NHTSA Safety Recalls
2021 Subaru Outback Recalls
The 2021 Subaru Outback has 4 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on March 22, 2024.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2021 Subaru Outback. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 4
- Owner complaints
- 298
- Crashes reported
- 9
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
2 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2021 Subaru Outback, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
4 recalls on the 2021 Subaru Outback
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification: front passenger
- Campaign
- 24V227000
- Reported
- March 22, 2024
- Vehicles affected
- up to 118,723
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2020, 2022 Outback, 1 other model
Power train: automatic transmission: park/neutral start interlock switch
- Campaign
- 23V755000
- Reported
- November 9, 2023
- Vehicles affected
- up to 95,830
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2022–2023 Outback, 3 other models
Power train: automatic transmission: control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
- Campaign
- 22V485000
- Reported
- July 8, 2022
- Vehicles affected
- up to 182
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2020 Outback, 1 other model
Power train: shift linkage/cable/rod
- Campaign
- 21V024000
- Reported
- January 26, 2021
- Vehicles affected
- up to 383
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
2021 Subaru Outback complaints by year
NHTSA has received 298 owner complaints about the 2021 Subaru Outback, the newest on October 14, 2026. Of these, 9 describe a crash (3%) and 2 a fire; owners reported 4 injuries.
In complaints about the 2021 Subaru Outback, the component group named most often is the visibility/wiper (33%), followed by the electrical system (26%) and the forward collision avoidance (10%).
None of the 2021 Subaru Outback's 4 recalls concerns the visibility/wiper.
Where 2021 Subaru Outback owners gave the mileage (61 complaints), the median was 3,600 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Visibility/Wiper97
- Electrical System76
- Unknown Or Other66
- Forward Collision Avoidance29
- Engine21
- Vehicle Speed Control19
Complaints received, by year
| 2020 | 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 103 | |
| 2022 | 61 | |
| 2023 | 56 | |
| 2024 | 37 | |
| 2025 | 20 | |
| 2026 | 16 |
Complaints about the 2021 Subaru Outback peaked in 2021, when NHTSA received 103. 88% arrived between 2020 and 2024, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2021 vehicles, the 2021 Subaru Outback drew 3.2× the complaints of the median Subaru Outback year in the same window: 6th highest of the 23 ranked years.
That makes 2021 one of the Subaru Outback years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★★
- Frontal: 5/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 298 complaints about the 2021 Subaru Outback are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Subaru Outback by model year
Other 2021 Subaru models
Newest record on this page: October 14, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted