2008 Subaru Outback Problems: Airbags (224 Complaints)

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.

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 293 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 14V311000 was reported 733 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 15V323000 was reported 2,121 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 19V297000 was reported 2,451 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 20V001000 was reported 3,801 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 20V002000 was reported 3,801 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
• Campaign 20V003000 was reported 3,801 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.

Safety Recalls (8)

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.

1. Recall campaign 13V110000

   Brakes

   Report date

   Mar 27, 2013

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

2. Recall campaign 14V311000

   Brakes

   Report date

   Jun 10, 2014

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

3. Recall campaign 15V323000

   Airbags

   Report date

   May 28, 2015

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

4. Recall campaign 16V738000

   Safety recall 16V738000

   Report date

   Oct 13, 2016

   Component:

   Not available in the source record

   Consequence:

   If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.

   Remedy:

   Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

5. Recall campaign 19V297000

   Electrical

   Report date

   Apr 11, 2019

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

6. Recall campaign 20V001000

   Airbags

   Report date

   Jan 2, 2020

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

7. Recall campaign 20V002000

   Airbags

   Report date

   Jan 2, 2020

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →

8. Recall campaign 20V003000

   Airbags

   Report date

   Jan 2, 2020

   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.

   View authoritative NHTSA record →