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Important NHTSA Safety Advisory

Federal recall records for the 2015 Subaru Outback include 1 campaign with urgent safety operating instructions:

  • Campaign #16V292000 (STEERING:COLUMN): 🛑 Do Not Drive Advisory

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists 5 official safety recall campaigns for the 2015 Subaru Outback in AutoUtility's current federal dataset. The primary affected vehicle systems include Brakes & Traction Control, Driver Assistance & Safety Tech, Other / Miscellaneous. NHTSA records include 1 campaign carrying an official Do Not Drive safety advisory.

Key Recall Findings
  • Official Recall Campaigns: 5 campaigns on file with NHTSA
  • Primary Affected Subsystems: Brakes & Traction Control, Driver Assistance & Safety Tech, Other / Miscellaneous
  • Urgent Safety Advisories: 1 campaign carries urgent Do Not Drive or Park Outside instructions
  • Official Remedy: Detailed per campaign in official NHTSA records below
  • Most Recent NHTSA Report: May 11, 2016
VIN-Specific Notice: Safety recall campaigns apply to specific production date ranges and vehicle identification numbers (VINs). A campaign listing on this model-year page does not establish that every vehicle or trim is affected. Check your 17-digit VIN at NHTSA.gov or with an authorized dealer to verify whether a safety repair is needed.
Official Recall Campaigns
5
Listed in current NHTSA data
Affected System Areas
5
Broad component categories
Latest NHTSA Filing
May 11, 2016
Most recent campaign report
VIN Verification
Required
Exact applicability depends on VIN

Vehicle Systems Involved in Recalls for 2015 Subaru Outback

Distribution of official safety recall campaigns across automotive subsystem domains

Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Brakes & Traction Control

NHTSA records also contain 31 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

NHTSA records also contain 35 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Other / Miscellaneous

NHTSA records also contain 70 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Powertrain & Transmission

NHTSA records also contain 37 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Steering System

NHTSA records also contain 13 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Domain Mapping Methodology: A single NHTSA recall campaign may involve more than one vehicle subsystem (such as electrical wiring affecting fuel delivery), so domain totals can exceed the total number of unique recall campaigns. Complaint and recall counts are grouped by broad vehicle system; component co-occurrence does not establish that an individual owner complaint is related to a specific recall campaign.

Official NHTSA Recall Campaigns (5)

Complete safety campaign filings including defect descriptions, safety hazards, and free dealer remedies

NHTSA Campaign #16V292000 Steering System
🛑 Do Not Drive Advisory
Affected Component: STEERING:COLUMN
NHTSA Report Date: May 11, 2016
Safety Defect Summary:

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured February 29, 2016, to May 6, 2016. The steering column on the affected vehicles may have been improperly machined, and as a result, turning the steering wheel may have no effect on the direction of the wheels.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

The loss of steering ability would increase the risk of a crash.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the lot number on the steering column, replacing the steering column, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 13, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783 or by visiting http://www.wtd65.service-campaign.com. Subaru's number for this recall is WTD-65. Note: Until the vehicles have been inspected, owners are advised not to drive their vehicles.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #16V251000 Brakes & Traction Control
Affected Component: ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
NHTSA Report Date: April 27, 2016
Safety Defect Summary:

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured on July 20, 2015. The brake fluid used in these vehicles may contain excess moisture which may adversely affect the performance of the electronic stability control system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

Safety Risk / Consequence:

Poor performance of the electronic stability control system when it is activated may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will perform an ABS activation, then flush and replace the brake fluid, free of charge. The recall began on May 20, 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTC-64.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #15V502000 Powertrain & Transmission
Affected Component: POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
NHTSA Report Date: August 10, 2015
Safety Defect Summary:

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015 and 2016 model year Subaru Legacy 4-Door and Outback vehicles manufactured July 3, 2015, to July 27, 2015. Transmission oil may leak from a deformed seal cap on the propeller shaft yoke.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

If the transmission oil leaks onto the exhaust pipe, there is a possible risk of fire.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the propeller shaft, free of charge. The recall began on August 28, 2015. Owners may contact 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQU-56.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #15V366000 Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Affected Component: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: CRASH IMMINENT BRAKING
NHTSA Report Date: June 12, 2015
Safety Defect Summary:

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy vehicles manufactured March 10, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Outback vehicles manufactured February 24, 2014, to April 16, 2015, Impreza vehicles manufactured September 9, 2014, to April 14, 2015, XV Crosstrek vehicles manufactured October 16, 2014, to April 15, 2015, and 2016 WRX vehicles manufactured March 23, 2015, and equipped with the Eyesight Driver Assist System. If the switch that activates the brake lights fails, the automatic pre-collision braking component of the driver assist system will not function.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

If the automatic pre-collision braking system does not function as intended, the vehicle will not react to an obstacle in its path, increasing the risk of a crash.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the driver assist system, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQS-54.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #14V577000 Other / Miscellaneous
Affected Component: TRAILER HITCHES
NHTSA Report Date: September 19, 2014
Safety Defect Summary:

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Outback vehicles manufactured January 22, 2014, to August 18, 2014, and equipped with a Subaru accessory trailer hitch assembly. During installation, the trailer hitch mounting nuts may have been overtightened, potentially resulting in failure of the trailer hitch mounting studs.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

The mounting nut(s) may not provide sufficient force to remain attached to the studs or the studs themselves might break. If this were to happen while a trailer is being towed, the driver might not be able to operate the vehicle as desired or the trailer may detach from the vehicle. Either situation could increase the risk of a crash.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace all eight mounting nuts for the trailer hitch assembly, and will inspect all eight mounting studs for damage, free of charge. The recall began on October 7, 2014. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQN-50.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Source Data Notice: Campaign summaries, safety consequences, and remedy descriptions are direct text extracts published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation.

Recall History for Subaru Outback

Official safety recall campaign volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Recalls NHTSA Complaints Detailed Report
2015 Subaru Outback Current Page 5 509 Current
2016 Subaru Outback 4 642 View 2016 Recalls →
2017 Subaru Outback 4 917 View 2017 Recalls →
2018 Subaru Outback 3 807 View 2018 Recalls →
2019 Subaru Outback 3 1032 View 2019 Recalls →
2020 Subaru Outback 6 896 View 2020 Recalls →
2021 Subaru Outback 4 295 View 2021 Recalls →
2022 Subaru Outback 4 461 View 2022 Recalls →
2023 Subaru Outback 2 88 View 2023 Recalls →
2024 Subaru Outback 0 91 View 2024 Recalls →
2025 Subaru Outback 0 75 View 2025 Recalls →
2026 Subaru Outback 0 0 View 2026 Recalls →
Historical Reporting Note: Recall campaign counts are shown by model year and should not be interpreted as a vehicle reliability score. Campaigns may cover multiple model years, and newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time for new safety campaigns to be issued.

VIN-Specific Recall Verification

How to confirm whether an individual vehicle requires an authorized safety repair

Safety recall campaigns on this page are associated with this make, model, and model year in NHTSA federal records. A campaign may apply only to certain vehicles based on production date, equipment, manufacturing details, or other campaign-specific criteria.

AutoUtility cannot determine whether a particular VIN is affected or whether a recall remedy has already been completed.

For vehicle-specific recall status, check the 17-digit VIN using NHTSA's official recall lookup or contact an authorized dealer. Campaign-specific remedy information shown above is reproduced from official NHTSA recall records.

Official NHTSA Safety Resources: NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 711)
Official US Government Data Provenance

Recall records published on this page are retrieved directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Safety Recalls Database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.