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
811 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, May 12, 2022
The battery continually drains due to some electrical leak in the system (particularly when the rear liftgate is left up and the interior lights are on for several hours), requiring jump starting of the vehicle on several occasions. I have had the battery serviced and checked several times, at my expense, with results being the battery was okay. Eventually, I had the battery replaced by a Subaru dealer at my expense.
Electrical system, May 3, 2022
The Battery of the vehicle drains frequently, making the car inoperable. The battery has been replaced three times in four years, much more frequently than i would expect in a relatively new vehicle that was purchased new from a dealership. The battery dies without warning and repeated jump starts don't charge it enough to maintain a change to the nexty operation. Each time the battery stops holding a charge the dealership advises me to simply replace it.
Electrical system, Apr 28, 2022
Over the last two-plus years I have found my 2018 Subaru Outback's battery dead or so low that it cannot crank the engine. I have had to replace the battery twice in that time, and have had AAA out at least four times to jump start the car without replacing the battery. Today, after sitting in my garage for about 10 days, the battery was so low that it would not crank over the engine. This is a truly unusual experience in my life. I have left cars at home or at the airport for several weeks while traveling, and had no problem starting the cars upon my return. My Subaru Outback completely drains the battery while parked with the engine off in as little as 7-10 days. It is as if some electrical system or circuit in the car is continuing to use battery power at the same rate as if the engine was running. I am fortunate that I have a 2nd car. If I did not, I would be screwed. Someone needs to look into this, identify the problem, and then require a fix.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 25, 2022
The windshield got cracked again from almost the same place as last time in 2019. Again, I found out the incident the morning when I just started driving. The crack originates from bottom of the glass without any chips. The very similar thing happened in 2019. I have not driven much since COVID. Looks like a manufacturing defect.
Visibility, Apr 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while approaching her parked vehicle, she noticed that the driver’s side windshield was cracked. The contact stated that there was no impact to the windshield to cause the crack to occur. The contact stated that the crack occurred overnight. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Engine, Apr 12, 2022
2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO ENGINE FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAD VARIOUS SAFETY DEFECT ISSUES INCLUDING A RECALL FOR LOW FUEL PROGRAMMING, LOW GRINDING NOISE AND VIBRATION IN THE BRAKES, AND VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE ALSO HAD VARIOUS ELECTRONIC ISSUES INCLUDING GLITCHES WITH THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM, STEREO WOULD FREEZE, SPEAKERS WERE OUT OF SYNC AND RATTLED, SEAT HEATING TEMPERATURE TOO LOW, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE POWER WINDOWS DID NOT OPERATE PROPERLY.
Other or unspecified, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 7, 2022, crash
I was backing out of my driveway very slowly as usual. I checked the road both ways several times. A US mail truck evidently traveling at a high rate of speed came up behind me while I was looking in the opposite direction. The automatic braking did not kick in, the warning system didn't work. After the accident the green, yellow, red lines on the camera and the warning beeping stuff-all were not working for several weeks. All of the sudden, they started working. HISTORY-4 days after purchasing the vehicle we have had lane departure, driver assist problems. The passenger window does what it wants. The electric controls for the heat/ac go blank, or can't change settings. There seems to be a huge electrical issue. Every time we've taken the car in for service, the dealership just insults me that I can't drive and they can't find any problems. They seem to have an answer for everything yet the problems persist. Efforts to go thru Subaru are stalled waiting on their response. They were to look at the BLACK BOX during time of accident. We are still waiting. We are frustrated. I wish the dealership had taken the car back after we first bought it like we demanded. I'm terrified this car is going to cause an accident.
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 6, 2022
Battery spontaneously drains, disengaging all safety features with no warning.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 31, 2022
The windshield cracked while driving at 45mph on a normal street. Nothing hit the windshield, it just popped and cracked. This is the second time this has happened to this vehicle. The previous cracks occurred while it was parked.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 27, 2022
A crack has developed from the base of the windshield and has grown to about 9 inches so far as it crosses along the windshield. The only thing that has hit the windshield was a small bug as we traveled along the highway. The sound of the bug hitting the windshield was so tiny neither my wife or I could believe that was what caused the crack. This needs to be looked into as it could create a huge problem if the windshield suddenly shatters due to this defect.
