Flat Four Files. Recalls, complaints, bulletins.

The public record on Subaru · 2010–2025

18,411

Owner complaints on file. Sorted by model and year.

Plus the safety recalls and manufacturer service bulletins behind them. Every number here comes from a document you can look up yourself.

Source: NHTSA, read November 15, 2026. Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed defects.

Owner complaints · 2019 Outback

Electrical system364
Visibility / wiper326
Words: windshield462
Words: battery297
Total on file1,036

Recall notice · typeset from NHTSA data

Campaign 19V493000June 26, 2019

Component: Structure

Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain 2019 Legacy and Outback vehicles. Spot welds located on the duct below the cowl panel may have been improperly applied, impacting the vehicle’s body strength.

Public record, safety recall, model year 2019

On filePublic record

Files by model

Owner complaints on file with NHTSA

Outback7,589 complaints
Forester5,087 complaints
Impreza1,486 complaints
Legacy1,414 complaints
Crosstrek1,168 complaints
Ascent1,045 complaints
WRX314 complaints
XV Crosstrek308 complaints

A recall arrives as a letter. The record behind it is public.

Owners get the letter. The complaints, the recall reports and the bulletins sit in federal files anyone can open. We read them, count them and show the number.

Illustration, AI-generated image

What owners report most

All models · 2010–2025

4,716Windshieldcomplaints that mention it
2,414Batterycomplaints that mention it
1,193CVT or transmissioncomplaints that mention it
820EyeSightcomplaints that mention it

A file, opened

Example: 2019 Outback

File: Outback, model year 2019

Owner complaints
1,036
Safety recalls
3
Crashes reported by owners
24
Fires reported by owners
2

Most reported, by NHTSA category

Electrical system364
Visibility / wiper326

Words owners use most

Windshield462
Battery297
Recall 19V493000June 26, 2019

Spot welds located on the duct below the cowl panel may have been improperly applied, impacting the vehicle’s body strength.

Component: Structure

Recall 20V218000April 16, 2020

The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.

Component: Fuel system: low-pressure fuel pump

Recall 21V587000July 29, 2021

The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Component: Fuel system: low-pressure fuel pump

Next files

One problem per video

01
Model File

Own a 2015–2020 Outback? 7 Things in the Federal Complaint File

Sources: NHTSA complaints; recalls 19V493000, 20V218000, 21V587000

Planned
02
The File

Subaru Oil Consumption: Which Models, Which Years, in 233 Owner Complaints

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications

Planned
03
By the Book

The Subaru Maintenance Schedule, Mile by Mile, From Subaru’s Own Booklet

Sources: Subaru Warranty and Maintenance Booklet

Planned
04
Checked

9 Subaru Rules Everyone Repeats, Checked Against the Owner’s Manual

Sources: Subaru owner’s manuals

Planned

How we work

No rumors. Documents.

A worn manila folder, printed pages and a coffee mug on a workbench
The paper trail
Hands turning the pages of a well-used maintenance booklet on a car hood
The booklet
A dusty green station wagon in a driveway at dusk
The car in the driveway

Illustrations, AI-generated images

01

Pull the record

Recalls, owner complaints and manufacturer communications, straight from NHTSA.

02

Count it

Every complaint sorted by model and model year, so one loud story does not stand in for the whole file.

03

Read the documents

Recall notices, service bulletins and Subaru’s own booklets. Not forum guesses.

04

Show the source

Every claim comes with a document number you can look up yourself.

Your Subaru has a paper trail. We read it.

Flat Four Files goes through the public record on Subaru vehicles: safety recalls, complaints owners filed with NHTSA, and manufacturer service bulletins. Each video takes one problem and shows what the documents say, which model years are involved, and what it means for you as an owner.

No rumors. Every claim is tied to a document you can look up yourself.

Check your own car by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup does not show recalls that were already repaired, and new recalls can take time to appear. The free remedy applies to vehicles not more than 15 years old on the date the defect is determined. A complaint is an owner report, not a confirmed defect.

Flat Four Files is an independent channel. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Subaru Corporation or Subaru of America, Inc.