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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.

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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.

27 crash reports4 fire reports10 injury reports

Visibility/wiper complaints

233 reports
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17,000 miles · Dec 26, 2019
Visibility/wiper

A SMALL ROCK OR PIECE OF GRAVEL HIT THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD APPROXIMATELY 3" FROM THE TOP EDGE WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY A 12" LONG CRACK DEVELOPED AND HAS CONTINUED TO SPREAD. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED IN 16 MONTHS.

NHTSA ODI #11291395

10,000 miles · Dec 24, 2019
Visibility/wiper

SUDDEN CRACKING OF THE WINDSHIELD. NO ROCKS OR PEBBLES HIT THE WINDSHIELD. IN THE MORNING I ENTERED MY VEHICLE (THAT WAS STATIONARY ALL NIGHT) AND NOTICED A 2 INCH CRACK THAT DIDN'T EXIST THE DAY BEFORE. BY AFTERNOON, THE CRACK GREW TO ALMOST HALF THE WINDSHIELD AND WE NEEDED TO REPLACE IT. GLASS CLAIM WAS PLACED VIA GEICO W…

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SUDDEN CRACKING OF THE WINDSHIELD. NO ROCKS OR PEBBLES HIT THE WINDSHIELD. IN THE MORNING I ENTERED MY VEHICLE (THAT WAS STATIONARY ALL NIGHT) AND NOTICED A 2 INCH CRACK THAT DIDN'T EXIST THE DAY BEFORE. BY AFTERNOON, THE CRACK GREW TO ALMOST HALF THE WINDSHIELD AND WE NEEDED TO REPLACE IT. GLASS CLAIM WAS PLACED VIA GEICO WHO REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD.

NHTSA ODI #11291110

27,000 miles · Dec 24, 2019
Unknown Or OtherVisibility/wiper

CRACKED WINDSHIELD FOR NO REASON. ALSO, RADIO IS CONTINUALLY DEFUNCT.

NHTSA ODI #11291058

54,000 miles · Dec 23, 2019
Visibility/wiper

A CRACK IN WINDSHIELD JUST APPEARED AND STARTED TO SPREAD SO WE TOOK IT TO MARK'S MOBILE GLASS IN JEFFERSON CITY, MO TO GET REPLACED.

NHTSA ODI #11290942

48,000 miles · Dec 23, 2019
Visibility/wiper

IN AUGUST 2019 DRIVING AT ABOUT 40MPH ON A SAMLL COUNTRY ROAD A VERY SMALL PIECE OF GRAVEL STUCK WINDSHIELD AND WITHIN 20 MINUTES IT EXPANDED TO A CRACK OVER 18 INCHES LONG. JUST FIVE MONTHS LATER ON DECEMBER 22 DRIVING AT ABOUT 65MPH ON INTERSTATE 5 ANOTHER SMALL STONE STRUCK WIND SHIELD AND WITHIN 30 MINUTES A CRACK FORMED ALM…

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IN AUGUST 2019 DRIVING AT ABOUT 40MPH ON A SAMLL COUNTRY ROAD A VERY SMALL PIECE OF GRAVEL STUCK WINDSHIELD AND WITHIN 20 MINUTES IT EXPANDED TO A CRACK OVER 18 INCHES LONG. JUST FIVE MONTHS LATER ON DECEMBER 22 DRIVING AT ABOUT 65MPH ON INTERSTATE 5 ANOTHER SMALL STONE STRUCK WIND SHIELD AND WITHIN 30 MINUTES A CRACK FORMED ALMOST 14 INCHES. BOTH WINDSHIELDS WERE SUBARU OEM PARTS.

