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 216
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 211
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 111
VISIBILITY 37
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 24
STEERING 24
ENGINE 22
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 13
STRUCTURE 12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 11
805 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The STARLINK touchscreen display on my 2018 Subaru Outback has experienced progressive delamination — a separation of the screen's protective layer from the display panel — resulting in large, spreading opaque blotches that obscure significant portions of the screen. This is a known manufacturing defect that Subaru of America acknowledged through the issuance of a Technical Service Bulletin and an extended warranty for 2018 model year vehicles. That extended warranty has since expired, and Subaru has declined goodwill coverage despite the defect being documented by an authorized Subaru dealership (SOA Case No. 260106-1800881). The screen serves as the primary interface for the backup camera, navigation, and climate controls. Obscured visibility of this screen while driving creates a distraction hazard. I am requesting NHTSA investigate this defect and take appropriate action. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 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 total. The last time it occurred, the vehicle took a bit longer to regain power. After pulling into the desired parking lot, the contact checked the battery. When touching a wire connecting to the battery, it sparked and caught fire. The contact immediately grabbed some snow nearby and threw it onto the wire to put out the fire. There was no fire report filed. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. The contact had noticed that the instrument panel would flash with several warning lights; however, it would illuminate quickly and intermittently. The vehicle was then scheduled to be towed from the parking lot, but it had not been taken to the dealer after the incident. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | 30 |
| Jan 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | the Infotainment system is malfunctioning. the screen is delaminating and pressing ghost buttons, flickering between screens or not functioning at all and I am unable to press any buttons on the screen. safety: when making calls hands free with the system, it will mute calls, end calls, or switch calls between the car speaker and the phone speaker. This is problematic if emergency services are ever needed to be called and makes it difficult to remain hands free as the buttons on the screen often don't work properly when this is happening. it also changes between screens when using the GPS maps and does not leave the map/directions displayed on the screen which puts the driver and others at greater risk of an accident when relying on the GPS to get places. The vehicle was inspected by a Subaru dealership on 1/8/2026 and confirmed the issues with the screen and confirmed that this is a known issue with the 2018 Subaru outback infotainment system. symptoms were first mild and started in the summer of 2025 but have significantly worsened over the past couple of months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | SEAT BELTS | This is a Base model automobile with manual seats. The right front passenger seat unlocked without warning during a quick deceleration. The seat slid forward on mounting rails and caused the front passenger to be squished between forward motion of seat and the seat belt. Lucky this was not a collision, but weight of seat moving forward & smashing passenger against seat belt was very uncormfortable. During a collision, this may have resulted in a serious injury. Seat bottom was replaced by dealer at my expense. I have kept defective seat bottom for further inspection. I have attached the repair invoice. Car has been used afterward without front passenger awaiting for part to be made available. Invoice incorrectly reports mileage. There is less that 15,000 miles on this car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving my 2018 Subaru Outback on the freeway, the sunroof spontaneously shattered without warning. At the time of the incident, there were no nearby vehicles, road debris, or external factors that could explain the failure. This appears to be a dangerous and unexpected defect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Touch screen has delamination that causes false control of functions controlled by the touch screen. Due to delamination of the screen it can make false phone calls, change the radio station or modify system settings, causing dangerous distractions for the driver. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2025 | STEERING | While the lane keeping assistance is on the car will follow the exit lane beside the lane I’m in and jerk over into it. There has been a car beside me when has happened but I caught the steering wheel before a crash. Also if a car is turning in front of me sometimes, not always, the brakes will jam on when I’m not even close to the car that is turning but I would be going around the car after it has turned almost all the way. There has been no crashes or injuries yet. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The head unit on the vehicle has delaminated. The touchscreen display no longer works, it has false touches. This affects navigational safety of the vehicle, as navigation no longer works. This also affects sounds of the vehicle, not being able to change volume for ADAS alerts. This also affects the backup camera, which is a big safety concern. The problem has been confirmed and inspected by a dealer, it costs $2300.00 to replace. Warning symptoms were bubbles on the screen and the screen stopped working/became jittery. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the infotainment system was displaying a blank screen. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the infotainment system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 68,000 |
