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2016 Subaru Outback

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

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
4
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

2016 Subaru Outback

4 recalls
639 complaints
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 4 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 21 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 639 owner complaints on record
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Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
4
Owner complaints
639
Complaints citing a crash
21

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 We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

4 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

4 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 19V910000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Outback vehicles. A replacement air bag control module may have been installed that is not compatible with the passenger air bag module, possibly affecting air bag deployment.

    Consequence

    In the event of a crash necessitating passenger frontal air bag deployment, the air bag may not deploy properly, increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy

    Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 3, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUX-09.

    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
  • 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
  • 15V794000high

    Driveshaft bolt issue

    POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2016 Legacy vehicles manufactured October 24, 2015, to November 16, 2015, and Outback vehicles manufactured October 24, 2015, to November 17, 2015. Due to the improper tightening of the securing nuts, the drive shaft may separate from the rear differential.

    Consequence

    If the drive shaft detaches from the rear differential, it may strike the fuel tank and result in a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Remedy

    Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the fastening nuts, and tighten or replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 10, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-856-488-8500. Subaru's number for this recall is WQV-57.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 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 2016 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

2016 Subaru Outback Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2016 Subaru Outback Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2016 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

639 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

639
Total
21
Crashes
3
Fires
13
Injuries

Most reported components

  • ELECTRICAL282
  • OTHER96
  • ENGINE93
  • VISIBILITY86
  • STEERING24

Notable Issues

639 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 13 reports involve injuries. 21 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

electrical issues (battery, wiring, infotainment)282
miscellaneous issues96
engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)93

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Subaru Outback, newest first.

  1. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA21002

    Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  2. Recall

    Recall 19V910000

    In the event of a crash necessitating passenger frontal air bag deployment, the air bag may not deploy properly, increasing the risk of injury.

  3. Do not drive

    Do-not-drive recall 16V292000

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

  4. Recall

    Recall 15V794000

    If the drive shaft detaches from the rear differential, it may strike the fuel tank and result in a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

  5. Recall

    Recall 15V502000

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

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

Adjacent model years

All Subaru Outback years

Common problems

Subaru Outback problems

5,690 owner complaints analyzed

Systems recalled

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA21002

    Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  2. Recall

    Recall 19V910000

    In the event of a crash necessitating passenger frontal air bag deployment, the air bag may not deploy properly, increasing the risk of injury.

  3. Do not drive

    Do-not-drive recall 16V292000

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

  4. Recall

    Recall 15V794000

    If the drive shaft detaches from the rear differential, it may strike the fuel tank and result in a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

  5. Recall

    Recall 15V502000

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