2010 Subaru Outback Problems and Recalls (358 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2010 Subaru Outback is Transmission / driveline (23% of 358 owner reports). There are 18 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 358 complaints · 18 recalls
What problems show up on the 2010 Subaru Outback?
82 of 358 filings named Transmission / driveline (23% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Engine (46 reports).
There are 18 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Engine, Steering, Transmission / driveline, Airbags, Glass / wipers / cameras, and Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2009 has 105 reports on file; this year has 358. 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: Transmission / driveline 82 complaints · 22.9% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 12
- Fires 3
- Injuries 8
- 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 82 | 22.9% | 1 crashes · 1 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 46 | 12.9% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 40 | 11.2% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) | 33 | 9.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 26 | 7.3% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 26 | 7.3% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Suspension (SUSPENSION) | 18 | 5.0% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 17 | 4.8% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 10 | 2.8% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 68 | 19.0% | 4 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.
- Campaign 10V283000 was reported 119 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 10V326000 was reported 209 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 16V358000 was reported 2,287 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 16V694000 was reported 761 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 17V014000 was reported 2,517 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V012000 was reported 2,881 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V013000 was reported 2,881 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V007000 was reported 3,246 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V008000 was reported 3,246 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V009000 was reported 3,246 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V297000 was reported 3,220 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V001000 was reported 3,604 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V002000 was reported 3,604 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V003000 was reported 3,604 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 23 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 34 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2011-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2012-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 17 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 17 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2025-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2026-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V196000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V283000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V326000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 12V602000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 13V061000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V358000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V694000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 17V014000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V012000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V013000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V626000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V007000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V008000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V009000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V297000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 20V001000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 20V002000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 20V003000 |
Safety Recalls (18)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Engine, Steering, Transmission / driveline, Airbags, Glass / wipers / cameras, and Electrical.
-
Recall campaign 10V196000
Engine
- Report date
- Component:
- Engine (ENGINE)
- Consequence:
- IF THE FLUID IS COMPLETELY LEAKED DURING DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WILL COME TO A STOP, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- SUBARU WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY AFFECTED COOLER HOSES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 8, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783).
-
Recall campaign 10V283000
Steering
- Report date
- Component:
- Steering (STEERING)
- Consequence:
- POSSIBLE CIRCUITS AFFECTED ARE THE DRIVER'S FRONTAL AIRBAG, PADDLE SHIFTER FUNCTION, CRUISE CONTROL, HORN CONTROL AND RADIO FUNCTIONS INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL CHECK LOT NUMBER OF THE STEERING ROLL CONNECTOR. THE ROLL CONNECTOR WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE IF THE LOT NUMBER SHOWED ANY AFFECTED RANGE OF THE FAILURE OCCURRENCE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 7, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
-
Recall campaign 10V326000
Transmission / driveline
- Report date
- Component:
- Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
- Consequence:
- IF THE TRANSMISSION GEARS ARE NOT PROPERLY LUBRICATED, A GROANING SOUND MAY BEGIN TO DEVELOP ALERTING THE DRIVER OF A PROBLEM. IF THE SOUND IS IGNORED AND NO ACTION IS TAKEN, THE GEARS WILL EVENTUALLY BREAK AND THIS CONDITION WILL LEAD TO VEHICLE POWER LOSS, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- SUBARU WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES BY DRILLING AN OIL LUBRICATION HOLE AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE INTERNAL PARTS WITH NEW ONES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
-
Recall campaign 12V602000
Safety recall 12V602000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- Over time, migration of the moisture into the circuit board and/or into the connector cavity, may result in a short circuit of the puddle light system. This may generate heat which may melt the plastic resulting in smoke or fire.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional fused-harness, free of charge. The recall began February 19, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
-
Recall campaign 13V061000
Safety recall 13V061000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
-
Recall campaign 16V358000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 26, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Saab owners may contact GM at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-16.
