UsedScore

2023 Subaru Outback: Too new to judge

The 2023 Subaru Outback has been on the road for 47 months, short of the five years we need to rate it. Owners have filed 89 complaints with NHTSA so far. That's 0.4× the rate other Outback years drew in their first 47 months, per vehicle sold.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is driver-assistance features and cameras (26% of complaints).

Complaint index
0.4×
partial: first 47 months
Rank
Not ranked
rated after five years
Complaints
89
in 47 months so far
Recalls
2
campaigns
6th generation, 2020–2025 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2023 Subaru Outback Limited

Photo: 2023 Subaru Outback Limited · Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Driver assistance26% · 23 complaints
  2. Electrical19% · 17 complaints
  3. Brakes8% · 7 complaints
  4. Visibility21% · 19 complaints
  5. Fuel and propulsion2% · 2 complaints
  6. Powertrain6% · 5 complaints
  7. Speed control3% · 3 complaints
  8. Doors and latches3% · 3 complaints
  9. Lights7% · 6 complaints
  10. Engine1% · 1 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

Driver assistance

Owners describe their Outback's driver-assist and automatic braking systems randomly slamming the brakes or shutting off with no obstacle in sight, sometimes nearly causing crashes. Dealers frequently cannot reproduce or fix the issue, leaving some owners to disable the safety features.

Warning signs:
Owners report warning lights, red dash alerts, chimes, seat belt pretensioners tightening, or frozen/restarting infotainment and camera displays just before or during the events.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate the problem or find fault codes, performed software updates that some say did not resolve it, or replaced/waited on backordered camera parts.

“my car has deployed the forward collision warning--Slamming on the brakes-red lights flashing on the screen-seat belts locking--for no apparent reason”

Electrical

Owners of the 2023 Outback describe electrical and infotainment problems including frozen or restarting screens, disabled EyeSight and driver-assist features, and batteries losing charge unexpectedly. Dealers often update software or replace parts, but many owners report the issues recurring or going unresolved.

Warning signs:
Owners describe screens freezing or restarting, EyeSight disabling itself, cameras not displaying properly, warning lights, and batteries dying without notice.
What shops did:
Dealers attempted software updates, reset systems, replaced batteries or radios, or reported no issue found, sometimes leaving the problem unresolved.

“The two displays on my 2023 Subaru Outback (both the main entertainment one and the tiny dash one) randomly restart without notice and/or freeze and are unresponsive.”

“The Eyesight system on my 2023 Subaru Outback will suddenly stop working. It will go out in all conditions, mornings, afternoons and evenings.”

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

Recalls (2)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 23V755000November 202395,830 vehicles

    Power train: automatic transmission: park/neutral start interlock switch

    Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.

    Risk: An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 23V647000September 20234,311 vehicles

    Power train: driveline: driveshaft

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2023 Outback, Legacy, Ascent, and Impreza vehicles. The center support bolts for the driveshaft may loosen, resulting in the disconnection of the front end of the driveshaft.

    Risk: Separation of the front end of the driveshaft increases the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will clean the bolt mounting surfaces of the center support brace and install new bolts, free of charge.

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 327 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2023 Outback. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • SubaruNet Announcement (C · August 2026This Announcement provides diagnostic assistance for CVT issues.
  • 15-305-22R · August 2026This bulletin announces a reprogramming file availability and provides a software update installation procedure to optimize the new Gen 4.5 Denso CP1.5 Audio and Navigation head units utilized in the…
  • 15-308-23R · August 2026This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to…
  • 15-304-22R · August 2026This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns.
  • Article Locator · August 2026Techtips newsletter locator index.
  • 15-333-25R · August 2026This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure.
  • 09-123-24R · July 2026This bulletin announces the design change made to the high-pressure fuel pump developed to prevent DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail/System Pressure – Too Low Bank 1).
  • 16-159-26 · July 2026This bulletin provides new diagnostic steps for DTC P0851 and P0852 to be used in conjunction with the applicable Service Manual.

All 2023 Outback bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2023 Subaru Outback reliable?
The 2023 Subaru Outback has been on the road for 47 months, short of the five years we need to rate it. Owners have filed 89 complaints with NHTSA so far. That's 0.4× the rate other Outback years drew in their first 47 months, per vehicle sold. 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 2023 Outback problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve driver-assistance features and cameras (26%), the electrical system (19%) and the brakes (8%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2023 Subaru Outback been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2023 Subaru Outback, the most recent in November 2023 (power train). 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 2023 Subaru Outback on NHTSA.gov · How we rate