2026 Subaru Outback recalls & problems

Safety recalls

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.

Fuel economy

EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.

What owners report

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

• Steering

  I experienced a serious loss of vehicle stability while driving a redesigned 2026 Subaru Outback provided as a loaner by Subaru of Port Richey, Florida. I was traveling approximately 70 mph on the highway in windy conditions. The pavement was completely dry. While making a necessary evasive lane change to avoid a road hazard, the rear of the vehicle began swinging from side to side uncontrollably. The maneuver was not unusually aggressive, yet the vehicle exhibited severe fishtailing, similar to the behavior of an improperly loaded trailer. I was forced to countersteer aggressively multiple times to regain control. The rear continued oscillating through several corrections before the…

  Jun 9, 2026
• Unknown or other

  I am requesting that NHTSA investigate the potential safety implications of Subaru of America’s decision to disable connected safety services for [XXX] residents. My 2026 Subaru Outback, purchased outside [XXX], where its connected services were available and functional. After relocating to [XXX] as part of a military family, I lost access to these services due to Subaru’s restrictions related to the state’s Right to Repair law. My primary concern is the potential loss of critical safety features, including Automatic Collision Notification and SOS Emergency Assistance. These services are designed to connect vehicle occupants with emergency assistance following a serious collision or…

  Oct 21, 2026
• Lane departure › Assist

  The blue EyeSight Assist Monitor indicator lights on my 2026 Subaru Outback Touring XT do not illuminate as described in the owner’s manual. According to the 2026 Subaru Outback EyeSight Owner’s Manual (page 251), the EyeSight Assist Monitor LEDs should illuminate in the sequence Blue → Yellow → Red → Green during the startup self-check. However, the blue indicators consistently fail to illuminate, while the other indicator colors illuminate. The blue indicators also do not provide the expected visual status information during operation of the Hands-Free Assist system. This creates a safety concern because I cannot reliably see the intended visual indication of the…

  Oct 17, 2026
• Tires

  The read passenger tire Dunlop 255/60R18 100H exploded while driving at approx. 30miles/hour. The tire did not have any punctures and did not hit any board walk. No previous warning whatsoever. A portion of the tire side broke apart, resulting in a kind of rubber tongue. The vehicle is new Subaru Outback with approx. 600 miles, one month old. The tire was changed for the spare tire and brought to the Dealership (Gerard in Naperville, IL). Issued reported in writing to Dealership and later to the Subaru Customer Advocacy Department, which opened an internal case (#XXX). Two pictures were attached to the report. I do not know, if the tire was subjected to any inspection by the dealership or…

  Oct 8, 2026
• Service brakes

  Brand new 2026 Outback experienced a "Sudden Unintended Acceleration / Brake Ineffectiveness. This occurred 3 times this week after the car had been driven over 90 miles or over 90 minutes. Engine and components were warmed up. Car was initially reported to dealer 10/6, car was examined by dealer and returned to me later that day.could not be replicated. Car sat at my home until today when it was driven over 90 minutes or 90 miles. Replicated failure by me same as earlier in the week . Car drivetrain felt surged. CVT fighting brake system when trying to turn car at street corner. Would not stop until on straight away ( seems to be triggered when turning and car was hot and when no power…

  Oct 10, 2026
• Forward collision avoidance › Automatic emergency braking

  I have owned this vehicle since January 2026. It's the first vehicle I have owned with a forward collision warning system and active emergency braking. And this is the first time this "failure" has happened, so far... On a 60mph 2 lane rural road with traffic behind me the forward collision warning system and active braking triggered of off a disabled vehicle parked safely on the side of the road on a sweeping left hand curve at 60 mph. There was nothing I could do as the vehicle actively emergency braked for no reason and unexpectedly, and the traffic behind me had to swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid colliding with me. With no automatic collision avoidance system, this situation would…

  Sep 12, 2026
• Electrical system

  New car with only 965 miles. At 580 miles the car when I started it said safety eyesight system not working. I shut off car and restarted it and system connected itself. Today I was on highway doing 62mph and the entire dashboard, information and safety features displays went completely black without any warning. I was able to control car and system rebooted itself after a minute or so. I Contact Subaru and have a case number #260909-1500526. Called dealer and was told not to drive car and have it towed to dealership. Since I need a rental car the dealership will notify me when a rental car is available. It scared the hell out of me when it happened. I went online and see now that this is…

  Sep 9, 2026
• Seats3 injuries

  Incident Summary: On August 23, 2026, a multi-occupant injury event occurred during routine city braking due to an inherent occupant packaging design defect in the vehicle’s front seating and sun visor layout. The vehicle exhibits a static seat-to-visor clearance of 79 cm versus a standard median adult sitting height of 95 cm, result of negative 16cm headroom clearance. During normal city deceleration (0.2g–0.4g), seatbelt inertia reels remain unlatched under FMVSS 209 tolerances, allowing normal forward upper-torso pitch. This causes adult occupants' foreheads to strike the lower edge of the stowed sun visor, resulting in head impacts, neck strain, and concussion symptoms. A service…

  Aug 23, 2026

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.