Worst 2005 Subaru Outback Problems
Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.
AIR BAGS
SUSPENSION
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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All Problems by Category
Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2005 Subaru Outback.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Avg Mileage | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 36 | 3 | 1 | 79,000 mi | |
| SUSPENSION | 36 | 1 | — | 92,007 mi | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 32 | 5 | 1 | 96,623 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 26 | — | — | 105,851 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 22 | 1 | — | 175,287 mi | |
| SUSPENSION:REAR | 19 | — | — | 51,023 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 15 | — | — | 94,537 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 14 | — | 1 | 6,042 mi | |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 13 | — | — | 152,742 mi | |
| STEERING | 13 | 2 | — | 96,132 mi | |
| ENGINE | 10 | — | — | 115,824 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 8 | — | — | 57,200 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN | 8 | 1 | — | 90,550 mi | |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 8 | — | — | 101,097 mi | |
| WHEELS | 8 | 1 | — | 72,315 mi | |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 7 | 1 | — | 116,069 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 105,000 mi | |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 6 | — | — | 104,397 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 5 | — | 1 | 41,126 mi | |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 5 | — | — | 106,650 mi | |
| TIRES | 5 | — | — | 20,712 mi | |
| TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM | 5 | — | — | 49,682 mi | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL | 5 | 1 | — | 16,953 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 4 | — | — | 35,674 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE | 3 | — | — | 45,137 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 3 | — | — | 10,150 mi | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 3 | 1 | — | 83,995 mi | |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 2 | — | — | 56,000 mi | |
| EQUIPMENT | 2 | — | — | 2,450 mi | |
| STRUCTURE | 2 | — | — | 86,000 mi |
Recalls for 2005 Subaru Outback
8 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~1,670,364 vehicles.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy and Outback vehicles, and 2003-2005 Baja vehicles sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Florida and adjacent counties in southern Georgia, as well as the coastal areas of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
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.
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.
Other Subaru Outback Years
Wider context: See the full Subaru Outback reliability report with year-by-year comparison and generation analysis.
Check Your Specific 2005 Subaru Outback
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