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2007 Subaru Outback Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 129 complaints with NHTSA about the 2007 Subaru Outback, most often about the air bags (36% of complaints, typically around 104,500 miles). It is 20th of 27 Outback model years by number of complaints and has 8 recalls.
Most common 2007 Subaru Outback problems
Air bags
46 complaints · 36%Half of these problems showed up before 104,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
Airbag light on dash came on and front passenger seat airbag monitor in overhead console failed. The problem was with a faulty printed circuit board in the overhead console, and has since been fixed.
Takata recall. I bought the car used from empire nissan in lakewood, colorado in june 2016. I found out later it had an open airbag recall. Empire refused to fix it. I've been waiting since june 2016 to have auto nation Subaru west, a Subaru dealership in golden, colorado to order parts and get the car in to have the…
Electrical
20 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 117,000 miles. Parts named most often: software.
Dashboard airbag light turned on. Airbag safety system is subsequently disabled, even in the event of an accident. Source of problem is traced back to indicator light in the over head console. The warning lights do not light up as they should. The passenger seat belt or off lights do not appear when they should…
Well I lost all throttle control for the first time. Engine light was on which disabled the vdc and cruise and the gas pedal. It has happened several times since then. When shutting the car off it is very hard to restart. When this happens and you try to stop the car doesn't want to it just pulses forward so more…
Engine
18 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 80,500 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system.
Leaking headgasket on a 6 year old Subaru Outback 2.5 with 79,000 miles. Repair job cost of $2,000. Head gasket issues are a major complaint/defect on Subaru 2.5 4cyl engines. Subaru should either offer to subsidize or cover major repair cost.
In june of 2013 I took my car to the Subaru dealer for service after noticing a burning smell. I was told my front right axle was broken. Seven months later (january 2014) I returned to the dealer with the same complaint. This time the left axle and left wheel bearing were broken. Two months later (march 2014) I was…
Speed control
17 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, cruise control.
Problem p2138 throttle ceases to control car engine speed. In neutral it settles at ?4000 RPM. Stopping and restarting the car stops the problem, but the check engine light remains on and cruise control light flashes for 1-2 days. Cruise control is not functional while in this state. This can happen at any speed, but…
Well I lost all throttle control for the first time. Engine light was on which disabled the vdc and cruise and the gas pedal. It has happened several times since then. When shutting the car off it is very hard to restart. When this happens and you try to stop the car doesn't want to it just pulses forward so more…
Suspension
14 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 81,000 miles. Parts named most often: rear.
In june of 2013 I took my car to the Subaru dealer for service after noticing a burning smell. I was told my front right axle was broken. Seven months later (january 2014) I returned to the dealer with the same complaint. This time the left axle and left wheel bearing were broken. Two months later (march 2014) I was…
Refer to NHTSA complaint 10558038 vehicle was driven a couple of times on good dry roads after december complaint about rear end stability and traction problems. On jan 29th, mid morning driver was driving with 1 passenger on a slightly snow covered gravel road. Vehicle in front of him turned off and when he…
Transmission
9 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 26,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
My Subaru legacy Outback bucks, surges when going on any small or big incline. It occurs all the time.it tends to make me slide more cause of the surges especially when icy or wet. I took it in 3 times to a dealership to fix the problem before the warranty ran out. They told me that they were aware of the 07,08's…
On 2 lane hwy, had to brake sharply ( 60 to 10) for deer. Semi behind me, not close. Deer crossed. Floored accelerator, engine sat at redline 3 sec before transmission engaged. Semi jacknifed behind US, but did not hit US. This action is repeatable. I suspect it's related to the cruise control downhill failure…
Brakes
8 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: foundation components.
The brakes failed completely when I was driving down the road about to enter the highway. The pedal went all the way to the floor. No braking action whatsoever. I was able to swerve to avoid the car in front of me and eventually stop by using the emergency brake. The car had just been serviced (60k interval) by the…
Brake line broke on the passenger side under the rear door . I could see the fluid coming out through a cover of some kind that I think is to protect the fuel tank. I was driving and needed to stop and the pedal went suddenly to the floor and I went past where I tried to stop.
Lights
7 complaints · 5%The contact owns a 2007 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the housing for the rear parking lights was burned. The vehicle was repaired but the contact stated that the lights would become extremely hot and were melting the light fixtures and reflectors. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that they were…
Wire harness, that passes through rubber articulated gasket that connects between vehicle body and rear hatch door of wagon, suffers from wire fatigue that causes individual wire insulators to crack and conducting wires to break, leading to failure of critical automobile safety equipment; namely, rear wiper motor…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2007 Subaru Outback recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began january 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the saab customer assistance center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is tkb-20.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began january 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the saab customer assistance center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is tka-20.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began january 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the saab customer assistance center at 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is tkc-20.
Full defect summary
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.
Electrical: switch
Risk: The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began may 10, 2019. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is wuf-91.
Full defect summary
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.
Electrical: electrical system
Risk: If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began december 2016. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is wtm-73.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners and general motors will notify saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The subaru recall began on june 17, 2015. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The saab recall began on july 27, 2015. Owners of saab vehicles may call 1-800-955-9007. Subaru's number for this recall is wqr-53. Note: the recall completely supersedes recall 14v-399 (wql-48) and partially supersedes recall 14v-763 (wqp-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 subaru impreza and model year 2005 saab 9-2x vehicles are now only par
Full defect summary
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.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began july 2014 and second notifications will run through november 2014. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is wqk-47. Note: this recall super
Full defect summary
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.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began on may 30, 2013. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is wqg-43.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2007 Subaru Outback
- What are the most common problems with the 2007 Subaru Outback?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (46 complaints, typically around 104,500 miles); electrical (20 complaints, typically around 117,000 miles); engine (18 complaints, typically around 80,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2007 Subaru Outback have?
- 8 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from January 2, 2020 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2007 a bad year for the Subaru Outback?
- It is 20th of 27 Outback model years by number of complaints, with 129 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.