IllustrationWINDSHIELD EXPERIENCED SERIOUS MULTI-FINGERED CRACK, ORIGINATING IN THE TOP CENTER PORTION OF THE WINDSHIELD, WHERE THE 'EYESIGHT' CAMERAS ARE LOCATED. NO KNOWN CONTACT BY OBJECT FROM ROAD. APPEARED TO BE SPONTANEOUS. NOT CERTAIN IF VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION OR STATIONARY- DIDN'T NOTICE IT UNTIL ENTERING VEHICLE IN THE MORNING.
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 reportsTHE WINDSHIELD CRACKED OUT OF NOWHERE AND SPREAD QUICKLY. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN WE ENTERED THE CAR AND NOTICED A LONG CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD. I NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN TO A WINDSHIELD BEFORE. THE CRACK KEEPS GROWING FOR NO REASON.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHOUT IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RELIABLE SUBARU (438 S INGRAM MILL RD, SPRINGFIELD, MO 65802, (417) 720-8373) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE WINDSHIELD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTUR…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHOUT IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RELIABLE SUBARU (438 S INGRAM MILL RD, SPRINGFIELD, MO 65802, (417) 720-8373) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE WINDSHIELD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.
I HAVE HAD MY OUTBACK FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS. IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED 4 CRACKED OR BROKEN WINDSHIELDS. I AVOID DRIVING BEHIND TRUCKS/SEMIS BUT THE SMALLEST ROCK OR ANYTHING SEEMS TO HAVE DISASTEROUS RESULT OF BULLSEYE/CRACK ETC. I HAVE HAD MY WINDSHILED REPLACED TWICE AND NOW IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED A THIRD TIME.
BATTERY DRAINS FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE PARKED OVERNIGHT IN DRIVEWAY.
THE TOUCH SCREEN ON MY RADIO/HEAD UNIT INTERMITTENTLY FREEZES. WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP SERVICE IT IS LIKELY DUE TO BLUETOOTH, AND TETHERING INTERFERENCE BECAUSE THEY BOTH TRY TO CONNECT. DEALER RESET THE RADIO, AND I HAVE NOT CONNECTED THE BLUETOOTH AT ALL AFTER THE RESET. YET AGAIN SAME PROBLEM. THIS HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE DUE T…
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THE TOUCH SCREEN ON MY RADIO/HEAD UNIT INTERMITTENTLY FREEZES. WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP SERVICE IT IS LIKELY DUE TO BLUETOOTH, AND TETHERING INTERFERENCE BECAUSE THEY BOTH TRY TO CONNECT. DEALER RESET THE RADIO, AND I HAVE NOT CONNECTED THE BLUETOOTH AT ALL AFTER THE RESET. YET AGAIN SAME PROBLEM. THIS HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE DUE TO THE RECALL AND CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. IT STILL HAS ISSUES. THERE ISN'T ANY REAL TIME FRAME WHEN IT DOES THIS JUST RANDOMLY TURNS NON-RESPONSIVE ON THE MAIN TOUCH SCREEN. THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED, AND HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER 2 OR 3 TIMES NOW.
AFTER REPLACING THE WINDSHIELD ONCE WITH OEM GLASS. IT CRACKED AGAIN, IN ROUGHLY THE SAME PLACE AS BEFORE (BOTTOM MIDDLE OF WINDSHIELD). THIS IS THE SECOND WINDSHIELD IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS! SUBARU CLEARLY HAS A PROBLEM WITH THEIR GLASS OR CLEARANCES AROUND THE GLASS. THIS ONE CRACKED WHILE SITTING IN A CARIBOU PARKING LOT. W…
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AFTER REPLACING THE WINDSHIELD ONCE WITH OEM GLASS. IT CRACKED AGAIN, IN ROUGHLY THE SAME PLACE AS BEFORE (BOTTOM MIDDLE OF WINDSHIELD). THIS IS THE SECOND WINDSHIELD IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS! SUBARU CLEARLY HAS A PROBLEM WITH THEIR GLASS OR CLEARANCES AROUND THE GLASS. THIS ONE CRACKED WHILE SITTING IN A CARIBOU PARKING LOT. WE WERENT EVEN MOVING. NO ROCK CHIPS, NOTHING HIT THE WINDOW. ALL THE SUDDEN HEARD A "POP" NOISE, THEN SAW THE CRACK.
WAS DRIVING HOME FROM GETTING DINNER ON A SIDE ROAD NEAR HOME (40MPH ZONE), NO OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD, NOTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD, AND IT STARTED TO CRACK FROM THE BOTTOM MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. THERE WERE NO CHIPS, THE CAR WAS ONLY 6MO OLD. NO DRASTIC TEMPERATURE CHANGES OR ANYTHING. BELIEVE WHAT ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE ARE SA…
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WAS DRIVING HOME FROM GETTING DINNER ON A SIDE ROAD NEAR HOME (40MPH ZONE), NO OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD, NOTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD, AND IT STARTED TO CRACK FROM THE BOTTOM MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. THERE WERE NO CHIPS, THE CAR WAS ONLY 6MO OLD. NO DRASTIC TEMPERATURE CHANGES OR ANYTHING. BELIEVE WHAT ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING. I HAVE NEVER SEEN GLASS CRACK OUT OF NOWHERE LIKE THIS. I REALLY HOPE THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS STICK AS THERE IS CLEARLY AN UNDERLYING ISSUE.
WHEN I PARK MY CAR IN THE GARAGE ON THURSDAY JULY 2ND AND CLOSE THE GARAGE WITH NO PROBLEM. ON JULY 4TH MY WIFE OPEN THE GARAGE AND GOT A CHAIR FROM HER CAR ACURA RDX AND WATCH THE FIREWORKS ON THE DRIVE WAY. LATER ON PUT THE CHAIR BACK IN HER ACURA AND CLOSE THE GARAGE. SUNDAY AFTERNOON I HAD TO GO TO THE GARAGE AND GET TOOL…
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WHEN I PARK MY CAR IN THE GARAGE ON THURSDAY JULY 2ND AND CLOSE THE GARAGE WITH NO PROBLEM. ON JULY 4TH MY WIFE OPEN THE GARAGE AND GOT A CHAIR FROM HER CAR ACURA RDX AND WATCH THE FIREWORKS ON THE DRIVE WAY. LATER ON PUT THE CHAIR BACK IN HER ACURA AND CLOSE THE GARAGE. SUNDAY AFTERNOON I HAD TO GO TO THE GARAGE AND GET TOOLS TO FIX THE BATHROOM SINK AND SAW THE SUBARU OUTBACK HATCHBACK OPEN. I THEN FOUND THE SUBRARU OUTBACK BATTERY DEAD AND THE HATCHBACK ALL SCRATCHES. MY WIFE ONLY HAS HER ACURA CAR FOB, THE OTHER SUBRARU HANGING ON A CLOSET DOOR. MY SUBRARU KEY FOB IS IN MY WORK COMPUTER BRIEFCASE. DEFINITELY NOBODY TOUCH THE SUBRARU FOBS. HOWEVER, I ONLY DRIVE THE SUBRARU OUTBACK TO WORK ( VANPOOL MEETING LOCATION) ABOUT 4 MILES FROM MY HOUSE AND USUALLY ABOUT 5 MINUTES ONE WAY. THE CAR UNABLE TO STARTUP AFTER THE INCIDENT.
TWO SEPARATE INSTANCES OF A CRACK HAVE FORMED WHILE DRIVING IN NORMAL CONDITIONS WITHOUT A NOTABLE INCIDENT CONNECTED TO THE CRACKS. THE INITIAL CRACKS WERE NOTICED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY.
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.