2003 Subaru Outback
Documented records held locally from official US and Canadian sources. Each record shows its official identifier so it can be confirmed at the source; nothing here is a score or a prediction.
Vehicle coverage
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Choose a vehicle to see the official records held for it.
Coverage held for this vehicle
- OFFICIAL ACTION 15 US Recalls
- MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION 190 Manufacturer Bulletins
- INVESTIGATION 2 Investigations
- CONSUMER REPORT 93 Consumer Complaints
- CANADIAN RECALL 8 Canada Recalls
These are counts of distinct official records held locally. They are not combined into any score, and a record count is not a failure rate. A zero means no record is held here, not that none exists.
US Recalls
NHTSA Recall US
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20V002000 2020-01-02
Recall 20V002000
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,…
Recorded model years: 2003
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20V003000 2020-01-02
Recall 20V003000
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,…
Recorded model years: 2003
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20V001000 2020-01-02
Recall 20V001000
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…
Recorded model years: 2003
Showing 3 of 15 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.
A further 67 records exist for the Subaru Outback where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.
Campaign applicability can depend on build date, equipment and market, and a remedy may already have been completed. Confirm any campaign against the official record using the VIN.
Manufacturer Bulletins
NHTSA Manufacturer Communication US
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11034249 2026-06-12
SubaruNet Annoucement (E
This announcement is requesting retailer staff to retain the EyeSight protective hood covers from Generation 4 EyeSight cameras.
Recorded model years: 2003
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11033069 2026-05-18
01-167-08R
This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.
Recorded model years: 2003
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11033056 2026-05-04
SubaruNet Announcement (R
This announcement provides information on the remanufactured CVT transmission program.
Recorded model years: 2003
Showing 3 of 190 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.
A further 2,124 records exist for the Subaru Outback where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.
A manufacturer communication is service guidance issued to dealers. It is not a safety recall, and its existence does not mean this vehicle has the described condition.
Investigations
NHTSA Investigation US
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EA15001 2015-02-24
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Multiple source assertions are recorded for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific detail.
Recorded model years: 2003
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PE14016 2014-06-11
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Multiple source assertions are recorded for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific detail.
Recorded model years: 2003
A further 4 records exist for the Subaru Outback where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.
An investigation records that a regulator reviewed a suspected defect. It is not itself a finding of defect and not a recall.
Canada Recalls
Transport Canada Recall CA
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2020001 2020-01-02
Transport Canada recall 2020001
Multiple source assertions are recorded for this identifier. Consult the official record for configuration-specific detail.
Recorded model years: 2003
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2016257 2016-05-25
Transport Canada recall 2016257
On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, could eventually degrade the propellant contained in the passenger frontal airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. As a result, if the vehicle were involved in a collision that warrants airbag deployment, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle…
Recorded model years: 2003
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2014285 2014-07-04
Transport Canada recall 2014285
On certain vehicles, the passenger (frontal) airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during airbag deployment. Increased pressure may cause the inflator to rupture, which could allow fragments to be propelled toward vehicle occupants, increasing the risk of injury. This could also damage the airbag module, which could prevent proper deployment. Failure of the airbag to fully deploy during a…
Recorded model years: 2003
Showing 3 of 8 records held. The full set is available from the official source named above.
A further 48 records exist for the Subaru Outback where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.
Canadian campaigns are recorded separately from US campaigns and do not imply one another.
Consumer Complaints
NHTSA Complaint US
93 complaint records in the dataset for this vehicle and year.
Outcomes stated in those reports
- reports mentioning a crash 7
- reports mentioning a fire 1
- reported injuries 3
Outcomes as stated by the person who filed the report. They are not verified, not adjudicated, and carry no exposure denominator, so they cannot be turned into a rate.
By system
- Air bags (restraint system)19 (16.4%)Official recall records for this system: 32, covering model years 2003–2022.
- Engine19 (16.4%)Official recall records for this system: 2, covering model years 2003–2022.
- Powertrain (transmission & drivetrain)13 (11.2%)Official recall records for this system: 20, covering model years 2003–2023.
- Suspension11 (9.5%)Official recall records for this system: 5, covering model years 2003–2017.
- Speed control & accelerator10 (8.6%)Official recall records for this system: 1, covering model years 2003–2004.
- Tires & wheels9 (7.8%)Official recall records for this system: 1, covering model years 2003.
- Brakes7 (6.0%)Official recall records for this system: 11, covering model years 2005–2020.
- Electrical system7 (6.0%)Official recall records for this system: 12, covering model years 2004–2023.
Other / uncategorized: 1 classifications (0.9%) were not assigned to a specific system by the source. They are counted but not treated as an issue area.
A single report can name several systems, so these figures overlap and must not be added together — their sum is larger than the report total above.
A further 8,838 complaint records exist for this vehicle where the source stated no model year. They are not counted above and appear on no year page.
These are owner-submitted allegations, not confirmed defects. Counts are record counts in the dataset. No exposure denominator exists, so no failure rate or reliability score can be derived from them.