Windshield has a giant crack from an unknown source.
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
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.
What owners actually said
811 reportsThe passenger seat belt is not staying buckled in, it take about 3 tries before it clicks.
2018 Subaru Outback parked in driveway. I went to get in car and windshield was cracked starting at the top of the driver's side for 10 inches. I could not continue to drive the car safely for fear that the integrity of the windshield was compromised. I called the insurance company and was told to take it to Safelite to replac…
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2018 Subaru Outback parked in driveway. I went to get in car and windshield was cracked starting at the top of the driver's side for 10 inches. I could not continue to drive the car safely for fear that the integrity of the windshield was compromised. I called the insurance company and was told to take it to Safelite to replace the windshield and have the eyesight warning system recalibrated. This is the third time a windshield has been replaced on this car due to a crack. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the windshield cracking!
The battery completely dies after at-least 3 days of not driving the vehicle. Within a few weeks of driving the car off the lot in 2017 (new from the dealership), the car would not start after not being driven over the weekend. I had the car jump started. It happened again the next week after a long weekend of not driving th…
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The battery completely dies after at-least 3 days of not driving the vehicle. Within a few weeks of driving the car off the lot in 2017 (new from the dealership), the car would not start after not being driven over the weekend. I had the car jump started. It happened again the next week after a long weekend of not driving the vehicle. I had it jump started the drove it to the dealership. I was told there was nothing wrong with the vehicle or the batter. It happened again the next weekend and I had to get it jump started again. Since then I have not left the car un-driven for more than a couple of days. On June 18, I took the car for an oil change and was told i needed a new battery. I replaced the car battery that same day. Hooked everything up and the car started just fine. I check all interior lights and headlights to make sure they were all off. The next day, I go to start the car and my battery is completely drained. There is an issue with the car where it is draining the battery. I don't know if replacing the battery caused some kind of software reset, but now i'm having issues with a full brand new battery being drained overnight.
My 2018 Subaru Outback was purchased at the end of 2017. In March of 2019 my windshield had two cracks emanating from the car frame on the left and right sides. The Subaru dealership quickly realized this was not caused by road debris and kindly replaced the windshield. In April of the same year, just a month later, another crac…
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My 2018 Subaru Outback was purchased at the end of 2017. In March of 2019 my windshield had two cracks emanating from the car frame on the left and right sides. The Subaru dealership quickly realized this was not caused by road debris and kindly replaced the windshield. In April of the same year, just a month later, another crack appeared on the windshield again emanating from the frame this time only from the left side straight across the driver's view. Subaru graciously replaced the window again calling it a courtesy at no cost to us though they proclaimed it to be from road debris. My third incident happened in December of 2019 emanating from the middle of the frame then gradually extending out towards the driver's side of the windshield. Subaru again claimed this was road debris but agreed to pay my deductible. So now I have approached my 4th incident on May 16, 2021. Again the crack started from the car frame in the middle of the windshield, same as in December, and has extended once more across the windshield in front of the driver's side creating a visibility issue for the driver. This time Subaru will not even acknowledge causality and is denying any issue regarding the design of the car. They are advising I contact my insurance company to have it repaired. Yes Subaru has been generous in the past but does not recognize that there must be an issue with this 2018 Subaru Outback model that causes such damage to the windshield - cracks that emanate from the frame and gradually extend along the horizontal plane of the windshield causing visibility issues for the driver. For Subaru to contend that all these incidents are caused by road debris would have me believe they think I live in or close to a rock quarry which I guarantee is not even remotely true. My daily commute is only 2 miles through a suburban neighborhood with an occasional road trip. This may be a great car but to have to deal with this every year is a long stretch for my patience and safety.
My wife and I, financed our brand new 2018 Subaru Outback Premium from World Subaru, 688 Shrewsbury Ave., Tinton Falls, New Jersey 07701, in June 2018. There are 3 main problems with the car, but I’ll only be addressing the most recent one. The main people in this situation is myself-[XXX], my wife-[XXX], Subaru, Owner and Gener…
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My wife and I, financed our brand new 2018 Subaru Outback Premium from World Subaru, 688 Shrewsbury Ave., Tinton Falls, New Jersey 07701, in June 2018. There are 3 main problems with the car, but I’ll only be addressing the most recent one. The main people in this situation is myself-[XXX], my wife-[XXX], Subaru, Owner and General Manager-Joe Wajda, Service Advisor-Rudolph J DeGaetano, and Fixed Operation Director-Lou Zuluaga. The 2018 Subaru was brought in for an oil change filter, etc., on April 19, 2021 and I went right up to the service advisor Rudolph J DeGaetano to tell him besides the oil change and filter to please take a look at this back tire wear, on the edges to about an inch in, its bald, about 3 inches then full thread all the way around the tire, Rudolph said you need an alignment, so I told him to do it with the oil change and filter, so when they were done Rudolph came back to me and I paid $165.47, with this Rudolph showed me the alignment paper and said this can’t be fixed, no mater what you do, the right front caster in red at 4.3 cannot be fixed. And as you see on the original paper, on the right front caster in red, it can’t be fixed. But at the bottom in red it states, “*ONE OR MORE VALUES ARE NOT WITHIN SPECIFICATION. TIRE WEAR, HANDLING AND SAFETY PROBLEMS MAY RESULT”. SO ITS TELLING ME THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND WORLD SUBARU CANT FIX IT. I TOLD RUDOLPH THATS UNEXCEPTABLE. Texted owner and General manager Joe Wojda who turned it over to Fixed Operation Director Lou Zuluaga who in turn sent me a text, that it could be the body of the car. I explained to Rudolph that Subaru had a big problem with the new ascents, and it either would cost Subaru to much to fix or they couldn’t fix it, and subaru gave them all brand new Ascents, but what about my car we bought brand new, they expect my wife to drive an unsafe vehicle???[XXX]-[XXX] [XXX] Owner Joe Wajda-732-741-6200 Lou and Rudolph-same number PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUAN
Battery keeps failing and needing jump start. Liftgate has failed and makes continuous loud beeping while driving. Liftgate seems to drain battery leaving car with dead battery.
The front windshield developed a crack with no signs of an outside causation such as an impact by an object.
I have been having battery issues with my 2018 Subaru Outback. Ended up replacing the battery with a new one and am still have issues with the car draining the battery to dead if not run for a few days.
I bought a new 2018 Subaru Outback in June 2018. It has been a very good vehicle except for the CVT which Subaru has had issues with for years. The CVT hesitates and shudders and detracts from the performance and safety of the vehicle. I have spoken with the dealer as well as Subaru of America They have extended the CVT warr…
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I bought a new 2018 Subaru Outback in June 2018. It has been a very good vehicle except for the CVT which Subaru has had issues with for years. The CVT hesitates and shudders and detracts from the performance and safety of the vehicle. I have spoken with the dealer as well as Subaru of America They have extended the CVT warranty to 10 years 100k miles but only if the CVT breaks to the point where the vehicle will not operate. I do all my service at the dealer and have asked if Subaru would replace the CVT to make it run better and safely. They said that Subaru will only do that if and when the CVT breaks and does not operate. I would hope that NHTSA can get Subaru to replace the CVT if it operates in an inferior way.
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.
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