Engine, Mar 25, 2022
While driving our 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6 the engine quit about 15 miles into our trip while driving at about 45 MPH. It had done this once before where after drifting to a stop and putting it in park it restarted and we finished the trip. This time we drifted to a stop and put it in park and tried to restart the engine. It restarted and immediately quit. We did this several times over a 20 minute time frame. We had it towed to the dealer where it took about 3 hours for them to look at it. It restarted and the fault codes showed it had stalled, but no other problem and no fix to be made. I see this problem in several forums with no fix offered. This is a significant safety issue since braking and steering power are lost.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 20, 2022
My husband, son, and I got into our parked 2018 Subaru Outback and closed our doors. My husband started the car and we immediately heard a loud “pop” and saw a crack spread in several directions from the driver’s side edge of the windshield across the driver’s line of vision. Upon closer inspection, we were able to see 3 tiny chips in the glass, one of which was incorporated into the crack. As the driver of this vehicle at least 5/7 days a week, these chips in the driver’s side windshield were small enough that I had not noticed them before (see pictures). This crack impairs my ability to operate this vehicle safely because it obstructs my line of vision. Had we been driving when it happened, the cracking may have caused an accident. I am also concerned that the windshield is not appropriately tempered to provide adequate protection and structural integrity in the event of a collision. This is the third spontaneously cracked windshield I have experienced with this vehicle since I purchased it brand new in Nov 2017. The first cracked windshield occurred within months of my purchasing the vehicle. The dealership where I purchased it replaced the windshield with no cost to me at that time. I was given the impression that the original windshield was faulty and the replacement would not be, though no fault was admitted by Subaru. The second incident occurred about one year ago, a little over 3 years after we purchased the Outback. This being the third windshield to spontaneously crack, I would like to try replacing it with an after market windshield. However, I have been informed by both the Subaru dealership and the local windshield replacement business that has worked closely with my dealership the two previous times I needed replacement, that an after market windshield can not be calibrated for my vehicle’s EyeSight system. If I use an after market windshield, I will have to forgo the added safety features provided by the EyeSight system.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 20, 2022
Windshield cracked for no good reason!
Vehicle speed control, Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 13, 2022, crash
The vehicle, a 2018 Subaru Outback Limited 3.6R, was being pulled into the garage at the owner’s home. With brakes applied, and while putting vehicle into park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward making contact with a suspended shelf attached to the back wall of the garage. The force of the vehicle was such that the shelf and back wall of the garage were completely separated from the home in one piece and pushed approximately 10 yards away from the home before the shelf broke away from the wall upon impact with the ground, perpendicular to the back of the house. The vehicle then traveled down two hills in the back yard, across a water saturated easement, over a concrete drainage culvert and came to rest at the base of an incline in an adjacent yard approximately 150 ft from the garage. Air bags did not deploy and the owner suffered minor contusions causing pain and stiffness, but no significant injuries are noted as of this report. The vehicle was totaled and significant damage was caused to the residence. No collision warnings were displayed prior to collision and emergency braking did not apply upon acceleration. This was the first incidence of sudden acceleration experienced by the owner so this issue has never been checked out by a service technician and will not be repaired. The vehicle had less than 8000 miles on the odometer. The vehicle is currently located in a repair lot and the owner’s insurance company has been requested to hold the vehicle for inspection prior to disposal. The cause of the sudden acceleration is unknown, but the owner is confident that the brakes were being applied at the time of occurrence, and that they remained cognizant throughout the incident as they were unable to stop the forward progression of the vehicle until it came to rest on the muddy incline.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 10, 2022
My windshield has cracked twice already. Both times a fine line started at the bottom of the windshield during the cold weather in March 2020 and March 2022. The incident was dismissed by the local Subaru dealer in 2020 claiming the cracked was caused due to something hitting it. I took it to my insurance for repair. I hae not replaced the windshield foe the 2022 incident. I strongly believe that both incident have been caused due to manufacturing defect.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 10, 2022
The batteries cannot seem to hold a charge. We have called AAA several times, but the recharging doesn't last, and they say this is a problem with the Outback. In addition, the Subaru dealer has replaced the battery twice. It just failed again. This most recent battery fail stranded my 70 year old husband in another city. I have contacted the dealer again asking for service. There is no warning whatsoever that the battery has drained. This is not a safe situation. The date below is the most recent incident of a drained battery.
