Subaru
Subaru has 29 model lines on NHTSA's register (model years 1970–2026), with 176 recall campaigns and 12,037 consumer complaints.
Campaigns were most numerous in 2019 (17). The component complaints name most often is power train (123.5 per 1,000 component mentions). The Outback line has the most complaints, 3,853 over 29 model years.
A further 9 equipment, tire or child-seat campaigns name Subaru and are listed on monthly pages. Comparisons here are between Subaru model lines; complaint counts across makes depend on fleet size and reporting rates and are not compared.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
Model lines
Ordered by total complaints. "Per model year" divides complaints by the number of model years on the register, a comparison within Subaru only.
| Model line | Model years | Campaigns | Complaints | Per model year | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outback | 29 | 71 | 3,853 | 132.9 | Power Train |
| Forester | 27 | 43 | 2,449 | 90.7 | Air Bags |
| Legacy | 37 | 81 | 2,218 | 59.9 | Air Bags |
| Impreza | 33 | 53 | 1,624 | 49.2 | Air Bags |
| WRX | 22 | 23 | 752 | 34.2 | Fuel System, Gasoline |
| SVX | 7 | 0 | 291 | 41.6 | Power Train |
| B9 Tribeca | 7 | 7 | 127 | 18.1 | Structure |
| Crosstrek | 10 | 13 | 125 | 12.5 | Engine |
| Baja | 4 | 15 | 103 | 25.8 | Air Bags |
| XV Crosstrek | 5 | 3 | 88 | 17.6 | Engine |
| GL | 11 | 5 | 78 | 7.1 | Seat Belts |
| Loyale | 6 | 4 | 64 | 10.7 | Engine and Engine Cooling |
| Subaru | 24 | 10 | 50 | 2.1 | Engine and Engine Cooling |
| Justy | 9 | 4 | 49 | 5.4 | Seat Belts |
| Tribeca | 8 | 17 | 40 | 5.0 | Air Bags |
| Impreza STI | 2 | 0 | 36 | 18.0 | Engine and Engine Cooling |
| BRZ | 7 | 5 | 33 | 4.7 | Engine |
| Ascent | 8 | 13 | 22 | 2.8 | Electrical System |
| WRX STI | 10 | 2 | 16 | 1.6 | Unknown or Other |
| DL | 10 | 5 | 10 | 1.0 | Seat Belts |
| XT | 7 | 4 | 8 | 1.1 | Seat Belts |
| 22 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | Tires |
| Solterra | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Crosstrek Hybrid | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| Forester Hybrid | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| 62 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| 63 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | |
| FF-1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 |
Campaigns by year
Complaints by year
Components most reported
Per 1,000 component mentions across all Subaru complaints.
Questions and answers
How many recalls has Subaru had?
176 NHTSA recall campaigns name Subaru vehicles (model years 1970–2026). Units potentially affected across those campaigns total about 16,551,633, a figure that includes other makes where a campaign is shared (Takata air bag inflators, for example). Campaigns naming several model lines count once.
Which Subaru model line has the most complaints?
Outback: 3,853 complaints over 29 model years (132.9 per model year). Larger-selling lines draw more complaints; the per-model-year column controls for the number of years, not for sales.
What components are reported most for Subaru?
power train (123.5 per 1,000 mentions), air bags (112.4 per 1,000 mentions), electrical system (64.2 per 1,000 mentions). Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation flat files, public domain, dated 24 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints).
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation flat files, public domain, dated 24 Sep 2026 and 15 May 2019. Make names are as NHTSA records them. Comparisons are within this make; see the methodology for why makes are not ranked against each other.