Subaru · Outback · 2018
2018 Subaru Outback: problems & reliability
NHTSA has logged 816 owner complaints and 3 safety recalls for the 2018 Subaru Outback. The most-reported problem area is the visibility & wipers (33% of complaints), followed by electrical system and fuel system. Make sure every open recall has been fixed by a dealer before you buy.
Common 2018 Subaru Outback problems
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Visibility & wipers problems
273 owner complaints to NHTSA (33% of all complaints for this model year) involve the visibility & wipers, including 1 crash. One owner reported: “Windshield developed a crack driver side bottom corner, with no chip or reason for the crack”
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Electrical system problems
267 owner complaints to NHTSA (33% of all complaints for this model year) involve the electrical system, including 2 crashes, 3 fires. One owner reported: “The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that when driving approximately 30- 40 MPH, veering off the highway, the vehicle suddenly lost power, but had immediately regained power. The failure had occurred 3 - 4 times…”
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Fuel system problems
46 owner complaints to NHTSA (6% of all complaints for this model year) involve the fuel system, including 3 crashes, 2 injuries. One owner reported: “On 12/28/2023 my 2018 Subaru Outback without warning suddenly accelerated on its own, causing my vehicle to hit the curb and ran into a building.”
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Engine problems
37 owner complaints to NHTSA (5% of all complaints for this model year) involve the engine, including 1 crash, 1 fire. One owner reported: “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…”
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Steering problems
36 owner complaints to NHTSA (4% of all complaints for this model year) involve the steering, including 1 crash. One owner reported: “Sunday,August 1, 2021, at 9:05am, I backed out of my garage and when I attempted to turn my car, the steering locked, the car was drifting backwards and I had no brakes. As a result the car kept drifting backwards , off the driveway into…”
Owner complaints by area
| Area | Complaints | Share | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility & wipers | 273 | 33% | |
| Electrical system | 267 | 33% | |
| Fuel system | 46 | 6% | |
| Engine | 37 | 5% | |
| Steering | 36 | 4% | |
| Speed control & acceleration | 21 | 3% | |
| Backup camera & sensors | 19 | 2% | |
| Brakes | 18 | 2% |
816 complaints filed with NHTSA in total, reporting 27 crashes, 4 fires, 19 injuries. A complaint can involve more than one area.
2018 Subaru Outback recalls
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Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Risk: 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.
Full recall summary
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.
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Visibility › Rearview mirrors/devices
Risk: 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.
Full recall summary
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."
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Electrical system › Software
Risk: 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.
Full recall summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. To check whether a specific car’s recalls have been repaired, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
2018 Subaru Outback crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2018 Subaru Outback SW AWD. Ratings can differ between body styles and drivetrains.
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Specifications
- Drivetrains
- AWD
Other Subaru Outback years
About this data
Problems, complaint counts, recalls and crash-test ratings come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public databases, last checked 2026-11-03. Complaints are reports from owners and have not all been verified by NHTSA.
How we score reliability: every model year starts at 100. Points come off for the number of owner complaints (on a log scale, up to 40 points), for each safety recall (2 points each, up to 15) and for complaints involving crashes, fires, injuries or deaths (up to 15). Popular vehicles get more complaints simply because more are on the road, so compare scores between similar vehicles. More about our method.
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