| Sep 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Head unit / radio has delamination and causing buttons to randomly press and cycle until it freezes. This is a know. Issue and Subaru has extended the warranty for a but , but if issue occurs after this the owner is on their own. It is a safety issue when electrical systems just randomly start going off. Should be covered. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | My 2018 Subaru Outback has a defective head unit that poses a serious safety hazard. Subaru has already acknowledged this defect in this exact make/model/year and issued an extended warranty, but my vehicle was denied full coverage because the warranty window expired. The defect causes the head unit to: -Power on/off by itself. -Force phone connections even when Bluetooth is disabled. -Place dozens of calls on its own while I am driving (call random number, hang up, call number, hang up, etc). -Randomly connect to nearby devices. -Emit loud, unexpected noises. During a recent 4-hour family trip with my [XXX] son, the head unit repeatedly dialed contacts and hung up on them uncontrollably, forcing me to pull over on the highway. This is a clear safety risk, as it distracts the driver and requires emergency stops. At Subaru Customer Advocacy’s request, I took the vehicle to a Subaru dealership twice and paid nearly $200 for a formal diagnosis, which confirmed the known delamination defect and the need for replacement. Despite this, Subaru refuses full coverage and is offering only partial cost assistance, while other owners with the same defect have received full coverage. This is not normal wear-and-tear. It is an acknowledged manufacturer defect that is creating dangerous driving conditions. I request NHTSA’s investigation into Subaru’s inconsistent response and the safety risks of this defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | MY 2018 Outback experienced a driver side smoking mirror a few days ago. While parked at the gas station, a large amount of smoke suddenly began emanating from the driver side mirror. As a result I no longer see my TPMS, the ability to lock/unlock the car with the remote, interior lights no longer work. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Summary of Problem: The infotainment screen on my 2018 Subaru Outback has delaminated and is malfunctioning, causing multiple safety issues. This is a known manufacturer defect previously addressed in a class-action lawsuit (Starlink Infotainment System Litigation, settled 2021). However, my vehicle’s screen failed shortly after the extended warranty expired. Detailed Description of Safety Hazards: The malfunctioning screen creates the following safety risks: 1. Backup Camera Obstruction – The screen dims erratically, sometimes going completely dark, rendering the rearview camera unusable. This poses a serious safety hazard and appears to violate FMVSS 111 requirements for rear visibility systems. 2. Unintended Screen Inputs – The screen exhibits “ghost touches” that result in random phone calls, volume changes, and navigation menu disruptions, all without user input. This creates an unsafe level of driver distraction. 3. Driver Distraction and Interference – The system's erratic behavior pulls my attention away from the road, as I must manage or override its malfunctions, increasing the risk of an accident. Manufacturer Response: I contacted Subaru of America, who acknowledged the issue but only offered to cover half of the $1,200 repair cost. They declined full assistance, citing the expiration of the class-action extended warranty (5 years/100,000 miles), despite this being a latent defect with safety implications. Known Precedent: Many other Outback owners have received full coverage from Subaru for this exact issue, even outside of the warranty, suggesting inconsistent application of goodwill support. This is clearly a systemic defect. Requested Action: I am reporting this because the defect affects safety-critical features. I am requesting NHTSA to investigate whether this issue warrants a broader recall or compliance action. The unpredictable failure of the rearview camera and screen functionality poses a clear risk to driver and public safety. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the radio system display had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,000 |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The infotainment system in the car has suffered from screen delamination, which is apparently common with these models. This has left the touchscreen both non-responsive to touch as well as randomly selecting items on the screen, rendering it unusable. This is a safety issue because the only way to deactivate Reverse Automatic Braking and the rear parking sensors is through the touchscreen. Being able to do this is essential when connecting a trailer or attempting to reverse with one attached. Subaru is aware of the problem and was subject to class action litigation related to it, ultimately being required to extend the warranty on the units as a result. However, the warranty extension was inadequate and left several thousand units in the field which would eventually require replacement. Note that a similar issue on the 2019 models resulted in an 8-year / 150,000-mile warranty extension on the units, yet prior models were only required to have a 4-year / 80,000-mile extension. