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2005 Subaru BajaProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 37 owner complaints about the 2005 Subaru Baja, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 10 safety recalls, and for recall 16V-359 the manufacturer reports only 63% of affected cars repaired.

2005 Subaru Baja
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CarFlaw IndexNot enough dataHigher is better (0–100)
Safety recalls10Lowest repair rate 63%Owner complaints373 with a crash, fire or injuryTop problem7Air bags

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through December 8, 2023. Updated daily. Photo: Rutger van der Maar, CC BY 2.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2005 Subaru Baja has problems

37 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 bags70
Fuel/propulsion system60
Fuel system, gasoline60
Engine51
Structure41
Suspension31
Engine and engine cooling20
Power train20
Service brakes20
4 other systems51

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

10 recalls

2005 Subaru Baja recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

69%repaired · 2023 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 20V-003 · Jan 2, 2020 · 111,562 vehicles · 76,616 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

73%repaired · 2023 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 20V-002 · Jan 2, 2020 · 127,547 vehicles · 93,276 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

82%repaired · 2023 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 20V-001 · Jan 2, 2020 · 258,813 vehicles · 212,286 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

85%repaired · 2023 Q1

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 17V-026 · Jan 11, 2017 · 69,529 vehicles · 58,760 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 6 more recalls
71%repaired · 2023 Q1

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 17V-016 · Jan 10, 2017 · 62,764 vehicles · 44,751 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

94%repaired · 2023 Q1

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 17V-014 · Jan 10, 2017 · 53,480 vehicles · 50,046 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

63%repaired · 2023 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 16V-359 · May 25, 2016 · 146,010 vehicles · 92,119 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

83%repaired · 2023 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 16V-358 · May 25, 2016 · 302,127 vehicles · 249,595 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

72%repaired · 2023 Q1

Air bags

Recall 14V-763 · Dec 1, 2014 · 4,175 vehicles · 2,993 repaired

Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Subaru.

Best & worst years

2005 vs. every other Baja year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Baja median. How we score

'03'04'05'06
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2005 Subaru Baja safety ratings

2005 Subaru Baja 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
4 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2005 Subaru Baja, and the recalls they led to.

  1. FUEL PUMP LEAKSEA09007 · closed Jul 20, 2009
    Led to recall 09V-277
  2. Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA15001 · still open
    Led to recall 22V-945
  3. FUEL PUMP LEAKPE08064 · closed May 21, 2009
    No recall
  4. Air Bag Inflator RupturePE14016 · closed Mar 2, 2015
    Led to recall 14V-700
In owners' words

What Baja owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

2005 SUBARU BAJA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO AIRBAG SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE RECALL NOTICES RECEIVED WERE FRAUDULENT.
Complaint 11465414 · May 20, 2022
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU BAJA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V016000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE…
Complaint 10966549 · Mar 17, 2017
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU BAJA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V359000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE…
Complaint 10935024 · Dec 13, 2016

Own a 2005 Baja?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.