2014 Subaru Outback Problems and Complaints

Senior Editor,

Updated on July 4, 2022

The Subaru Outback is among the rare breed of vehicles that can handle carry you and your family comfortably. It isn't afraid of going off the mild off-roads as well. Being in the market for two decades now, the crossover has seen a gradual but steady rise in sales. However, it is yet to see a scot-free reliability scorecard. The 2014 Outback has 10 recalls and 189 complaints against it, making it less reliable as compared to some of its rivals.

Among the recalls, a majority of them are regarding the safety systems such as airbags and parking brakes. The rugged wagon has also seen complaints of steering failures and excessive oil consumption issues which haven’t seen any recalls yet. The Subaru Outback sees competition from the Honda CR-V, the Mazda CX-5, and the Ford Escape in the segment.

2014 Subaru Outback user complaints and problems

Engine problems

Excessive oil consumption issue: A lot of complaints mention the excessive oil burning issue on the 2014 Subaru Outback. All the affected owners have complained that their Outback SUVs consume excessive engine oil and the carmaker has not provided any solution. In some cases, the dealerships suggested a complete engine replacement as the only solution to this problem.
Hesitant acceleration: Apart from the engine oil burning issue, several owners have faced hesitation from the engines of their vehicles while driving. The affected vehicles’ powertrains would hesitate while accelerating from a complete stop and take some time to respond after the gas pedal is pressed.

Electrical problems

Electronic parking brake malfunction: The electronic parking brakes of several Subaru Outback crossovers malfunctioned. While driving, the electronic parking brakes keep on engaging continuously despite disengaging repeatedly, posing a safety issue as well.
Ignition system issue: The ignition system of several 2014 Subaru Outback models troubles their owners. The issues include the keys getting stuck on the ignition slot to the ignition system failing to turn on or turn off the vehicles. In some cases, the systems fail to keep the vehicles in the "on" position despite cranking the engine repeatedly.
Electric power steering failure: The electric power steering system of several 2014 Subaru Outback models went bad. The owners mentioned in the reports that while driving, the power steering would suddenly stop working for some time, making it tough to control the vehicle. In several cases, restarting the vehicles multiple times failed to fix the problem temporarily.

Safety problems

Airbag failures: Several owners have complained about airbag failures in their Outback crossovers. For some owners, the front passenger seat airbag sensor was faulty, resulting in continuous warning tones with the airbag system disabled. For some owners, the airbags failed to deploy during crashes resulting in injuries.

2014 Subaru Outback recalls

S.No.	Recall Date	NHTSA Campaign ID	Issues noticed	Additional remarks	Remedy
1	August 1, 2013	13V336000	Possible Detachment of Parking Rod/Rollaway	As a result of the parking rod detaching, the transmission may not be able to be moved from the ‘park’ position, preventing the vehicle from being moved or driven. Furthermore, even with the transmission shifted into the 'park' position, the parking mechanism may not engage, and the vehicle may roll away while in the ‘park’ position, increasing the risk of a crash.	Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. The recall began in August 2013.
2	September 27, 2016	16V694000	Windshield Wiper Motor Bottom Cover may Melt	If the windshield wiper motor overheats, the wipers may fail, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, the wiper motor cover may melt, increasing the risk of a fire.	Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the windshield wiper motor bottom cover assembly, free of charge. The recall began in October 2016.
3	September 13, 2018	18V626000	Electronic Parking Brake may Fail	A vehicle rollaway can increase the risk of a crash.	Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EPB actuator assembly, free of charge. The recall began on July 19, 2019.
4	January 9, 2019	19V007000	Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode	An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal airbag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.	Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019.
5	January 9, 2019	19V009000	Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode	An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal airbag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver, or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.	Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019.
6	January 9, 2019	19V008000	Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode	An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal airbag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver, or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.	Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019.
7	April 11, 2019	19V297000	Ignition Switch may Turn Off	The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the airbag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.	Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 10, 2019.
8	January 2, 2020	20V003000	Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode	An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.	Subaru will notify owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2020.
9	January 2, 2020	20V001000	Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode	An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.	Subaru will notify owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2020.
10	January 2, 2020	20V002000	Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode	An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.	Subaru will notify owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2020.

Should you buy a used Subaru Outback?

The Subaru Outback offers a unique combination of practicality, comfort, and off-roading capabilities which you’d hardly find in any of its peers. Unfortunately, the crossover has been facing several reliability issues for the last couple of model years. The current model year has several recalls regarding its safety department but its issues with the powertrain and power steering system remain unaddressed.

Going for a used model does involve a fair share of risks but a trusted dealer and a thorough inspection of the used example can get you a brilliant crossover. If you do consider opting for an alternative, the Mazda CX-5 makes a brilliant option and it boasts an excellent reliability aspect too. Even the Honda CR-V can be a good choice for its reliability and brand value.

Users Opinions on 2014 Subaru Outback

Recommended mentioned in Reviews

Write a Review

Disliked by Users

W
Warren
• 21/09/2023
Rating:
(2 Out Of 5 stars)
... to drive. 12/13/16 update: Car now has almost 40k miles. Vehicle was using oil at the rate of 20oz every 5400 miles. Subaru claims that this is normal for a new car and it isn't a problem until the engine uses a quart every 1200 miles. I disagree and so do plenty of other owners and Consumer Reports. Car is now using 20oz every 4000 miles. The oil fillRead More
Source: edmunds
AL
Another victim of Subaru lemon
• 02/07/2021
Rating:
(1 Out Of 5 stars)
... spindle. They "had to disassemble the entire rear drive axle system and use a 40,000 p.s.i. press to force the bearing out. " And as usual, we were told the exact same thing as we were previously told by other mechanics that repaired other "issues/problems" with this demonic money pit: we were told " ...We (the repair shop) see alot of these Subarus with wheel bearing, air-conditioning, brake and engine problems." TheyRead More
Source: edmunds
M
Martha
• 07/03/2021
Rating:
(2 Out Of 5 stars)
Subaru knowingly has an issue with the cooling system. The car does not have a heat guage that would indicated tge car is getting hot until uou blow a gasket, as with my 2002 Foester. I bought the outback cause I like Subaru and thought I just had bad luck with the 2002. Well, on this car thank goodnessRead More
Source: edmunds