2018 Subaru Outback
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 811 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 26 Outback model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 27 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 19 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpJul 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.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 21V587000 on NHTSA.gov
Visibility, rearview mirrors/devicesDec 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."
Failure to display the rearview image while backing up increases the risk of crash.
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.
Campaign 18V935000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, softwareNov 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.
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.
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.
Campaign 18V773000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: visibility/wiper
233 reports, newest first. Show all
Visibility/wiper, Feb 6, 2020
WINDSHIELD CRACKS EASILY AND QUICKLY. AFFECTS SAFETY/CAMERA AND SENSORS. A SMALL CHIP APPEARED ON THE WINDSHIELD, UNDER COLD TEMPERATURES IN KANSAS 2020 JANUARY, CHIP GREW A CRACK EXTENDING FROM DRIVER TO PASSENGER SIDE
Visibility/wiper, Jan 24, 2020
WE HAVE 2 CRACKS THAT CONTINUE TO GROW ON OUR WINDSHIELD. WE HAVE NEVER HAD A WINDSHIELD CRACK IN THIS WAY IN OVER 50 YEARS OF DRIVING. THE CRACKS GROW OVERNIGHT IN THE GARAGE!!
Visibility/wiper, Jan 20, 2020
WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED OVERNIGHT WHILE PARKED IN A GARAGE. 12" CRACK APPEARED ON DRIVER'S SIDE. THIS IS THE SECOND WINDSHIELD THAT HAS CRACKED WITHIN 2 YEARS AND LESS THAN 27K MILES.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 31, 2019
WIFE WAS DRIVING AND A SMALL STONE HIT THE WINDSHIELD, LEAVING A SMALL CHIP IN THE GLASS. UPON TURNING ON THE DEFROSTER LATER, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 30, 2019
MY FRONT WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED A SPONTANEOUS CRACK BELOW THE WIPER BLADE. IT WAS STATIONERY.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 30, 2019
LIKE OTHER LATE MODEL SUBARU OUTBACK OWNERS, A SPONTANEOUS CRACK DEVELOPED IN THE WINDSHIELD. THIS CRACK APPEARED AT APPROXIMATELY NOON ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29TH, 2019 IN THE PARKING LOT OF A RESTAURANT. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO ASSESS THE PROBLEM TOMORROW AT THE SUBARU DEALER FROM WHOM I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THE INITIAL INDICATION IS THAT THE CRACK MAY NOT BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT TO DOCUMENT THE ISSUE AND PERHAPS TO RECOVER THE COST OF THIS REPAIR ,IF INCURRED, FROM SUBARU.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 30, 2019
SMALL ROCK (MAYBE?) HIT WINDSHIELD AND IT IMMEDIATELY CRACKED. WAS DRIVING BACK FROM MEMPHIS, TN TO LITTLE ROCK, AR CHRISTMAS EVENING ON I-40. THIS IS NOW THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED IN 1.5 YEARS OF OWNING THIS VEHICLE.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 28, 2019
CRACKED WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY OCCURRED WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN DRIVEWAY. CRACK SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE LOWER PORTION OF THE WINDSHIELD.
Electronic stability control (ESC), Visibility/wiper, Dec 27, 2019
I FOUND A CRACK IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF MY WINDSHIELD (SUBARU OUTBACK 2018). THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AT THE TIME. THERE WAS NO CAUSE FOR THE CRACK (HAIL STORM, ROCK/GRAVEL HITTING CAR). AT THIS TIME, THE CRACK HAS SPREAD AND THE SUBARU EYESIGHT PROGRAM (SENSOR PROGRAM) DOES NOT WORK.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 27, 2019
WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY A ROCK OF PIECE OF GRAVEL HIT THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WINDSHIELD APPROXIMATELY 1/8" FROM THE TOP EDGE OF THE GLASS IMMEDIATELY RESULTING IN A CRACK WHICH WITHIN HOURS SPREAD ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 26, 2019
A SMALL ROCK OR PIECE OF GRAVEL HIT THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD APPROXIMATELY 3" FROM THE TOP EDGE WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY A 12" LONG CRACK DEVELOPED AND HAS CONTINUED TO SPREAD. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED IN 16 MONTHS.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 24, 2019
SUDDEN CRACKING OF THE WINDSHIELD. NO ROCKS OR PEBBLES HIT THE WINDSHIELD. IN THE MORNING I ENTERED MY VEHICLE (THAT WAS STATIONARY ALL NIGHT) AND NOTICED A 2 INCH CRACK THAT DIDN'T EXIST THE DAY BEFORE. BY AFTERNOON, THE CRACK GREW TO ALMOST HALF THE WINDSHIELD AND WE NEEDED TO REPLACE IT. GLASS CLAIM WAS PLACED VIA GEICO WHO REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD.
Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Dec 24, 2019
CRACKED WINDSHIELD FOR NO REASON. ALSO, RADIO IS CONTINUALLY DEFUNCT.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 23, 2019
A CRACK IN WINDSHIELD JUST APPEARED AND STARTED TO SPREAD SO WE TOOK IT TO MARK'S MOBILE GLASS IN JEFFERSON CITY, MO TO GET REPLACED.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 23, 2019
IN AUGUST 2019 DRIVING AT ABOUT 40MPH ON A SAMLL COUNTRY ROAD A VERY SMALL PIECE OF GRAVEL STUCK WINDSHIELD AND WITHIN 20 MINUTES IT EXPANDED TO A CRACK OVER 18 INCHES LONG. JUST FIVE MONTHS LATER ON DECEMBER 22 DRIVING AT ABOUT 65MPH ON INTERSTATE 5 ANOTHER SMALL STONE STRUCK WIND SHIELD AND WITHIN 30 MINUTES A CRACK FORMED ALMOST 14 INCHES. BOTH WINDSHIELDS WERE SUBARU OEM PARTS.
Visibility/wiper, Dec 12, 2019
IN A PERIOD OF LESS THAN 1 YEAR, I HAVE EXPERIENCED THREE WINDSHIELDS CRACKING FROM NORMAL DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. I HAVE DRIVEN FOR OVER 55 YEARS IN SEVERAL VEHICLES AND HAVE BEEN HIT BY ROAD DEBRIS OR ROCKS NUMEROUS TIMES. THIS WILL NORMALLY LEAVE A PIT OR STAR WHICH CAN BE REPAIRED, I NEVER HAVE HAD A VEHICLE'S WINDSHIELD CRACK, ALL THE WAY ACROSS WHEN SIMPLY DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT. NOT ONCE, BUT THREE TIMES IN A 5 MONTH PERIOD. I FEEL THESE WINDSHIELDS ARE NOT SAFE FOR MY FAMILY TO BE IN. IF THEY CRACK WITH A PEBBLE, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT. THE FIRST WINDSHIELD CRACKED COMING BACK FROM THE GRAND CANYON VISIT. THE SECOND TIME, NEW REPLACEMENT WINDOW FROM SUBURU, CRACKED FROM LITTLE OR UNKNOWN STRIKE 2 MONTHS LATER. SUBURU REPLACED THAT WINDOW AT THEIR COST. 2 MONTHS LATER DURING JULY HEAT, A SMALL ROCK PICKED OFF THE ROAD AND THE WINDOW CRACKED IN A BACKWARD C SHAPE. SUBURU DENIES ANY LIABILITY FROM ROAD HAZARDS, AND WILL NOT CONSIDER THEY HAVE LESS QUALITY PRODUCT AS IT WAS APPROVED. READING SEVERAL BLOGS AND ONLINE COMMENTS ALERTED ME THAT THIS WAS VERY COMMON AND THEY HAD PAST ISSUES WITH THEIR WINDSHIELDS. WHO CAN I SPEAK TO?
Visibility/wiper, Dec 4, 2019
SMALL ROCK HIT WINDSHIELD AND IT CAUSED A HUGE CRACK IN MARCH 2019 AND THEN AGAIN IN NOVEMBER 2019. WE WERE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN IT HAPPENED. IT SHOULD HAVE CAUSE NO DAMAGE OR JUST A LITTLE CHIP, NOT HUGE CRACKS. THE WINDSHIELD APPEARS TO BE WEAK.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 30, 2019
I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW IN MARCH OF 2018. AFTER ONLY 1 YEAR THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED. I DID NOT SEE WHERE THE INITIAL CHIP WAS AND CAME OUT TO MY CAR ONE MORNING AND SAW THE WINDSHIELD COMPLETELY CRACKED. I WAS SHOCKED AT HOW EXPENSIVE THE RECALIBRATION WAS SO I FILED AN INSURANCE CLAIM. I STILL HAD TO PAY AROUND $300 TO GET IT FIXED BECAUSE AGAIN, RECALIBRATION COSTS AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT FOR SOME REASON. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW I GOT OFF LIGHT AS HAVING IT DONE BY THE DEALERSHIP WAS QUOTED TO ME AS COSTING $850. IT IS NOW ONLY 7 MONTHS LATER AND MY WINDSHIELD IS CRACKED ALL THE WAY ACROSS AGAIN. I DIDN'T SEE THE CHIP AT FIRST UNTIL IT HAD BEGUN TO CRACK A TINY AMOUNT. AS I WAS DRIVING IN THE CITY IT SPREAD ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. BECAUSE I SAW IT EARLY I PLANNED TO GET IT FIXED THE NEXT DAY TO HOPEFULLY AVOID ANOTHER FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS OF EXPENSE. UNFORTUNATELY, IT SPREAD ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD MAKING IT IRREPARABLE WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF MY FINDING IT. AGAIN, THIS WAS WITH ME DRIVING LESS THAN 30 MPH WITH NO HEAT ON BECAUSE IT'S COLD OUTSIDE AND I KNOW HOT AND COLD MAKE IT WORSE. I HAVE NEVER HAD A WINDSHIELD CRACK LIKE THIS AND MORE THAN ONCE WITHIN A 1 YEAR TIME FRAME. THESE WINDSHIELDS SEEM TO BE MADE VERY CHEAPLY AT THE EXPENSE OF SAFETY. I CAN'T AFFORD TO MAKE ANOTHER INSURANCE CLAIM OR PAY THIS OUT OF POCKET. I TOOK EVERY PRECAUTION AS A DRIVER AND THIS STILL HAPPENED. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SUBARU AND MAY SELL THIS ONE IF THIS KEEPS HAPPENING BECAUSE I SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX THIS ALL OF THE TIME AND MORE IMPORTANTLY I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 22, 2019
I HAVE REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD 3 TIMES ALREADY. TINY ROCKS ARE CAUSING LARGE CRACKS LIKE I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE IN OTHER VEHICLES. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 14, 2019
WINDSCREEN IS EASILY CRACKED BY ANY PEBBLES THAT KNICK THR SHIELD. FIRST TIME THE SCREEN WAS HIT BY A PEBBLE FROM A MOVING VEHICLE AND THE CRACK SPREAD ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE SCREEN. HAD TO REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER SUBARU GLASS. NOT EVEN 2 WEEKS IN ANOTHER PEBBLE HITS AND CHIPS..THEN A COUPLE WEEKS LATER AGAIN, ANOTHER PEBBLE CRACKS THE SCREEN. ANYTHING THAT HITS THE GLASS SEEMS TO PUT KNICKS AND CRACKS. OTHER CARS WE'VE OWNED HAVE BEEN HIT HARDER AND NOT HAD ANY DAMAGE. NOT SURE WHAT THESE SUBARU GLASS SCREENS ARE MADE OF, BUT I ASSUME THE MOST DELICATE OF MATERIALS NOT SUITED FOR WINDSHIELD USE. ALL TIMES HIT WITH ROCKS FROM MOVING VEHICLES WHILE MY CAR WAS ALSO IN MOTION ON A HIGHWAY.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 10, 2019
CAR PARKED IN DRIVEWAY IN MORNING AND WINDSHIELD WAS FINE. FEW HOURS LATER THERE WAS A TWO FOOT CRACK FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE TO THE MID POINT OF THE WINDSHIELD.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 6, 2019
THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED, STARTING AT THE BOTTOM MIDDLE, AND SPREADING UP AND THEN IN ALL DIRECTIONS. THERE IS NO POINT OF IMPACT AND THE CRACK STARTED WHILE PARKED INT THE DRIVEWAY, AWAY FROM THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 3, 2019
I HEARD THE NOISE OF A PEBBLE HITTING THE WINDSHIELD ON THE HIGHWAY TRAVELING BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH. LESS THAN A MINUTE LATER, A CRACK APPEARED VERTICALLY FROM THE BOTTOM CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. LATER, THE CRACK BECAME A "T" AND GREW HORIZONTALLY. THE NEXT DAY WHEN THE WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER WAS ON, THE CRACK CONTINUED TO GROW TO ABOUT A FOOT AND A HALF. THE WINDSHIELD HAD TO BE REPLACED AT THIS POINT.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 30, 2019
I HAVE EXPERIENCE CASE OF MULTIPLE SPONTANEOUS CRACKED WINDSHIELDS.
Visibility/wiper, Oct 28, 2019
I HAVE OWNED MY 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK FOR 8 MONTHS. THE WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED IN THE SAME SPOT TWICE ALREADY. IT STARTS FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AND EXTENDS ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. I NEVER HEARD A ROCK HITTING, NOR WAS THERE A DING IN THE WINDSHIELD. I GOT IT FIXED THE FIRST TIME AND WITHIN A WEEK IT CRACKED IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT. IT WAS PARKED BOTH TIMES WE NOTICED THE CRACK.