YearToAvoid

2021 Subaru Outback Collision Avoidance & Cameras Problems

NHTSA lists 31 Collision Avoidance & Cameras complaints for the 2021 Subaru Outback, 10% of all complaints for the year. Owners report false automatic braking and Eyesight/infotainment failures, with a median failure mileage of 770 miles. No related recall exists for this problem area.

Collision Avoidance & Cameras complaints
31
10% of 296
Crashes reported
3
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
1
Median mileage
770 mi
Related recalls
0

Typical collision avoidance system symptoms owners report

  • Automatic emergency braking activates abruptly with no obstacle present, sometimes at highway speed.
  • Infotainment display goes blank and reboots, taking the Eyesight system, rear automatic braking, backup camera, and cruise control offline with it.
  • Cruise control disengages suddenly at highway speed when the Eyesight/infotainment system crashes, causing unexpected deceleration.
  • Dealers sometimes recalibrate the Eyesight camera near the rearview mirror after unintended brake engagement that they cannot duplicate on demand.
  • Pre-collision system reportedly failed to engage during a low-speed unintended acceleration event, resulting in a crash.

When 2021 Subaru Outback collision avoidance system complaints were filed

First complaint Nov 23, 2020, latest Jul 6, 2026.

2021 Subaru Outback collision avoidance & cameras complaints: complaints filed per month2Nov 2020Aug 2021Jan 2022Jun 2022Jun 2023Nov 2023Apr 2025
31 complaints filed with NHTSA from Nov 2020 to Jul 2026; peak Jul 2021 (2).

Collision Avoidance & Cameras recalls for the 2021 Subaru Outback

No safety recalls on record for this model year.

Collision Avoidance & Cameras complaints by Outback model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 20100 (0%)
  2. 20113 (0%)
  3. 20121 (0%)
  4. 20135 (2%)
  5. 20141 (0%)
  6. 20159 (2%)
  7. 201610 (2%)
  8. 201726 (3%)
  9. 201835 (4%)
  10. 201940 (4%)
  11. 202055 (6%)
  12. 202131 (10%)
  13. 202224 (5%)
  14. 202322 (25%)
  15. 202419 (19%)
  16. 202523 (28%)

Frequently asked questions

How many Collision Avoidance & Cameras complaints does the 2021 Subaru Outback have?
NHTSA lists 31 complaints in this area for the 2021 Outback, which is 10% of the 296 total complaints filed for that model year.
Is there a recall for the 2021 Subaru Outback's collision avoidance system?
No related recall is listed in NHTSA data for this problem area on the 2021 Outback.
At what mileage do these problems usually show up?
NHTSA data shows a median mileage of 770 miles at the time of the reported failure.
What kind of collision avoidance problems do 2021 Outback owners report?
Owners describe unexpected automatic braking with no obstacle present, infotainment screens going blank and disabling Eyesight and the backup camera, and one case where the pre-collision system failed to stop an unintended acceleration event.
Did the collision avoidance issue lead to any crashes?
NHTSA data tied to this problem area for the 2021 Outback includes 3 crashes and 1 injury.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.