NHTSA ODI #11290902

15,500 miles · Dec 12, 2019
Visibility/wiper

IN A PERIOD OF LESS THAN 1 YEAR, I HAVE EXPERIENCED THREE WINDSHIELDS CRACKING FROM NORMAL DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. I HAVE DRIVEN FOR OVER 55 YEARS IN SEVERAL VEHICLES AND HAVE BEEN HIT BY ROAD DEBRIS OR ROCKS NUMEROUS TIMES. THIS WILL NORMALLY LEAVE A PIT OR STAR WHICH CAN BE REPAIRED, I NEVER HAVE HAD A VEHICLE'S WINDSHIELD C…

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IN A PERIOD OF LESS THAN 1 YEAR, I HAVE EXPERIENCED THREE WINDSHIELDS CRACKING FROM NORMAL DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. I HAVE DRIVEN FOR OVER 55 YEARS IN SEVERAL VEHICLES AND HAVE BEEN HIT BY ROAD DEBRIS OR ROCKS NUMEROUS TIMES. THIS WILL NORMALLY LEAVE A PIT OR STAR WHICH CAN BE REPAIRED, I NEVER HAVE HAD A VEHICLE'S WINDSHIELD CRACK, ALL THE WAY ACROSS WHEN SIMPLY DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT. NOT ONCE, BUT THREE TIMES IN A 5 MONTH PERIOD. I FEEL THESE WINDSHIELDS ARE NOT SAFE FOR MY FAMILY TO BE IN. IF THEY CRACK WITH A PEBBLE, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT. THE FIRST WINDSHIELD CRACKED COMING BACK FROM THE GRAND CANYON VISIT. THE SECOND TIME, NEW REPLACEMENT WINDOW FROM SUBURU, CRACKED FROM LITTLE OR UNKNOWN STRIKE 2 MONTHS LATER. SUBURU REPLACED THAT WINDOW AT THEIR COST. 2 MONTHS LATER DURING JULY HEAT, A SMALL ROCK PICKED OFF THE ROAD AND THE WINDOW CRACKED IN A BACKWARD C SHAPE. SUBURU DENIES ANY LIABILITY FROM ROAD HAZARDS, AND WILL NOT CONSIDER THEY HAVE LESS QUALITY PRODUCT AS IT WAS APPROVED. READING SEVERAL BLOGS AND ONLINE COMMENTS ALERTED ME THAT THIS WAS VERY COMMON AND THEY HAD PAST ISSUES WITH THEIR WINDSHIELDS. WHO CAN I SPEAK TO?

NHTSA ODI #11288745

13,500 miles · Dec 4, 2019
Visibility/wiper

SMALL ROCK HIT WINDSHIELD AND IT CAUSED A HUGE CRACK IN MARCH 2019 AND THEN AGAIN IN NOVEMBER 2019. WE WERE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN IT HAPPENED. IT SHOULD HAVE CAUSE NO DAMAGE OR JUST A LITTLE CHIP, NOT HUGE CRACKS. THE WINDSHIELD APPEARS TO BE WEAK.

NHTSA ODI #11286967

10,650 miles · Nov 30, 2019
Visibility/wiper

I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW IN MARCH OF 2018. AFTER ONLY 1 YEAR THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED. I DID NOT SEE WHERE THE INITIAL CHIP WAS AND CAME OUT TO MY CAR ONE MORNING AND SAW THE WINDSHIELD COMPLETELY CRACKED. I WAS SHOCKED AT HOW EXPENSIVE THE RECALIBRATION WAS SO I FILED AN INSURANCE CLAIM. I STILL HAD TO PAY AROUND $300 TO GET IT …