-
Recall campaign 16V694000
Glass / wipers / cameras
- Report date
- Component:
- Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
- Consequence:
- If the windshield wiper motor overheats, the wipers may fail, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, the wiper motor cover may melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor bottom cover assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTK-71. Note: This recall supersedes recall 11V-469. All vehicles that were remedied under that campaign are affected by this campaign, and need to have their wiper motor bottom cover replaced again.
-
Recall campaign 17V014000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 6, 2017. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-17.
-
Recall campaign 18V012000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-18.
-
Recall campaign 18V013000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-18.
-
Recall campaign 18V626000
Safety recall 18V626000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- A vehicle rollaway can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EPB actuator assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 19, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTV-81.
-
Recall campaign 19V007000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-19.
-
Recall campaign 19V008000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKB-19.
-
Recall campaign 19V009000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy:
- Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-19.
-
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 4 of 358 complaints · page 1 of 15
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I own a 2010 Subaru Outback. While parked at a college in Medford, Oregon, it suffered a spontaneous electrical fire that originated inside the driver's door. This is the exact failure described in Subaru Safety Recall Campaign WQE-41. The NHTSA website states the recall was completed on this VIN, meaning the recall repair itself has failed and caused a total loss of the vehicle at this time as we are unsure if it’s fixable or even worth fixing. Fire dept did come out and confirm fire was out completely and instructed me not to drive car at all until it could get looked at.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
This car is a very well-maintained, low-use vehicle with regular oil changes and routine maintenance performed on schedule. Early in this drive, I noticed an unusual hissing sound as I approached a stop. When I tried to brake, I realized my brakes didn't seem to be responding. I pressed the brake pedal harder and realized that with 50-100 pounds of pressure (guess), I could slow the car down. As I came to a stop, the engine died. I restarted the car, and it died again immediately. After the following restart, I realized I could manually keep the RPM up in neutral while at stops, and press with significant force to get the car to stop. Had I not been comfortable two foot driving or understood the issue, this surely would have resulted in a crash of some sort. The car indicated a check engine light, loss of traction control, a flashing BRAKE light, and a flashing cruise control light. I took the car immediately to a local shop where they identified the problem as a vacuum leak at the brake booster. The plastic piece that the hose clamps onto had cracked off, leading to this problem. This make and model does not seem to have a check valve downstream of this component.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
On Saturday, August 9, 2025, my brakes failed at highway speed. My vehicle's stopping distance was severely increased, forcing me to perform an emergency swerve into the leftmost lane to avoid rear-ending a truck. The maneuver was extremely hazardous, as it occurred in a construction zone with concrete barriers and no shoulder, leaving no safe escape path and endangering myself and others. I confirmed the cause was a catastrophic failure of the four-way brake line union block due to severe corrosion. There were no warning lamps or symptoms prior to the incident; the failure was sudden and total. I found that this defect is difficult to spot during inspections because the part is hidden by a plastic panel. The failed union block and corroded lines were removed and are available for inspection upon request. My research shows this is a widespread issue and the exact failure mode covered by Subaru Recall WQK-47R for 2005-2009 models. This known safety defect persists in the 2010-2014 generation, which is not covered by the recall. Prohibitive dealer repair costs are forcing unsafe workarounds. This defect presents an unreasonable risk to public safety, and I urge the NHTSA to investigate.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
It is a known issue with subarus of this year that the engine will stall at random intervals when stopping, weather at a stop sign or stop light, warm or cold, fast stops or regular stopping. There is no consistency to it, completely random. There are no warning lights that appear, I have not taken this car to the dealer because after purchasing it I cannot afford to take it to the dealer. I purchased this car used for my elderly parents and this is a disturbing problem that could get them hurt or killed. Why has this KNOWN issue not been recalled? there are multiple service bulletins reported to NHTSA addressing this issue but no recall?
Subaru Outback Complaints and Recalls by Year
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2010 Subaru Outback?
Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 82 of 358 reports (23%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2010 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA lists 18 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Engine, Steering, Transmission / driveline, Airbags, Glass / wipers / cameras, 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 2010 Subaru Outback?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. 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.