Your vehicle report
1999 Subaru Outback
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 111
- Received Nov 1998 to Jul 2016
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Head gasket leaks coolant into engine11 complaints · 9.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Manual clutch wears out or fails early9 complaints · 8.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbags fail to deploy in crashes8 complaints · 7.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #01V216000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with front coil springs originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new york, new jersey, new hampshire, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, and wisconsin, and in the district of columbia. The front coil springs were produced with poor paint quality which, after continued exposure to corrosive salt, can result in breakage of the spring.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 13 crashes, 1 fire, 18 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 11 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 1 |
| 1999 | 11 |
| 2000 | 11 |
| 2001 | 7 |
| 2002 | 2 |
| 2003 | 20 |
| 2004 | 18 |
| 2005 | 13 |
| 2006 | 7 |
| 2007 | 5 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 6 |
| 2010 | 3 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 111 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 11 | 9.9% | – | |
| Manual clutch wears out or fails early | 9 | 8.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 8 | 7.2% | – | |
| Instrument cluster or speedometer fails | 8 | 7.2% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 7 | 6.3% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 6 | 5.4% | – | |
| Coil springs break and puncture tires | 5 | 4.5% | – | NHTSA recall #01V216000 |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 4 | 3.6% | – | |
| Hood latch fails and hood flies open | 3 | 2.7% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 3 | 2.7% | – | |
| Transmission will not engage reverse gear | 3 | 2.7% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #01V216000June 25, 2001180,000 vehicles affected
suspension: front: springs: coil springs
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with front coil springs originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new york, new jersey, new hampshire, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, and wisconsin, and in the district of columbia. The front coil springs were produced with poor paint quality which, after continued exposure to corrosive salt, Can result in breakage of the spring.
Depending on the location of the fracture, a broken spring could move past the spring seat and contact a front tire. Some tires have deflated due to contact with a broken spring.
Remedy
Dealers will notifiy customers to bring their vehicle to an authorize dealership to have a spring guard installed on both front struts to prevent tire puncture and replace any broken springs free of charge. Owner notification began september 18, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1999 Subaru Outback.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN