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2015 Subaru Outback: engine and transmission complaints

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
18%
89 of 509 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2015 Subaru Outback. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 18% of relevant complaints.

Better than 89% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
89
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
509
this model year
Fires reported
5
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
5
19 crashes · 16 injuries

Complaints by component

VISIBILITY/WIPER130 · 26%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM127 · 25%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER108 · 21%
ENGINE47 · 9%
POWER TRAIN37 · 7%
STRUCTURE33 · 6%

The years either side

2010
52%
148 of 360
2011
62%
288 of 651
2012
62%
146 of 292
2013
49%
121 of 296
2014
41%
67 of 208
2015
18%
89 of 509
2016
16%
99 of 642
2017
11%
97 of 917
2018
10%
81 of 809
2019
7%
72 of 1,033
2020
11%
97 of 896
2021
13%
36 of 296
2022
9%
39 of 462
2023
9%
7 of 89

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

What owners reported

POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER03/06/2018CRASH2 INJURED
UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION AFTER PARKING, JUMP CURB INTO TREE, CAUSING $7,000 IN DAMAGE. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, BOTH MYSELF AND PASSENGER HIT KNEES ON DASH, EVEN WITH OUR SEAT BELTS STILL ON. HAD OTHER COMPUTER ISSUES EARLIER THAT DAY, BACK UP SENSORS DIDN'T WORK WHILE BACKING CAR RIGHT BEHIND MINE. CAR HAS NOW BEEN AT …
ENGINE06/01/2022FIRE1 INJURED
The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, he was alerted by another driver that the vehicle was smoking and flames were coming from under the vehicle. The contact stated that warning lights flashed off and on. The contact stated that he pulled over, exited the vehicle, an…
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE11/16/20181 INJURED
EXHAUST SYSTEM ISSUE. EXHAUST MAINFOLD LEAK AT CATALYST CONVERTER. FOR OUR OUTBACK WE NOTICED A SIGNIFICANT LEVELS OF EXHAUST FUMES IN PASSENGER CABIN. THEY WERE NO INDICATION OF FAILURE OF EXHAUST SYSTEM OR CATALYST CONVERTER ON THE CAR. BUT WE ARE GETTING SOME MUCH FUMES SMELL WHEN WE STOPPED AT THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL O…

Three of 89 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (5)

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Legacy and Outback vehicles manufactured on July 20, 2015. The brake fluid used in these vehicles m…
TRAILER HITCHES
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015 Outback vehicles manufactured January 22, 2014, to August 18, 2014, and equipped with a Subaru acces…
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015 and 2016 model year Subaru Legacy 4-Door and Outback vehicles manufactured July 3, 2015, to July 27, 2015. Tra…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2015 Subaru Outback

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.