NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
811 reportsMileage unknown · May 20, 2023
Steering
While driving under normal conditions, (no hazardous weather or speeding), the steering will suddenly pull to the right, for only a moment, feeling as though a strong gust of wind had blown it, but there is no wind, it just does it on its on. A warning light comes on, and makes a pinging sound, then it turns off; it does not st…
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While driving under normal conditions, (no hazardous weather or speeding), the steering will suddenly pull to the right, for only a moment, feeling as though a strong gust of wind had blown it, but there is no wind, it just does it on its on. A warning light comes on, and makes a pinging sound, then it turns off; it does not stay on long enough to be able to see which symbol lights up. This happens approximately once every 10 miles or so, more often when driving above 45 mph; occurring most often on the highway. It happens on every type of rode and in every lane. We've bought the car to be examined buy a Subaru dealership twice and was told both times that the wheels were out of alignment and we paid to have the alignment corrected, but this does not actually solve the problem. There has not been any incidents yet, but we fear that if the car pulls on its own in slick or icy weather, it may cause an accident.
NHTSA ODI #11523041
Mileage unknown · May 3, 2023
Unknown Or Other
This vehicle has a malfunctioning Infotainment system that causes it to continuously select menu options while driving. It is a safety issue as it is very distracting, and the entire unit is unable to be used even when parked. The Subaru dealership in Huntington Beach and Santa Ana CA informed me that it is a manufacturing issue…
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This vehicle has a malfunctioning Infotainment system that causes it to continuously select menu options while driving. It is a safety issue as it is very distracting, and the entire unit is unable to be used even when parked. The Subaru dealership in Huntington Beach and Santa Ana CA informed me that it is a manufacturing issue, an I am on a waitlist for the part. It is worth flagging here because of the safety issue.
NHTSA ODI #11520274
50,000 miles · Apr 28, 2023
Visibility
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while his wife was starting the vehicle, she noticed that there were cracks on the passenger's side of the windshield. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, he determined that there was no external cause to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failu…
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The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while his wife was starting the vehicle, she noticed that there were cracks on the passenger's side of the windshield. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, he determined that there was no external cause to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
NHTSA ODI #11519424
Mileage unknown · Apr 22, 2023
Forward Collision AvoidancePower Train
About 8 months ago I was turning into a space in the parking lot of a large store (Kohls) the car lunged forward on it's own when I took my foot off the accelerator. I was able to stop the car with the brake pedal before ramming a lamp post. I did not report it to a dealership. Nothing like it has happened in the 8 months/3000 m…
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About 8 months ago I was turning into a space in the parking lot of a large store (Kohls) the car lunged forward on it's own when I took my foot off the accelerator. I was able to stop the car with the brake pedal before ramming a lamp post. I did not report it to a dealership. Nothing like it has happened in the 8 months/3000 miles of driving since. It took me completely by surprise without any indication of system failure.
NHTSA ODI #11518391
Mileage unknown · Apr 17, 2023
Unknown Or Other
Starlink Infotainment system, moves between sound system functions on its own, like you have touched the touchscreen repeatedly. Sirius Radio will no longer stay attached to a station and play. Reset failed to correct.
NHTSA ODI #11517471
Mileage unknown · Apr 15, 2023
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other
The touchscreen on the Starlink head unit is delaminated and there is a “ghost touch” whenever the screen is on. You can visibly see bubbles under the screen. While I was driving my kids to daycare the other day, the navigation system activated and said that “you cannot change the volume at this time” repeatedly for no reason. I…
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The touchscreen on the Starlink head unit is delaminated and there is a “ghost touch” whenever the screen is on. You can visibly see bubbles under the screen. While I was driving my kids to daycare the other day, the navigation system activated and said that “you cannot change the volume at this time” repeatedly for no reason. It also changes driving directions mid-trip. It’s very distracting while driving and makes the car information system and radio unusable. My dealer said that this is a known problem and that they would fix it; however, the part is back for months. They said they could not turn the screen off without disabling other safety features such as the back-up camera.
NHTSA ODI #11517235
Mileage unknown · Apr 3, 2023
Fuel/propulsion System
Car stalled in a busy intersection. No warning lights occurred when this happened Diagnosed as a faulty fuel pump
NHTSA ODI #11515287
Mileage unknown · Mar 30, 2023
Visibility/wiper
My 2018 Subaru Outback's windshield has cracked overnight parked on the driveway. There's no visible rock strike point. This will be the 4th windshield replacement in the 5 year ownership. The first time was on 07/20/20. The last two were on 10/31/22, and 12/03/22. This means 3 new windshields in 5 months.
NHTSA ODI #11514673
Mileage unknown · Mar 18, 2023
Service Brakes
Drove my wife car noticed more brake pedal travel. Replacing pads on front wheels found corrosion on inside outer upper edge of driver side rotor, pad has irregular wear reducing effective braking. I found same on passenger side rotor, but to a lesser extent.
NHTSA ODI #11512553
Mileage unknown · Mar 17, 2023
Service Brakes
Please cancel case #115123365, which I reported earlier today. This does not appear to be a Suburu manufacturing and/or safety defect. My report was regarding what appeared to be a problem with sudden braking without either the cruise control or the brake pedal being engaged. The tow truck driver experienced the same problem wh…
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Please cancel case #115123365, which I reported earlier today. This does not appear to be a Suburu manufacturing and/or safety defect. My report was regarding what appeared to be a problem with sudden braking without either the cruise control or the brake pedal being engaged. The tow truck driver experienced the same problem while trying to drive the car onto the tow truck platform to take it to the dealer for assessment. Upon inspection, we found a piece of the hard rubber floor mat occasionally covered both the brake pedal and the accelerator at the same time. When this happened, pressing the accelerator occasionally resulted in inadvertently pressing the brake pedal under the same mat, causing the braking problem. Should you have any questions or need additional information. My contact information is below: Owner: Lawrence A Kreh 2018 Suburu Outback Vin #4S4 BSANC6 J332 3864 My Text and Phone number: (925) 765-1237 Address: 1260 Grove Way, Concord, CA 94518 Email: Lrkreh@gmail.com Regards, Lawrence Kreh
NHTSA ODI #11512469
Official recalls
3Jul 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.
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.
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 ↗