Home · 2011 Subaru Outback Wilderness · Complaints

What 649 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Subaru Outback Wilderness

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (649)Crash / fire / injury (31)Transmission & drivetrain (216)Lights (117)Engine (85)Brakes (76)Airbags (73)Electrical system (66)Steering (36)Speed control (25)Visibility & wipers (23)Suspension (20)

1 of 649 complaints match · Visibility & wipers · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jan 18, 2012Visibility & wipersFire

MY WIFE LEFT THE HOUSE AND SMELLED SMOKE. SHE PULLED OVER AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER FLAMES STARTED SHOOTING OUT OF THE HOOD. SHE GOT OUR DAUGHTER OUT OF THE CAR AND CALLED 911. AS THE POLICE ARRIVED, ONE OF MY NEIGHBORS PUT THE FIRE OUT WITH AN EXTINGUISHER. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND LOOKED AT THE DAMAGE AND SAID THE WIPER MOTOR OVERHEATED AND CAUSED THE FIRE. MY WIFE WAS QUITE UPSET AT THE THOUGHT OUR LITTLE GIRL COULD OF BURNED IN THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 10444466

Working with the data? Download all 649 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Subaru Outback Wilderness verdict →