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2014 Subaru Outback Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 208 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Subaru Outback, most often about the air bags (18% of complaints, typically around 45,500 miles). It is 16th of 27 Outback model years by number of complaints and has 10 recalls.
Most common 2014 Subaru Outback problems
Air bags
38 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 45,500 miles. Parts named most often: sensor, frontal.
Takata recall - my local dealer (koppel Subaru - queens, ny) cannot replace my passenger airbag per the recall until june 14, 2019 - the earliest they can fix - which is completely insane since I made the appointment today on march 20th so I technically am being asked to wait almost 3 months to get it fixed.
Passenger airbag light and warning tone sound when occupant is in seat and car is moving. Been to the dealer 6 times. The seat belt latch was replaced, occupant detection sensor replaced, seat was replaced. Sensors recalibrated by dealer. Problem still persists and we're now told it can't be fixed. Dealer will not say…
Engine
36 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 34,000 miles.
Oil sensor light on dash illuminates. Oil is low. Sensor measures pressure not level. Oil pump has not been replaced. Dealer has attempted to fix issue(4 times). Replaced sensor, oil consumption test. Vehicle in again at 34000 miles for same issue. Dealer mentioned Subaru is aware of the problem. Last resort is a…
At 38,000 miles low-oil light came on while driving. I stopped at a madison wi dealer who indicated the consumption is normal. I argued that I have never had a low-oil light come on in over forty years of driving. Was told they would be glad to conduct an oil consumption test. There is now 40,000 miles on the car and…
Electrical
32 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 47,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument panel.
Electronic parking brake actuator failed. When this occurs you can't use the parking brake and the eyesight safety equipment does not work. This occurs at startup, when the vehicle goes through it's diagnostic checks. Car has stranded US twice with the brake not allowing US to disengage. Eventually, after starting car…
Battery failing prematurely even new. Leaving drivers and occupants stranded in winter freezing , or summer hot weather. I had total of 4 episodes of battery failure in my 2014 Outback bought new on 8/12/2014. Subaru factory battery failed twice when car was less then 20k miles in january 2017, replaced under…
Transmission
25 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 16,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
Pulling car into parking space at slow speed when car, without driver input, suddenly accelerated. Heavy pressure on brakes, driver felt the ABS cycling, did nt stop vehicle. Finally, after colliding with a parked car, nose to nose and pushing other car out of its parking spot, driver was able to stop the car my…
Dangerous! Intermittent delay of 4 to 6 seconds typically pulling out into traffic from a complete stop. Other cars slamming on brakes to prevent wreck, swerving to miss my stalled car. My wife and grand-kids have been on passenger side when this occurs where they are most vulnerable since most incidences occur when…
Brakes
22 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 14,000 miles.
I was attempting to pull my Subaru Outback into my garage and was heading toward the garage door opening when I thought I had put my right foot on the foot brake to stop the car, however, it continued to proceed forward because my foot was under the brake pedal. Consequently, I hit the corner of the garage with minor…
Failure of emergency brake. Failure occurred at 13800 mile and again at 13900 miles while being driven home from dealership. Vehicle diagnosed with failed epb module. Emergency brake will not engage when module is in failed condition.
Other or unspecified
22 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 34,000 miles.
Having warmed up the car in the driveway for five minutes and having driven for approximately 10 minutes, braking several times, driver approached the stop sign at the top of the hill where the road intersects with a busy highway. She tried to depress the brakes and nothing happened. To stop the car, she threw the car…
The sunglasses storage compartment door of the overhead console will not stay latched up. In the unlatched position the door blocks the rear view mirror.
Steering
17 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 9,000 miles.
Car stops without warning. A clicking sound is heard and then the front display panels become blank. There is no steering or brakes. This has happened 10 times. There is no way to predict when this might happen and there is no precipitating factors. Have had the car to the dealership twice, but the problem cannot be…
We purchased a 2014 Subaru Outback, november 2014. I want to report that the steering pulls to the right. We have not had an alignment done yet. I'm seeing other documented complaints and thought I should report this as well. Sounds like having it aligned won't correct the issue. Please respond if anyone has a…
Speed control
14 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 13,500 miles.
I was pulling up to park behind a toyota prius on a road that was partially covered with snow & ice. The wheels on the right side of the vehicle were on snow & ice and the wheels on the driver's side of the car were on dry roadway. I was driving slowly to park when the car suddenly accelerated into the rear bumper of…
Periodically the vehicle will not accelerate for 3-5 seconds from a standing stop when the gas pedal is depressed . This is well documented in several Subaru user groups on the internet. When pulling into busy traffic this problem is terrifying. The car will just not accelerate. The car was returned to the dealer and…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2014 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.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began january 25, 2019. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is tkb-19.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 tribeca, wrx, outback, and legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 forester vehicles 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. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began january 25, 2019. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is tka-19.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 forester, 2010-2014 tribeca, wrx, outback, legacy, and 2010-2011 impreza vehicles 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. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on january 25, 2019. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is tkc-19.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 tribeca, wrx, legacy and outback vehicles, 2010-2011 impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 forester vehicles 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. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Brakes: parking brake
Risk: A vehicle rollaway can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the epb actuator assembly, free of charge. The recall began july 19, 2019. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is wtv-81.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 subaru legacy and outback vehicles equipped with a manual transmission. The electronic parking brake (epb) may not engage as intended, allowing the vehicle to rollaway if the transmission is not in the proper gear when parked.
Visibility and wipers: motor
Risk: If the windshield wiper motor overheats, the wipers may fail, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, the wiper motor cover may melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor bottom cover assembly, free of charge. The recall began october 2016. Owners may contact subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is wtk-71. Note: this recall supersedes recall 11v-469. All vehicles that were remedied under that campaign are affected by this campaign, and need to have their wiper motor bottom cover replaced again.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america, inc. (subaru) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 legacy vehicles manufactured november 26, 2008, to june 7, 2013, and 2010-2014 outback vehicles manufactured january 9, 2009 to june 7, 2013. Due to contamination, components within the windshield wiper motor bottom cover may interfere with each other. If an obstruction, such as a buildup of snow or ice prevents the wiper arms from being able to stop in the parked position, the wiper motor may overheat and the bottom cover may melt.
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: As a result of the parking rod detaching, the transmission may not be able to be moved from the "park" position preventing the vehicle from being moved or driven. Furthermore, even with the transmission shifted into the 'park' position, the parking mechanism may not engage, and the vehicle may roll away while in the "park" position, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. The recall began during august 2013. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall number is wqj-46.
Full defect summary
Subaru of america is recalling certain model year 2014 legacy 3.6r and outback 3.6r and 2013 tribeca vehicles manufactured june 12, 2013, through june 28, 2013 and equipped with 5-speed automatic transmissions. In the affected vehicles, the parking rod may come loose inside the automatic transmission.
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 2014 Subaru Outback
- What are the most common problems with the 2014 Subaru Outback?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (38 complaints, typically around 45,500 miles); engine (36 complaints, typically around 34,000 miles); electrical (32 complaints, typically around 47,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2014 Subaru Outback have?
- 10 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 2014 a bad year for the Subaru Outback?
- It is 16th of 27 Outback model years by number of complaints, with 208 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.