2022 Subaru Outback: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2022 Subaru Outback
On the 2022 Subaru Outback, the failure owners report most often is other visibility problem, and the reports cluster around 5,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 15,000 miles. Overall it scores 77 out of 100, severe risk for a 2022.
Severe risk for a 2022 — 85th riskiest of the 243 2022 vehicles we can rate. 556 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 2022 Subaru Outback
Owners have reported 53 named failure modes on the 2022 Subaru Outback, and the three most-reported carry 56% of everything filed.
Other visibility problem leads with 197 reports, about 10.0 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 3k to 15,000 miles.
Windshield cracking follows with 91 reports, median 10,000 miles.
Other electrical problem follows with 26 reports, usually reported between 8k to 30,000 miles. 4 of those reports mention a fire.
By system, the reports fall mostly into glass (290), adas (35) and electrical (33).
At what mileage it happens
44 of the reports on the 2022 Subaru Outback came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 15,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 89% by 50,000 miles, 91% by 100,000 miles and 95% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 43% of the dated reports.
82% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 53. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 16 mention a crash, 7 a fire and 6 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 2.82, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other visibility problem at $150–$1,400, windshield cracking at $300–$1,600, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000 and infotainment screen failure at $400–$2,600. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
9% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other visibility problem | glass | 197 | 16 | 3k | 6k | 17k | 10.0 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Windshield cracking | glass | 91 | 3 | — | 10k | — | 4.6 | $300–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 26 | 8 | 8k | 16k | 29k | 1.3 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Infotainment screen failure | infotainment | 20 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.0 | $400–$2,600 | Low |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 17 | 1 | — | 111k | — | 0.9 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 14 | 3 | — | 3k | — | 0.7 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 12 | 3 | — | 23k | — | 0.6 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Lane keep or steering assist fault | adas | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.6 | $200–$1,600 | High |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.5 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $200–$900 | High |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Software fault or failed update | software | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $0–$600 | Moderate |
| Overheating | cooling | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Wiring harness or short circuit | electrical | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Exhaust leak or fumes in the cabin | emissions | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $250–$2,000 | High |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 3 | 1 | — | 700 | — | 0.2 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Fuel leak or fuel odor | fuel | 2 | 1 | — | 150k | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| Backup camera failure | infotainment | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Audio or connectivity failure | infotainment | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $150–$900 | Low |
| Instrument cluster or gauge failure | infotainment | 2 | 2 | — | 17k | — | 0.1 | $350–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 2 | 2 | — | 14k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 2 | 1 | — | 14k | — | 0.1 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Paint peeling or clear coat failure | body | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $600–$6,000 | Low |
| Wiper or washer failure | glass | 2 | 1 | — | 41k | — | 0.1 | $120–$800 | Moderate |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Excessive oil consumption | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $900–$6,500 | High |
| Oil leak | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,200 | Moderate |
| Stalling while driving | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Complete transmission failure | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $2,800–$8,000 | Critical |
| CVT failure | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $3,000–$8,500 | Critical |
| CV axle or driveshaft failure | drivetrain | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $450–$2,200 | High |
| Differential or transfer case failure | drivetrain | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $900–$4,200 | High |
| Fuel injector failure | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $450–$2,800 | Moderate |
| Fuel gauge or level sensor failure | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Premature brake pad or rotor wear | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Brake line, hose or caliper failure | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,600 | Critical |
| Loss of power steering | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 192k | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,800 | Critical |
| Strut, shock or spring failure | suspension | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $500–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Air conditioning failure | hvac | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $400–$2,800 | Moderate |
| Headlight failure or clouding | lighting | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $150–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 62 | 1 | — | 28k | — | 3.1 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2022 Subaru Outback draws about 28 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 96th percentile of complaint rates among 2022 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 19,787 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2022 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2022 model year
NHTSA has issued 4 recall campaigns covering the 2022 Subaru Outback, affecting an estimated 31,801 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover air bags:sensor:occupant classification:front passenger, power train:automatic transmission:park/neutral start interl, visibility:windshield and electrical system:wiring. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
118,723 vehicles 2024-03-22- Defect
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Outback and Legacy vehicles. A capacitor in the sensors for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may crack and short circuit, which can prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in a crash.
- Consequence
- An air bag that does not deploy during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the ODS sensors on the front passenger seat, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRA-24.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH
95,830 vehicles 2023-11-09- Defect
- Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
- Consequence
- An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
42 vehicles 2022-09-22- Defect
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Impreza and Outback vehicles. The incorrect paint clearcoat may have been applied, which can cause the windshield to be insufficiently bonded to the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 212, "Windshield Mounting."
- Consequence
- An insufficiently bonded windshield can detach during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Subaru will offer owners a vehicle exchange or repurchase, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 21, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-22.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
15 vehicles 2022-07-01- Defect
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
- Consequence
- A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2022 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 2022 sits in the model line
Severe risk for a 2022 — 85th riskiest of the 243 2022 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 31 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2026 comes out best at 60 and 2020 worst at 80, with 2022 itself at 77.
If the model year is negotiable, 2026, 1997, 1996, 1999, 1998, 2007, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2002, 2001, 2025, 2009, 2004, 2005 and 2003 score lower than 2022 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2018–2022 generation specifically, 2018 is the strongest year at 74 and 2020 the weakest at 80.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2018-2022 generation, 2018 Subaru Outback scores best at 74 and 2020 Subaru Outback worst at 80.
What the numbers say to check
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: other visibility problem from about 3k and other electrical problem from about 8k.
On a 2022 Subaru Outback with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether other visibility problem has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.
The limits of complaint data
556 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 556 reports, 44 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 8% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2022 Subaru Outback?
The most-reported failures are other visibility problem (197 reports, median 5,000 miles), windshield cracking (91 reports, median 10,000 miles) and other electrical problem (26 reports, median 15,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 2022 Subaru Outback problems start?
Other visibility problem is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 5,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 5,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 15,000 miles.
Is the 2022 Subaru Outback reliable?
It scores 77 out of 100 on our risk index, which is severe — 85th riskiest of the 243 2022 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2022 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Subaru Outback is best?
Within the 2018–2022 generation, 2018 scores best at 74 out of 100 and 2020 worst at 80. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed