2024 Subaru Outback Safety and Reliability

The 2023 Subaru Outback's safety standards were of the highest order and although the 2024 model was still awaiting evaluation at the time of writing, it should repeat the good results. Besides all the standard active and passive safety features, its crash-test ratings are also excellent. The NHTSA awarded it five stars out of five overall and for all tests except the rollover test, for which it received four stars. The IIHS gave the 2023 Outback its best score for all tests, and awarded the 2023 model its coveted Top Safety Pick+ award. It even aced the agency's tough new updated side test.

In addition to its strong crash structure, some of the other safety features contributing to the Subaru Outback's exemplary safety ratings include eight airbags, ABS, stability and traction control, tire-pressure monitoring, and AWD. A backup camera is, of course, standard, as are other driver-assistance features such as automatic LED headlights with auto high beams and the basic EyeSight suite of driver-assistance technology, namely adaptive cruise control with lane centering, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, sway warning, automatic emergency braking, and automatic emergency steering.

From the Onyx Edition and up, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are added. The Onyx Edition XT, Limited, Limited XT, Touring, and Touring XT trims also get automatic reverse braking as standard, but it's optional on all other trims except Base and Premium. Driver-alertness monitoring is optional on the Limited and standard on the Limited XT, Touring, and Touring XT, while it's not available on any of the other trims. The two Touring trims are the only ones to get a standard camera-based digital interior rearview mirror with an integrated compass and HomeLink transceiver.

JD Power gave the 2023 Subaru Outback a middling reliability rating. While the overall rating is a decent 79 out of 100, the score of 73 for quality and reliability isn't great - and no better than that of the 2022 model. We're hoping that the 2024 model will improve on those results once it's evaluated. At the time of writing, no recalls affected 2023 or 2024 Outbacks, but the 2022 model was recalled twice for a windshield that could detach in a crash and a loose electrical connection that could cause an engine stall.

The Subaru Outback's warranty cover is average, too, with the limited warranty running for three years/36,000 miles, the powertrain limited warranty for five years/60,000 miles, and the rust-perforation warranty for five years/unlimited mileage.