Vehicle report
2019 Subaru Outback
Free recalls, owner complaints, and NHTSA safety ratings for the 2019 Subaru Outback, plus how to check this specific vehicle before you buy.
The 2019 Subaru Outback has 3 NHTSA recalls on record and 15 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Its overall NHTSA crash-test rating is 5 out of 5. Below is the full breakdown, plus how to check this specific vehicle by VIN before you buy in Alberta.
3
Open recalls
15
Complaints
5
Overall safety
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2019 Subaru Outback recalls (3)
STRUCTURE
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Legacy and Outback vehicles. Spot welds located on the duct below the cowl panel may have been improperly applied, impacting the vehicle's body strength.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and repair or repurchase the vehicle, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUH-93.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-20.
2019 Subaru Outback safety ratings
5
Overall
5
Front
5
Side
4
Rollover
Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.
2019 Subaru Outback owner complaints (15)
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle battery continues to drain. Since I have owned the vehicle, it has had 4 batteries. It has had 2 batteries within the last year and half. Installed another battery a 2 weeks ago, vehicle was completely dead after a week of not driving. The last 3 batteries were all purchased (or warranty replaced, new. All forums are pointing to DCM for other years. Yet, 2019's have the same issue, and I haven't received any service bulletin regarding such issues. I presume they need to have a certain number of complaints before action is taken.
- AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS
The driver lost control of the vehicle, possibly due to a failure involving the rear driver's-side tire. The vehicle initially made contact with the guardrail, causing moderate damage to the driver's side. Following this impact, the vehicle began to fishtail, and the automatic braking system activated. The driver recalls being thrown about within the seat during the incident, as the seat belt's emergency locking retractor appeared to fail. The seat belt did not lock during the collision sequence, which is supported by the absence of visible bruising across the chest area. Prior to the vehicle's final impact with the embankment, the seat belt unexpectedly released and struck the driver on the right cheek, resulting in visible bruising. Upon the final impact, after the seat belt had released, the driver was lifted from the seat and struck her head against the door frame. The vehicle's airbags did not deploy at any point during the crash. There were no warning messages, alerts, or noticeable symptoms indicating a mechanical issue prior to the incident. The vehicle has since been towed to a local body shop for a damage assessment and further inspection.
- ENGINE
I am reaching out regarding the cam carrier leak on my 2019 Subaru Outback. After researching this issue, I discovered that cam carrier leaks are extremely common among Subaru vehicles equipped with the boxer engine, especially Outbacks from this generation. Many owners have reported the same exact issue, often at relatively low mileage, with repair costs commonly ranging between $3000 - 5000 What has been most discouraging is learning that Subaru dealerships and technicians openly acknowledge how common this problem is, yet Subaru has not issued a recall or meaningful warranty extension to help loyal customers facing these expensive repairs. This does not appear to be caused by neglect or misuse, but rather by a known design issue involving the sealant used on the cam carriers.
- ENGINE
Front exhaust pipe bellows cracked, allowing exhaust gases including carbon monoxide to enter the passenger cabin. This is the same defect Subaru acknowledged in Service Program WUJ-95R (2015-2016 models) and Warranty Extension WI22-013 (2017-2018 Foresters). The failure pattern extends to 2019 model year vehicles and should be investigated for a recall expansion. This is a design flaw, consistent problem across multiple years, and a dangerous problem that needs to be addressed. My local Subaru dealer diagnosed and acknowledges the issue but won't cover it. Subaru of America won't cover the full cost--only 25%. Thank you for your help.
- VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield window crack without any reason couple month ago and it keep crack bigger
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the touch screen on the radio failed to properly operate. The screen was delaminated, causing unintended operation of the radio, distracting the driver. This failure caused the back over prevention to become inoperable, and the HVAC defroster options were inoperable. The touch screen and the functions were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with an electrical system failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after the vehicle was not started for approximately five days, the battery was completely drained. The battery was replaced two years previously because of the same issue. The vehicle remained at the residence and the battery was charged. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,000.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Battery completely dead after 4 days of not driving; this is after I purchased a $210 brand new batteyr from Autozone. Looks like there is potential class action lawsuit based on the parasitic draw by the DCM unit. I need this repaired at Subaru's expense.
- ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle hesitated and almost stalled. The failure was intermittent but caused the vehicle to stall on several occasions. The check engine warning light and the low oil pressure warning lights recently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, and the contact was informed that oil was leaking from the upper and lower oil pan, the head gasket, and other engine seals. The contact was aware that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V587000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact researched and became aware that a failure of the fuel pump could lead to other failures with the engine oil seals. The contact stated that the fuel pump had been ordered; however, the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
- SERVICE BRAKES
Today 13 Feb 2026, around 3pm I was following traffic it was slow (5 miles an hour) and the traffic light turned red so I pushed on my brake to stop the car and it surged forward I pushed down on the brake again and the my vehicle stopped. Lucy I was travel a couple car lengths behind the vehicle in front of me or we would have ran into his back bumper. This is the second time this year this happen the other time was a couple of weeks back and I thought I did something wrong but my wife was in the car this time with me and she thought I did something I told her I pushed on the brake and the car surged forward. I told her I wasn't going nuts as this was the second time this year the car did this. I live in Central Florida and the weather was over 70 degrees, we were shopping and were heading home I estimate we were in the car traveling 4/5 minutes when this happened.
- ENGINE
The Tumble Generator Valve (TGV) assembly within the intake manifold failed on my 2019 Subaru Outback at only 48,000 miles causing catastrophic engine failure. This is a critical engine component that is expected to last significantly longer than the vehicle's current low mileage. The premature failure of this part triggers engine warning lights and disables key driver-assist safety features (such as EyeSight), creating a distraction and potential hazard while driving. This indicates a material defect in the TGV components used in this model year, causing catastrophic failure well before reasonable service life expectations.
- STRUCTURE
We were driving down an interstate highway going 70 mph on a foggy Christmas Eve 2025 approximately 7 a.m. No cars were close around us. We had been on the road for 30 minutes or so, and it was in the 50-60 degree temperature range. Suddenly we heard what sounded like a gunshot right above our heads. We opened the sunshade under the sunroof, and saw that our sunroof had exploded and left a hole. Before this, we heard nothing strike the sunroof or the car. It seemed like a spontaneous explosion. The explosion noise is recorded on our dash cam video. I was unable to upload the video because it must not be in the correct format.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The car repeatedly drains the battery after being left for a short time (a day or 2). This has now happened at least four times and has destroyed multiple batteries. I have taken it to the dealer and complained multiple times. They check for software updates and sell me a new battery and then the same thing happens again. Because of this, the car is essentially unusable because I can't trust it to run. The problem seems to come and go, though that may simply be due to having a new battery for a while. There doesn't seem to be any indication before this problem occurs.
- VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was driving on I-95 South in Georgia on Thursday, 18 December at approximately 9:00 pm in my 2019 Subaru Outback (6 cylinder engine). There was good visiblity and dry road conditions. I did not have the cruise control on. I was traveling at 75 mph and wanted to pass a truck. As I increased my speed to 78 mph to pass the truck, the Subaru began to accelerate to 85 mph and my rpms went up to 4000. The car continued to accelerate. I checked the cruise control and it was in fact off. I felt with my foot to make sure the accelerator was not stuck and it was not. I pushed hard on the brakes to counter the acceleration and after about 1 minute the car became controllable again. I drove the rest of my trip going 70 mph and did not have a further incident that evening. Because of the traffic ahead of me, this acceleration caused me great concern for myself and the passenger in the car. I have not had this problem before and have not reported it to my Subaru dealer yet. No one else has examined the car since this incident yesterday. I did not receive any warning lights or dashboard messages prior to the incident.
- AIR BAGS
I was involved in a car crash where another car crashed into me at an angle and hit the driver side door and part of the front and the wheel air bag not deploy. The side air bags did. I was going 30, this other car was going 40-50 mph.
Checking a used Subaru Outback before you buy
The recall, complaint, and safety data above describes the 2019 Outback in general. To know the condition and history of the specific vehicle you're looking at, check it by VIN. A VIN check shows whether this particular Outback's recalls are still outstanding, and a full history report adds accident, title, and ownership records the data above can't show.
Before you buy a 2019 Subaru Outback in Alberta:
- Run a free VIN check on the exact vehicle for its own recalls and safety data.
- Run an Alberta Personal Property Registry lien search so you don't inherit debt.
- Get an independent pre-purchase inspection.
- If it's a dealer, confirm their AMVIC licence.
See other model years of the Subaru Outback, or browse more Subaru models.
2019 Subaru Outback — questions and answers
Does the 2019 Subaru Outback have any recalls?+
Our check found 3 NHTSA recalls associated with the 2019 Subaru Outback. Check the specific vehicle by VIN to see which remain outstanding, since some may already have been repaired. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer.
How many complaints does the 2019 Subaru Outback have?+
NHTSA lists 15 owner complaints for the 2019 Subaru Outback in our results. Complaints are problems reported by owners and don't always lead to a recall, but a pattern of similar complaints is worth weighing before you buy.
Is the 2019 Subaru Outback safe?+
The 2019 Subaru Outback has an overall NHTSA crash-test rating of 5. Review the front-crash, side-crash, and rollover ratings above, and pair safety ratings with a mechanical inspection of the specific vehicle.
How do I check a 2019 Subaru Outback VIN?+
Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN into our free VIN check to see recalls, complaints, and safety ratings for that exact vehicle, then run an Alberta Personal Property Registry (PPR) lien search before you pay.
Are recall repairs on a Subaru free?+
Yes. Safety recall repairs are performed at no cost by a franchised Subaru dealer, even for a used vehicle and even if you're not the original owner. Confirm the required parts are in stock before relying on the fix.
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