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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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

811 reports
Mileage unknown · Jan 3, 2022
Electrical System

Battery continues to die. We have had our vehicle for a year and had to get to replace our battery 3 times including today! Multiple jumpstarts. Even had it die from leaving out trunk open once. How does that make sense?

NHTSA ODI #11445966

Mileage unknown · Dec 31, 2021
Electrical System

Battery continues to drain prematurely. It's been an issue since the very beginning of out ownership in June 2018. We replaced the battery after it would not hold a charge for more than two days. The replacement battery still wouldn't last for more than a day or two. Now in the cold weather it won't even last a day. Two days…

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Battery continues to drain prematurely. It's been an issue since the very beginning of out ownership in June 2018. We replaced the battery after it would not hold a charge for more than two days. The replacement battery still wouldn't last for more than a day or two. Now in the cold weather it won't even last a day. Two days ago, I went in the grocery store for about 45 minutes and the battery was dead. I can't go anywhere without my portable jump starter.

NHTSA ODI #11445752

Mileage unknown · Dec 30, 2021
Visibility/wiper

The windshield has had 3 different pressure cracks (there's never been any evidence of a chip or impact) and the cracks have all appeared spontaneously. The cracks spread quickly and end up having to be replaced. The first crack was in May 2018, the second was in March 2020, and the 3rd (most recent) happened December 30, 2021.

NHTSA ODI #11445648

Mileage unknown · Dec 27, 2021
Electrical System

Battery loses charge overnight for no reason. New battery placed in vehicle and same issue still present.

NHTSA ODI #11445049

Mileage unknown · Dec 23, 2021
Visibility/wiper

My husband and I were driving on the freeway at 10:05 am on 12/23/21. Suddenly we heard a slight noise that emanated from the windshield. I 13 1/2 inch crack appeared on the passenger side windshield. Upon closer inspection there is a minute ding mark near the bottom of the windshield that may have been caused by a very small …

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My husband and I were driving on the freeway at 10:05 am on 12/23/21. Suddenly we heard a slight noise that emanated from the windshield. I 13 1/2 inch crack appeared on the passenger side windshield. Upon closer inspection there is a minute ding mark near the bottom of the windshield that may have been caused by a very small pebble, causing the windshiedl to crack upon impact. The vehicle is available for inspection. Safety concerns are visibility of the road, other vehicles, and possible Eyesight system failure that is embedded in the windshield. I am reporting this prior to any inspection. I will now call the insurance and the manufacturer for repair. There was no warning system of any kind.

NHTSA ODI #11444845

Mileage unknown · Dec 22, 2021
Structure

Rock hit windshield and cracked windshield, from a small rock cracking the windshield and leaving this much damage if it was a bigger one it could have gone through and hurt us. This will be the second time I’ll have to repair the windshield.

NHTSA ODI #11444695

Mileage unknown · Dec 12, 2021
Air BagsCrashInjury

I was rear-ended on August 30 in this vehicle while at a traffic stop by a truck traveling 65+mph. Upon impact, I was pushed into the vehicle in front of me at a high rate of speed. Despite being hit from behind and pushed into the vehicle ahead of me no airbags deployed in the vehicle. As a result, my head struck the steering w…

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I was rear-ended on August 30 in this vehicle while at a traffic stop by a truck traveling 65+mph. Upon impact, I was pushed into the vehicle in front of me at a high rate of speed. Despite being hit from behind and pushed into the vehicle ahead of me no airbags deployed in the vehicle. As a result, my head struck the steering wheel knocking me unconscious, and has resulted in a traumatic brain injury, labyrinthine concussion, whiplash, and damage to my vision and hearing. The vehicle was totaled out by my insurance company and the vehicle was sold to CoPart and I don't believe anyone has investigated it even though all parties have been made aware of it. Prior to the accident there were no warning lights and all vehicle safety systems appeared to be in working order.

NHTSA ODI #11443513

Mileage unknown · Dec 6, 2021
Electrical System

Battery is draining over time. Vehicle is now on 3rd battery in 3 years! Dealer replaced original battery during 2nd year and claimed it under warranty. Now that battery has failed and a different brand of battery has been installed (Dec 2021). Unknown cause of battery drain.

NHTSA ODI #11442839

Mileage unknown · Dec 2, 2021
Electrical System

We have a 2018 Subaru Outback with 87,000. As of yesterday our car is now on its third battery. The original battery lasted about a two years, then we purchased one from Autozone, that battery only lasted 15 months. There is obviously an issue with the electrical system on these cars causing the battery to have a shortened li…

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We have a 2018 Subaru Outback with 87,000. As of yesterday our car is now on its third battery. The original battery lasted about a two years, then we purchased one from Autozone, that battery only lasted 15 months. There is obviously an issue with the electrical system on these cars causing the battery to have a shortened life span. With so many electronics in the car it seems the battery may be to small, it is only a 25 series battery. It could possibly be there are issues with the electrical system cause constant drain. We do know that the car showed no real signs of battery failure before the battery is dead. No slow starting, dim headlights, etc. Both batteries were working well, until all of a sudden they did not. I have read online where this seems to be a real problem with these cars from 2016 to 2019 and possibly the 2020 models.

NHTSA ODI #11442423

Mileage unknown · Nov 27, 2021
Carry Handle, Shell, BaseCrash

I was in an accident 11/26 and would need to replace my care seat

NHTSA ODI #11441824

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