Electrical system, Mar 8, 2022
Electrical issues affected the battery becoming completely drained, unable to unlock doors, or start the car. This issue has become stressful and worrisome as I have a child and pets. I always have my baby with me and am anxious that I can't unlock the doors. I have taken the car to the manufacturer (dealership) for service three times. They've been able to identify the issue, however, the problem has reoccurred (now the third time). Warning panels would suddenly light up with different messages and the car computer did not retain the information in the last two incidents, however, recorded the information in the latest incident. The first time this happened was in December of 2021 (approximately 50,000 miles).
Electrical system, Mar 3, 2022
During a photography trip of May 2021, in a very remote area, the Outback's rear gate was kept opened for my dog for a few hours. When it was time to leave, the battery wouldn't start. Luckily, I had a battery charger. There was nobody present to help in this area and no mobile phone service available. Later in the day, the battery died again, under the same circumstance. We were fortunate to have extra food, water, and blankets if needed to survive the night. I thought maybe the battery was old. I replaced the battery on May 24, 2021 with an Optima 25 battery. This is a better battery than what Subaru installs. This February 2022, we went camping in a remote area of Death Valley with no available services. The fairly new car battery wouldn't start. I used my emergency starter again. This time the rear door and side doors had been opened constantly due to camping activity. It was not possible to disable the lights so as not to drain the battery.
Visibility/wiper, Mar 3, 2022
Windshield has a long crack in it that begins under the passenger side windshield wiper. There are no signs of impact whatsoever. First noticed the crack in early January of 2022. Initially, it was a small crack, however, within hours it grew to the driver side. I noticed the initial crack when I was parking and the crack grew without me moving my vehicle or driving it.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 19, 2022
This is the second windshield on my 2018 Subaru Outback that has cracked near the A-pillar without any evidence of being caused by an impact.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 16, 2022
Windshield washer barely works, only one of the three nozzles will spray fluid. Pump sounds like it's working and fluid is full. For sure a safety issue in winter months.
Electrical system, Feb 15, 2022
Bought the vehicle used from Carmax on 2/14/22, drove 25 miles home and parked in driveway. Next morning battery was dead, put a trickle charger on the battery and the charger detected only 4 volts and would not charge vehicle.
Electrical system, Feb 5, 2022
Battery keeps dying in cold weather. I’ve charged it 3 times in the past 2 weeks fully and double check to make sure no lights are on when I leave the vehicle. The next time I drive again it’s dead
Other or unspecified, Jan 26, 2022
My windshield was cracked unreasonably with minor contact through routine snow removal with a snow brush. With routine wiping of the snow off of my windshield, the snow brush made minor contact with the windshield, and the bottom of the windshield cracked. The resulting crack is approximately 2-3 feet long at the bottom of the windshield. The crack partially impedes vision and may impair the functioning of the Eyesight safety system in the car. After online research, it appears that this is a problem present in the windshields of most Subaru 2017-2020 models. The contact was very minor as would be expected in any daily snow removal, and if this level of contact causes this level of damage to these windshields, that could cause many safety and visibility issues if a stray pebble were to strike the windshield of a moving vehicle.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jan 25, 2022
WHILE BEGINNING A LEFT TURN WITH ARROW, THE MOTOR DIED AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED. I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART WITHOUT SUCSESS. I THEN PLACED THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK IN THE DRIVING LANE WITH MOVING TRAFFIC, ATTEMPTED TO RESTART,THIS ATTEMPT WAS SUCESSFULL.IPROCEEDED HOME WITHOUT FURTHER TROUBLE. THE NEXT DAY I LOOKED ON LINE AND READ OF THE FUEL PUMP ISSUE. THE SYMPTOMS SEEMED THE SAME AS I HAD EXPERIENCED. I THEN INQUIRED AT THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND GAVE THEM MY VIN # AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT OUR VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL.PLEASE HELP