2008 Subaru Outback: Solid

Owners filed 40 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Subaru Outback in its first five years on the road, about 84 for every 100,000 sold: 0.7× the rate of a typical Outback year. That's close to a typical year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the air bags (10% of complaints).

Complaint index
0.7×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Outback year
Rank
4th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
40
first five years; 84 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
8
campaigns
3rd generation, 2005–2009 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2008–2009 Subaru Outback

Photo: 2008–2009 Subaru Outback · IFCAR, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Air bags10% · 4 complaints
  2. Seats and belts5% · 2 complaints
  3. Suspension20% · 8 complaints · median 32,000 miles
  4. Powertrain10% · 4 complaints
  5. Speed control8% · 3 complaints
  6. Brakes5% · 2 complaints
  7. Lights15% · 6 complaints
  8. Engine8% · 3 complaints
  9. Steering8% · 3 complaints
  10. Body and structure10% · 4 complaints

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Air bags

Owners describe the airbag warning light coming on intermittently or staying lit, often linked to a faulty overhead console, and some report long waits for Takata recall parts. Repairs typically involve replacing the console or module, sometimes at owner expense.

Warning signs:
Owners notice the dashboard airbag light flicker on and off, sometimes staying lit for days, occasionally paired with the passenger airbag indicator not showing status, sometimes worse in cold or humid weather.
What shops did:
Dealers often diagnosed a fault code (commonly code 26) and replaced the overhead map light console or airbag module, though some shops could not find the problem or lacked recall parts, leaving owners to pay several hundred dollars out of pocket.
Mileage:
most between 55,000 and 100,000 miles, among 63 complaints that give it

“Dash airbag light comes on intermittently, and this disables the airbag.”

“The airbag warning light occasionally illuminates while driving or idling and can remain on for minutes, hours, or consistently over consecutive driving days.”

Suspension

Many owners of this Outback describe the rear of the car swaying or fishtailing side to side on wet, icy, or bumpy roads, a behavior some call "ghost walking." Alignments and dealer visits often did not resolve the sensation, leaving owners feeling unable to maintain control at moderate highway speeds.

Warning signs:
Owners report the rear end kicking or bouncing to one side over bumps, cracks, or bridges, sometimes worsening with added passengers or cargo weight.
What shops did:
Some owners had alignments performed, but many report the swaying continued and dealers or Subaru could not find or resolve the issue.
Mileage:
most between 30,000 and 60,000 miles, among 12 complaints that give it

“Experienced rear end sway back and forth uncontrollably while driving on slightly slick roads”

“The rear wheels would lose traction and start to fish tail”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

  • NHTSA 20V001000January 2020258,813 vehicles

    Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Fix: Subaru will notify their owners.

  • NHTSA 20V002000January 2020127,547 vehicles

    Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Fix: Subaru will notify their owners.

  • NHTSA 20V003000January 2020111,562 vehicles

    Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Fix: Subaru will notify their owners.

  • NHTSA 19V297000April 2019511 vehicles

    Electrical system: ignition: switch

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.

    Risk: The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.

    Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 16V738000October 2016100,127 vehicles

    Electrical system

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.

    Risk: If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.

    Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 15V323000May 2015432,016 vehicles

    Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

    Fix: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners.

  • NHTSA 14V311000June 2014461,338 vehicles

    Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.

    Risk: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks.

  • NHTSA 13V110000March 2013274,402 vehicles

    Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings

    Subaru is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from December 2003, through April 2009 and currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines.

    Risk: Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Subaru sent NHTSA 202 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2008 Outback. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • WQK-47R · March 2025Subaru of America, Inc.
  • 03-94-24 · September 2024This bulletin outlines the judgment criteria to be used when inspecting front transverse link bushings to reduce unnecessary bushing replacement.
  • Subarunet Announcement · July 2024This announcement provides information on Takata Recall Escalated Towing Program.
  • 05-91-24 · July 2024This Bulletin provides guidance for diagnosing a leaking front or rear suspension strut.
  • TKA-20R, TKB-20R · December 2023SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.
  • TKA-20R/TKB-30R/ · October 2023SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.
  • TKA-20R,TKB-20R, · May 2023Takata Front Passenger Airbag Module / Inflator “Like for Like” Recall
  • TKA, TKB, TKC-20 · April 2023Takata Front Passenger Airbag Module / Inflator “Like for Like” Recall

All 2008 Outback bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2008 Subaru Outback reliable?
Owners filed 40 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Subaru Outback in its first five years on the road, about 84 for every 100,000 sold: 0.7× the rate of a typical Outback year. That's close to a typical year. Ratings compare Outback years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2008 Outback problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the air bags (10%), the seats and seat belts (5%) and the suspension (20%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2008 Subaru Outback been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for the 2008 Subaru Outback, the most recent in January 2020 (air bags). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Subaru. The 2008 Subaru Outback on NHTSA.gov · How we rate