There are 5 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2000 Subaru Outbackin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEED ON A TOWN STREET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, FOLLOWED BY THE ODOR OF GAS FUMES. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION BY EXPERIENCED SUBARU MECHANICS REVEALED A SIMULTANEOUS FAILURE OF THE A/C COMPRESSOR, CATALYTIC CONVERTER, A HEADLIGHT BULB AND FINALLY, A DAMAGED FUEL LINE THAT WAS SPRAYING A MIST OF GASOLINE OVER THE ENTIRE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE MECHANICS HAD NEVER SEEN A SITUATION LIKE THIS BEFORE, AND HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR HOW THESE COMPONENTS COULD HAVE FAILED AT THE SAME TIME. THE FUEL LINE AND BULB WERE REPLACED.
DRIVING ALONG THE FREE WAY AT NORMAL SPEEDS WITH TRAFFIC AND MT CAR RANDOMLY SHUT OFF AND TURNED BACK ON, HAPPENED 3 OR 4 TIMES BEFORE I COULD GET OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE IF GOOGLED. JUST THE ELECTRICAL TURNED OFF AND ON THE ENGINE STAYED RUNNING. *TR
SUBARU OUTBACK WAGON, YEAR 2000, MILAGE 33,000 - PROBLEM: SPEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER WORK ON AND OFF. THEY BOTH 'DIE' THEN THEY BOTH COME BACK ON AGAIN. ON THE FREEWAY, ONE FINDS THEMSELVES WITHOUT SPEED INFORMATION WITHOUT WARNING
WIRE HARNESS IS IN THE WAY, AND CONSUME RCANNOT DRIVE BECAUSE OF THE BLOCKAGE. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
WHEN THE INTERIOR FAN SWITCH IS BEING USED, HEADLIGHTS GET VERY DIM, CAUSING POOR DRIVER'S VISIBILITY. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, DEALER HAS REPLACED PARTS, PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK *ML
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026