Home · 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness · Complaints

What 454 owners told NHTSA about the 2022 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 (454)Crash / fire / injury (15)Visibility & wipers (279)Electrical system (47)Driver assistance (23)Engine (19)Transmission & drivetrain (16)Brakes (10)Lane Departure (10)Body & structure (7)Airbags (6)Fuel system (5)

4 of 454 complaints match · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Nov 6, 2023Electrical systemEngineFire

The contact owned a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 30 MPH, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the front of the vehicle, and the vehicle suddenly lost all electrical power. She was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. A short time later, the contact's wife observed white smoke rising from the engine compartment, and within 15 minutes, the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. Local emergency services were called and were able to extinguish the fire. A fire and police report were filed, and no injuries were reported. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, awaiting inspection. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.

NHTSA ODI 11553800

Apr 19, 2023Electrical systemEngineFire

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Outback. The contact stated he had taken the vehicle to the dealer for standard maintenance. When parked, the contact noticed that smoke was coming from underneath the vehicle. A loud popping noise occurred then a fire started underneath the hood of the vehicle. The fire quickly spread. The fire department extinguished the fire. There was no damage. There were no injuries and medical attention was not needed. A fire/police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and is with insurance waiting for the condition of the vehicle to be determined. The vehicle had not been officially diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,260.

NHTSA ODI 11517827

Dec 27, 2022Electrical systemDriver assistanceCrash

Main Wiring harness / Main Electrical system malfunction, causing all dash lights to consistently be on. which in turn prevents all of the ADAS functions to no longer work. Vehicle has now been in 2 accidents which could have been prevented by these safety features. vehicle had had main harness replaced at dealers cost at dealership , and one at cost of insurance, problem remains unfixed/unfixable. vehicle is specifically 2022 Subaru outback Onxy XT.

NHTSA ODI 11498979

Jul 14, 2021Electrical systemFire

Vehicle was purhased in early June 2021. Vehicle was being operated on State Highway Route 55 at Milepost 46.7, in Elk Township, Gloucester County. Traffic was heavy, with southbound transient traffic traveling to New Jersey Shore points. Vehicle simultaneously lost power and began to display several error/warning messages on dashboard at approximately 13:52 hours. Vehicle was pulled to the right shoulder of the roadway and I began to smell something burning. As I removed personal effects from vehicle I exited and saw smoke coming from the passenger's side wheel well. I walked back approximately 100 feet and called 911, by time a dispatcher came answered, the engine compartment of the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames. No modifications of any kind were done to the vehicle since its purchase. I was the sole occupant of the vehicle and not injured. The vehicle is fully insured and payments are current. It's mileage at the time of the incident are 3,042. That information along with the error messages were provided through the Subaru Starlink App.

NHTSA ODI 11424796

Working with the data? Download all 454 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 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness verdict →