2016 Subaru Outback Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 309 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2016 Subaru Outback, 48% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 40,238 miles. The words owners use most often: “dead battery” (12% of reports).
- 309electrical system complaints
- 40,238median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $370typical repair cost reported by owners
- 23%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.
- Dead battery: mentioned in 36 of 309 complaints (12%)
- Key ignition: mentioned in 23 of 309 complaints (7%)
- Jump start: mentioned in 17 of 309 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical electrical system repair on the 2016 Subaru Outback at $370, and half of them between $240 and $710.
Based on 11 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2020–2022), 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 electrical system problems happen?
Based on 146 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 309 complaints, 3 mention a crash.
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 2016 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.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale, but the contact discovered the seller was associated with a car dealer. At the time of purchase…
The reporting citizen was driving legally on [XXX] going forward towards the parking lot next to the round about when an uncrewed, autonomous commercial vehicle operated by Waymo suffered a catastrophic software/hardware failure. The 6,000-pound driverless robot taxi aggressively pursued and chased…
SUBJECT: Formal Safety Defect Complaint: 2016 Subaru Outback â Manufacturing Nondisclosure of Latent "Day 1" Design Flaw Causing Ignition Key Entrapment, Uncommanded Steering Column Lockout, and Severe Family Safety Risk I am writing to formally report a severe, unaddressed safety defect and a…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2016 Subaru Outbacks have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 309 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2016 Subaru Outback (48% of the 643 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 2016 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 40,238 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the 2016 Subaru Outback?
Owners report a typical cost of $370 (half paid between $240 and $710), from 11 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2016 Subaru Outback?
The most frequent phrase is “dead battery”, in 36 of 309 complaints, followed by “key ignition” (23).
Other 2016 Subaru Outback problems
- Visibility/wiper problems (83)
- Engine problems (53)
See all 2016 Subaru Outback problems or electrical system problems across all Outback years.