Complaint volume
805 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Subaru Outback Complaints
805 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Subaru Outback, grouped by component category.
805 Total complaints
27 Crash reports
4 Fire reports
10 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are visibility/wiper, electrical system, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 27 crash reports, 4 fire reports, 10 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 488 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 21,422 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to visibility/wiper, electrical system, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Subaru Outback?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Subaru Outback
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Subaru Outback complaints?
27 Crash
4 Fire
10 Injury
0 Fatality
19 Towed
7 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Subaru Outback complaint categories?
VISIBILITY/WIPER 210
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 197
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 97
VISIBILITY 37
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23
STEERING 22
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 19
ENGINE 15
STRUCTURE 12
BACK OVER PREVENTION 10
805 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched the failure online and found a class action lawsuit that stated a complaint had to be filed with NHTSA. The contact felt unsafe driving the vehicle and feared that the windshield might shatter while driving. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,100. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,100 |
| Sep 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | On multiple occasions,, the battery has gone completely dead after the car was parked for as little as three weeks in a heated garage. Subaru replaced the original battery with one having a larger capacity but even that went dead after not being driven for three weeks. In addition, after the battery is recharged, the front passenger window cannot be rolled down using the driver side window control (the passenger window must be rolled down using the passenger side control before the driver side control will work). Subaru is aware of the battery drain problem because the dealership recommended the purchase of an auxiliary battery to carry in the car in case of a dead battery. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Rear view camera freezes up. When in Reverse it stays frozen. Rendering the rear safety camera inoperative. Definitely a safety issue. Has been to dealer multiple times to repair this problem. And it still is happening. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The windshield on my Subaru developed a crack across the length of windshield after a minor rock impact. A few weeks later a second crack developed randomly. The new crack crosses infront of the eyesight system. I am concerned the cracks interfere with the vehicles eye sight system. I believe the windshield is defective and creates safety hazard as the cracks blocks visibility and also affect the eyesight system. I contacted Subaru and the dealer advised the defect was not covered under my warranty and would cost more than $1000 to repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield cracked when flicking my finger to kill a mosquito that for in the car. This was the replacement windshield which was installed only 6 months ago! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, she noticed there was a crack on the windshield. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack. The contact stated that the Eyesight system of the vehicle later failed when it did not alert the contact that there was another vehicle behind while the contact was reversing out of a parking space. The contact's vehicle was scratched on the rear driver side bumper. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the Eyesight system would fail if the windshield was damaged. An upcoming appointment was scheduled for the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,390. | Crash: No Fire: No | 52,390 |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that since purchasing the vehicle, the windshield had to be replaced five times. The contact stated that each failure had occurred either without incident or upon a minor object hitting the windshield. Each time prior to the latest failure, the contact had an independent mechanic replace and recalibrate the windshield as well as apply all windshield safety features to the new windshield. The dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The Battery dies within a year of being installed, this has left me stranded waiting for help on multiple occasions as well as made me late for work. I have had the battery replaced 2 times within 3 years of ownership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Our 2018 Subaru Outback windshield has now cracked for the third time in the exact same spot - the bottom left hand corner of the windshield: October 8, 2019, August 11, 2020 and again August 27, 2021. The first two times, a loud pop was heard and then the crack appeared on the bottom left side of the windshield. The third time, I didn't even know it cracked until I got home. No pop or any other noise was heard. The second time in 2020, I contacted Subaru Customer Service to report this issue, and I was told the cracked window was not a matter of warranty and I would need to have someone at a Subaru Dealership inspect the windshield before having it repaired. I am attaching pictures of the cracked windshields from each time the windshield has cracked (3 separate times). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | STRUCTURE | The front windshield (driver's side) cracked out of nowhere. Now there's a large crack that runs from the driver's side through the middle of the windshield. There were no visible chips on the front windshield prior to the incident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Went into my office yesterday morning and came out on my break to a cracked windshield. It was a perfect crack that seems to have started right at the edge of the glass extending to the middle of the windshield with no point of impact noted. As per Subaru it’s not covered under our Gold Warranty Plan even when we explained the glass seems to have just cracked on its own. After research it’s seems to be an issue with Subaru that they do not want to handle and with my insurance deductible being $500 I will have to cover the whole windshield for $471. At this point I will just leave eyesight off because it’s around another $600 to recalibrate that. ** accidentally uploaded a picture of an email and was unable to delete it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact mentioned that his wife was out at the store and went into the store; after exiting the store the contact noticed that the front windshield was cracked from the passenger’s side straight across the middle to the driver side. The contact looked around to see if an object had struck the windshield however, no object was found. The windshield was not inspected or repaired. The dealer was contacted however, informed the contact that there was no recall under the VIN. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,800 | Crash: No Fire: No | 35,800 |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I was driving when suddenly the windshield cracked. It cracked in a Y shape. I took it to the Subaru dealer and was told that was due to a stone chip. When he is saying is a stone chip is where the the glass split into the y shape. They said that they will not cover under warranty. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Repeated battery failures. Two battery replacements and battery still is not holding a charge. First battery replacement at 17,120 miles - 5/30/2020 Second battery replacement on 21,300 miles - 2/20/2021 Latest, battery died on 8/22/2021 with about 24,000 miles. Had to be jumped. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, when he noticed there was a crack on the windshield. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,822. | Crash: No Fire: No | 35,822 |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ON 2 OCCASIONS MY BATTERY WENT DEAD FOR NO APPARENT REASON . I brought it in to the dealership. The dealership suggested that i leave it for a complete diagnostic evaluation. they came back saying nothing was wrong. someone sent me an article about a man who is suing Subaru for the exact problem i had. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | The fuel tank evap system has stopped working and is not venting the fuel tank properly. When I take the gas cap off there is a lot of pressure released. Filling the tank is slow (0.5 gallon per pump click) and leads to some (very small amounts) fuel spilling from the fill hole. Also, the check engine light/code for this disables the cruise control (traction control I assume) and possibly the ABS. (The first time the check engine light came on, the ABS and Brake light also came on.) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Cracked windshield due to no impact. This is third windshield in 3 years. Known problem. Distracted visibility. Will take to dealer for repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | After filling the vehicle with gas, the vehicle was able to start but with only enough power to drive at 15-20 miles per hour. I drove directly to the Subaru dealer (at 15 miles per hour) where they diagnosed a "bad cell" in the battery. They sold me and installed a replacement battery which resolved the problem. The vehicle was 2 years old with 42,581 miles on it at the time. There were no warnings prior to this incident and the vehicle and faulty battery were not inspected by anyone other than the mechanics at the dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 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 the woods, hitting a tree. Once stopped, I was able to start the car and drive it out of the woods. The entire driver’s side was sideswiped and mirror torn off. I was not injured, but could have been. I called insurance that day. On Monday, we contacted the Subaru dealership. The local police were notified and documented the report. The insurance adjuster determined the car unsafe to drive and it was towed to the dealership August 4, 2021. There was no warning or indicated problem prior to the incident. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery drained and died for no reason within 2 weeks of purchase. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that there was a popping sound coming from the front windshield. The contact stated that one morning it was discovered that the front windshield had several cracks that had extended across the windshield from the top to the bottom of the windshield. The cause of the cracks was not determined. The contact stated that no object impacted the windshield to cause the cracks. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| Aug 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery is not keeping charge, unable to start vehicle even after daily driving. With an infant, we need something more reliable, being stranded is not an option. Vehicle has not been inspected, upon further review this is a constant problem with lawsuits requesting for a resolution against Subaru. Battery indicator light would turn on and lights would flash when able. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2021 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Fuel injector fuel delivery line rupture and leaking. Left on vacation in this 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring on 07/23/2021, noticed the strong smell of gasoline when stopped, less so when interstate driving, with the fuel gauge declining more rapidly than it should. Stopped by Wheeling Volkswagen/Subaru Dealership just before their daily closing. They inspected and found the above ruptured fuel line, leaking onto the pavement under the engine compartment. They determined it was unsafe to drive, but did not have a replacement part. They found there were less than 10 of these fuel injector fuel delivery lines available in the whole U.S. Had to leave the vehicle with them, and the repair was completed 4 day later. The faulty component was observed by the service department personel, and by myself. I have no photos to submit, but have the repair invoice covered under Subaru's drive train warranty. This component failure could have easily resulted in a vehicle fire or explosion, and I feel very fortunate that did not happen! This fuel line is flexible rubber, not metal, and I think is made of faulty materials. I have never heard of such a failure personally. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms, other than the strong smell of gasoline. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery randomly discharges to zero voltage. Passenger window randomly cannot be operated from drivers side. Sometime it can, sometimes not. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |