NHTSA Safety Recalls
2005 Subaru Outback Recalls
The 2005 Subaru Outback has 9 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on January 2, 2020.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2005 Subaru Outback. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 9
- Owner complaints
- 273
- Crashes reported
- 13
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
3 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2005 Subaru Outback, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
9 recalls on the 2005 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 2003–2004, 2006–2014 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 2003–2004, 2006–2014 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 2003–2004, 2006–2014 Outback, 6 other models
Electrical system: ignition: switch
- Campaign
- 19V297000
- Reported
- April 11, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 511
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2006–2014 Outback, 5 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 2003–2004, 2006–2008 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 2003–2004 Outback, 2 other models
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- Campaign
- 14V311000
- Reported
- June 10, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 461,338
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2006–2009 Outback, 5 other models
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- Campaign
- 13V110000
- Reported
- March 27, 2013
- Vehicles affected
- up to 274,402
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2006–2009 Outback, 1 other model
Air bags: side/window
- Campaign
- 04V274000
- Reported
- June 9, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 1,987
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
2005 Subaru Outback complaints by year
NHTSA has received 273 owner complaints about the 2005 Subaru Outback, the newest on March 14, 2026. Of these, 13 describe a crash (5%) and 3 a fire; owners reported 11 injuries.
In complaints about the 2005 Subaru Outback, the component group named most often is the suspension (21%), followed by the vehicle speed control (15%) and the air bags (14%).
6 of the 2005 Subaru Outback's 9 recalls also concern the air bags.
Where 2005 Subaru Outback owners gave the mileage (208 complaints), the median was 81,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Suspension56
- Vehicle Speed Control40
- Air Bags38
- Exterior Lighting30
- Electrical System28
- Service Brakes22
Complaints received, by year
| 2004 | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 18 | |
| 2006 | 16 | |
| 2007 | 5 | |
| 2008 | 16 | |
| 2009 | 15 | |
| 2010 | 21 | |
| 2011 | 21 | |
| 2012 | 19 | |
| 2013 | 19 | |
| 2014 | 17 | |
| 2015 | 13 | |
| 2016 | 30 | |
| 2017 | 14 | |
| 2018 | 9 | |
| 2019 | 14 | |
| 2020 | 7 | |
| 2021 | 5 | |
| 2022 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 3 | |
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 2 |
Complaints about the 2005 Subaru Outback peaked in 2016, when NHTSA received 30. 22% arrived between 2004 and 2008, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2005 vehicles, the 2005 Subaru Outback drew 0.8× the complaints of the median Subaru Outback year in the same window: 14th highest of the 23 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 5/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 273 complaints about the 2005 Subaru Outback are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
2005 Subaru Outback crash tests and safety technology
For the 2005 Subaru Outback, NHTSA lists electronic stability control as an option and no forward collision warning or lane departure warning. Forward collision warning became standard on the Outback with the 2019 model year, 14 years after this one.
NHTSA puts the chance that the 2005 Subaru Outback rolls over in a single-vehicle crash at 15.9% (4 stars). Of the 20 Outback years NHTSA rated from 2004 on, 1 had a lower risk, the 2004 the lowest at 15.5%. Of 24 other 2005 SUVs with NHTSA ratings on this site, 2 (8%) had a lower rollover risk; their median was 20.4%.
Photos: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, NHTSA test vehicle 1529, shown from static.nhtsa.gov. Ratings, rollover risk and technology of the 2005 Subaru Outback: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings API, retrieved October 28, 2026; NHTSA terms of use. How the tests work
Subaru Outback by model year
Other 2005 Subaru models
Newest record on this page: March 14, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted