2019 Subaru Outback Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 364 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2019 Subaru Outback, 35% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 13,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “dead battery” (9% of reports).
- 364electrical system complaints
- 13,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,500typical repair cost reported by owners
- 52%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 34 of 364 complaints (9%)
- Jump start: mentioned in 29 of 364 complaints (8%)
- Class action: mentioned in 27 of 364 complaints (7%)
- Head unit: mentioned in 21 of 364 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 2019 Subaru Outback at $1,500, and half of them between $1,000 and $2,800.
Based on 14 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2021–2025), 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 104 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 364 complaints, 1 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 2019 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 contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The battery was replaced, but the failure persisted the following day. The contact associated the failure with the Data Communication Module. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by email. The…
The Starlink infotainment touchscreen in my 2019 Subaru Outback Touring has progressively failed. Visible bubbles have formed under the glass, consistent with screen delamination. The screen registers phantom inputs on its own without being touched ("ghost touch"), changing settings, and…
Vehicle battery continues to drain. Since I have owned the vehicle, it has had 4 batteries. It has had 2 batteries within the last year and half. Installed another battery a 2 weeks ago, vehicle was completely dead after a week of not driving. The last 3 batteries were all purchased (or warranty…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2019 Subaru Outbacks have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 364 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2019 Subaru Outback (35% of the 1,036 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 2019 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 13,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the 2019 Subaru Outback?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,500 (half paid between $1,000 and $2,800), from 14 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2019 Subaru Outback?
The most frequent phrase is “dead battery”, in 34 of 364 complaints, followed by “jump start” (29).
Other 2019 Subaru Outback problems
- Visibility/wiper problems (326)
- Visibility problems (63)
See all 2019 Subaru Outback problems or electrical system problems across all Outback years.