Subaru Solterra Reliability by Year

Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

111 NHTSA complaints (2023–2026).Complaint rate: 54.6 per 1,000 vehicles.

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Should I buy a Subaru Solterra?

Quick answer from 111 NHTSA complaints · 2023–2026

Subaru Solterra reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is electrical faults. Pick the right year and this Solterra can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.

Best years to buy
Years to avoid
Most common Subaru Solterra problem: Electrical Faults19 complaints (10.5% crash-involvement rate).

Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.

Why these years are worse

The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:

  • electrical faults19 complaints (10.5% involved a crash)
  • unintended acceleration9 complaints (44.4% involved a crash)
  • forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking7 complaints (28.6% involved a crash)
  • transmission / drivetrain6 complaints (0.0% involved a crash)
  • forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control6 complaints (0.0% involved a crash)
Severity Score
786.6
Complaints
111
Crash Rate
11.7%
Fire Rate
0.0%
Injuries
1
Fatalities

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.

Bottom line: The Subaru Solterra has fairly consistent complaint patterns across model years.

Avoid These Years

No years with significant complaint spikes.

Average

2023
~79/yr complaints

Better Years

No years stand out as significantly better.

Too New

2024–2026
32 complaints so far

Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.

Looking at a specific Subaru Solterra?

A model's reputation is just the start.

Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).

Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA complaint count per model year

Common Subaru Solterra Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.

Show full table
ComponentComplaintsCrash %
Electrical Faults1910.5%
Unintended Acceleration944.4%
Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking728.6%
Transmission / Drivetrain60.0%
Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control60.0%
Brakes520.0%
Body Structure40.0%
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings425.0%
Lane Departure: Assist40.0%
Wipers & Visibility40.0%
Data Sources & Methodology

Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (111 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.

Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.

Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.

Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).

See also: Subaru Solterraaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

Buying a Subaru Solterra?

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