Vehicles › Subaru › Subaru Outback
2006 Subaru Outback
NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2006 Subaru Outback, covering air bags, electrical system and service brakes, hydraulic, and 243 consumer complaints received since 2005.
The component named most often is vehicle speed control: 248.6 of every 1,000 component mentions for this year, above the 45.5 per 1,000 across all 2006 model-year vehicles and against 73.2 per 1,000 for the Subaru Outback line as a whole.
That is more than the average of 132.9 complaints per model year across the 29 Subaru Outback model years on this register; 7 complaints reported a crash and 2 a fire.
Complaints were received in the largest number in 2014 (39); the most recent in the file is dated 7 May 2019.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA. Recall text is the manufacturer's Part 573 report as filed with NHTSA. Complaint file through 15 May 2019; recall file through 29 Sep 2026.
Recalls by model year:
Recall campaigns
Defect, as filed: 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, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
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.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign TKB-20).
Defect, as filed: 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, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
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.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign TKC-20).
Defect, as filed: 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 Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
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.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign TKA-20).
Defect, as filed: 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 occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
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.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign WUF-91).
Defect, as filed: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners of Saab vehicles may call 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is WQR-53. Note: The recall completely supersedes recall 14V-399 (WQL-48) and partially supersedes recall 14V-763 (WQP-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed NHTSA of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign WQR-53).
- 14V311000SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGSReported 10 Jun 2014 · 461,338 units
Defect, as filed: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.
Consequence: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 2014 and second notifications will run through November 2014. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQK-47. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V-110 which applied to certain 2005-2009 Legacy/Outback vehicles. Vehicles that were remedied under the previous campaign still need additional areas rust-proofed.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign WQK-47).
- 13V110000SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGSReported 27 Mar 2013 · 274,402 units
Defect, as filed: Subaru is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from December 2003, through April 2009 and currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines.
Consequence: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQG-43.
Filed by Subaru of America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign WQG-43).
Each entry links to the NHTSA record. NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are free of charge at an authorised dealer; check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Complaints by component
Component mentions per 1,000 for the 2006 Subaru Outback (black) against all 2006 model-year vehicles in the file (yellow). A complaint can name more than one component.
| Per 1,000 component mentions | 2006 | Outback line | All 2006 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 248.6 | 73.2 | 45.5 |
| Engine | 114.5 | 60.4 | 57.3 |
| Air Bags | 100.6 | 109.2 | 108.7 |
| Suspension | 100.6 | 52.2 | 37.4 |
| Electrical System | 97.8 | 83.1 | 109.5 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 67 | 27.9 | 35.1 |
| Component | Mentions | Per 1,000 | Line | All 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 89 | 248.6 | 73.2 | 45.5 |
| Engine | 41 | 114.5 | 60.4 | 57.3 |
| Air Bags | 36 | 100.6 | 109.2 | 108.7 |
| Suspension | 36 | 100.6 | 52.2 | 37.4 |
| Electrical System | 35 | 97.8 | 83.1 | 109.5 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 24 | 67 | 27.9 | 35.1 |
| Power Train | 17 | 47.5 | 120.7 | 96.1 |
| Steering | 12 | 33.5 | 46.5 | 95.4 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 25.1 | 20.4 | 52 |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 25.1 | 33.4 | 27.4 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 19.6 | 59.2 | 51.5 |
| Tires | 6 | 16.8 | 21.2 | 15.1 |
| Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | 6 | 16.8 | 7.5 | 12 |
| Unknown or Other | 5 | 14 | 52.8 | 24.2 |
| Wheels | 5 | 14 | 15.2 | 9.2 |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 11.2 | 50.7 | 44.1 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 11.2 | 28.7 | 28 |
| Traction Control System | 4 | 11.2 | 2.8 | 1.9 |
| Visibility/Wiper | 3 | 8.4 | 50.3 | 7.5 |
| Seats | 2 | 5.6 | 7.3 | 13.8 |
| Structure | 2 | 5.6 | 28.7 | 48.5 |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 2.8 | 10.9 | 12 |
| Visibility | 1 | 2.8 | 15.4 | 31.1 |
243 unique complaints, 358 component mentions; 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported by complainants. Complaint narratives are not republished.
Complaints by year received
Investigations
No NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation action in the current file names this model year.
Other Subaru Outback model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 NHTSA | 1 | 2 | 180,000 |
| 1996 | 2 | 46 | 209,442 |
| 1997 | 4 | 79 | 289,943 |
| 1998 | 2 | 127 | 199,386 |
| 1999 | 1 | 111 | 180,000 |
| 2000 | 1 | 207 | 170,000 |
| 2001 | 3 | 171 | 470,144 |
| 2002 | 4 | 143 | 471,396 |
| 2003 | 14 | 93 | 1,916,339 |
| 2004 | 10 | 88 | 1,580,644 |
| 2005 | 9 | 244 | 1,672,351 |
| 2006 | 7 | 243 | 1,666,189 |
| 2007 | 8 | 106 | 1,766,316 |
| 2008 | 8 | 189 | 1,766,316 |
| 2009 | 13 | 82 | 1,988,974 |
| 2010 | 18 | 282 | 3,242,605 |
| 2011 | 16 | 441 | 3,115,845 |
| 2012 | 16 | 172 | 2,142,573 |
| 2013 | 12 | 184 | 2,061,376 |
| 2014 | 10 | 139 | 1,944,601 |
| 2015 | 5 | 265 | 124,244 |
| 2016 | 4 | 160 | 55,009 |
| 2017 | 4 | 116 | 49,018 |
| 2018 | 3 | 138 | 475,806 |
| 2019 | 3 | 25 | 366,282 |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | 504,336 |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | 215,118 |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | 214,610 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 100,141 |
Model years with a single campaign and fewer than 25 complaints have no page here; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record for that year.
All Subaru Outback model years · Subaru: 29 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 2006 Subaru Outback have?
7 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 20V002000, was reported to NHTSA on 2 Jan 2020 and concerns air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module. Across all model years the Subaru Outback line has 71 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 2006 Subaru Outback?
No NHTSA investigation in the current file names this model year.
What component do owners of the 2006 Subaru Outback complain about most?
Vehicle Speed Control: 89 of 358 component mentions (248.6 per 1,000). Next is engine with 41. Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
How do I get a recall repaired?
NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge by the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Each campaign's remedy text above is the manufacturer's statement as filed with NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, downloaded 29 Sep 2026. Complaint counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; component figures count each component a complaint names. The NHTSA record linked from each campaign is authoritative.
Provenance
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation flat files (recalls, complaints, investigations), public domain, files dated 29 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints). Complaints since 1 Jan 1995. Counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; per-1,000 rates divide a component's mentions by all mentions for the same group. Errors in processing are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections and the methodology.