IllustrationWindshield washer barely works, only one of the three nozzles will spray fluid. Pump sounds like it's working and fluid is full. For sure a safety issue in winter months.
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
3130–25K
13625–50K
2850–75K
875–100K
2100–150K
1150K+
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
What owners actually said
811 reportsBought the vehicle used from Carmax on 2/14/22, drove 25 miles home and parked in driveway. Next morning battery was dead, put a trickle charger on the battery and the charger detected only 4 volts and would not charge vehicle.
Battery keeps dying in cold weather. I’ve charged it 3 times in the past 2 weeks fully and double check to make sure no lights are on when I leave the vehicle. The next time I drive again it’s dead
My windshield was cracked unreasonably with minor contact through routine snow removal with a snow brush. With routine wiping of the snow off of my windshield, the snow brush made minor contact with the windshield, and the bottom of the windshield cracked. The resulting crack is approximately 2-3 feet long at the bottom of the w…
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My windshield was cracked unreasonably with minor contact through routine snow removal with a snow brush. With routine wiping of the snow off of my windshield, the snow brush made minor contact with the windshield, and the bottom of the windshield cracked. The resulting crack is approximately 2-3 feet long at the bottom of the windshield. The crack partially impedes vision and may impair the functioning of the Eyesight safety system in the car. After online research, it appears that this is a problem present in the windshields of most Subaru 2017-2020 models. The contact was very minor as would be expected in any daily snow removal, and if this level of contact causes this level of damage to these windshields, that could cause many safety and visibility issues if a stray pebble were to strike the windshield of a moving vehicle.
WHILE BEGINNING A LEFT TURN WITH ARROW, THE MOTOR DIED AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED. I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART WITHOUT SUCSESS. I THEN PLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK IN THE DRIVING LANE WITH MOVING TRAFFIC, ATTEMPTED TO RESTART,THIS ATTEMPT WAS SUCESSFULL.IPROCEEDED HOME WITHOUT FURTHER TROUBLE. THE …
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WHILE BEGINNING A LEFT TURN WITH ARROW, THE MOTOR DIED AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED. I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART WITHOUT SUCSESS. I THEN PLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK IN THE DRIVING LANE WITH MOVING TRAFFIC, ATTEMPTED TO RESTART,THIS ATTEMPT WAS SUCESSFULL.IPROCEEDED HOME WITHOUT FURTHER TROUBLE. THE NEXT DAY I LOOKED ON LINE AND READ OF THE FUEL PUMP ISSUE. THE SYMPTOMS SEEMED THE SAME AS I HAD EXPERIENCED. I THEN INQUIRED AT THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND GAVE THEM MY VIN # AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT OUR VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL.PLEASE HELP
When I was idling in park, the car spontaneously accelerated at full throttle. Another incident occurred while braking the car started accelerating at full throttle, even though I was sitting still at a drive through. - it would not stop without turning off the ignition.
Cracked windshield for no reason. Saw a current lawsuit that I wanted to add to my claim. Crack is at the bottom of the windshield
Windshield has cracked twice with no dings. The crack starts at the top and goes down and then horizontal. The car only has 18,500 miles on it. There is currently a class action law suit against Subaru on this subject. Subaru requires a special type of glass because of the cameras that look thru the windshield. It is very e…
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Windshield has cracked twice with no dings. The crack starts at the top and goes down and then horizontal. The car only has 18,500 miles on it. There is currently a class action law suit against Subaru on this subject. Subaru requires a special type of glass because of the cameras that look thru the windshield. It is very expensive to replace.
We have had 4 windshields on this vehicle and now the current one that was just replaced last October ( 3 months ago) just broke too. If we have this replaced it will be the 5th windshield in 4 years. It is unsafe because visibility is reduced. This is a common problem with Subarus, as evidenced by the many online discussions r…
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We have had 4 windshields on this vehicle and now the current one that was just replaced last October ( 3 months ago) just broke too. If we have this replaced it will be the 5th windshield in 4 years. It is unsafe because visibility is reduced. This is a common problem with Subarus, as evidenced by the many online discussions regarding the faulty windshields. Subaru did lose a lawsuit for 2015-2016 windshields but the newer models have not been included as yet.
I parked in my garage for 2 weeks, and I couldn’t start my car again. I had to jumpstart it. This is the third time it happened. The battery checked out fine. I drove around and now able to start again.
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.