Recall Register

2013 Subaru Outback: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 12 recall campaigns for the 2013 Subaru Outback. The newest campaign is 20V002000. NHTSA received the report on 2 Jan 2020. The NHTSA record gives the component Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module. NHTSA has 184 complaints on file for this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 20V002000, in the NHTSA record

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.
NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

12 campaigns, newest first. 2,061,376 units in total.

  • 20V002000Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
  • 20V003000Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
  • 20V001000Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
  • 19V297000Electrical System / Ignition / Switch
  • 19V008000Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
  • 19V009000Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
  • 19V007000Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
  • 18V626000Parking Brake
  • 18V012000Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module
  • 16V694000Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer / Motor
  • 13V194000Steering
  • 13V061000Electrical System

  1. 20V002000Received . 127,547 units.

    Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number TKB-20. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  2. 20V003000Received . 111,562 units.

    Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number TKC-20. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 20V001000Received . 258,813 units.

    Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number TKA-20. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 19V297000Received . 511 units.

    Electrical System / Ignition / Switch

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number WUF-91. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  5. 19V008000Received . 330,120 units.

    Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number TKB-19. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  6. 19V009000Received . 452,630 units.

    Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number TKC-19. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  7. 19V007000Received . 43,394 units.

    Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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 vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number TKA-19. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  8. 18V626000Received . 27,175 units.

    Parking Brake

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    A vehicle rollaway can increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number WTV-81. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  9. 18V012000Received . 64,179 units.

    Air Bags / Frontal / Passenger Side / Inflator Module

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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 vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number TKA-18. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  10. 16V694000Received . 592,647 units.

    Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer / Motor

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Legacy vehicles manufactured November 26, 2008, to June 7, 2013, and 2010-2014 Outback vehicles manufactured January 9, 2009 to June 7, 2013. Due to contamination, components within the windshield wiper motor bottom cover may interfere with each other. If an obstruction, such as a buildup of snow or ice prevents the wiper arms from being able to stop in the parked position, the wiper motor may overheat and the bottom cover may melt.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number WTK-71. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  11. 13V194000Received . 5,379 units.

    Steering

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Subaru is recalling certain model year 2013 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from February 15, 2012, through June 15, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the inner and outer shafts of the steering column assembly may become disengaged from one another.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If the shafts become disengaged, the driver would lose the ability to steer the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering column assembly with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on May 14, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQI-45.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number WQI-45. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  12. 13V061000Received . 47,419 units.

    Electrical System

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    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.

    Report filed by Subaru of America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number WQF-42. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

184 complaints, 246 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

  • 2013 Subaru Outback
  • All 2013 vehicles
2013 Subaru Outback: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component2013 OutbackAll 2013 vehiclesOutback, all yearsMentions
Power Train146.3114.7120.736
Engine134.1140.360.433
Steering12275.246.530
Air Bags12289.5109.230
Vehicle Speed Control73.238.773.218
Electrical System52.8136.283.113
Suspension48.819.352.212
Service Brakes40.752.433.410
Visibility/Wiper40.720.650.310
Unknown or Other40.771.652.810

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 26.

Complaints that report a crash
13
Complaints that report a fire
3
Injuries in the complaints
11
Deaths in the complaints
1
Date of the newest complaint
2 May 2019

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2013 Subaru Outback, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2013, with 42 complaints.

Investigations

The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 19951
  2. 19962
  3. 19974
  4. 19982
  5. 19991
  6. 20001
  7. 20013
  8. 20024
  9. 200314
  10. 200410
  11. 20059
  12. 20067
  13. 20078
  14. 20088
  15. 200913
  16. 201018
  17. 201116
  18. 201216
  19. 201312
  20. 201410
  21. 20155
  22. 20164
  23. 20174
  24. 20183
  25. 20193
  26. 20206
  27. 20214
  28. 20224
  29. 20232

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2013 Subaru Outback: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/subaru/outback/2013/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
15 May 2019
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
Subaru of America, Inc.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2013 Subaru Outback?
2,061,376 units in 12 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Subaru Outback have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 71 recall campaigns for the Subaru Outback, model years 1995 to 2023. 12 of them name the 2013 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2013 Subaru Outback name most often?
Power Train: 36 of 246 component mentions, or 146.3 per 1,000. For all 2013 vehicles the figure is 114.7 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2013 Subaru Outback open?
The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.