2006 Subaru Outback Problems and Recalls (271 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2006 Subaru Outback is Cruise / speed control (28% of 271 owner reports). There are 7 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Cruise / speed control — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 271 complaints · 7 recalls
What problems show up on the 2006 Subaru Outback?
77 of 271 filings named Cruise / speed control (28% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Airbags (32 reports).
There are 7 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Brakes, Airbags, and Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2005 has 268 reports on file; this year has 271. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
System named most often: Cruise / speed control 77 complaints · 28.4% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 7
- Fires 2
- Injuries 3
- Deaths 0
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.
“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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 77 | 28.4% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 32 | 11.8% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 28 | 10.3% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Suspension (SUSPENSION) | 26 | 9.6% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) | 22 | 8.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 21 | 7.8% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 17 | 6.3% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 10 | 3.7% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Wheels (WHEELS) | 6 | 2.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 55 | 20.3% | 3 crashes · 1 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.
- Campaign 13V110000 was reported 2,456 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 14V311000 was reported 2,896 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 15V323000 was reported 2,848 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V297000 was reported 4,378 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V001000 was reported 4,528 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V002000 was reported 4,528 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V003000 was reported 4,528 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2006-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2011-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2012-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 19 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 13V110000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 14V311000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 15V323000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V297000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 20V001000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 20V002000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 20V003000 |
Safety Recalls (7)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Brakes, Airbags, and Electrical.
-
Recall campaign 13V110000
Brakes
- Report date
- Component:
- Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
- Consequence:
- Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQG-43.
-
Recall campaign 14V311000
Brakes
- Report date
- Component:
- Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
- Consequence:
- Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 2014 and second notifications will run through November 2014. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQK-47. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V-110 which applied to certain 2005-2009 Legacy/Outback vehicles. Vehicles that were remedied under the previous campaign still need additional areas rust-proofed.
-
Recall campaign 15V323000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners of Saab vehicles may call 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is WQR-53. Note: The recall completely supersedes recall 14V-399 (WQL-48) and partially supersedes recall 14V-763 (WQP-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed NHTSA of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.
-
Recall campaign 19V297000
Electrical
- Report date
- Component:
- Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
-
Recall campaign 20V001000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-20.
-
Recall campaign 20V002000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-20.
-
Recall campaign 20V003000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.
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
Showing 10 of 271 complaints · page 1 of 11
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I was driving home when my brake pedal went all the way to the floor. Next, I realized I could not stop the vehicle. I was able to pull over and stop. A puddle was pooling under my vehicle by the rear passenger tire. I received no lights or illumination or warning.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
My brake warning light came on as I was driving down a steep decline on a narrow road. When I found a safe place to pull over I found I had very little brakes. It was found that once a plastic shield was removed from the rear of the car that the plastic shield was full of mud and water and had corroded the brake lines causing the brake fluid to drain out of the system. It appears there was a recall for this but only in salt belt states. I have only owned the car for a year and it does not show any outstanding recalls.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Was driving approximately 35mph missed my turn went to hit brakes and brakes pedal went straight to the floor.started pumping the brakes to stop the car and had to use emergency brake to stop completely. After getting car home inspected rear brakes and both rear brakes lines are rust covered at connections.The passenger rear brake line had burst where 2 pieces of the line connect before going up and over gas tank.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
All the brake lines rusted through where they were unprotected and inserted into body clips resulting in a complete loss of brake fluid and the inability to stop the vehicle.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Outback. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V311000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and had the recall repair completed. The contact stated on 11/30/2022 while his wife was driving 35 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the low brake fluid warning light was illuminated. The driver continued to depress the brake pedal until the vehicle started to decelerate. The vehicle was parked on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact drove another vehicle to the location and trailered the vehicle back to his residence. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Rusting brake line recall WQK47 supposedly done to the vehicle June of 2015 with the vehicle having 244,246 miles. No brake lines were replaced at that time and only assume they only sprayed something on them. Car now has 288,500 miles and the right rear brake line rotted out in the clip mount to the body. Luckily wife was able to stop the car and didn't get into an accident.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Rear hatch door malfunction of security lock.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The engine will randomly loose power. This has happened three times now. You must coast to a stop, turn the key off and try to restart the car. Sometime it will take several tries to restart. I see this as a real safety concern in heavy traffic. Especially so if heavy traffic makes it impossible to reach the side of the road safely. The service code points to the throttle peddle position sensor. Reading some of the internet forums it seems to be a fairly common issue. Of course internet forums must be considered carefully. However with the above said I see this issue as a real safety concern. Not only for my safety but those around me if this happens in heavy traffic. Thank you
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The vehicle becomes uncontrollable on light ice. The rear end will "ghost walk" (seems to steer on its own). I have driven in snow my entire life and have never experienced this issue in any other vehicle. I am also an ASE certified master technician. It only happens if I have passengers in the rear seat or groceries in the cargo area. The car is not even close to its cargo limit. The tires have been replaced and an alignment performed and the issue remains. I found that this is a commonly reported problem in the forums. The car is absolutely unsafe in this condition. I was being passed by every other car on the road. The rear end will float back and forth over 35 mph regardless of any driver input (acceleration, deceleration, steering input etc).
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The accelerator pedal position sensor is faulty. It is prone to wear in these vehicles based on my research. This caused my car to go into limp-mode on the highway, rapidly cutting my speed in half. The accelerator provides no response until vehicle was restarted. The ECU put out the code P2138 for loss of voltage in throttle system.
Subaru Outback Complaints and Recalls by Year
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2006 Subaru Outback?
Owners named Cruise / speed control most often — 77 of 271 reports (28%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2006 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA lists 7 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Brakes, Airbags, and Electrical. 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 2006 Subaru Outback?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Test cruise control and ask about unintended-acceleration reports on this year. 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.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
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.