2012 Subaru Outback Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 107 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2012 Subaru Outback, 37% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 101,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “torque converter” (30% of reports).
- 107power train complaints
- 101,000median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $6,500typical repair cost reported by owners
- 19%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Torque converter: mentioned in 32 of 107 complaints (30%)
- CVT transmission: mentioned in 9 of 107 complaints (8%)
- Service bulletin: mentioned in 8 of 107 complaints (7%)
- Hard stop: mentioned in 7 of 107 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2012 Subaru Outback at $6,500, and half of them between $2,200 and $10,600.
Based on 13 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2017–2020), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 88 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 107 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 2 an injury.
Subaru Outback power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Outback | 1 | 6% | — |
| 2025 Outback | 5 | 6% | 14,500 |
| 2024 Outback | 6 | 6% | 550 |
| 2023 Outback | 5 | 6% | — |
| 2022 Outback | 18 | 4% | 13,927 |
| 2021 Outback | 12 | 4% | 27,400 |
| 2020 Outback | 48 | 5% | 23,000 |
| 2019 Outback | 16 | 2% | 26,214 |
| 2018 Outback | 14 | 2% | 6,750 |
| 2017 Outback | 47 | 5% | 27,000 |
| 2016 Outback | 45 | 7% | 35,021 |
| 2015 Outback | 37 | 7% | 30,000 |
| 2014 Outback | 25 | 12% | 17,500 |
| 2013 Outback | 60 | 20% | 95,426 |
| 2012 Outback | 107 | 37% | 101,000 |
| 2011 Outback | 216 | 33% | 114,000 |
| 2010 Outback | 94 | 26% | 94,000 |
| 2009 Outback | 8 | 8% | 34,729 |
| 2008 Outback | 12 | 5% | 57,523 |
| 2007 Outback | 9 | 7% | 26,000 |
| 2006 Outback | 17 | 6% | 114,702 |
| 2005 Outback | 17 | 6% | 46,000 |
| 2004 Outback | 10 | 11% | 30,000 |
| 2003 Outback | 13 | 14% | 74,000 |
| 2002 Outback | 20 | 14% | 50,000 |
| 2001 Outback | 23 | 13% | 25,750 |
| 2000 Outback | 42 | 20% | 58,000 |
| 1999 Outback | 29 | 26% | 65,000 |
| 1998 Outback | 19 | 15% | 69,000 |
| 1997 Outback | 8 | 10% | 139,469 |
| 1996 Outback | 5 | 11% | 87,696 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2012 Subaru Outback. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
When coming to a stop, the car shudders and often stalls just like if you didn't press in the clutch on a manual transmission. No warning lights or messages. See details in TSB- 16-90-13R. Subaru knows about this issue and it has been reported in many vehicles. My car was at a Subaru dealership at…
Vehicle stalls when stopping. This is a huge safety issue because stalling at intersections can cause accidents. Dealership diagnosed a faulty torque converter. This torque converter (it should be part number 31100AB170) issue is widely known in this production series of the Subaru outback. After…
While driving on the highway, we were forced to brake swiftly. As a result, the known issue of the torque converter in this model of car caused the engine to stall in the middle lane of the highway and almost causing our deaths as multiple tractor-trailers had to swerve to avoid our immobilized…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Subaru Outbacks have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 107 owner complaints about power train for the 2012 Subaru Outback (37% of the 293 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Subaru Outback power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 101,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2012 Subaru Outback?
Owners report a typical cost of $6,500 (half paid between $2,200 and $10,600), from 13 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2012 Subaru Outback?
The most frequent phrase is “torque converter”, in 32 of 107 complaints, followed by “cvt transmission” (9).
Other 2012 Subaru Outback problems
- Engine problems (50)
See all 2012 Subaru Outback problems or power train problems across all Outback years.