2001 Subaru Outback Problems and Recalls (162 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2001 Subaru Outback is Fuel system (19% of 162 owner reports). There are 4 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Fuel system — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 162 complaints · 4 recalls

What problems show up on the 2001 Subaru Outback?

31 of 162 filings named Fuel system (19% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Brakes (26 reports).

There are 4 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Transmission / driveline, Suspension, Cruise / speed control, and Fuel system. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 2000 has 182 reports on file; this year has 162. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2001 Subaru Outback

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 4 campaigns on file below.
  2. Fuel system. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly.
  3. Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
  4. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Fuel system. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Fuel system 31 complaints · 19.1% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 15
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 7
  • Deaths 0
All Subaru Outback years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) appears in 31 of 162 owner complaints (19.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 31 complaints, 19.1% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 2 crash reports 1 fire reports 31 · 19.1% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 26 complaints, 16.1% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 crash reports 26 · 16.1% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 23 complaints, 14.2% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 23 · 14.2% Engine (ENGINE): 16 complaints, 9.9% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 16 · 9.9% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 14 complaints, 8.6% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 6 crash reports 14 · 8.6% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 13 complaints, 8.0% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 1 crash reports 13 · 8.0% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 12 complaints, 7.4% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 12 · 7.4% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 3 complaints, 1.9% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 crash reports 3 · 1.9% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 3 complaints, 1.9% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 3 · 1.9% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 124 complaints, 76.5% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 10 crash reports 2 fire reports 124 · 76.5% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 31 19.1% 2 crashes · 1 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 26 16.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 23 14.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 16 9.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 14 8.6% 6 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 13 8.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 12 7.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 3 1.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 3 1.9% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 124 76.5% 10 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2001; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 2002. 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2001-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2002-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2002-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2003-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2005-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2001 Apr 2019 Recall campaign 02V282000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V282000 Recall campaign 03V153000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V153000 Recall campaign 04V128000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V128000 Recall campaign 13E065000 ◆ Recall campaign 13E065000
  • Campaign 02V282000 was reported 277 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 03V153000 was reported 608 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 04V128000 was reported 1,105 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 13E065000 was reported 3,483 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 6
2001-Q3 Owner reports 2
2001-Q4 Owner reports 2
2002-Q1 Owner reports 9
2002-Q2 Owner reports 4
2002-Q3 Owner reports 6
2002-Q4 Owner reports 3
2003-Q1 Owner reports 5
2003-Q2 Owner reports 8
2003-Q3 Owner reports 7
2003-Q4 Owner reports 5
2004-Q1 Owner reports 2
2004-Q2 Owner reports 8
2004-Q3 Owner reports 3
2005-Q1 Owner reports 8
2005-Q2 Owner reports 9
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 3
2006-Q4 Owner reports 3
2007-Q1 Owner reports 4
2007-Q3 Owner reports 3
2007-Q4 Owner reports 4
2008-Q1 Owner reports 5
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 2
2009-Q4 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 4
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 5
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 3
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 3
2015-Q1 Owner reports 3
2015-Q2 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 02V282000
Recall campaign 1 03V153000
Recall campaign 1 04V128000
Recall campaign 1 13E065000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (4)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Transmission / driveline, Suspension, Cruise / speed control, and Fuel system.

  1. Recall campaign 02V282000

    Transmission / driveline

    Report date
    Component:
    Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
    Consequence:
    THE VEHICLE COULD THEN MOVE/ROLL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION JANUARY 8, 2003. AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BE SENT DURING NOVEMBER 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 03V153000

    Suspension

    Report date
    Component:
    Suspension (SUSPENSION)
    Consequence:
    IF SUCH BREAKAGE OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING OPERATED, CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE COULD BE AFFECTED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL CLEAN AND RUST-PROOF THE REAR SUSPENSION SUBFRAME. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 14, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Recall campaign 04V128000

    Cruise / speed control

    Report date
    Component:
    Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL)
    Consequence:
    IF THIS OCCURS DURING VEHICLE OPERATION, THE DRIVER COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A CRUISE CONTROL CABLE RETAINING CLIP TO THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER TAB ON THE THROTTLE SHAFT IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE FROM COMING OUT OF ITS TRACK. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON APRIL 12, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Recall campaign 13E065000

