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#BS-2006-SUBOUT-192E

2006 Subaru Outback

Based on reports from 404 owners and 7 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
404
Crashes
12
Fires
4
Recalls
7
TSBs
189
🟑

Preliminary Verdict

Think Twice

Based on 404 complaints, 12 crashes, 4 fires, and 7 recalls.

Top reported problems

1

check engine light on cruise control blinking no acceleration

14 complaints β€’ Severity 7.7/10

$X,XXX
2

oil leaking out of heads

5 complaints β€’ Severity 8/10

$X,XXX
3

it cost way too much to maintain repair poorly designed

1 complaints β€’ Severity 10/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Speed ControlHIGH

94 owners reported speed control issues β€” failures commonly reported around 96K miles.

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

Failure Timeline by Mileage

26
0–30K
46
30–60K
75
60–90K
85
90–120K
57
120–150K
53
150K+

Peak failure range: 90–120K miles (85 reports) β€’ Median: 96K 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: Speed Control (94 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

Speed Control94 (23%)
Engine49 (12%)
Electrical40 (10%)
Fuel System38 (9%)
Airbags37 (9%)
Suspension21 (5%)
Brakes18 (4%)
Suspension:rear13 (3%)

2006 Subaru Outback: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Speed Control Issues

Speed Control complaints account for 23% of all reports filed for the 2006 Subaru Outback, with 94 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 96,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 96K-mile mark.

Engine Issues

Engine complaints account for 12% of all reports filed for the 2006 Subaru Outback, with 49 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 10% of all reports filed for the 2006 Subaru Outback, with 40 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to electrical-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Fuel System Issues

Fuel System complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 2006 Subaru Outback, with 38 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to fuel system-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

1
05
8
06
6
07
13
08
21
09
17
10
19
11
24
12
36
13
62
14
47
15
48
16
30
17
18
18
10
19
20
20
11
21
9
22
1
23
1
24
2
25

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2006 Subaru Outback. Recent trend: increasing.

Don't negotiate blind β€” know what this car costs to own

Repair costs β€’ Negotiation scripts β€’ Mechanic checklist β€’ Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (7 recalls)

13V110000May 2013

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

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, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines.

14V311000Jul 2014

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

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, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Salt water could splash on the brake lines through a gap in the fuel tank protector, resulting in excessive corrosion of the brake lines. Note that affected vehicles not currently, or formerly registered, in the salt belt states identified above are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request.

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.

19V297000May 2019

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

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 switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.

20V001000Jan 2020

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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 Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

+ 2 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 β€” 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. 404 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 7 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

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

2006 Subaru Outback: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2006 Subaru Outback?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2006 Subaru Outback is related to the speed control, with 94 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2006 Subaru Outback reliable?
The 2006 Subaru Outback has 404 complaints, 12 crash reports, and 4 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 2006 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 2006 Subaru Outback have any recalls?
Yes, the 2006 Subaru Outback has 7 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 342 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 96,000 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 90–120K 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 β€” 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 β€” 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 β€” no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 404 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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