2008 Subaru Outback Problems, Recalls & Reliability
281 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2008 Subaru Outback, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 23/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 78,700 miles.
Typical
Where 2008 sits among all Outback years
What owners report
“We were contacted to have passenger airbag replaced. They have not contacted us in several months.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Outback
“The Rear Gate Harness wires that are in the grommet wear and break from the rear gate going up and down. This issue has many issues. Rear lighting and break light, rear wiper, also rear locking mechanism and other unknown issues.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Outback
“Sever corrosion of rear brake line caused sudden and complete loss of brake fluid and resulted in loss of ability to brake.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Outback
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 197 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 53,000 and 108,900 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may…
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may…
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7,…
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition…
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru…
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air…
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at…
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles…
Fix: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners…
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana,…
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will…
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy vehicles manufactured from December 2003, through April 2009 and currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,…
Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is…
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2008 Subaru Outback reliable?
The 2008 Subaru Outback drew 281 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 23/100, scored against the model's worst year (2019).
What are the most common 2008 Subaru Outback problems?
The top reported problems for the 2008 Subaru Outback are airbags (104 complaints), electrical (49), and brakes & stability (31).
At what mileage do 2008 Subaru Outback problems show up?
Owners most often report 2008 Subaru Outback problems around 80,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 53,000 and 108,900 miles.
Does the 2008 Subaru Outback have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 2008 Subaru Outback. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.