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Reliability report · 2016 Subaru Outback · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,200/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

A durable fifth-gen wagon with one out-of-pocket catch — inspect the engine for the cam-carrier oil leak before you buy.

The 2016 Outback is a genuinely long-lived car — Subaru specialists routinely run this generation past 250,000 miles — but two things decide whether a given one is a bargain. First, the cam-carrier oil leak: the camshaft rides in a carrier sealed to the head with silicone, that seal seeps with age, and resealing it means pulling the engine — roughly $6,000, owner-quoted, with no warranty extension covering it.

Second, the recalls, which are all free if performed. This year includes a park-it steering-column recall (16V292) and two driveshaft/propeller-shaft campaigns tied to fire risk. The famous Subaru head-gasket failure does NOT apply to this engine — that was the pre-2013 design. Buy the one with a dry engine and the recalls closed out.

Evidence: 638 NHTSA complaints · 4 recall campaigns · 3 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Chirping

What that means: 638 federal complaints and four recalls — one of them a park-it steering-column campaign. The signature risk isn't a recall: it's the cam-carrier oil leak that costs around $6,000 to reseal because the engine has to come out, and it has no extended coverage. Almost everything else is free if it was done.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

638

Federal complaints

4

Recalls

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2016 Subaru Outback SUV AWD (NHTSA VehicleId 10177)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Cam-carrier oil leak — the engine-out repair with no coverage

major
  • 2.5L boxer (FB25)

On the FB-series boxer engine, the camshaft rides in a separate cam carrier that's sealed to the cylinder head with RTV silicone. That parting line — plus the timing-chain cover — eventually seeps oil as the seal ages and heat-cycles. A Subaru specialist explains the catch: unlike the old engines, you can't reseal this with the engine in the car, so the whole engine has to come out, making it a labor-heavy job that runs about $6,000 out of warranty (owner estimate). There's no warranty extension for it. You can slow it down — keep the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system healthy and change oil on time — but age eventually wins. On a test drive and inspection, look for oil seepage around the front of the engine and the cam-carrier seam.

This is a 2.5L boxer (FB25) problem. The 2.4L turbo (FA24) doesn’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Cam-carrier reseal (engine out)

~$6,000

Slowing it with PCV service + oil changes

maintenance only

Sources: Independent Subaru mechanic channel transcripts (CVT, cam-carrier, subframe)

Parasitic battery drain (Data Communication Module) — covered by extension + settlementmoderate

A well-documented pattern on this generation: the car's telematics box — the DCM, or Data Communication Module — keeps drawing power after the car is off, flattening the 12-volt battery over a day or two and ruining batteries over time. Owners report being stranded and cycling through several batteries. Subaru extended the DCM warranty (8 years/100,000 miles on this era) and there was a class-action settlement plus a 12-volt battery warranty extension. If a 2016 has a history of repeat dead batteries, this is the cause — and the fix is a software update or DCM work that may be covered. Ask whether it was done.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2016 Subaru Outback (true count 638) · NHTSA recalls + manufacturer communications (DCM/battery extensions, recall documents)

$0

Under DCM extension / settlement

Recalls: park-it steering column and two fire-risk driveshaft campaignsmajor

The steering-column recall (16V292) is the serious one — on a batch built February–May 2016 the column may have been improperly machined so that turning the wheel might not steer the car, and Subaru's notice told owners not to drive until inspected. Two earlier driveshaft campaigns (15V794, 15V502) address parts that could separate or leak transmission oil onto the exhaust, both fire risks. All three are free inspections/replacements. Confirm every one shows completed by VIN — a park-it recall left undone is a walk-away.

Sources: NHTSA recalls + manufacturer communications (DCM/battery extensions, recall documents)

$0

All recall work

Salt-belt rust — check the subframemoderate

A Subaru specialist fielded a 2016 Outback whose rear subframe had rusted badly enough to need full replacement — a job that runs $2,000–$2,500 because the engine has to be suspended while the subframe comes down, and welding it is not safe. This is a salt-belt / high-mileage concern, not a universal one, but it's worth a look underneath on any northern car: inspect the subframe, brake lines, and suspension mounts for heavy corrosion.

Sources: Independent Subaru mechanic channel transcripts (CVT, cam-carrier, subframe)

$2,000–$2,500

Subframe replacement (salt-belt)

My 2016 Subaru Outback has a rusted subframe. The shop is charging $2,000 to $2,500 as they'll need to hold up the engine during repair.
3 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Subaru dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 16V292Steering column may be improperly machined so turning the wheel may not steer the car (2016–2017, built Feb–May 2016). Park-it advisory; inspect/replace column free. Subaru code WTD-65.open
  2. 19V910A replacement airbag control module may be incompatible with the passenger airbag, affecting deployment (2016–2017). Passenger airbag module replaced free. Subaru code WUX-09.open
  3. 15V794Improperly tightened nuts may let the driveshaft separate from the rear differential and strike the fuel tank — fire risk (2016). Inspect/tighten or replace free. Subaru code WQV-57.open
  4. 15V502A deformed seal cap on the propeller-shaft yoke may leak transmission oil onto the exhaust — fire risk (2015–2016). Propeller shaft replaced free. Subaru code WQU-56.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2016 Outback

Four sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

28 MPG combined (25 city / 32 highway) for the AWD, 2.5L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 36434 (Outback AWD).
Other builds EPA lists: AWD, 3.6L 22 MPG.

$2,200/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Crash losses

Insurers lose about 43% less on this vehicle than on the average car. Lower collision losses tend to show up in what you pay for coverage.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI collision losses, 2015–16 models, published December 2016 (report R-16). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Subaru Outback 4WD.
Other series: Subaru Outback 4WD with Eyesight 57, where 100 = average.

57 vs 100

43% below average

Theft

Stolen about 78% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.

Source: HLDI — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2016–18 models, published May 2019 (report WT-18). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Subaru Outback 4WD with EyeSight.
Other series: Subaru Outback 4WD 51, where 100 = average.

22 vs 100

78% below average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Cam-carrier reseal (engine out)~$6,000
Slowing it with PCV service + oil changesmaintenance only
Under DCM extension / settlement$0
All recall work$0
Subframe replacement (salt-belt)$2,000–$2,500
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Confirm the steering-column recall (16V292) shows completed by VIN — it carried a do-not-drive advisory when open.
  2. 02Inspect the front of the engine and the cam-carrier seam for oil seepage; budget ~$6,000 if it's leaking, as there's no extended coverage.
  3. 03Ask about repeat dead batteries; if present, confirm the Data Communication Module (telematics) software/extension work was done.
  4. 04On a northern/salt-belt car, look underneath for a rusted subframe, brake lines, and suspension mounts.
  5. 05Verify the two driveshaft fire-risk recalls (15V794, 15V502) and the passenger-airbag recall (19V910) are closed.
  6. 06Ask for CVT fluid service history — Subaru's 'lifetime fluid' guidance is why neglected ones fail; a 3-year/36,000-mile drain-and-refill history is a good sign.

Own one already?

The canary watches your VIN — new recalls and the mileage where known issues start.

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vincanary.com/subaru/outback/2016