NHTSA Complaints · Active Recalls · California Lemon Law Data
The NHTSA tracks consumer complaints, manufacturer recalls, and safety investigations for every vehicle sold in the United States. These publicly available records are a critical resource for California lemon law cases because they establish patterns of recurring defects.
As of June 2026, the NHTSA has logged 52 complaints against the 2025 Subaru Outback. Each complaint is filed by a vehicle owner or lessee through the NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline or online portal at SaferCar.gov. You can review all 2025 Subaru Outback complaints directly on the NHTSA complaint database.
The 2025 Subaru Outback has generated 106 NHTSA complaints on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If your 2025 Subaru Outback has experienced a defect that the dealer has been unable to repair after multiple visits, you may qualify for a full repurchase or replacement under California lemon law. Subaru pays all attorney fees when we prevail. You pay nothing.
The 2025 Subaru Outback has generated 22 NHTSA complaints for this defect category. If your vehicle has experienced recurring issues in this area that the dealer has been unable to repair after multiple attempts, you may have a qualifying lemon law claim under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. Owner reports include: “Driving on highway and moon roof exploded. Have nonindication of a projectile hitting glass. Did not see any cracks” (NHTSA Complaint #11722476)
Advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) defects — including malfunctioning forward collision warnings, lane keep assist failures, and erratic automatic emergency braking — can create dangerous driving conditions. The 2025 Subaru Outback has 8 NHTSA complaints for this defect type. Owner reports include: “Crash avoidance Collision system randomly goes off with no cars in front or behind it. This is extremely dangerous as it will make the car stop on its own. Lane departure does not activate until completely over center line. Another big safety issue. This is a loaner car from Carter Subaru in Shoreline WA. My car is in their shop for exact same reasons and more issues. Obviously this is a systemic problem with the new Subaru’s.” (NHTSA Complaint #11725271)
Electrical system failures are notoriously difficult to diagnose and repair, which often results in multiple unsuccessful repair attempts — a key element of a lemon law claim. Reported issues for the 2025 Subaru Outback include infotainment malfunctions, battery drain, warning lights, power window failures, and intermittent starting problems. 8 NHTSA complaints have been filed for this category. Owner reports include: “While driving, the head unit, which gives you access to many of the safety features like auto braking etc, blanks out and goes completely dark. It happens without notice and is random in nature. On this particular vehicle it has happened at least four times. It does come back on but it is not immediate and the amount of time that it is out is variable. This can happen regardless of where you are driving and is very concerning because when the head unit is dark and not working you lose control over a lot of the important functions in the vehicle and it makes you doubt whether those systems are working properly.” (NHTSA Complaint #11708187)
Airbag defects are safety-critical and may trigger California’s two-repair threshold under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22. The 2025 Subaru Outback has 8 NHTSA complaints on record related to airbag warning lights, unexpected deployment, and sensor failures. Owner reports include: “Front passenger airbag does not turn on and/stay on when my adult wife is seated (5’7″ 100lbs). Moving the seat up/down and/or back/forth sometimes allows the system to activate but it then turns off later on while driving. The Subaru owner’s manual instructs the owner that when this occurs the passenger should sit in the back and Subaru Service should be obtained. Subaru Service has inspected the car and indicated the system is functioning properly, and there is nothing to repair. Afterwards, calling the Subaru Customer Advocate they indicated that they expect the system to turn on for my wife, and that there is no weight minimum for the air bag. They said that I should return to the service center with her so that they could witness the issue. A return appointment was made and completed today. Subaru Service center staff witnessed the passenger air back system ignoring my wife in the seat. Their response was comprised of confusion as to why we were there followed by the judgement that the system was working as designed (based on the previous visit) so there is no problem to be fixed. It appears that the Subaru air bag system does not protect all adult passengers. Also, the owner’s manual instructing the driver to tell the passenger to sit in the back when this occurs, seems to indicate that this is not a normal situation and needs to be repaired.” (NHTSA Complaint #11675866)
The 2025 Subaru Outback has generated 6 NHTSA complaints for this defect category. If your vehicle has experienced recurring issues in this area that the dealer has been unable to repair after multiple attempts, you may have a qualifying lemon law claim under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. Owner reports include: “Windshield made a very loud bang noise as if something hit it but nothing was observed to hit. After arriving home, I inspected the windshield and discovered a 4 inch straight hairline horizontal crack with no sign of debris impact (no chip, scratch, etc). Safelite inspected it and says it is a stress crack, not caused by debris impact. After doing some research, apparently Subaru has a long history (10+ years) of poor glass quality to include a settled class-action lawsuit, and has not fixed the glass-quality problem. This is a safety issue because sudden glass cracking while driving can be a huge distraction to the driver, reduces structural integrity of the windshield, can impair forward visibility, and in severe cases could lead to shattering with glass fragmenting into vehicle. Loss of vehicle control could result with this issue.” (NHTSA Complaint #11699326)
As of the date of this review, no active recalls have been issued specifically for the 2025 Subaru Outback. Recall status can change at any time. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls for the most current information. The absence of a recall does not mean your vehicle is defect-free — many lemon law claims proceed without a recall on file.
California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1790–1795.8) is one of the strongest lemon laws in the United States. It protects buyers and lessees of new and certified pre-owned vehicles that develop substantial defects the manufacturer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts.
Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, a lemon law presumption is triggered when any of the following apply to your 2025 Subaru Outback:
Once the presumption is triggered, the burden shifts to Subaru to prove the vehicle is not a lemon. Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1794(d), Subaru must pay your attorney’s fees if you prevail — meaning qualified representation costs you nothing out of pocket.
If your 2025 Subaru Outback qualifies as a lemon under California law, Subaru may be legally required to:
Step 1: Document every repair visit. Keep all repair orders, work orders, and dealer invoices. Each visit counts as a repair attempt, even if the dealer says nothing is wrong.
Step 2: Keep returning for repairs. You must give Subaru a reasonable opportunity to fix the defect. Visit different authorized Subaru dealers if needed and ask for written documentation of each visit.
Step 3: Contact a California lemon law attorney. Once you believe the threshold has been met — 4 attempts for non-safety defects, 2 for safety defects, or 30 days out of service — contact an attorney for a free case evaluation. Under § 1794(d), Subaru pays your fees if you win.
Step 4: Send a demand letter. Your attorney will send Subaru a formal demand letter. Most California lemon law cases resolve through negotiation without going to trial.
Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22, four or more repair attempts for the same non-safety defect, or two attempts for a safety-related defect, triggers the lemon law presumption. Additionally, 30 or more cumulative days out of service qualifies regardless of the number of repair attempts.
Yes. Under Cal. Civ. Code § 1794(d), Subaru is required to pay your reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs if you prevail in a lemon law claim. This means qualified lemon law representation is free to you if your case succeeds.
Yes. A recall is not required to file a lemon law claim. The Song-Beverly Act covers any substantial defect that impairs the use, value, or safety of the vehicle that the manufacturer cannot repair after a reasonable number of attempts. NHTSA complaints support the claim by establishing a pattern, but are not a prerequisite.
California lemon law claims are generally subject to a four-year statute of limitations from the date you discovered or should have discovered the defect. However, you must still be within the manufacturer’s original warranty period when the defect first appears. Contact an attorney promptly to preserve your rights.
If your 2025 Subaru Outback has a recurring defect, California’s Lemon Law may entitle you to a full refund, replacement vehicle, or cash settlement — at no cost to you.
Our attorneys answer the questions we hear most from California vehicle owners — fully updated for 2026.
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