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Subaru BajaYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 117 owner complaints and 15 safety recalls on record for the Subaru Baja.

Subaru Baja
Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints117Top: Air bagsSafety recalls152003–2006 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years. Photo: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Best & worst years

Subaru Baja years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Baja median. Tap a year for its full report.

'03'04'05'06
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
2006Not rated–/10024 complaints · 9 recalls2005Not rated–/10037 complaints · 10 recalls2004Not rated–/10018 complaints · 9 recalls2003Not rated–/10038 complaints · 10 recalls
Complaints by system

Most common Subaru Baja problems

All model years combined: 117 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags170
Fuel/propulsion system140
Fuel system, gasoline140
Power train121
Engine111
Suspension113
Engine and engine cooling110
Service brakes, hydraulic96
Structure82
10 other systems313
15 recalls

Subaru Baja recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

69%Passenger side: inflator module20V-003 · 2003–2006 · Jan 2, 2020 · 111,562 vehicles73%Passenger side: inflator module20V-002 · 2003–2006 · Jan 2, 2020 · 127,547 vehicles82%Passenger side: inflator module20V-001 · 2003–2006 · Jan 2, 2020 · 258,813 vehicles85%Passenger side: inflator module17V-026 · 2005–2006 · Jan 11, 2017 · 69,529 vehicles94%Passenger side: inflator module17V-014 · 2005–2006 · Jan 10, 2017 · 53,480 vehicles71%Passenger side: inflator module17V-016 · 2005–2006 · Jan 10, 2017 · 62,764 vehicles63%Passenger side: inflator module16V-359 · 2003–2006 · May 25, 2016 · 146,010 vehicles83%Passenger side: inflator module16V-358 · 2003–2006 · May 25, 2016 · 302,127 vehicles60%Passenger side: inflator module16V-361 · 2003–2004 · May 25, 2016 · 62,940 vehicles76%Passenger side: inflator module15V-323 · 2003–2004 · May 28, 2015 · 432,016 vehicles72%Air bags14V-763 · 2003–2005 · Dec 1, 2014 · 4,175 vehicles–Delivery: fuel pump09V-277 · 2005–2006 · Jul 17, 2009 · 15,761 vehicles

Showing the 12 newest of 15 recalls. Each model-year page lists all recalls for that year.

4 investigations

NHTSA investigations of the Baja

  1. Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA15001 · 2003–2005 · still open
    Led to recall 14V-668
  2. Air Bag Inflator RupturePE14016 · 2003–2005 · closed Mar 2, 2015
    Led to recall 13V-172
  3. FUEL PUMP LEAKSEA09007 · 2004–2006 · closed Jul 20, 2009
    Led to recall 09V-277
  4. FUEL PUMP LEAKPE08064 · 2004–2006 · closed May 21, 2009
    No recall