Worst 2008 Subaru Outback Problems
Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.
AIR BAGS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SERVICE BRAKES
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All Problems by Category
Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2008 Subaru Outback.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Avg Mileage | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 102 | — | — | 78,905 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 33 | — | — | 80,721 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 29 | 2 | — | 146,418 mi | |
| ENGINE | 13 | 1 | — | 106,485 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 11 | — | — | 75,423 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN | 11 | — | 1 | 60,136 mi | |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 8 | — | — | 88,049 mi | |
| SUSPENSION | 7 | — | — | 41,289 mi | |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 7 | — | 1 | 83,515 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 5 | — | — | 71,912 mi | |
| STEERING | 5 | — | — | 47,805 mi | |
| SUSPENSION:REAR | 5 | 1 | — | 49,800 mi | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 5 | 2 | — | 52,317 mi | |
| WHEELS | 5 | — | — | 53,060 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 3 | — | — | 3,200 mi | |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | — | — | 118,300 mi | |
| SEAT BELTS | 3 | 2 | — | 41,633 mi | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 3 | 1 | — | 38,351 mi | |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 | — | — | 90,850 mi | |
| STRUCTURE | 2 | — | — | 35,300 mi | |
| TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM | 2 | — | — | 80,000 mi | |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 | 1 | — | 31,000 mi | |
| AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER | 1 | — | — | 128,000 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | 1 | — | — | — | |
| EQUIPMENT | 1 | — | — | 17,600 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS | 1 | — | — | — | |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH | 1 | — | — | 20 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 | — | — | — | |
| SEATS | 1 | 1 | — | 108,000 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT | 1 | — | — | 128,000 mi |
Recalls for 2008 Subaru Outback
8 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~1,766,316 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 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.
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 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 2008 Subaru Outback
Real owner complaints tell you about the model. The VIN tells you about your specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer fraud.
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