Owners have filed 103 complaints on the Subaru Baja, covering 2003–2006. The system named most often is Air Bags (16 reports). Worst years by volume: 2003, 2005, 2006; cleanest: 2004, 2006, 2005. 10 reports describe a crash, 3 a fire. On average the car was 8.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Subaru Baja
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 103 Baja complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 16 Read
Takata recall on my vehicle is still not repaired. I have been driving my vehicle for over 10 years and live in a very humid region of south eastern maine. How can it be acceptable for subaru to not have to supply alternate transportation for customers during this time when it is know a serious injury or death is very…
Takata recall: received notice of passenger-side front seat airbag recall in july 2016; use of passenger front seat restricted since then. I understand backlog, but six months?
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2006 subaru baja. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V359000 (air bags). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called larichie subaru (920 plaza st, findlay, oh 45840, (419) 423-5656)…
Service Brakes 13 Read
1. Rear rotors where pitted after 22 months, front rotors were blue. This was documented on 12/20/07. Brake failure resulted in car crash two days later
Rusted brakes. The rear rotors are pitted and need to be exchanged, according to the dealer, after 22 months and 19,800 miles. No warranty, dealer sees this as normal wear. According to other authorized repair shop, brakes are fine, shoes still at 50 %, brakes do not need replacement. Never had a car with rust pitted…
(1) brakes failed to engage in a routine traffic stop. (2) ABS feature disengaged brakes over bumpy surface, disabling my ability to stop and causing my car to collide with the car in front of me. (3) subaru denies any culpability although this problem is well known among subaru owners. My brakes have failed in this…
Fuel System 10 Read
Upon bringing my vehicle in for service, the subaru mechanic informed me that I had a fuel leak. The elbow fitting on the top of the fuel pump had cracked and a new fuel pump was required to be installed. In talking to the mechanic and the service manager, they indicated that this was the third instance of this they…
The contact owns a 2005 subaru baja. The contact received a recall notice for recall 09V277000 (fuel system, gasoline delivery, fuel pump). He tried on five to six occasions to have the repair performed but the dealer stated that the parts were unavailable and on backorder. There are no failures at this time. Updated…
Strong fuel smell both outside and inside the car when the temperature drops below 30 f. Fuel pump recall done before the smell started. Several trips to the shop to have the fuel lines tightened. Fumes worse this year than ever. I've been told that there was a service bulletin but no recall. Dealer told me today that…
Suspension 9 Read
While driving a subaru baja 2006 model I swerved and rolled over after fish tailing. I also almost did the same in a 2005 model but only came up off two wheels but did not roll it , even though it was close. I suspect a tendency for the baja to roll over is a design flaw
During the afternoon of the december 21st ice storm in bozeman montana, my 2005 subaru baja slid off the road and down a steep incline. Although I only sustained bumps and bruises, the car was totaled. The accident could have easily been fatal. The windshield was heavily damaged, the car axles were broken, there was…
The contact owns a 2003 subaru baja. The contact stated that while turning at 2 mph, a noise was heard coming from the rear passenger side. The vehicle was maneuvered to the shoulder and the contact smelled a burning odor. Upon examining the vehicle, the contact also noticed that the rear passenger tire was rubbing…
Engine And Engine Cooling 9 Read
The contact owns a 2006 subaru baja. The engine knocks when the vehicle is started. The dealer replaced two pistons, but the failure still exists. The manufacturer stated that the failure is normal. The failure mileage was 16,992 and current mileage was 34,000
The contact owns a 2006 subaru baja. While driving 70 mph, the vehicle lost all power and shut off. The vehicle has been to the dealer three times for the failure. During the first visit, the failure could not be diagnosed. The mechanic eventually stated that the accelerator relay switch failed. The vehicle has shut…
2006 subaru baja turbo with several problems including lunging forward and randomly sputtering and hesitating.. Consumer states that the problems began when the vehicle had 707 miles and have continued. *kb the consumer stated on one occasion, there was no throttle response. Somtimes the vehicle would idle high and…
Power Train 8 Read
The contact owns a 2003 subaru baja. The contact stated after changing a flat tire with the spare tire the rear end of the vehicle started smoking. The smoke was cause by the spare tire due to the different tread and size caused the differential to malfunction. The contact drove the vehicle to a local mechanic and the…
The contact owns a 2006 subaru baja. While the gear shifter was in reverse, the accelerator pedal was depressed and a grinding noise was heard from the front driver's side. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the passenger side bearing was hooked onto the universal shaft, and…
Drive shaft failure/. Started making horrible sound. Next thing I know drive shaft comes out!!!! Traveling 70 mph on the highway. Almost died when I lost control of the vehicle. '05 suburu baja w/ 90,000 miles on it. Very scary event!!!! This does not seem right that a car that has been maintained and serviced…
Engine 8 Read
I have a 2006 baja turbo, obsidian black, 5 speed. It has (60k) on the odometer. I bought it new and loved it from day one. However, february of last year that love was lost. The cel came on and I went to autozone to have the code pulled. It showed po304. I was told it was a misfire on cylinder #4. I asked the guy…
I bought this car a few years ago. I bought a well maintained subaru that was in perfect condition.. About a year ago it started leaking oil found out the head gaskets were leaking. Had them replaced and it still leaks. Subaru was contacted and they offered some money off a new subaru. My car is work significantly…
I had the head gaskets and timing belt replaced at 142,000 miles. Brand new. I put oil in my car every time I filled up with gas, as I was told subarus burn a lot of oil. The low light never came on, never had a check engine light come on. Three months later, at 145,000, without any indication that something is wrong,…
Fuel/propulsion System 8 Read
The contact owns a 2005 subaru baja. After starting the vehicle, a strong fuel odor entered the vehicle. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 09277000 (fuel system,…
It is a commonly known problem with subarus of this era that the high pressure rubber fuel lines underneath the intake manifold will begin to lose their elasticity as they age and leak profusely when the temperature drops below 30 degrees fahrenheit. Mechanics know this and it is discussed extensively on the subaru…
Fuel smell when starting vehicle for several months reported to dealership and service refused to do check for cause, though they were paid to
Baja years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 5 | 3 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 76 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.4 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 8.0 years |
A model average of 1.4 hides a worst series at 4. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Baja?
By complaint volume, 2003, 2005, 2006 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Baja years are the cleanest?
2004, 2006, 2005 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Subaru Baja have?
103 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2003–2006. Of those, 10 describe a crash and 3 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.