2004 Subaru OUTBACK problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
90 owner complaints analyzed
10 distinct recall campaigns
67,693 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2004 model year. Data snapshot: . 62 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 24 of 90 complaints (26.7%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 13 | 14.4% |
| Transmission and shifting | 9 | 10.0% |
| Engine operation | 5 | 5.6% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 5 | 5.6% |
| Steering behavior | 2 | 2.2% |
| Fuel system concerns | 2 | 2.2% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | 24 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 18 |
| Electrical System | 6 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 5 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 3 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 3 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 3 |
Air Bags: 24; Vehicle Speed Control: 18; Electrical System: 6; Engine And Engine Cooling: 5; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 3; Fuel System, Gasoline: 3; Fuel/Propulsion System: 3; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 3
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 16 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 8 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 8 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 12 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 8 |
| 150,000 and above | 10 |
Under 25,000: 16; 25,000 to 49,999: 8; 50,000 to 74,999: 8; 75,000 to 99,999: 12; 100,000 to 149,999: 8; 150,000 and above: 10
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (16). 28 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 3 |
| 2004 | 10 |
| 2005 | 7 |
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 4 |
| 2009 | 7 |
| 2010 | 8 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2014 | 10 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2016 | 12 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
2003: 3; 2004: 10; 2005: 7; 2006: 5; 2007: 1; 2008: 4; 2009: 7; 2010: 8; 2011: 5; 2012: 1; 2013: 4; 2014: 10; 2015: 3; 2016: 12; 2017: 4; 2018: 4; 2019: 1; 2020: 1
Pattern summary
Air Bags leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 13 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 9 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 5 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10088909 · 2004-08-31 (August 31, 2004)
MY SUBARU, FORESTER XT HAS HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS SINCE IT HAD 5000 MILES. THE ENGINE PERFORMANCE IS INCONSISTENT. THE CAR HAS AN INTERMITTENT MISS AT IDLE, CRUISE CONTROL THAT DISENGAGES AT WILL, IS DIFFICULT TO START INTERMITTENTLY; SPITTING AND SPUTTER FOR 30 SECONDS, ACTS AS IF IT WILL STALL OCCASIONALLY WHILE BRAKING, AND THE CLUTCH DOES NOT GRIP THE FLYWHEEL PROPERLY. WHILE PASSING ON 2 LANE ROADS, I HAVE NEARLY HAD NUMEROUS HEAD-ON ACCIDENTS; THE CAR DOES NOT ACCELERATE CONSISTENTLY. THE CRUISE CONTROL DEFECT HAS NEARLY CAUSED MANY OT…
Owner-reported narrative. 5,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10088909 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10108341 · 2005-02-01 (February 1, 2005)
ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WITH TWO DIFFERENT DRIVERS, MY SUBARU OUTBACK 2004 VEHICLE EXPERIENCED DANGEROUS SUDDEN ACCELERATION. IN BOTH CASES, WE WERE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC FOR A FEW MINUTES, FOOT ON THE BRAKE, WHEN SUDDENLY, THE CAR BEGAN TO SURGE FORWARD. EVEN EXERTING STRONG PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR CONTINUED TO SURGE FORWARD, THE ENGINE RACING. ON ONE OCCASION, WE WERE BEHIND OTHER STOPPED CARS AND ALMOST REAR-ENDED THE CAR IN FRONT OF US. ON ANOTHER, WE WERE STOPPED AT A CROSS WALK AND ALMOST LURCHED FORWARD INTO PEDESTRIANS. IN BOTH C…
Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10108341 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10098126 · 2004-11-01 (November 1, 2004)
AUTO STARTED RUNNING ROUGH. TRANSMISSION SHIFTING ABRUPTLY. THROTTLE WOULD REMAIN OPEN AFTER FOOT TAKEN OFF ACCELERATOR. CAR WOULD MAINTAIN LAST SPEED BEFORE FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR. THIS WOULD CONTINUE ON LEVEL GROUND AND EVEN UPHILL TO A LARGE EXTENT SPEED WOULD BE MAINTAINED WITH NO INPUT FROM DRIVER. CRUISE CONTROL WAS OFF. NO CODES GENERATED AND NO CHECK ENGING LIGHT. DEALER NOTIFIED. COULD NOT DUPLICATE. THIS OCCURRED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS BEFORE DEALER REPLACE THROTTLE POSITON SENSOR.*AK
