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#BS-2004-SUBOUT-192E

2004 Subaru Outback

Based on reports from 108 owners and 11 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
108
Crashes
16
Fires
6
Recalls
11
TSBs
174
🟡

Preliminary Verdict

Think Twice

Based on 108 complaints, 16 crashes, 6 fires, and 11 recalls.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

check engine light on

3 complaints • Severity 7.3/10

$X,XXX
2

blown head gasket

1 complaints • Severity 10/10

$X,XXX
3

valve stem due to differential expansion fell into cylinder

1 complaints • Severity 10/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the AirbagsHIGH

24 owners reported airbags issues — failures commonly reported around 67K miles.

!Inspect the Speed ControlMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

25
0–30K
11
30–60K
10
60–90K
20
90–120K
2
120–150K
10
150K+

Peak failure range: 0–30K miles (25 reports) • Median: 67K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Airbags (24 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Airbags24 (22%)
Speed Control18 (17%)
Engine7 (6%)
Electrical6 (6%)
Fuel System6 (6%)
Other4 (4%)
Visibility:windshield3 (3%)
Power Train:automatic Transmission3 (3%)

2004 Subaru Outback: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Airbags Issues

Airbags complaints account for 22% of all reports filed for the 2004 Subaru Outback, with 24 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 67,380 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 67K-mile mark.

Speed Control Issues

Speed Control complaints account for 17% of all reports filed for the 2004 Subaru Outback, with 18 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to speed control-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Engine Issues

Engine complaints account for 6% of all reports filed for the 2004 Subaru Outback, with 7 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Electrical Issues

Electrical complaints account for 6% of all reports filed for the 2004 Subaru Outback, with 6 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to electrical-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

5
03
15
04
8
05
7
06
1
07
5
08
9
09
9
10
5
11
1
12
5
13
12
14
4
15
12
16
4
17
4
18
1
19
1
20

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2004 Subaru Outback. Recent trend: stable.

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Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (11 recalls)

03V303000Aug 2003

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP

CERTAIN PASSENGER OR SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES MAY HAVE A LOOSE OR OUT OF POSITION FUEL FILLER HOSE CLAMP.

04V128000Apr 2004

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER SEDANS, WAGONS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE COULD COME OUT OF ITS TRACK ON THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER AND LODGE ON THE CONTROL LEVER TAB WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED. IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS, THE THROTTLE WILL NOT RETURN TO THE IDLE POSITION AND WILL REMAIN IN AN OPEN POSITION.

13E065000

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Airtex Products LP (Airtex) is recalling certain model E8598M, E8518M, E8600M, E8596M, and E8597M fuel pumps manufactured July 26, 2013, and July 29, 2013 and used as aftermarket replacements on Subaru Baja's, Outback's and Legacy's. The affected fuel pumps were sold or installed into the aftermarket applications on or after July 26, 2013, and may may leak fuel from the base of a fuel line connection when the gas tank is full.

14V763000Jan 2015

AIR BAGS

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Legacy and Outback vehicles, and 2003-2005 Baja vehicles sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Florida and adjacent counties in southern Georgia, as well as the coastal areas of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

15V323000Jun 2015

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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 manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.

+ 6 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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The worst model year for the Subaru Outback is the 2013 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is electrical.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 108 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 11 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Subaru Outback Model Years

20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016201520142013201220112010200920082007200620052004200320022001200019991998199719961995
View all Subaru Outback years →

2004 Subaru Outback: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2004 Subaru Outback?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2004 Subaru Outback is related to the airbags, with 24 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2004 Subaru Outback reliable?
The 2004 Subaru Outback has 108 complaints, 16 crash reports, and 6 fire reports filed with NHTSA. The full report analyzes whether these numbers indicate real risk or are proportional to the vehicle’s popularity.
How much does it cost to fix 2004 Subaru Outback problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 2004 Subaru Outback have any recalls?
Yes, the 2004 Subaru Outback has 11 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Subaru Outback problems start?
Based on 78 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 67,380 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 0–30K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 108 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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