NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Subaru Outback Recalls
The 2003 Subaru Outback has 15 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on January 2, 2020.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Subaru Outback. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 15
- Owner complaints
- 93
- Crashes reported
- 7
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
1 fires
side crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2003 Subaru Outback, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
15 recalls on the 2003 Subaru Outback
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 20V001000
- Reported
- January 2, 2020
- Vehicles affected
- up to 258,813
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2014 Outback, 6 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 20V002000
- Reported
- January 2, 2020
- Vehicles affected
- up to 127,547
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2014 Outback, 6 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 20V003000
- Reported
- January 2, 2020
- Vehicles affected
- up to 111,562
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2014 Outback, 6 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 16V358000
- Reported
- May 25, 2016
- Vehicles affected
- up to 302,127
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2004, 2009–2011 Outback, 6 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 16V359000
- Reported
- May 25, 2016
- Vehicles affected
- up to 146,010
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2004 Outback, 5 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 16V361000
- Reported
- May 25, 2016
- Vehicles affected
- up to 62,940
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2004 Outback, 2 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 15V323000
- Reported
- May 28, 2015
- Vehicles affected
- up to 432,016
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash, injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2008 Outback, 4 other models
Air bags
- Campaign
- 14V763000
- Reported
- December 1, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 4,175
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash, injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2005 Outback, 2 other models
Vehicle speed control: cables
- Campaign
- 04V128000
- Reported
- March 16, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 127,580
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2002, 2004 Outback, 2 other models
Suspension: front
- Campaign
- 03V232000
- Reported
- June 26, 2003
- Vehicles affected
- up to 350
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
Suspension: rear
- Campaign
- 03V153000
- Reported
- April 22, 2003
- Vehicles affected
- up to 170,000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002 Outback, 1 other model
Power train: automatic transmission
- Campaign
- 02V282000
- Reported
- October 30, 2002
- Vehicles affected
- up to 172,564
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2002 Outback, 4 other models
Engine and engine cooling: cooling system
- Campaign
- 02V240000
- Reported
- September 13, 2002
- Vehicles affected
- up to 555
- Same campaign
- also 2 other models
Wheels
- Campaign
- 02V235000
- Reported
- September 5, 2002
- Vehicles affected
- up to 100
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- Campaign
- 13E065000
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002, 2004 Outback, 2 other models
2003 Subaru Outback complaints by year
NHTSA has received 93 owner complaints about the 2003 Subaru Outback, the newest on December 17, 2018. Of these, 7 describe a crash (8%) and 1 a fire; owners reported 3 injuries.
In complaints about the 2003 Subaru Outback, the component group named most often is the air bags (20%), followed by the engine and engine cooling (15%) and the power train (14%).
8 of the 2003 Subaru Outback's 15 recalls also concern the air bags.
Where 2003 Subaru Outback owners gave the mileage (64 complaints), the median was 73,523 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Air Bags19
- Engine And Engine Cooling14
- Power Train13
- Suspension9
- Vehicle Speed Control9
- Electrical System7
Complaints received, by year
| 2002 | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 11 | |
| 2004 | 8 | |
| 2005 | 5 | |
| 2006 | 5 | |
| 2007 | 6 | |
| 2008 | 6 | |
| 2009 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 10 | |
| 2011 | 4 | |
| 2012 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 3 | |
| 2015 | 3 | |
| 2016 | 11 | |
| 2017 | 10 | |
| 2018 | 2 |
Complaints about the 2003 Subaru Outback peaked in 2003, when NHTSA received 11. 33% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Subaru Outback drew 0.4× the complaints of the median Subaru Outback year in the same window: 21st highest of the 23 ranked years.
That makes 2003 one of the three best-measured Subaru Outback years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 93 complaints about the 2003 Subaru Outback are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Subaru Outback by model year
Other 2003 Subaru models
Newest record on this page: January 2, 2020. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted