The Used Car Index

2012 Subaru Outback problems

NHTSA lists 292 complaints for the 2012 Subaru Outback, 15 of them mention a crash and 6 mention a fire. 11 complaints mention an injury, with 11 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as SUBARU OUTBACK.

At a glance

Complaints
292
With crash
15
With fire
6
With injury (complaints)
11
Injuries
11
Deaths
0
Recalls
16
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
592,647
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
325

Complaints per 100k sold: 242.799. Units sold: 120,264; sales year: 2012; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
POWER TRAIN10736.6%
ENGINE5017.1%
AIR BAGS3913.4%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3712.7%
SERVICE BRAKES3512.0%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER248.2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING186.2%
STEERING93.1%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL82.7%
STRUCTURE51.7%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
POWER TRAINAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION4
STRUCTUREBODY3
VISIBILITYSUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMIGNITION1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMINSTRUMENT PANEL1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGEXHAUST SYSTEM1
EXTERIOR LIGHTINGBRAKE LIGHTS1
EXTERIOR LIGHTINGHEADLIGHTS1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
POWER TRAINDRIVELINE1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
loss of control9841.2%0.88
mechanical failure4318.1%0.74
restraint or airbag3715.5%0.88
electrical electronic218.8%0.87
visibility or lighting198.0%0.91
fire or overheating104.2%0.91
noise or comfort52.1%0.85
fluid or fuel leak20.8%0.73
structural or corrosion20.8%0.67
unclear10.4%1.00
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate16368.5%0.83
low5422.7%0.71
high166.7%0.88
critical41.7%0.67
none10.4%0.76

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 238 tagged complaints of 292 complaints (81.5%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

16 recalls. Showing the latest 10 of 16.

20V003000

Date: 2020-01-02. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, (excerpt)

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V002000

Date: 2020-01-02. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico (excerpt)

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V001000

Date: 2020-01-02. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Ma (excerpt)

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V297000

Date: 2019-04-11. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V009000

Date: 2019-01-09. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washi (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V008000

Date: 2019-01-09. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, and Legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylv (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

19V007000

Date: 2019-01-09. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehic (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V626000

Date: 2018-09-13. Systems: PARKING BRAKE.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with a manual transmission. The electronic parking brake (EPB) may not engage as intended, allowing the vehicle to rollaway if the transmission is not in the proper gear when parked.

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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V012000

Date: 2018-01-09. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These veh (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

17V014000

Date: 2017-01-10. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Subaru Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), 2006-2012 Tribeca, 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern (excerpt)

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death. (excerpt)

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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

1 investigations; 0 open.

EQ12002

Opened: 2012-02-14. Closed: 2012-05-08.

Autoliv Air Bag Propellant Mixture

The summary for this investigation, labeled EQ12-002 Autoliv Closing Resume, can be found attached separately to this resume.This EQ is closed.

Systems: AIR BAGS.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

325 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM97
EQUIPMENT79
POWER TRAIN49
UNKNOWN OR OTHER28
ENGINE26
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING22
STRUCTURE14
AIR BAGS12

11037943

Date: 2026-10-05. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.

11037940

Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.

11037930

Date: 2026-09-15. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year Subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.

11037927

Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11037929

Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11036807

Date: 2026-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts.This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

11036796

Date: 2026-08-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)

11036794

Date: 2026-08-05. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Techtips newsletter locator index.

11036789

Date: 2026-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin

11034249

Date: 2026-06-12. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This announcement is requesting retailer staff to retain the EyeSight protective hood covers from Generation 4 EyeSight cameras.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
OUTBACK292

Same model, other years

All model years | All Subaru models

Other Subaru models, 2012

Sources

Get this record as JSON

The free rate-limited demo needs no key.

curl "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/demo/vehicle_risk?make=Subaru&model=Outback&year=2012"

Paid endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/vehicle_risk. MCP endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp.