2011 Subaru Outback Problems and Recalls (644 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2011 Subaru Outback is Transmission / driveline (30% of 644 owner reports). There are 16 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 644 complaints · 16 recalls
What problems show up on the 2011 Subaru Outback?
192 of 644 filings named Transmission / driveline (30% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Lights (116 reports).
There are 16 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Transmission / driveline, Glass / wipers / cameras, Airbags, and Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2010 has 358 reports on file; this year has 644. 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 192 complaints · 29.8% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 23
- Fires 6
- Injuries 6
- 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) | 192 | 29.8% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) | 116 | 18.0% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 58 | 9.0% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 55 | 8.5% | 6 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 53 | 8.2% | 2 crashes · 1 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 25 | 3.9% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 24 | 3.7% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 17 | 2.6% | 7 crashes · 0 fires |
| Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) | 16 | 2.5% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 84 | 13.0% | 6 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 16V358000 was reported 2,085 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 16V694000 was reported 1,832 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 17V014000 was reported 2,315 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V012000 was reported 2,679 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V007000 was reported 3,044 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V008000 was reported 3,044 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V009000 was reported 3,044 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V297000 was reported 2,709 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V001000 was reported 3,402 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V002000 was reported 3,402 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V003000 was reported 3,402 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2011-Q4 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2012-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 18 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 36 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 34 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 19 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 25 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 28 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 22 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2024-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2025-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2025-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2026-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 10V326000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 11V467000 | |
| 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 | 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 (16)
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, Glass / wipers / cameras, Airbags, and Electrical.
-
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 11V467000
Glass / wipers / cameras
- Report date
- Component:
- Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
- Consequence:
- THE MOONROOF GLASS CAN LOOSEN AND DETACH FROM THE VEHICLE DURING DRIVING, RESULTING IN A POTENTIAL ROAD HAZARD FOR OTHER VEHICLES, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
- Remedy:
- SUBARU WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE GLASS ADHESION CONDITION AND EITHER APPLY ADDITIONAL ADHESIVE OR REPLACE THE MOONROOF GLASS, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING OCTOBER 2011. 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 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 6 of 644 complaints · page 1 of 26
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2011 Subaru Outback. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of the purchase on 2/26/2026, the mileage was 95,999. The contact found a bill of sale from 07/29/2026, that stated that the mileage was approximately 95,999; however, the title stated that the mileage was approximately 94,669. The contact stated that the current approximate mileage was 90,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Purchased my 2011 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited from the dealership, new. Since 2013, the Subaru dealer has discovered multiple oil leaks, replaced the head gaskets 3 times, thermostat 4 times, the alternator 3 times, timing belt 4 times, radiator 3 times, starter once, and my HVAC system twice...all due to my engine seizing multiple times while driving on freeways. No warning lights, just the engine seizing suddenly. This caused a few minor bumper accidents on the freeways because of these incidents. Nothing was reported because no one was injured. Last year the engine was replaced with a used/refurbished one by the dealership. In less than 11 months after this engine was replaced, the dealership states I'm having multiple oil leaks again, most originating from the cam carrier. Now, my engine is struggling on slight grades. The newly installed used engine only came with a six month warranty and now Subaru states I need another engine replacement. Money is tight, so for now I'm keeping a pan under my car to catch the oil and I will keep topping off the oil every week.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Took my vehicle in for oil change and was notified the cam carrier is leaking. Researching this issue online it seems this is a very common problem with this vehicle and if I had known earlier wouldn’t have purchased for my daughter. With such a common problem I wonder why a recall hasn’t been made?
CrashFireInjuryDeath
When I came to a stop at a light, the car stalled and the engine turned off. It was just as if I was driving a manual transmission and didn't put the clutch down while in gear. I spoke with my husband about the issue and he told me it has been happening for several months now. I have researched it a but snd found that Subaru is aware of the issue and has not offered any recall for the issue but offered an extended warranty. This is not helpful when you are the 2nd owner of a vehicle. Being stuck with a car that turns off upon stopping is a dangeous situation. Subaru should be made to recall these cars and fix the issue. According to this article, it is a problem with the lock type torque converter. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
CrashFireInjuryDeath
My CVT Transmission started having problems with the Valve Body inside the transmission. On acceleration from a complete stop my vehicle would start "bucking" hard causing a violent back and forth rocking or "jerking" of the drive train and vehicle. I did not request a inspection of the failed Valve Body when I paid to have it replaced. The life and safety of myself and others are at severe risk of injury or death resulting from a complete failure of the Valve Body component when driving on highways or other roads because without any warning the vehicle will come to a complete stop which would cause a rear end collision possibly at highway speeds. Also I'm concerned about the Torque Converter having a failure because of the intense pressure from the failed Valve Body with the constant "bucking" on acceleration. I took my vehicle to both a independent transmission shop and a Subaru Service Center and the Independent Transmission Shop told me I needed a new transmission and the Subaru Service Department kept telling me they didn't know what was causing my vehicle symptoms. Subaru of America extended the warranty on my vehicle to 100,000 miles because of the problems with their CVT Transmissions but because I bought my vehicle used with over 100,000 miles on it they refused to either pay for 50% or 100% of the replacement cost. No warning Lights came on but when the Valve Body completely fails then the warning lights will illuminate. My Subaru Case Number that was DENIED is (Case# 250820-1801058) for Subaru extended warranty for CVT Transmission.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Just lost brakes. Was parked at an atm. In park, foot on brake as i was shifting into drive, brake pedal goes to floor and brake fluid leaks out... I see there was a recall for brake lines in Michigan. I've owned this car since 2020. All Brake pads are new as of 4/2025. This just occurred today on Sunday so I have not got the estimate yet.
Subaru Outback Complaints and Recalls by Year
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2011 Subaru Outback?
Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 192 of 644 reports (30%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2011 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA lists 16 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Transmission / driveline, Glass / wipers / cameras, 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 2011 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.