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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

What owners actually said

811 reports
Mileage unknown · Oct 29, 2021
Electrical System

Battery died for no apparent reason. This left me stranded after dark in Baltimore City. I was able to get a jump start to get home but the car would not start even after the battery was placed on a charger. There are numerous internet news items describing similar stories. I contacted the dealer who refused to assist and theref…

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Battery died for no apparent reason. This left me stranded after dark in Baltimore City. I was able to get a jump start to get home but the car would not start even after the battery was placed on a charger. There are numerous internet news items describing similar stories. I contacted the dealer who refused to assist and therefore replaced the battery myself. There was no warning that this would happen.

NHTSA ODI #11438595

Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2021
Visibility/wiper

Windshields crack for no reason. We are on the fourth windshield. One was a stone hit. So while weak, that is not the main issue. But we then had the windshield suddenly crack from no contact driving slowly through a cemetery. We replaced that windshield at Subaru then again the next day it cracked. Again, nothing hit it …

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Windshields crack for no reason. We are on the fourth windshield. One was a stone hit. So while weak, that is not the main issue. But we then had the windshield suddenly crack from no contact driving slowly through a cemetery. We replaced that windshield at Subaru then again the next day it cracked. Again, nothing hit it and the speed was slow. Not cemetery slow. But about 40 miles an hour. This is a real problem!

NHTSA ODI #11438372

Mileage unknown · Oct 1, 2021
Electrical System

Battery intermittently goes dead without warning. When the car is off at times one can hear what sounds like an electric motor running. One time the tail gate was found up and the battery was dead. No one can remember leaving the gate up.

NHTSA ODI #11435085

Mileage unknown · Oct 1, 2021
Electrical System

Battery intermittently drains and goes completely dead. At times I have heard what sounds to be an electric motor running at night when the car is off in the garage without the key in the ignition. The dealer has changed the battery but that did not fix the problem.

NHTSA ODI #11435084

Mileage unknown · Sep 21, 2021
EngineCrash

I had pulled into our garage and had come to a stop. With my foot on the brake, I was reaching for the ignition button to turn the car off when the car suddenly accelerated forward and struck our large metal tool box, pushing it through the rear wall of the garage. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone. No warning lamps o…

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I had pulled into our garage and had come to a stop. With my foot on the brake, I was reaching for the ignition button to turn the car off when the car suddenly accelerated forward and struck our large metal tool box, pushing it through the rear wall of the garage. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone. No warning lamps or messages appeared.

NHTSA ODI #11433863

29,000 miles · Sep 21, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the next morning a large S-shaped crack was present in the middle of the front windshield. The contact indicated that the crack was not present after parking the night before and no object had contacted the windshield to cause the failure.…

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The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the next morning a large S-shaped crack was present in the middle of the front windshield. The contact indicated that the crack was not present after parking the night before and no object had contacted the windshield to cause the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact stated that the failure had previously occurred and was repaired. The failure mileage was 29,000.

NHTSA ODI #11433849

10,100 miles · Sep 20, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched the failure online and found a class action lawsuit that stated a complaint had to be filed w…

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The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched the failure online and found a class action lawsuit that stated a complaint had to be filed with NHTSA. The contact felt unsafe driving the vehicle and feared that the windshield might shatter while driving. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,100.

NHTSA ODI #11433652

Mileage unknown · Sep 19, 2021
Electrical System

On multiple occasions,, the battery has gone completely dead after the car was parked for as little as three weeks in a heated garage. Subaru replaced the original battery with one having a larger capacity but even that went dead after not being driven for three weeks. In addition, after the battery is recharged, the front pass…

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On multiple occasions,, the battery has gone completely dead after the car was parked for as little as three weeks in a heated garage. Subaru replaced the original battery with one having a larger capacity but even that went dead after not being driven for three weeks. In addition, after the battery is recharged, the front passenger window cannot be rolled down using the driver side window control (the passenger window must be rolled down using the passenger side control before the driver side control will work). Subaru is aware of the battery drain problem because the dealership recommended the purchase of an auxiliary battery to carry in the car in case of a dead battery.

NHTSA ODI #11433504

Mileage unknown · Sep 16, 2021
Electrical System

Rear view camera freezes up. When in Reverse it stays frozen. Rendering the rear safety camera inoperative. Definitely a safety issue. Has been to dealer multiple times to repair this problem. And it still is happening.

NHTSA ODI #11433274

Mileage unknown · Sep 12, 2021
Forward Collision AvoidanceUnknown Or OtherVisibility/wiper

The windshield on my Subaru developed a crack across the length of windshield after a minor rock impact. A few weeks later a second crack developed randomly. The new crack crosses infront of the eyesight system. I am concerned the cracks interfere with the vehicles eye sight system. I believe the windshield is defective and crea…

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The windshield on my Subaru developed a crack across the length of windshield after a minor rock impact. A few weeks later a second crack developed randomly. The new crack crosses infront of the eyesight system. I am concerned the cracks interfere with the vehicles eye sight system. I believe the windshield is defective and creates safety hazard as the cracks blocks visibility and also affect the eyesight system. I contacted Subaru and the dealer advised the defect was not covered under my warranty and would cost more than $1000 to repair.

NHTSA ODI #11432674

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