GAS INDICATOR SAYS I HAVE MORE GAS THEN I DO. WHEN EMPTY IT STILL REGISTERS GAS. THERE IS A RECALL BUT NO FIX IS PRESENT.
2018 Subaru Outback
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Outback years
Owner complaints for the 2018 Subaru Outback are substantially higher than the model-year median of 207.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Outback years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
488 reports with mileage · 323 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 265 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 233 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Fuel/propulsion System complaints
43 reportsRAN OUT OF FUEL EVEN THOUGH THE GAUGE HAD ORIGINALLY SAID 30 MILES TO EMPTY. THEN GAUGE WENT FROM 30 TO ---- AND THEN STALLED ALL WITHIN A FEW MILES WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR.
I WAS DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED WITH 1/8TH OF A TANK OF GAS REMAINING. GAS LIGHT CAME ON ONLY A FEW MILES PRIOR. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO COAST INTO A GAS STATION. CAR STARTED AFTER TURNING OFF AND BACK ON. ONLY TOOK 16.9 GALLONS TO TOP OFF. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. THE PREVIOUS TI…
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I WAS DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED WITH 1/8TH OF A TANK OF GAS REMAINING. GAS LIGHT CAME ON ONLY A FEW MILES PRIOR. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO COAST INTO A GAS STATION. CAR STARTED AFTER TURNING OFF AND BACK ON. ONLY TOOK 16.9 GALLONS TO TOP OFF. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. THE PREVIOUS TIME THE MILES TO EMPTY WAS SHOWING 50 WHEN IT STALLED. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THERE IS NO FIX FOR THE CURRENT RECALL.
I WAS DRIVING AND THE FUEL INDICATOR INDICATED 70 MILES TO GO LAST TIME I SAW IT. I ONLY HAD TO DRIVE 10 MILES HOME AND THE CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED, THANKFULLY ON A LOCAL ROAD. SOME WARNING LIGHTS STARTED APPEARING AND I COULDNT MAKE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. I TRIED TO RESTART A FEW TIMES UNTIL I DECIDED IT HAD TO BE FUEL. WE PUSHED C…
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I WAS DRIVING AND THE FUEL INDICATOR INDICATED 70 MILES TO GO LAST TIME I SAW IT. I ONLY HAD TO DRIVE 10 MILES HOME AND THE CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED, THANKFULLY ON A LOCAL ROAD. SOME WARNING LIGHTS STARTED APPEARING AND I COULDNT MAKE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. I TRIED TO RESTART A FEW TIMES UNTIL I DECIDED IT HAD TO BE FUEL. WE PUSHED CAR TO SIDE OF ROAD AND WENT TO GAS STATION TO GET GAS. CAME BACK WITH GAS, REFILLED AND CAR STARTED AND WENT HOME. I THOUGHT IT WAS MY FAULT, ALTHOUGHT I COULDNT EXPLAIN WHY THE LAST TIME A SAW THE FUEL GAUGE SAID 70 MILES AND I WAS JUST GOING HOME, NOT EVEN 10 MILES TO GET THERE.
OPEN RECALL FOR FUEL GAUGE NOT BEING ACCURATE. I ALREAY RAN OUT OF GAS ONCE AND WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER THEY SAID THERE WAS NO REMEDY TO MAKE SURE I ALWAYS HAVE A 1/4 OF A TANK OF GAS TO AVOID THIS IN THE FUTURE! THIS HAPPENED TO ME ON JULY 13, AND I HAVE BEE WAITING SINCE FOR SOLUTION
INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM IS FAULTY. I HAVE NO BACK UP CAMERA, BLUETOOTH, RADIO, CAN NOT PROGRAM CLOCK. SUBARU DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO FIX OTHER THAN TO REPLACE HEAD UNIT. I HAVE BEEN WAITING SINCE DEC 14TH FOR THIS REPLACEMENT UNIT. WHILE AT DEALER I ASKED FOR A LOANER AND WAS DENIED. SUBARU SAID THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE WHICH IS…
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INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM IS FAULTY. I HAVE NO BACK UP CAMERA, BLUETOOTH, RADIO, CAN NOT PROGRAM CLOCK. SUBARU DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO FIX OTHER THAN TO REPLACE HEAD UNIT. I HAVE BEEN WAITING SINCE DEC 14TH FOR THIS REPLACEMENT UNIT. WHILE AT DEALER I ASKED FOR A LOANER AND WAS DENIED. SUBARU SAID THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE WHICH IS NOT TRUE SINCE THEIR BIGGEST SAFETY FEATURE ISNT ACCESSIBLE
WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WHILE FUEL RANGE INDICATED ON DASH JUST HIT 30 MILES TO EMPTY AND CAR RAN OUT OF GAS. WAS NEVER INFORMED BY SUBARU OF ANY RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH AT NIGHT, THE FUEL RANGE DROPPED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE MANUFACTURER'S ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CALLED, BUT NO ONE ANSWERED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE POLICE FOR ASSISTANCE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH AT NIGHT, THE FUEL RANGE DROPPED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE MANUFACTURER'S ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CALLED, BUT NO ONE ANSWERED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE POLICE FOR ASSISTANCE DUE TO THE DARKNESS. THE CONTACT CALLED TRIPLE A AND WAS PROVIDED SOME FUEL TO DRIVE HOME. TWO DAYS LATER, THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V773000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GROOVE SUBARU (720-279-9409, LOCATED AT 5300 S BROADWAY, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80113) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED, BUT NO ONE ANSWERED THE PHONE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 12,500. ..*BF*JB *DT
I DROVE TO A NEARBY TOWN, INDICATOR SAID 40 MILES TO GO BEFORE EMPTY. PARKED. RESTARTED THE CAR AFTER HALF AN HOUR. MOST OF CENTER DISPLAY FUNCTIONS WERE DEAD. IT DID SHOW BACK-UP VIEW, BUT NO RADIO, NO MAP. DROVE TOWARD HOME AND GAS STATION. AFTER TWENTY MILES, ON CRUISE CONTROL AT 70MPH ON HIGHWAY, ENGINE SUDDENLY STARTED RACI…
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I DROVE TO A NEARBY TOWN, INDICATOR SAID 40 MILES TO GO BEFORE EMPTY. PARKED. RESTARTED THE CAR AFTER HALF AN HOUR. MOST OF CENTER DISPLAY FUNCTIONS WERE DEAD. IT DID SHOW BACK-UP VIEW, BUT NO RADIO, NO MAP. DROVE TOWARD HOME AND GAS STATION. AFTER TWENTY MILES, ON CRUISE CONTROL AT 70MPH ON HIGHWAY, ENGINE SUDDENLY STARTED RACING AS THOUGH IT HAD DOWN SHIFTED, I BRAKED AND HEADED FOR THE SHOULDER. NO TURN SIGNALS, NO INDICATORS, NO EMERGENCY FLASHERS - IT SEEMED THAT THE COMPUTER CRASHED WHEN I RAN OUT OF GAS. AFTER ADDING GAS AND RESTARTING, ALL WAS NORMAL EXCEPT THE THE RADIO MEMORY HAD BEEN WIPED.
DASHBOARD TOLD ME I HAD 20 MILES WORTH OF FUEL LEFT WHEN SUDDENLY THE INDICATOR CHANGED TO A DASH AND THE CAR RAN OUT OF GAS. OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH ON A BUSY EXPRESSWAY, THANKFULLY IN THE SLOW LANE.
Official recalls
321V587000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump
Jul 29, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
18V935000 · Visibility:rearview Mirrors/devices
Dec 31, 2018
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Legacy, Outback, and BRZ vehicles. In the affected vehicles, a software issue may cause the audio display system to not initialize, resulting in the camera display remaining blank. If this occurs, the rearview image will not display while backing up the vehicle. As a result, the vehicles fail to comply with requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Failure to display the rearview image while backing up increases the risk of crash.
Remedy: Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will reprogram the audio system display software, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTZ-85.
18V773000 · Electrical System:software; Fuel System, Gasoline
Nov 1, 2018
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles. Due to a software error, the low fuel warning light may not illuminate at the intended remaining fuel level and the miles-to-empty display may incorrectly indicate a positive number despite the tank being empty.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The inaccurate fuel display may cause a driver to unexpectedly run out of fuel and the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the combination meter software, free of charge. The recall began February 20, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTW-82.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System:software
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles. Due to a software error, the low fuel warning light may not illuminate at the intended remaining fuel level and the miles-to-empty display may incorrectly indicate a positive number despite the tank being empty.
Consequence: The inaccurate fuel display may cause a driver to unexpectedly run out of fuel and the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the combination meter software, free of charge. The recall began February 20, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTW-82.
Fuel System, Gasoline
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles. Due to a software error, the low fuel warning light may not illuminate at the intended remaining fuel level and the miles-to-empty display may incorrectly indicate a positive number despite the tank being empty.
Consequence: The inaccurate fuel display may cause a driver to unexpectedly run out of fuel and the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the combination meter software, free of charge. The recall began February 20, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTW-82.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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