2017 Subaru Outback Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 391 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2017 Subaru Outback, 43% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 31,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “battery drain” (10% of reports).
- 391electrical system complaints
- 31,000median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $210typical 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.
- Battery drain: mentioned in 39 of 391 complaints (10%)
- Jump start: mentioned in 30 of 391 complaints (8%)
- Completely dead: mentioned in 25 of 391 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 2017 Subaru Outback at $210, and half of them between $190 and $730.
Based on 11 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2019–2025), 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 174 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 391 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 3 an injury.
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 | 75 | 25% | 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 2017 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.
Ignition key not releasing after turning engine off. Put shifter in park, foot on brakeii, turn Ignition key off. Key will not release. Have to cycle multiple times to get key released.
I think recall work was not done, but says it was done (or is not open). Does it say when and where recall work was done? This car has a parasitic battery drain, 3 batteries in 3 years, required 2 jump starts, 1 call to AAA. There is a recall for such an issue, but I do not believe it was fixed and…
If the car engine does not run for more than 4-5 days, the battery is drained completely dead and the car needs to be jump started to get the engine to run and have the alternator recharge the battery. Ongoing issue.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2017 Subaru Outbacks have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 391 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2017 Subaru Outback (43% of the 918 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 2017 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 31,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the 2017 Subaru Outback?
Owners report a typical cost of $210 (half paid between $190 and $730), from 11 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2017 Subaru Outback?
The most frequent phrase is “battery drain”, in 39 of 391 complaints, followed by “jump start” (30).
Other 2017 Subaru Outback problems
See all 2017 Subaru Outback problems or electrical system problems across all Outback years.