Model year guide

2005 Subaru Outback

Recalls, most-reported problems, crash-test ratings, fuel economy and what a 2005 Subaru Outback is worth — from official NHTSA and EPA data. 99 on record.

2005 Subaru Outback — representative photo
Representative photo · via Wikimedia Commons

2005 Subaru Outback at a glance

Safety recalls9
Owner complaints273
Combined20 mpg
Typical price$5,435

Free: specs, open recalls for that exact car, build sheet and fair price.

2005 Subaru Outback recalls 9

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module NHTSA Campaign #20V002000 · 02/01/2020

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, O…

Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assist…

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module NHTSA Campaign #20V003000 · 02/01/2020

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South…

Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assist…

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module NHTSA Campaign #20V001000 · 02/01/2020

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 (Saip…

Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Saab owners may contact…

Electrical System:ignition:switch NHTSA Campaign #19V297000 · 11/04/2019

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…

Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings NHTSA Campaign #14V311000 · 10/06/2014

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…

Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be …

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module NHTSA Campaign #15V323000 · 28/05/2015

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 manufactu…

Fix: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Own…

Air Bags NHTSA Campaign #14V763000 · 01/12/2014

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 coa…

Fix: Subaru will notify their owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 15, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WQP-51. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-471. This recall has been…

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings NHTSA Campaign #13V110000 · 27/03/2013

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. S…

Fix: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected area will be rustproofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These ser…

Air Bags:side/window NHTSA Campaign #04V274000 · 09/06/2004

THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS IN CERTAIN VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THIS CAMPAIGN MAY NOT FULLY DEPLOY RAPIDLY ENOUGH WHEN ACTIVATED IN A SIDE IMPACT COLLISION. DURING A SIDE IMPACT TEST CONDUCTED BY THE INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY (IIHS), THE TEST RESULTS INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE IIHS TEST RESULTS AND THE RESULT OF SIDE IMPACT TESTS CONDUCTED BY FHI.

Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG MODULES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783. .

Source: U.S. NHTSA. A recall applies to a model year, but only a VIN check shows whether a specific car has had the repair done.

2005 Subaru Outback common problems

The most-reported problem areas from 273 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — and what to check before you buy.

Service Brakes
Brakes should feel firm and quiet — no grinding, pulsing or pulling. Check for an ABS light and uneven pad/rotor wear.
Vehicle Speed Control
Test cruise control and throttle response, and watch for any hesitation or unintended acceleration.
Hydraulic
Have a trusted mechanic inspect this system as part of a pre-purchase inspection.
Suspension
Listen for clunks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for uneven tire wear and worn shocks or struts.
Air Bags
Confirm the airbag light turns on then off at startup — if it stays lit there's a fault (costly, and a safety risk). Check for signs of prior deployment.
Electrical System
Test every electrical feature: windows, locks, infotainment, charging and all lights. Watch for flickering, dead accessories or warning lights.

2005 Subaru Outback MPG & running costs

Combined20 mpg
City18 mpg
Highway24 mpg
Est. annual fuel cost$3,533

Source: U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov, averaged across trims.

What's a 2005 Subaru Outback worth?

Low
$2,200
Typical price
$5,435
High
$8,200

From 97 comparable 2005 Subaru Outback listings.

Estimated 5-year cost to own

A rough guide to what running a 2005 Subaru Outback costs over five years and 75,000 miles.

Fuel (5 yrs)$17,665
Depreciation (5 yrs)$3,600
Total$21,265
Per mile$0.28

How this is estimated: fuel is the U.S. EPA annual cost at 15,000 miles a year. Depreciation compares today's typical asking price for this model year ($5,435) with the same model 5 model-years older ($1,813), from CarLogs listing data. Not included: insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, registration and finance costs. Treat it as a comparison guide, not a quote.

2005 Subaru Outback trims & engines on record

Trims
2.5i · 2.5 XT Limited · 3.0 R L.L.Bean Edition · 2.5i Limited · 2.5 XT · 2.5GT Limited · 3.0 R VDC Limited · 3.0 R · 3.0R Limited · 3.0R L.L.Bean
Engines
2.5L · 3.0L

2005 Subaru Outback vehicles on record

2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited4S4BP62C057356666 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i4S4BP61C757338375 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i4S4BP61C457360768 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited4S4BP62C856384978 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited4S4BP62C157356806 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Limited4S4BP67C054366284 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Limited4S4BP67C354310856 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 3.0 R L.L.Bean Edition4S4BP86C454384607 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 3.0 R L.L.Bean Edition4S4BP86C654319208 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i4S4BP61C957338135 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited4S4BP62C357324214 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i4S4BP61C357340043 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 3.0 R L.L.Bean Edition4S4BP86C054339146 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 3.0 R L.L.Bean Edition4S4BP86C454392108 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited4S4BP62C257367748 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i4S4BP61CX57320288 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Limited4S4BP67CX54343160 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT4S4BP68C854343799 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i4S4BP61C557376154 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i4S4BP61C957369160 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i4S4BP61C557340223 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 3.0 R L.L.Bean Edition4S4BP86C054327935 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT Limited4S4BP67C754328258 2005 Subaru Outback 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5i4S4BP61CX57357308

Other Subaru Outback model years

2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1998

2005 Subaru Outback — frequently asked questions

Does the 2005 Subaru Outback have any safety recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 9 safety recalls for the 2005 Subaru Outback. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN.

What are the most common problems with the 2005 Subaru Outback?

Based on 273 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most-reported problem areas are service brakes, vehicle speed control, hydraulic.

What gas mileage does the 2005 Subaru Outback get?

The U.S. EPA rates the 2005 Subaru Outback at about 20 mpg combined (18 city / 24 highway).

How much is a 2005 Subaru Outback worth?

Comparable 2005 Subaru Outback listings run roughly $2,200–$8,200, typically around $5,435 (from 97 vehicles).

Sources: NHTSA (recalls, complaints, crash tests), U.S. EPA (fuel economy). Vehicle data only — CarLogs never shows owner information.