2014 Subaru Outback Problems and Recalls (207 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2014 Subaru Outback is Airbags (15% of 207 owner reports). There are 10 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Airbags — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 207 complaints · 10 recalls
What problems show up on the 2014 Subaru Outback?
31 of 207 filings named Airbags (15% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Engine (29 reports).
There are 10 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 2013 has 295 reports on file; this year has 207. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
System named most often: Airbags 31 complaints · 15.0% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 14
- Fires 2
- Injuries 21
- 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 31 | 15.0% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 29 | 14.0% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 21 | 10.1% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 21 | 10.1% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 13 | 6.3% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 12 | 5.8% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 11 | 5.3% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) | 9 | 4.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) | 8 | 3.9% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 44 | 21.3% | 2 crashes · 0 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 16V694000 was reported 887 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V007000 was reported 1,422 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V008000 was reported 1,422 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V009000 was reported 1,422 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V297000 was reported 1,784 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V001000 was reported 1,780 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V002000 was reported 1,780 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V003000 was reported 1,780 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 21 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2026-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 13V336000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V694000 | |
| 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 (10)
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 13V336000
Transmission / driveline
- Report date
- Component:
- Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
- Consequence:
- As a result of the parking rod detaching, the transmission may not be able to be moved from the "park" position preventing the vehicle from being moved or driven. Furthermore, even with the transmission shifted into the 'park' position, the parking mechanism may not engage, and the vehicle may roll away while in the "park" position, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. The recall began during August 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall number is WQJ-46.
-
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 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 207 complaints · page 1 of 9
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Subaru Outback. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 132,000. A Carfax report was not purchased. The contact stated that the mileage on the title from the DMV was 205,690.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Failure of front subassembly while driving. Car pulled hard to right while driving. Scary and dangerous. Inspection showed severe rust has eaten thru the metal. Car inoperable. Research shows it is a known problem. Recall required immediately, THANK YOU
CrashFireInjuryDeath
1. The under carriage has corroded creating a safety hazard. Senior dealer representative indicated verbally that 2010-2014 models years are the most prone. 2. If the under carriage fails the engine and transmission could fall out of the car potentially creating a serious issue. 3. The dealer brought the issue to my attention after performing an inspection of the car. 4. I was unaware of the issue until the dealer brought the issue to my attention. 2014 Subaru Outback. The car has been taken care of in a manner that exceeds the manual recommendations including always flushing the underside of the chassis during washes; especially the winter season. The car was taken to a dealer to have the intake manifold gasket looked at. The dealer took the opportunity to raise the car in the air, conduct an inspection and reported that the front carriage assembly is rusting away and considered dangerous. The Service Manager indicated that the model years 2010 to 2014 exhibit a high-degree of corrosion to the supportive member which holds the engine and transmission in place and if it fails could cause an extremely dangerous situation. What if any information has NHTSA compiled regarding these issues and Subaru's use of an under-designed, defectively manufactured part that could potentially cause a serious accident if the support structure collapsed? And if the NHTSA has conducted any research into this issue is there any option for a consumer to recoup or require Subaru to cover the cost of replacement which according to two Subaru Dealers is approximately $4,200. Below is a recap of the repair costs including parts and labor: CRADLE FRM CP OBK 2-3 Day QT 1 $842.66 20202AJ04B ARM ASSY F RH In Stock QT 1$173.41 901000346 BOLT FLG 14X128 In Stock QT 2 $8.18 / $16.36 20420XA000 LINK AY F STABILIZER In Stock QT 2 $72.85 / $145.70 20202AJ05B ARM ASSY F LH In Stock QT 1 $173.41 901000060 BOLT FLANGE In Stock QT 2 $2.88 / $5.76 The labor is calculated at 13.5 Hours @ $189.00
CrashFireInjuryDeath
My Subaru has some kind of electrical issues I was driving and car stopped would start again I had to towed to Arts repair shop they said was starter put new starter in 400 dollars later says it wasn't starter some kind of electrical and they dont do that electrical service they recommend Carlins automotive geico would not tow again I pd out of pocket they had it 2 days said could not figure it out put electrical meters on find nothing so decided to look at fuses again replaced #13 fuse said it started and thought was fixed (carry 15A fuses with me) Picked up that day drove it stopped and drove got it home next morning taking older client and standed again, im [XXX] I take of seniors that dont have family i see no recalls kept reading said updated 2024 an 2025 electrical issue with engine everyone stumped could this be the recall on it or issue (you look look im not only out of a car clients are left without me no fuses work now. The service center said could be this or that I can't go on guesses Im on limited income when you turn it on it tries to start stops try restart nothing no sound all lights on dash come it but no nothing to try and start subaru never given me no problems at all please help I found the electrical issues on your site INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Subaru Outback Complaints and Recalls by Year
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2014 Subaru Outback?
Owners named Airbags most often — 31 of 207 reports (15%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2014 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA lists 10 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 2014 Subaru Outback?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed. 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.