Subaru Outback Maintenance Cost
Subaru Outback maintenance costs. Full year-by-year breakdown, common problems, and which years to buy or avoid.
$607
Annual maint.
7/10
Reliability
12%
Major repair risk (5yr)
$1,964
Avg. insurance / yr
// RELIABILITY BY YEAR
Which year Outback should you buy?
Tap any year to see what to expect. Green is safe, red means known issues.
NA
NA
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2010 Subaru Outback
Steering complaints most reported in 2010. NHTSA recall 20V001, 20V002, 20V003 issued.
18 recalls on record. Affected systems:
- Brakes
- Airbags
- Electrical
- Glass/Windows
- Lighting
- Transmission
- Steering
- Engine
// COMMON PROBLEMS
What breaks on the Outback
Top issues ranked by share of total NHTSA complaints.
Visibility/wiper
CommonYears affected: 2010–2014, 2018–2025
Electrical system
ModerateYears affected: 2010–2014, 2018–2023, 2025
Electrical system, service brakes, engine
RareYears affected: 2010–2014, 2018–2022, 2025
Electrical system, vehicle speed control, service brakes
RareYears affected: 2010–2014, 2018–2023, 2025
Air bags
RareYears affected: 2010–2014, 2018–2023, 2025
Service brakes
RareYears affected: 2010–2014, 2018–2023, 2025
Steering
RareYears affected: 2010–2014, 2018–2022, 2025
Exterior lighting
RareYears affected: 2010–2014, 2018–2023, 2025
Fuel/propulsion system
RareYears affected: 2010–2011, 2013–2014, 2018–2022, 2025
Tires
RareYears affected: 2010–2014, 2018–2023
// EXTENDED WARRANTY
Is a Outback extended warranty worth it?
Worth considering. The Subaru Outback has an above-average major repair probability for the segment — a warranty is worth pricing before you buy, especially on higher-mileage examples. Pay particular attention to 2018, 2019, and 2020 model years.
// NEW VS USED
Buy new or save on a used Outback?
The Outback holds 79% of its value after 3 years — in line with the compact SUV average.
79%
Value retained · 3 yr
61%
Value retained · 5 yr
49%
Value retained · 7 yr
New Outback
$34,995
MSRP including destination charge for base trim
Used Outback
$19,850
KBB Fair Purchase Price, 2023, national average, good condition, ~36k miles
Avg. maintenance / yr$607
Major repair risk (any year)12%
Avg. insurance premium / yr$1,964
MPG combined (City/Hwy)28
Value depreciation after 3 yr$7,286
// HEAD TO HEAD
How it compares
// FAQ
Common questions
The Outback costs $607/year to maintain — $86 above the compact segment average of $521. Repair frequency of 37% is above the class average of 30%. Reliability score of 7 is below the class average of 8. Major repair probability of 12% is slightly above the 11% norm. Above-average cost and repair profile across all metrics.
How we calculated this. Maintenance costs and reliability scores from RepairPal. Complaints and recalls from NHTSA. Fuel economy from the EPA. Insurance averages from CarEdge. Pricing from KBB. Depreciation from iSeeCars. Full methodology →