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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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Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2019
Visibility/wiper

AROUND JANUARY THIS YEAR MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED AS SOON AS I GOT OUT FROM THE GARAGE(64 DREGREES) TO THE DRIVEWAY(39 DEGREES). I WENT TO THE LOCAL DEALER AND THE SERVICE ADVISOR RUN A BALL AROUND THE GLASS CRACK AND SUDDENLY STOPPED AND FORCEFULLY PUSHED AGAINST THE PEN AGAINST THE GLASS AND SAID THAT WAS AN IMPACT. I LOOKED AT …

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AROUND JANUARY THIS YEAR MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED AS SOON AS I GOT OUT FROM THE GARAGE(64 DREGREES) TO THE DRIVEWAY(39 DEGREES). I WENT TO THE LOCAL DEALER AND THE SERVICE ADVISOR RUN A BALL AROUND THE GLASS CRACK AND SUDDENLY STOPPED AND FORCEFULLY PUSHED AGAINST THE PEN AGAINST THE GLASS AND SAID THAT WAS AN IMPACT. I LOOKED AT THE AREA OF THE GLASS IMPACT BUT ALL I SAW WAS THE DENT THAT THE PEN LEFT. THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE GLASS DUE TO AN IMPACT AND REFERRED TO MY AUTO INSURANCE. I PUT A CLAIM AND PAID MY $500 DEDUCTIBLE TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD. IN RETROSPECTIVE I KNEW IT WAS NO IMPACT AND WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER THEY DID NOT HAVE THE INTENTION ON HELPING ME.

NHTSA ODI #11271337

7,500 miles · Oct 27, 2019
Visibility/wiper

THE WINDSHIELD ON MY SUBARU OUTBACK LIMITED 2018 THAT I JUST BOUGHT ON JUNE 15, 2018 SUDDENLY CRACKED WHILE DRIVING HOME ON INTERSTATE 80 FROM OMAHA, NE TO ATLANTIC, IA WITH MY MOM ON NOVEMBER 10, 2018. THE CRACK STARTED ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AND CONTINUED STRAIGHT UPWARD UNTIL IT REACHED ABOUT HALF THE LENG…

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THE WINDSHIELD ON MY SUBARU OUTBACK LIMITED 2018 THAT I JUST BOUGHT ON JUNE 15, 2018 SUDDENLY CRACKED WHILE DRIVING HOME ON INTERSTATE 80 FROM OMAHA, NE TO ATLANTIC, IA WITH MY MOM ON NOVEMBER 10, 2018. THE CRACK STARTED ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AND CONTINUED STRAIGHT UPWARD UNTIL IT REACHED ABOUT HALF THE LENGTH OF THE WINDSHIELD. I CONTACTED SUBARU AND IT SAID THE WINDSHIELD WAS NOT COVERED IN THE POLICY SO I HAD TO PAY FOR IT MYSELF OR HAVE MY CAR INSURANCE PAY. I ENDED UP GETTING THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED BY DETER MOTORS IN ATLANTIC IA ON NOVEMBER 23, 2018. THEN ON AUGUST 25, 2019 WHILE DRIVING TO DES MOINES, IA ON INTERSTATE 80 WITH MY THEN FIANCEE, MOM, AND SISTER, THE WINDSHIELD SUDDENLY CRACKED AGAIN FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THIS CRACK STARTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD ON THE BOTTOM AND CONTINUED UPWARD ABOUT 7 INCHES AT FIRST. THE CRACK HAS SINCE GROWN IN SIZE AND LENGTH. I CONTACTED SUBARU AGAIN AND WAS GIVING THE SAME ANSWER IN THAT THEY DON'T COVER WINDSHIELDS. I HAVE YET TO BE FIXED AS I WAS QUITE FRUSTRATED WITH TWO CRACKED WINDSHIELDS IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR. I STARTED TO LOOK ONLINE TO SEE IF OTHER SUBARU OWNERS WERE HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES AND FOUND THAT YES, MANY ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING CRACKED WINDSHIELDS FOR NO APPARENT AND/OR OBVIOUS REASONS. I DO WANT TO GET THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED BUT AM WORRIED THAT IT'LL JUST CRACK AGAIN. I DO HAVE RECORD OF THE FIRST WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT FROM DETER MOTORS. I ALSO HAVE PICTURES OF THE 2ND CRACK AND WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE THEM.

NHTSA ODI #11271325

4,000 miles · Oct 27, 2019
Fuel/propulsion SystemVisibility/wiper

WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO REASON KNOWN - I MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE UPON GETTING INTO MY VEHICLE TO FOLLLOWING MORNING I NOTICED A CRACK THAT GROW SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN A DAY HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED A FEW MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING FUEL CAPACITY DOES NOT REGISTER CORRECTLY - I DID HAVE THE RECALL DONE BUT IT STILL DOES …

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WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO REASON KNOWN - I MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE UPON GETTING INTO MY VEHICLE TO FOLLLOWING MORNING I NOTICED A CRACK THAT GROW SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN A DAY HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED A FEW MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING FUEL CAPACITY DOES NOT REGISTER CORRECTLY - I DID HAVE THE RECALL DONE BUT IT STILL DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY

NHTSA ODI #11271311

25,000 miles · Oct 21, 2019
Visibility/wiper

MY WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED TWICE SINCE LAST YEAR WHEN I BOUGHT IT NEW.