Owner-reported narrative. 7,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 10098126 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10117813 · 2005-04-13 (April 13, 2005)
UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE AND SHIFTING IN DRIVE OR REVERSE, THE VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE ERRATICALLY WITH FORCE. THIS HAS ALSO OCCURRED WITH NORMAL DRIVING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. ON EACH OCCASION THE FOLLOWING REPAIRS WERE MADE; ELECTRICAL GREASE WAS APPLIED ON THE TCS CONTACT. 3 DAYS LATER THE PROBLEM RECURRED. DEALER ADJUSTED THE ACCELERATOR THROTTLE, AND 3 DAYS LATER ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING. DEALER REPLACED THE ECM CONTROL MODULE, AND THE NEXT DAY VEH…
Owner-reported narrative. 16,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10117813 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10051647 · 2003-12-17 (December 17, 2003)
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SPUTTERED AND STALLED. CONSUMER COULDN'T SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE, AND COULDN'T REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR AND THE BATTERY, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. 1,565 miles reported. Look up ODI 10051647 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10074710 · 2004-06-03 (June 3, 2004)
I PURCHASED A NEW SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK, ON 4/28/04. [XXX] ON MAY 26, I ENTERED THE CAR USING THE KEYLESS ENTRY, BUT I COULD NOT START THE CAR AS THE BATTERY POWER WAS LOW. SO I TRIED TO EXIT THE CAR BUT THE DOOR ON THE DRIVER SIDE WOULD NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE EVEN WHEN I TRIED TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOOR. THE OTHER FRONT DOOR AND THE BACK DOORS COULD NOT BE OPENED EITHER. I WAS TRAPPED INSIDE THE CAR WITH NO AIR OR POWER. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO CALL A PASSERBY'S ATTENTION AFTER 15 MINUTES AND HE COULD OPEN THE CAR FROM THE OUTSIDE WITH…
Owner-reported narrative. 850 miles reported. Look up ODI 10074710 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10268730 · 2009-05-14 (May 14, 2009)
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING ABNORMALLY REVERTS TO THE RIGHT AS IF THE STEERING COLUMN IS LOCKED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND PROVIDE A REMEDY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 99,500.
Owner-reported narrative. 80,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10268730 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10405752 · 2011-06-09 (June 9, 2011)
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD WHILE THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. THE CONTACTS FACE HIT THE STEERING WHEEL AND SHE ALSO INJURED HER ANKLE. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY IN THE DEALERS POSSESSION FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING TO DETERMINE WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000.
Owner-reported narrative. 67,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10405752 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10402132 · 2011-05-19 (May 19, 2011)
2004 SUBARU OUTBACK LL BEAN 3.0L H6 HAS HISTORY OF INTERMITTENT UNINTENDED ACCELERATION, MISFIRE (SURGING) AT HIGHWAY SPEED, NOT SLOWING DOWN WITH FOOT VISIBLY NOT NEAR GAS PEDAL OR BRAKE PEDAL, ACCELERATION IN DRIVE OR REVERSE WITHOUT TOUCHING BRAKE OR GAS PEDAL, ERRATIC IDLE. DEALERS ATTRIBUTE TO BAD SENSOR (REPLACED PART NUMBER 22627AA130 SENSOR ASSY-PRESS), DIRTY THROTTLE BODY, GAS TREATMENT NEEDED IN GAS TANK, AND THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A PROBLEM EVER (DISBELIEF). ALSO, WHEN AT ITS WORST, SYMPTOMS INCLUDE EXTREME (BANGING) SHIFTS …
Owner-reported narrative. 49,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10402132 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10654667 · 2014-11-13 (November 13, 2014)
FUEL LEAK WHEN TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO SUDDEN COLD BETWEEN 0 AND 10F. SO BAD THAT YOU CANNOT DRIVE THE CAR AS THE HEATER DRAWS IN THE FUMES (AND AT 4F YOU NEED TO USE THE HEATER). UNSAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO POSSIBLE FIRE IN ENGINE. CAR IS NOW IN THE SHOP - APPARENTLY THIS IS VERY COMMON WITH SUBARU, WHICH IS WHY I AM FILING A COMPLAINT. IF SUBARU KNOWS OF THIS, IT'S TIME FOR THEM TO TAKE ACTION. OR WILL IT TAKE AN ENGINE FIRE AND POSSIBLE DEATH FOR SOMETHING TO BE DONE? I CERTAINLY HOPE NOT! *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 135,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10654667 at NHTSA ↗