U.S. public vehicle records

1998 Subaru OUTBACK: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

102 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

91,486 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1998 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 59 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 18 of 102 complaints (17.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	13	12.7%
Transmission and shifting	8	7.8%
Engine operation	5	4.9%
Steering behavior	4	3.9%
Electrical and battery issues	3	2.9%
Fuel system concerns	1	1.0%

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.

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Air Bags

Air Bags:Frontal

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	18
Engine And Engine Cooling	11
Vehicle Speed Control	8
Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System	7
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	5
Air Bags	4
Air Bags:Frontal	3
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	3

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 18; Engine And Engine Cooling: 11; Vehicle Speed Control: 8; Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System: 7; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 5; Air Bags: 4; Air Bags:Frontal: 3; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 3

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 4; 25,000 to 49,999: 3; 50,000 to 74,999: 12; 75,000 to 99,999: 16; 100,000 to 149,999: 17; 150,000 and above: 7

100,000 to 149,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (17). 43 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.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2000: 5; 2001: 13; 2002: 13; 2003: 16; 2004: 22; 2005: 9; 2006: 6; 2007: 1; 2008: 4; 2009: 3; 2010: 5; 2011: 2; 2012: 1; 2013: 1; 2014: 1

Pattern summary

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 13 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 8 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.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10001073 · 2002-12-17 (December 17, 2002)

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED AND APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE CAN EXPERIENCE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, VEHICLE SUFFERED SUDDEN ACCELERATION. DEALER HAS INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10001073 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10005232 · 2003-02-03 (February 3, 2003)

HEAD GASKET ON MY '98 OUTBACK FAILED. DEALER SAID NOT UNCOMMON. HE HAS 3 MORE WAITING FOR HEAD GASKETS. SEEMS A NUMBER OF HEAD GASKET FAILURES ON THE SUBARU DISCUSSION GROUP ON EDMUNDS.COM TOWNHALL. FORTUNATELY, MINE WAS DISCOVERED WITH NO ENGINE DAMAGE. THE COST OF REPAIR WAS $2500.00. QUITE A FINANCIAL DRAIN FOR ME. SOME TALK ON DISCUSSION GROUP WONDERING IF A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE 2.5 LITER ENGINE. SUBARU EMAILED ME THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH HEAD GASKETS AND THAT ALL MECHANICAL THINGS FAIL WITH TIME, SOME SOONER AND SOME LATER. …

Owner-reported narrative. 94,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 10005232 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10007058 · 2002-10-07 (October 7, 2002)

BOTH FUSES ON THE COOLING SYSTEM FANS FAILED WITHIN THE SAME DRIVE. I CHECKED THE ONE MARKED IN THE 1998 LEGACY OWNERS MANUAL FOR THE COOLING FAN AND IT WAS NUMBER 13 IN PAGE 11-7. I CHECKED FOR THE OTHER ONE AND IT WAS UNDER THE HOOD AND IT WAS NIGHT TIME AND I DIDN'T HAVE A FLASHLIGHT OR LIGHT. I COULD COUNT WHERE THE FUSE WAS AND IN THE BOOK IT STATED IT WAS # 25. I PULLED THE FUSE 25 AND IT CHECKED OUT GOOD AND I PUT IT BACK IN THE SLOT. HOWEVER, I CHECKED IN THE DAY TIME UNDER THE FUSE COVER UNDER THE HOOD AND IT INDICATES THAT FUSE #…

Owner-reported narrative. 100,147 miles reported. Look up ODI 10007058 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10010006 · 2003-03-18 (March 18, 2003)

THE ENGINE OVER HEATED, AND THE DEALER REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT AND WATER PUMP, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM CONTINUED, AND THE ENTIRE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED.*AK ALSO THE BRAKE LIGHT AND MARKER LIGHTS WERE REPLACED. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 75,462 miles reported. Look up ODI 10010006 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10016256 · 2003-04-21 (April 21, 2003)

1998 SUBARU OUTBACK - BLOWN HEAD GASKET, RESULTED IN OVER HEATING. MY MECHANIC ESTIMATES $2500 (ASSUMING THERE IS NO OTHER DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE). WE ARE ALSO CHECKING PRICES FOR USED ENGINES TO POSSIBLY REPLACE THE EXISTING ENGINE. MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 129000 MILES. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 129,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10016256 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10017789 · 2003-06-09 (June 9, 2003)

THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR JAMS MAKING THE BELT INOPERATIVE. THIS IS CAUSED BY THE SEAT BELT FRAYING. *TT

Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10017789 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10025543 · 2003-07-07 (July 7, 2003)

ENGINE OVERHEATS. TWO SUBARU DEALER SERVICE CENTERS SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, AND STARTED AN SEEMINGLY ENDLESS REPLACEMENT OF THERMOSTATS, AND EVEN THE RADIATOR. THE PROBLEM CONTINUES, AND NOW THAT I AM OVER 60K MILES, WITH MY WARRANTY EXPIRED, THEY SUDDENLY SAY IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE HEAD GASKET, WHICH WILL PROBABLY COST OVER $2,000 TO REPLACE. I NOW FIND OUT THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE HEAD GASKETS OF 1994-1998 SUBARUS, BUT THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A RECALL. WHY?*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10025543 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10029690 · 2003-07-21 (July 21, 2003)

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AND WITH NO WARNING VEHICLE WILL STALL ,AND IT WILL BE HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10029690 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

2 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

01V216000 · Suspension:Front:Springs:Coil Springs

Reported: 2001-06-25 (June 25, 2001)

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH FRONT COIL SPRINGS ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, NEW HAMPSHIRE, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN, AND IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS WERE PRODUCED WITH POOR PAINT QUALITY WHICH, AFTER CONTINUED EXPOSURE TO CORROSIVE SALT, CAN RESULT IN BREAKAGE OF THE SPRING.

Consequence: DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION OF THE FRACTURE, A BROKEN SPRING COULD MOVE PAST THE SPRING SEAT AND CONTACT A FRONT TIRE. SOME TIRES HAVE DEFLATED DUE TO CONTACT WITH A BROKEN SPRING.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL NOTIFIY CUSTOMERS TO BRING THEIR VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE A SPRING GUARD INSTALLED ON BOTH FRONT STRUTS TO PREVENT TIRE PUNCTURE AND REPLACE ANY BROKEN SPRINGS FREE OF CHARGE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 18, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

98V042000 · Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Gear Position Indication (Prndl)

Reported: 1998-02-20 (February 20, 1998)

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS. DUE TO POOR WELDS, IGNITION KEYS CAN STICK, SHIFT LEVERS/LINKAGES CAN BREAK AND SHIFT LEVERS CAN MOVE.

Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE UNEXPECTED MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH OR PROPERTY DAMAGE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER ASSEMBLIES (EXCEPT THE HANDLE GRIP).

NHTSA campaign record ↗