NHTSA ODI #11270042

20,300 miles · Oct 21, 2019
Visibility/wiper

FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED BY ITSELF WHILE BEING STATIONARY IN A NEAR-EMPTY PARKING LOT (ONLY TWO CARS IN THE PARKING LOT INCLUDING MINE). HAPPENED ON OCT 10, 2019 BETWEEN 10-11:30AM. PARKED THE CAR IN THE LOT AND WENT INSIDE BUILDING FOR 90 MINUTES. WHEN I CAME OUT I NOTICED A LARGE CRACK IN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD ORIGINATING AT TH…

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FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED BY ITSELF WHILE BEING STATIONARY IN A NEAR-EMPTY PARKING LOT (ONLY TWO CARS IN THE PARKING LOT INCLUDING MINE). HAPPENED ON OCT 10, 2019 BETWEEN 10-11:30AM. PARKED THE CAR IN THE LOT AND WENT INSIDE BUILDING FOR 90 MINUTES. WHEN I CAME OUT I NOTICED A LARGE CRACK IN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD ORIGINATING AT THE DEICER AREA IN FRONT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE CRACK PATTERN SEEMS SIMILAR TO THE 2015/2016 OUTBACK/LEGACY CRACKED WINDSHIELD ISSUE (SUBARU BULLETIN #12-192-15R). OTHER SUBARU OUTBACK OWNERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR ISSUES FOR RECENT OUTBACK YEAR MODELS BASED ON GOOGLE SEARCH OF SUBARU FORUMS. TOLD SUBARU DEALER ABOUT THE ISSUE AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THEY ASKED ME TO REPLACE WINDSHIELD USING AUTO-INSURANCE GLASS COVERAGE. I HAVE REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD USING MY INSURANCE AND ALSO PAID (VIA INSURANCE CLAIM) FOR EYESIGHT CALIBRATION AS REQUIRED BY SUBARU.

NHTSA ODI #11269979

25,000 miles · Oct 7, 2019
Visibility/wiper

CRACK DEVELOPED ON WINDSHIELD SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT IMPACT OF ANYTHING.

NHTSA ODI #11266778

22,000 miles · Sep 13, 2019
Visibility/wiper

WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED. WAS NOT HOT BY ANY OBJECT. SUBARU OUTBACK 2018. CRACK INITIATED BELOW DRIVERS SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER.

NHTSA ODI #11255395

32,500 miles · Sep 5, 2019
Visibility/wiper

CAR DEVELOPED A CRACK ON WINDSHIELD OVERNIGHT WHILE PARKED IN AN INDOOR PARKING GARAGE. A FEW DAYS LATER CRACK GREW IN SIZE AGAIN WHILE PARKED IN A DIFFERENT INDOOR PARKING GARAGE. CAR HAS ~33,000 MILES AND WAS NOT HIT BY ANY ROAD DEBRIS.

NHTSA ODI #11253510

26,000 miles · Sep 2, 2019
Visibility/wiper

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ON 6/21/19. ON 7/1/19 A SMALL STARBURST CRACK APPEARED ON PASSENGER SIDE OF WINDSHIELD. I FIRST NOTICED THIS WHILE DRIVE ON HIGHWAY. WITHIN 2 DAYS, THE CRACK HAD SPREAD ACROSS 3/4 OF THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. (THERE WAS NO APPARENT IMPACT FROM ANY OBJECT). THE WINDSHIELD WAS TOTALLY REPLACED AND R…

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I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE ON 6/21/19. ON 7/1/19 A SMALL STARBURST CRACK APPEARED ON PASSENGER SIDE OF WINDSHIELD. I FIRST NOTICED THIS WHILE DRIVE ON HIGHWAY. WITHIN 2 DAYS, THE CRACK HAD SPREAD ACROSS 3/4 OF THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. (THERE WAS NO APPARENT IMPACT FROM ANY OBJECT). THE WINDSHIELD WAS TOTALLY REPLACED AND RECALIBRATED ON 7/15/19. ON 8/30/19 THE SAME THING OCCURRED. A SMALL STARBURST APPEARED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF WINDSHIELD , WHICH SOON SPREAD ACROSS THE DRIVERS VIEW. I NOTICED THE CRACK WHEN THE CAR WAS STATIONARY IN THE GARAGE. I AM AWAITING SERVICE FROM SAFELITE NOW. SUBARU SAYS IT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS EXACT ISSUE...WINDSHIELD CRACKS WITHOUT ANY OBJECT IMPACTING IT! I CANNOT BE REPLACING MY WINDSHIELD EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS.

NHTSA ODI #11252729

14,400 miles · Aug 15, 2019
Visibility/wiper

CAR WAS IN MOTION AND A LOUD POP IN THE WINDSHIELD AREA WAS HEARD. AFTER ARRIVING HOME THERE IS A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD BY THE WIPER BLADES THAT HAS EXTENDED ABOUT 6INCHES UP. THERE DID NOT APPEAR TO BE ROCK OR FOREIGN OBJECT THAT HIT THE WINDSHIELD. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF ISSUES WITH SUBARU WINDSHIELDS FROM WHAT I KEEP RE…

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CAR WAS IN MOTION AND A LOUD POP IN THE WINDSHIELD AREA WAS HEARD. AFTER ARRIVING HOME THERE IS A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD BY THE WIPER BLADES THAT HAS EXTENDED ABOUT 6INCHES UP. THERE DID NOT APPEAR TO BE ROCK OR FOREIGN OBJECT THAT HIT THE WINDSHIELD. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF ISSUES WITH SUBARU WINDSHIELDS FROM WHAT I KEEP READING.

NHTSA ODI #11244173

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