With annual repair costs coming in at around $664 and drivers still complaining about the airbags after nine recalls, the 2012 Subaru Outback isn’t a terrible car, but there are more reliable options out there.
Key Points
- The 2012 Subaru Outback is far from a lemon, but with 16 recalls in 10 years, it’s a difficult vehicle to drive with confidence.
- Nine of the 2012 Outback’s 16 recalls were for the airbags, with seven for exploding front passenger airbags.
- The 2012 Outback’s torque converter has been reported to fail at around 100,000 miles in some units.
- The first recall issued for the vehicle was for a malfunctioning brake cylinder that saw the car taking too long to come to a stop.
- There are worse SUVs out there than the 2012 Outback, but alternatives like the 2015 Outback or the 2012 Honda CR-V may be safer, more reliable choices.
2012 Subaru Outback’s Nine Airbag Recalls Include Seven for Exploding Front Passenger Airbag Inflators
The 2012 Subaru Outback has been recalled 16 times total. Of those, nine are for the airbags, and of those nine, seven are for the same issue: passenger frontal airbag inflator may explode, and one for ruptured front passenger airbag inflators.
In total, this has led to millions of recalled units across several Subaru nameplates, with recall dates as recent as January 2020. Fortunately, there have been no complaints of exploding airbag inflators since the last recall, so this may be the end of the matter.
But, other airbag issues persist. Recently a 2012 Outback owner reported that his battery keeps dying prematurely, with the airbag light typically coming on whenever he has to jumpstart the car. Another driver reports that the airbag light randomly activates, falsely detecting passengers in the front passenger seat.
One more recall concerns side curtain airbag inflators that might fail to deploy in the event of an accident due to an incorrect propellant mixture.
Loss of Engine Power May Point to a Bad Torque Converter
Powertrain issues are the leading source of complaints on the NHTSA page, making up 96 out of 254 complaints total. The main issue here is stuttering, stopping, and stalling, with some drivers reporting that they discovered the problem to stem from the torque converter.
Typical reported mileage for these problems will be in the 100,000-mile range, around halfway through the vehicle’s life expectancy. That’s late enough to expect some transmission issues, but not total power loss.
The torque converter is a part of your vehicle that facilitates your engine and transmission working in unison and getting those wheels spinning. So if the torque converter isn’t working properly, you’re going to have your rpms spinning with no forward momentum to show for it.
There have been no recalls for the matter, there are no investigations pertaining to the powertrain, and the vehicle will be out of warranty by now. But, a DIY replacement job should cost under $500, and a professional fix under $1,000, so it’s not the worst repair to have to cover out of your own pocket.
Brakes on the 2012 Subaru Outback May Be Slow to Activate, Despite Recall
The first recall issued for the 2012 Outback is also one of the most serious. In over 32,000 units, the concern was that a brake master cylinder was prone to malfunction, meaning that drivers would need more distance than expected to come to a stop.
That’s dangerous enough even when you know that you need more space, such as when driving in the rain. But the malfunction could occur at random, meaning that you would be halfway through the intersection before you realized you should have started braking a few seconds early.
This recall was issued when the car was still brand-new, but complaints have persisted. One complaint was registered in early-2022, with the driver stating that it took him 10 to 20 feet to come to a full stop, resulting in a rear-end accident.
Other drivers have reported issues like total brake failure, as recently as January 2022. Some of these reports may have to do with VINs left out of the recall, or drivers who didn’t get the notice, while others may be completely unrelated to the recall. But the bottomline is that there are still braking issues to look out for despite the recall.
2012 Subaru Outback is a Decent Used SUV, but There are Better Options
The 2012 Subaru Outback isn’t the most troubled SUV out there. It has a four-star safety rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. There are relatively few complaints on file with the NHTSA, and no urgent safety notices.
But, nearly 10 recalls for exploding airbags is a bit worrying. When you combine that with the vehicle’s age, you have an SUV that might not be worth the purchase. You could do a lot worse than a 2012 Subaru Outback, sure, but you could do a lot better, too.
The good news is that recalls are free, and they last for the lifetime of the vehicle. As long as Subaru still exists, they’ll cover the cost of any repairs included in recalls. But why risk it when a Honda CR-V delivers essentially the same driving experience with a fraction as many major issues to look out for?
Photos: Subaru