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I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW IN MARCH OF 2018. AFTER ONLY 1 YEAR THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED. I DID NOT SEE WHERE THE INITIAL CHIP WAS AND CAME OUT TO MY CAR ONE MORNING AND SAW THE WINDSHIELD COMPLETELY CRACKED. I WAS SHOCKED AT HOW EXPENSIVE THE RECALIBRATION WAS SO I FILED AN INSURANCE CLAIM. I STILL HAD TO PAY AROUND $300 TO GET IT FIXED BECAUSE AGAIN, RECALIBRATION COSTS AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT FOR SOME REASON. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW I GOT OFF LIGHT AS HAVING IT DONE BY THE DEALERSHIP WAS QUOTED TO ME AS COSTING $850. IT IS NOW ONLY 7 MONTHS LATER AND MY WINDSHIELD IS CRACKED ALL THE WAY ACROSS AGAIN. I DIDN'T SEE THE CHIP AT FIRST UNTIL IT HAD BEGUN TO CRACK A TINY AMOUNT. AS I WAS DRIVING IN THE CITY IT SPREAD ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. BECAUSE I SAW IT EARLY I PLANNED TO GET IT FIXED THE NEXT DAY TO HOPEFULLY AVOID ANOTHER FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS OF EXPENSE. UNFORTUNATELY, IT SPREAD ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD MAKING IT IRREPARABLE WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF MY FINDING IT. AGAIN, THIS WAS WITH ME DRIVING LESS THAN 30 MPH WITH NO HEAT ON BECAUSE IT'S COLD OUTSIDE AND I KNOW HOT AND COLD MAKE IT WORSE. I HAVE NEVER HAD A WINDSHIELD CRACK LIKE THIS AND MORE THAN ONCE WITHIN A 1 YEAR TIME FRAME. THESE WINDSHIELDS SEEM TO BE MADE VERY CHEAPLY AT THE EXPENSE OF SAFETY. I CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE ANOTHER INSURANCE CLAIM OR PAY THIS OUT OF POCKET. I TOOK EVERY PRECAUTION AS A DRIVER AND THIS STILL HAPPENED. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SUBARU AND MAY SELL THIS ONE IF THIS KEEPS HAPPENING BECAUSE I SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX THIS ALL OF THE TIME AND MORE IMPORTANTLY I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO.

NHTSA ODI #11283058

24,000 miles · Nov 22, 2019
Visibility/wiper

I HAVE REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD 3 TIMES ALREADY. TINY ROCKS ARE CAUSING LARGE CRACKS LIKE I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE IN OTHER VEHICLES. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING.

NHTSA ODI #11281741

23,000 miles · Nov 14, 2019
Visibility/wiper

WINDSCREEN IS EASILY CRACKED BY ANY PEBBLES THAT KNICK THR SHIELD. FIRST TIME THE SCREEN WAS HIT BY A PEBBLE FROM A MOVING VEHICLE AND THE CRACK SPREAD ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE SCREEN. HAD TO REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER SUBARU GLASS. NOT EVEN 2 WEEKS IN ANOTHER PEBBLE HITS AND CHIPS..THEN A COUPLE WEEKS LATER AGAIN, ANOTHER PEBBLE CRA…

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WINDSCREEN IS EASILY CRACKED BY ANY PEBBLES THAT KNICK THR SHIELD. FIRST TIME THE SCREEN WAS HIT BY A PEBBLE FROM A MOVING VEHICLE AND THE CRACK SPREAD ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE SCREEN. HAD TO REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER SUBARU GLASS. NOT EVEN 2 WEEKS IN ANOTHER PEBBLE HITS AND CHIPS..THEN A COUPLE WEEKS LATER AGAIN, ANOTHER PEBBLE CRACKS THE SCREEN. ANYTHING THAT HITS THE GLASS SEEMS TO PUT KNICKS AND CRACKS. OTHER CARS WE'VE OWNED HAVE BEEN HIT HARDER AND NOT HAD ANY DAMAGE. NOT SURE WHAT THESE SUBARU GLASS SCREENS ARE MADE OF, BUT I ASSUME THE MOST DELICATE OF MATERIALS NOT SUITED FOR WINDSHIELD USE. ALL TIMES HIT WITH ROCKS FROM MOVING VEHICLES WHILE MY CAR WAS ALSO IN MOTION ON A HIGHWAY.

NHTSA ODI #11280153

Official recalls

3

21V587000 · 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Subaru Outback problems