    Fuel system

    Report date
    Component:
    Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
    Consequence:
    A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Airtex will notify owners, and will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Recall is expected to begin on January 2, 2014. Customers may contact Airtex at 1-800-880-3056. The recall is expected to begin during January 2014. This recall is being conducted by Airtex, not by Subaru.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 162 complaints · page 1 of 7
2019-05-08Suspension (SUSPENSION)
NHTSA ODI 11206351
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I CONTACTED SUBARU'S CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER AND TOLD THEM THAT THE SUBFRAME WAS BROKEN AND THAT THEY NEEDED TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET AND THAT THE RECALL WAS COMPLETED IN AUGUST 2005 BUT THE SUBFRAME IS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT AND BROKEN PLEASE CONTACT SUBARU AND GET THEM TO OPEN ANOTHER RECALL ON THESE CARS BECAUSE THE FIX THAT THEY USED DIDN'T WORK
2016-01-07Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 10818691
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DURING COLD WEATHER, THERE IS A VERY STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE INSIDE THE CAR. IT'S COMING FROM A FUEL LEAK NEAR THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE. I FIRST NOTICED IT ABOUT 4 YEARS (60,000 MILES) AGO. THE CAR CURRENTLY HAS 150,000 MILES ON IT. IT HASN'T BEEN FIXED YET. IT HASN'T CAUGHT FIRE YET EITHER.
2015-12-23Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10812003
CrashFireInjuryDeath
MY SON WAS DRIVING THIS CAR ON MAY 23, 2015 WHEN HE WAS INVOLVED IN A SINGLE CAR ACCIDENT. THE CAR WAS IMMEDIATELY ENGULFED IN FIRE AND HE DIED AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE.
2015-12-04Suspension (SUSPENSION)
NHTSA ODI 10808438
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR SERVICE AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR SUB-FRAME WAS SEVERELY CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 03V153000 (SUSPENSION). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 157,000.
2015-09-04Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10761539
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING LIFTED, THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE REAR SUBFRAME WAS EXTREMELY CORRODED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE REAR SUBFRAME OF THE VEHICLE WAS CORRODED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000.
2015-04-27Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10713123
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE AT AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A ROUTINE SERVICE REPAIR, THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE REAR SUBFRAME WAS CORRODED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 03V153000 (SUSPENSION), BUT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.
2015-03-31Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10702984
CrashFireInjuryDeath
ON SUNDAY 29 2015 AT 12.30 AM .. MY SON WAS DRIVING AND A LOUD NOISE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE CAR . HE HAD SOME TROUBLE TO TURN AND STOP ON THE SIDE. HE DID IT ,WE HAD TO TOW THE CAR. THE S ARM BROKE SUBFRAME BROKE OFF. WAS ALL RUSTED .. *TR
2015-02-01Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 10680429
CrashFireInjuryDeath
OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS 25 DEGREES F. I WAS LEAVING FROM THE PARKING LOT AT WORK. AS I APPROACHED THE INTERSECTION THE BRAKES BECAME SO HARD THAT I COULDN'T PRESS THEM ANY FARTHER. I SIS SOME RESEARCH AND APPARENTLY LOTS OF OTHER SUBARU OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. IT APPEARS THAT THE CHECK VALVE ON THE BRAKE BOOSTER LINE FREEZES UP. IF I HAD BEEN MOVING ANY FASTER I WOULD HAVE WENT INTO THE INTERSECTION POSSIBLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT OR WORSE. *TR
2015-01-23Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10678569
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SUB FRAME WAS RUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT CORROSION HAD IMPAIRED THE FRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 210,000.
2014-12-21Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10667515
CrashFireInjuryDeath
2001 SUBARU OUTBACK LIMITED. WHEN COLD WEATHER ARRIVES, VERY STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. MUST OPEN WINDOWS TO LET IT VENT. CONTINUES THROUGH COLD WEATHER YEAR AFTER YEAR. *TR

Subaru Outback Complaints and Recalls by Year

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2001 Subaru Outback?

Owners named Fuel system most often — 31 of 162 reports (19%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2001 Subaru Outback?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Transmission / driveline, Suspension, Cruise / speed control, and Fuel system. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2001 Subaru Outback?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check for fuel smell, leaks and whether it starts and idles cleanly. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources