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2015 Subaru Outback

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
5
on record
MPG
combined

Do not drive until repaired

1 active "park it" recall — NHTSA advises against driving this vehicle until the remedy is complete.

Vehicle Summary

2015 Subaru Outback

5 recalls
506 complaints
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 5 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 19 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 506 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
5
Owner complaints
506
Complaints citing a crash
19

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

5 Recalls on Record

1 of these is high-severity. Some may require you to stop driving the vehicle until repaired.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

5 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 16V251000high

    Electronic stability control (esc)

    ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

    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."

    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.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 14V577000high

    Trailer hitches

    TRAILER HITCHES

    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.

    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.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 15V502000high

    Driveshaft bolt issue

    POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

    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.

    Consequence

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

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 16V292000critical Do not drive

    Steering issue

    STEERING:COLUMN

    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.

    Consequence

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

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 15V366000high

    Forward collision avoidance · crash imminent braking

    FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: CRASH IMMINENT BRAKING

    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.

    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.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2015 Subaru Outback.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    17.5%
    Dynamic tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Optional
Lane departure warning
Optional

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2015 Subaru Outback 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 17.5% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

NHTSA crash tests

2015 Subaru Outback Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2015 Subaru Outback Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2015 Subaru Outback Side pole crash test
Side pole Video

Fuel economy & emissions

The EPA holds no fuel-economy record for this model year.

The EPA does not publish a record for every model year.

Consumer complaints

506 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

506
Total
19
Crashes
5
Fires
16
Injuries

Most reported components

  • VISIBILITY131
  • ELECTRICAL110
  • OTHER86
  • ENGINE74
  • STRUCTURE28

Notable Issues

506 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 16 reports involve injuries. 19 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

visibility issues (wipers, defrost, mirrors)131
electrical issues (battery, wiring, infotainment)110
miscellaneous issues86

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2015 Subaru Outback, newest first.

  1. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA21002

    Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  2. Do not drive

    Do-not-drive recall 16V292000

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

  3. Recall

    Recall 16V251000

    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.

  4. Recall

    Recall 15V502000

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

  5. Recall

    Recall 15V366000

    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.

  6. Recall

    Recall 14V577000

    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.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Unknown
Drive type
Unknown
Engine
0L 0-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Unknown
Seats
0

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA21002

    Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  2. Do not drive

    Do-not-drive recall 16V292000

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

  3. Recall

    Recall 16V251000

    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.

  4. Recall

    Recall 15V502000

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

  5. Recall

    Recall 15V366000

    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.