SUBARU B9 TRIBECA · model year

2010 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA

5 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2010SUBARUB9 TRIBECA carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2010 B9 TRIBECA is electrical system with 2 filings, followed by structure:body (1) and service brakes (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 14 investigation files overlapping the 2010 B9 TRIBECA. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

5
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

5 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
STRUCTURE:BODY1
SERVICE BRAKES1
AIR BAGS1

Recent Complaints

20171201AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL

Mileage: 100,000

20150417SERVICE BRAKES

DROPPED OFF CAR FOR 45K MILE SERVICE AND WHILE ROTATING THE TIRES WAS WARNED THAT THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WERE SEVERELY WORN AND RUSTED AND PADS WORN AT 95%. THEY RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT BECAUSE IF THE ROTORS WERE TO BE CUT, THEY WOULD FALL BELOW ACCEPTABLE SAFETY TOLERANCE. AS SUCH, THEY WERE REPLACED AND THOUGH WE HAD THE 7YR/70K MILE "GOLD PLUS" EXTENDED WARRANTY, THE ROTORS WERE NOT COVERED (OF COURSE) UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE TRIBECA IS OUR FIRST SUBARU HOWEVER, NOT OUR FIRST NEW CAR. WE HAVE A JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE WITH 98K MILES AND HAS THE ORIGINAL FRONT ROTORS AS DID OUR HONDA CR-V, CHEVY BLAZER AND FORD EXPLORER. ALL HAD ORIGINAL FRONT ROTORS WELL INTO THEIR RESPECTIVE 90-110K MILES. GOOD THING THAT THE SERVICE TECH CAUGHT THE PREMATURE RUST ON THE ROTORS AS THEY BOTH APPEARED TO BE CLOSE TO SEPARATING FROM THE CARRIERS. MY WIFE IS BEGINNING TO HAVE TRUST ISSUES WITH THE CAR NOW. *TR

Mileage: 48,450

20140715FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND SUDDENLY SMELLED SMOKE SO SHE PULLED OVER AND NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS ON FIRE AND IT WAS COMING FROM THE BACK PASSENGER DOOR. LUCKILY TWO GUYS DRIVING BUY STOPPED AND HAPPEN TO WORK FOR HONDA AND THEY PUT OUT THE FIRE WITH AN EXTINGUISHER THEN THE POLICE AND TOE TRUCK CAME AND TOOK THE CAR AWAY. THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR WAS COMPLETELY RUINED AS WELL AS MY 2 KIDS CAR SEATS AND THE WHOLE INTERIOR IN THE CAR FROM THE FIRE AND EXTINGUISHER AS WELL AS OTHER INTERIOR OF THE CAR THAT WAS AFFECTED. PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE CAME TO CHECK THE CAR SINCE SUBARU OF AMERICA DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE BLAME WITHOUT THE INSURANCE COMING AND PLACING THE BLAME ON THEM FIRST THIS IS DEFINITELY SUBARUS FAULT AND THE CAR MUST HAVE FAULTY WIRING OR A DEFECT THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. *TR

Mileage: 25,000

20110903STRUCTURE:BODY

WHILE ROUNDING A LEFT HAND TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 15- 20 MPH, THE PASSENGER LOWERED THE PASSENGER DOOR WINDOW USING THE POWER WINDOW SWITCH- THE DOOR FLEW OPEN , BUT WAS CAUGHT BY THE PASSENGER GRABBING THE DOOR , PREVENTING IT FROM HITTING A TELEPHONE POLE NEXT TO THE ROADWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN STOPPED AND THE DRIVER EXITED VEHICLE AND WENT TO PASSENGER SIDE AND ATTEMPTED TO CLOSE DOOR, WHICH WOULD NOT LATCH AND STAY CLOSED. AFTER CYCLING THE ELECTRIC LOCK SWITCH AND THEN CYCLING THE LOCK LEVER MANUALLY, THE DOOR CLOSED AND STAYED SHUT. UPON ARRIVAL HOME TO PARK CAR, PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN. DRIVER THEN CYCLED WINDOW CLOSED AND DOOR LOCK RELEASED AND DOOR COULD BE OPENED AND CLOSED. WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTICES FROM EITHER THE SELLING DEALER OR THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

Mileage: 9,500

20110903ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WHILE ROUNDING A LEFT HAND TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 15- 20 MPH, THE PASSENGER LOWERED THE PASSENGER DOOR WINDOW USING THE POWER WINDOW SWITCH- THE DOOR FLEW OPEN , BUT WAS CAUGHT BY THE PASSENGER GRABBING THE DOOR , PREVENTING IT FROM HITTING A TELEPHONE POLE NEXT TO THE ROADWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN STOPPED AND THE DRIVER EXITED VEHICLE AND WENT TO PASSENGER SIDE AND ATTEMPTED TO CLOSE DOOR, WHICH WOULD NOT LATCH AND STAY CLOSED. AFTER CYCLING THE ELECTRIC LOCK SWITCH AND THEN CYCLING THE LOCK LEVER MANUALLY, THE DOOR CLOSED AND STAYED SHUT. UPON ARRIVAL HOME TO PARK CAR, PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN. DRIVER THEN CYCLED WINDOW CLOSED AND DOOR LOCK RELEASED AND DOOR COULD BE OPENED AND CLOSED. WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTICES FROM EITHER THE SELLING DEALER OR THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

Mileage: 9,500

Compare 2010SUBARUB9 TRIBECA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2010 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA have?
The 2010 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2010 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA?
The most-complained component for the 2010 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STRUCTURE:BODY and SERVICE BRAKES.
Is the 2010 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.