints
- Engine — 467 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Outback's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Pathfinder's in Power Train. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Subaru Outback — avoid: 2019, 2020.
Nissan Pathfinder — avoid: 2013, 2014.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Subaru Outback prices at about $44,100 and a Nissan Pathfinder at about $40,800 — the Nissan Pathfinder is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 28.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Outback or the Nissan Pathfinder more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Pathfinder scores 71/100 against the Subaru Outback's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Subaru Outback and Nissan Pathfinder years should I avoid?
Subaru Outback: 2019, 2020. Nissan Pathfinder: 2013, 2014. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Subaru Outback and the Nissan Pathfinder?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Outback is Electrical System (1,898 complaints); on the Nissan Pathfinder it is Power Train (782).
Is the Subaru Outback or the Nissan Pathfinder cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Outback prices at about $44,100 and a Nissan Pathfinder at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.