281 problems have been reported for the 2008 Subaru Outback. The following chart shows the 21 most common problems for 2008 Subaru Outback. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's air bags with 107 problems. The second most common problem is related to the vehicle's electrical system (32 problems).
In our research we use the PPMY index to compare the reliability of vehicles. The PPMY index of a certain model is defined as the problems reported per thousand vehicles per Year. The total sales of the 2008 Subaru Outback in the United States are 67,432 units [1]. If the total number of problems reported by Subaru Outback owners in the last 17 years is 281, and the age of the vehicle is 17, the PPMY index can then be calculated as
PPMY Index = 281 / 67,432 / 17 * 1000 = 0.25.
For more information, refer to this page: A study of reliability comparison across Subaru Outback model year vehicles.
The following chart shows the number of problems reported during each of the service years since the debut of the 2008 Subaru Outback in 2008.
| Service Year | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
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| 2008 |
When making the decision between buying a new or used Subaru Outback, the following table can be used to compare the 2008 Subaru Outback with the Subaru Outback from other model years. Note that the number of problems reported for the 2008 Outback is 281 while the average number of problems reported for the 30 model years of the Subaru Outback is 387.