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Arriving at my childhood home, I followed the driveway to the left to park in front of the garage door. With my foot on the brake and slowly rolling to a stop, the car suddenly accelerated and jolted forward making contact with the garage door and the frame of the garage. This caused damage to the house, garage door and the front of the car. Thankfully there was no other car in the way or a pedestrian! Only the house and car were damaged. This was sudden and there was no warning or prior occurrence to make me aware of the problem. We spoke to the dealer service manager and at first he said he never heard of anything like that. After further conversation he admitted that another car had a similar issue. They kept the car for two weeks and couldn't repeat the issue. We then went on line and found there are several class action lawsuits against Subaru for the same thing - unexpected and sudden forward acceleration! But when contacting Subaru corporate for assistance in resolving this, they claimed they never heard of any class action lawsuits or problems such as this. We need help dealing with Subaru. They are playing with us. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | This is the third time my windshield has cracked in the last three years. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while reversing, the rearview camera failed to display a rearview image, comprising the back over prevention system. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the rear-view camera. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 39,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 39,000 |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I have recently experienced an issue touchscreen delamination, which I understand has affected other Subaru owners as well. While my vehicle is no longer under the standard warranty, I believe this issue stems from a known defect and not normal wear and tear. More importantly, it has created a significant safety concern. Calling people on accident and in my case call 911 by mistake. The touchscreen issue is interfering with my ability to safely use backup camera and vehicle settings. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that at the time of the purchase, the contact was shown a fraudulent Carfax report that displayed that the vehicle mileage was 35,000 and a fraudulent title that displayed that the vehicle mileage was 30,870 on issued date 04/25/24. The contact stated that upon retrieving the vehicle Carfax report personally later, it was discovered that there was a mileage and title information discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 35,000, and after the contact retrieved the vehicle Carfax report personally, it was discovered that the mileage was 166,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 166,000 |
| Jun 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Halo light is out and it does not show on dashboard. Halo light is part of headlight system. It is part of daylight running lights. Unable to replace light without replacing the entire headlight. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Sunroof's glass panel exploded/shattered unexpectedly due to unknown cause(s)/reason(s) while driving vehicle. No external item(s) contacted sunroof glass panel. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The radio has Cracks or striations on the screen that are Causing the Panel to make calls, Dial a phone, change the radio station...ETC. Complete random beeping and it is distracting when driving, The touch screen has become defunct and the Comp[uter does all random things, It does what it wants, when it wantys! I am afraid it is a danger! And please lookl into this, there are Many subaru owners Complaining of the same thing. They are saying that the screen is :Dellaminating" That is what they are calling it. That I why I am making a formal complaint. Thank you! PS...By the way, I was NOT calling mom, It did it on its own!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | the radio malfunctions. it beeps constantly. it randomly changes inputs it won’t tune. the screen is severely dirty on inside so can’t clean it; thus making back up camera look smudged. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The touchscreen is completely malfunctioning and unusable. It started off as a one off incident during a very hot streak in the summer of 2024. I wrote it off and a fluke because of the temperature. 9 months later and the screen is constantly going haywire with ghost touches. Every feature that is controlled through that screen fails. Even using the controls on the steering wheel fail to work when the touchscreen is nonoperational. This system is so integrated into the systems of the vehicle that it is a safety concern. Subaru is aware of this issue and offered an extended warranty. However, if the system didn’t fail during that extended time, you are out of luck. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |