AutoUtility currently tracks 642 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Subaru Outback. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 309 complaints (48.1% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 22 filings cite a crash, 3 cite a fire, 8 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 642 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (309 reports • 48.1% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Visibility, Wipers & Glass (91), Engine & Cooling (50)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 22 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 3 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 8 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2016 Subaru Outback
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Electrical System
Visibility, Wipers & Glass
Engine & Cooling
Powertrain & Transmission
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #15V794000 POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
- Campaign #15V502000 POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Subaru Outback
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
12V Battery Parasitic Drain / Dead Battery
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Subaru Outback
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale, but the contact discovered the seller was associated with a car dealer. At the time of purchase,..."
"The car accelerates on its own at times. I am not pressing the gas or going down a hill. It is flat road, sometimes even pulling into my driveway. There is also feeling like I am being bumped from the back and moving when I am idle. I am strict about oil changes and have it fully inspected when I..."
"UNKNOWN When pulling into a parking space at the [XXX] diner my 2016 OUTBACK suddenly accelerated while I was ready to shift from drive to park. It was as if I put the gas peddle to the floor. There was a car about 6feet in front of me which I hit. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF..."
"There is a crack in the exhaust manifold and the exhaust smell is entering the cabin affecting driver and passengers' health. The problem has been confirmed by a Subaru dealer and an independent mechanic. There were no warning lights, I was made aware after routine maintenance by an independent..."
"The reporting citizen was driving legally on [XXX] going forward towards the parking lot next to the round about when an uncrewed, autonomous commercial vehicle operated by Waymo suffered a catastrophic software/hardware failure. The 6,000-pound driverless robot taxi aggressively pursued and chased..."
Complaint History for Subaru Outback
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Subaru Outback | 509 | 19 | 5 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Subaru Outback Current Page | 642 | 22 | 4 | Current |
| 2017 Subaru Outback | 917 | 32 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Subaru Outback | 807 | 27 | 3 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Subaru Outback | 1032 | 24 | 3 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Subaru Outback | 896 | 19 | 6 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Subaru Outback | 295 | 9 | 4 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Subaru Outback | 461 | 10 | 4 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Subaru Outback | 88 | 8 | 2 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Subaru Outback | 91 | 5 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Subaru Outback | 75 | 4 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Subaru Outback | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Subaru Outback
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 77 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 253 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 80 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 29 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.