2015 Subaru Outback Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 127 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2015 Subaru Outback, 25% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 30,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “battery drain” (9% of reports).
- 127electrical system complaints
- 30,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 29%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.
- Battery drain: mentioned in 12 of 127 complaints (9%)
- Jump start: mentioned in 10 of 127 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 62 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 127 complaints, 3 a fire.
Subaru Outback electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Outback | 6 | 33% | — |
| 2025 Outback | 13 | 16% | 6,000 |
| 2024 Outback | 16 | 15% | 2,800 |
| 2023 Outback | 17 | 19% | 4,100 |
| 2022 Outback | 52 | 11% | 25,000 |
| 2021 Outback | 76 | 26% | 2,150 |
| 2020 Outback | 259 | 29% | 4,746 |
| 2019 Outback | 364 | 35% | 13,000 |
| 2018 Outback | 267 | 33% | 16,250 |
| 2017 Outback | 391 | 43% | 31,000 |
| 2016 Outback | 309 | 48% | 40,238 |
| 2015 Outback | 127 | 25% | 30,000 |
| 2014 Outback | 32 | 15% | 47,217 |
| 2013 Outback | 23 | 8% | 40,000 |
| 2012 Outback | 37 | 13% | 70,000 |
| 2011 Outback | 67 | 10% | 60,993 |
| 2010 Outback | 33 | 9% | 90,000 |
| 2009 Outback | 23 | 22% | 107,000 |
| 2008 Outback | 34 | 15% | 80,500 |
| 2007 Outback | 20 | 16% | 116,750 |
| 2006 Outback | 42 | 15% | 100,000 |
| 2005 Outback | 28 | 10% | 110,812 |
| 2004 Outback | 8 | 9% | 36,039 |
| 2003 Outback | 7 | 8% | 13,502 |
| 2002 Outback | 4 | 3% | 115,000 |
| 2001 Outback | 3 | 2% | 72,500 |
| 2000 Outback | 8 | 4% | 117,200 |
| 1999 Outback | 8 | 7% | 91,350 |
| 1998 Outback | 6 | 5% | 100,147 |
| 1997 Outback | 4 | 5% | — |
| 1996 Outback | 1 | 2% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 2015 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.
The Subaru's Starlink Radio has completely delaminated on the layer between the display and the digitizer, which does not allow the radio to be controlled in any way, shape, or form. This means that the touch screen is not working anymore, and because the radio is so delaminated, whenever the car…
Vehicle Component Affected: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM / FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE / BACK OVER PREVENTION Description of the Safety Defect: The factory infotainment touchscreen in my 2015 Subaru Outback Limited (VIN: [XXX]) has suffered a severe manufacturing defect where the internal chemical gel…
My car horn stopped working. The dealership said the clock spring (steering roll connector) component has failed, confirmed by the resulting complete loss of the horn function. The dealership did not communicate the fact that my drivers airbag would not function properly in an accident. I…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2015 Subaru Outbacks have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 127 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2015 Subaru Outback (25% of the 510 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 2015 Subaru Outback electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 30,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2015 Subaru Outback?
The most frequent phrase is “battery drain”, in 12 of 127 complaints, followed by “jump start” (10).
Other 2015 Subaru Outback problems
See all 2015 Subaru Outback problems or electrical system problems across all Outback years.