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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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21,200 miles · Aug 12, 2019
Visibility/wiper

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY 8/10/19 A VERY SMALL STONE HIT THE WINDSHIELD IN THE LOWER LEFT CORNER. WITHIN 10 MINUTES A LARGE CRACK HAD FORMED FROM THE EXTREME LEFT EDGE TO THE MIDDLE OF THE DRIVER VISION SECTION OF THE WINDSHIELD. BY THE NEXT MORNING THE CRACK HAD EXTENDED TO THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. THERE WAS A VERY SMAL…

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WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY 8/10/19 A VERY SMALL STONE HIT THE WINDSHIELD IN THE LOWER LEFT CORNER. WITHIN 10 MINUTES A LARGE CRACK HAD FORMED FROM THE EXTREME LEFT EDGE TO THE MIDDLE OF THE DRIVER VISION SECTION OF THE WINDSHIELD. BY THE NEXT MORNING THE CRACK HAD EXTENDED TO THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. THERE WAS A VERY SMALL CHIPPED AREA WHERE THE STONE HIT, BARELY VISIBLE. I EVEN HAD ZURICHSHIELD GLASS PROTECTION APPLIED TO PROTECT THE WINDSHIELD, WHICH WAS USELESS. ABOUT 21,200 MILES ON THE CAR. I PREVIOUSLY HAD A HONDA PILOT THAT WOULD HAVE PITS, EVEN A CRATER FROM STONES, BUT NEVER A CRACK. I'VE OWNED MANY CARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD A CRACK UNTIL NOW. VERY DISAPPOINTED A SMALL PELLET HITTING THE WINDSHIELD RESULTED IN A CRACK THAT WAS SO BIG THAT I HAD TO ENTIRELY REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD. MY CAR IS ONLY 1 YEAR OLD, AND A SMALL STONE COST ME OVER $500, PLUS THE COST OF A PROTECTANT PROGRAM THAT FAILED AS WELL. DEALER (WILLIAMS SUBARU) SAID IT WAS AN AUTO INSURANCE ISSUE, NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, OR UNDER THE ZURICHSHIELD (FIXES UP TO 6 INCH CRACK- MINE NEVER QUIT GROWING), THEY WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING. I'M CHECKING INTO GETTING A REFUND ON THE ZURICHSHIELD POLICY...

NHTSA ODI #11243260

3,000 miles · Aug 5, 2019
Visibility/wiper

WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED WHILE DRIVING. THERE WAS NO IMPACT ON THE WINDSHIELD WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THERE WAS A POP AND A CRACK APPEARED AT THE BOTTOM ON THE DRIVER SIDE, THE CRACK HAS EVER SINCE GROWN ACROSS AND NOW REACHED THE PASSENGER SIDE.

NHTSA ODI #11241833

13,000 miles · Jul 28, 2019
Visibility/wiper

WINDSHIELD CRACKS FOR NO APPARENT REASON ON A NEW SUBARU. DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY, WHILE IT WAS HOT OUTSIDE. NO ROCKS JUST A CRACK STARTING UNDER THE WIPER BLADE.

NHTSA ODI #11240186

Mileage unknown · Jul 16, 2019
Visibility/wiperCrash

WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED A CRACK DRIVER SIDE BOTTOM CORNER, WITH NO CHIP OR REASON FOR THE CRACK

NHTSA ODI #11232216

13,500 miles · Jul 5, 2019
Visibility/wiper

A LARGE CRACK, LIKE THE SHAPE OF A QUESTION MARK, SPONTANEOUSLY APPEARED IN MY WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK STARTS BELOW THE WINDSHIELD WIPER, UP ABOUT 7 INCHES AND CURVES BACK DOWN. CAR WAS MOVED OUT OF OUR GARAGE AND PARKED IN DRIVEWAY WHEN THE CRACK APPEARED!!!!!

NHTSA ODI #11229695

Mileage unknown · Jun 28, 2019
Visibility/wiper

WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY DEVELOPED A CRACK WHILE PARKED IN A CLOSED, PRIVATE GARAGE.

NHTSA ODI #11228323

17,000 miles · Jun 11, 2019
Visibility/wiper

WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT 3 TIMES IN THE LAST 1.5 YEARS. I REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD A WEEK AGO AND NOW HAVE ANOTHER CRACK!! THESE CRACKS WERE OBTAINED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. 2 WERE DUE TO ROCKS. THE OTHERS ARE UNKNOWN. I OWNED MY FORD ESCAPE FOR 10 YEARS AND HAD THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED MAYBE 2 …

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WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT 3 TIMES IN THE LAST 1.5 YEARS. I REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD A WEEK AGO AND NOW HAVE ANOTHER CRACK!! THESE CRACKS WERE OBTAINED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. 2 WERE DUE TO ROCKS. THE OTHERS ARE UNKNOWN. I OWNED MY FORD ESCAPE FOR 10 YEARS AND HAD THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED MAYBE 2 TIMES.

NHTSA ODI #11219392

8,000 miles · May 30, 2019
Visibility/wiper

FILED COMPLAINT WITH WRONG YEAR COMPLAINT #11210766 CORRECT YEAR IS 2018 CAMERA DISPLAY DO ES NOT ALWAYS DISPLAY THE REAR VIEW IMAGE WHILE BACKING UP. FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS 5/25/2019.

NHTSA ODI #11210885

10,400 miles · May 24, 2019
Visibility/wiper

I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 35 MPH WITH TRAFFIC WHEN A ROCK HIT MY WINDSHIELD AND CREATED TWO CHIPS. THESE ARE THE SECOND AND THIRD CHIPS IN THIS WINDOW SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN APRIL 2019.

NHTSA ODI #11209764

8,500 miles · May 24, 2019
Visibility/wiper

A ROCK HIT MY WINDSHIELD AND PRODUCED A SIGNIFICANT DIVOT AND CRACK WHILE THE DRIVER AHEAD OF ME AND I WERE TURNING FROM A STOP IN THE LEFT TURN LANE.

NHTSA ODI #11209761

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