Complaint volume
796 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
796 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Subaru Outback, grouped by component category.
796 Total complaints
26 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 26 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?
26 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 196
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 93
VISIBILITY 37
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 22
STEERING 22
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 19
ENGINE 13
STRUCTURE 12
BACK OVER PREVENTION 10
796 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHILE ON HIGHWAY. NO APPARENT STONE HIT IT. REPLACED ON 3/5/2019. FRIEND SENT ME A WEBSITE WHERE IT WAS NOTED THAT MULTIPLE OTHERS SUBARU OWNERS EXPERIENCED THE SAME OCCURRENCE. IT STATED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH YOU. I AM UNABLE TO SCAN OR UPLOAD REPAIR PAPERWORK BUT I HAVE MY RECEIPT FROM THE REPAIR. *TR | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,000 |
| Apr 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I NOTICED A SMALL CRACK IN THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. I DID NOT SEE OR HEAR A ROCK OR ITEM HIT THE WINDSHIELD, I ONLY SAW THE RESULT ' THE CRACK. EACH DAY THE CRACK GREW LONGER. ONCE IT WAS APPROXIMATELY A FOOT LONG, I CALLED TO GET IT REPAIRED. *TR | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,500 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD SUDDENLY CRACKED WHILE STATIONARY | Crash: No Fire: No | 23,942 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD CRACKS WITHOUT ANY APPARENT IMPACT. STARTS FROM THE EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND CRACK EXPANDS INWARD. REPLACED A COUPLE MONTHS AGO FOR SAME ISSUE AND ALREADY HAVE 2 CRACKS IN THE NEW WINDSHIELD. | Crash: No Fire: No | 45,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED FROM BOTTOM AT FRAME UP | Crash: No Fire: No | 62,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT CRACK EXPANDED OVER TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000. *LN*JB | Crash: No Fire: No | 23,000 |
| Mar 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER 2017 - OEM WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED TWICE (IN 2 YEARS). | Crash: No Fire: No | 8,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | THE WINDSHIELD HAS A CHIP IN IT & I DO NOT REMEMBER GETTING IT BY ANY PEBBLE. SEEMS THE WINDSHIELD MAY BE DEFECTIVE. THIS IS A NEW VEHICLE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 8,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WHILE DRIVING ON A TRIP, A CRACK APPEARED ON THE LOWER PASSENGER PORTION OF THE WINDSHIELD AND PROCEEDED TO GROW UP AND ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. OFTEN TIMES THE CRACK GROWTH WAS OBSERVABLE. SUBARU WOULD NOT COVER BECAUSE THE CRACK HAD ALREADY EXCEEDED THEIR SIZE LIMIT BEFORE IT COULD GET INTO A SHOP. NO PRECEDING EVENT, LIKE A ROCK HITTING THE WINDSHIELD, WAS OBSERVED. THE LOCATION OF THE DIVOT WAS TOO LOW AND CLOSE TO THE WIPER BLADE FOR A ROCK AT HIGHWAY SPEED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 22,000 |
| Mar 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I OWN A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK AND THE WINDSHIELD CRACK FOR NO REASON WHILE I WAS DRIVING. WHEN I WENT TO REPLACE IT SAFELITE GLASS WAS IN ABLE TO RECALIBRATE THE EYESIGHT CAMERA. THEY TRIED TO SWITCH THE AFTERMARKET WINDSHIELD WITH AN OEM WINDOW AND IT DIDN'T WORK AND SENT ME TO THE SUBARU DEALER TO RECALIBRATE. THIS DIDN'T WORK EITHER SO THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE EYESIGHT CAMERA. SAFELITE STAYED THIS HAPPENS A LOT WHEN THEY REPLACE WINDSHIELDS BECAUSE THE CAMERAS ARE NOT PROTECTED SO IF A LITTLE DUST GETS ON IT WHILE THEY CHANGE THE WINDSHIELD IT CAN SCREW UP THE CAMERAS ABILITY TO RECALIBRATE. THEY ALSO ADVISE IT'S A KNOW ISSUE WITH SUBARU'S BUT THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO RESOLVE IT | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,000 |
| Mar 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I OWNED A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK FOR ABOUT A YEAR. IN THAT YEAR MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED THREE TIMES ACROSS MORE THAN HALF OF THE WINDSHIELD UPON IMPACT OF A TINY ROCK. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS STOPPED IN A PARKING LOT, AND TURNED ON MY AC WHICH CAUSED THE WINDSHIELD TO SPLIT- I COULDN'T EVEN FIND A CHIP THAT CAUSED THE HUGE CRACK. THE COST TO REPLACE WAS OVER $800 EACH TIME SO I SOLD THE VEHICLE AFTER THE THIRD TIME. THE FIRST CRACK WAS IN APRIL 2019 AND THE LAST WAS IN AUGUST 2019. I INVOLVED MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALER THAT I PURCHASE THE CAR FROM, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS HOT OUT AND THAT'S WHY THE GLASS WAS CRACKING, BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN A WINDSHIELD BEHAVE IN THAT MANNER BEFORE, NO MATTER THE TEMPERATURE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | CRACK IN WINDSHIELD ON DRIVER APPEARED WHILE NORMAL DRIVING. NO INDICATION OF ROCK CHIPS AT ALL THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED IT. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET TRAVELING STRAIGHT. CRACK ORIGINATED FROM A-PILLAR AND PROPAGATED TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED IT AT MY COST OF ABOUT $1000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 36,000 |
| Mar 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | DURING 4TH WEEK AUGUST 2019, I MADE AN EMERGENCY STOP ON THE SHOULDER ON INTERSTATE 90. THERE WAS USUAL TRAFFIC, NOT SURE IF THERE WAS A TINY ROCK WHICH CAME FLYING ON MY WINDSHIELD, I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY NOISE NOR I HAVE SEEN ANY CHIPPING. THE NEXT MORNING I WOKE UP TOO SEE A TINY CRACK, IMMEDIATELY I CONTACTED MY INSURANCE AND LOCAL CAR DEALERSHIP TO FIND OUT COST'S, BUT AS IT WAS WEEKEND, I WASNT ABLE TO GET A SLOT. 2 DAYS LATER I SEE A NICE FINE CRACK ACROSS THE SCREEN, THIS WAS A BAD SURPRISE FOR ME, I USED A MAZDA FOR 3 YEARS BEFORE AND DEFINITELY TRAVELED A LOT, WITH TINY ROCKS FLYING ON THE WINDSHIELD, BUT IT NEVER EVER CRACKED. WITH SUBARU I AM SHOCKED, I FELT GLASS QUALITY TO BE EITHER FRAGILE OR COMPOSITION OF WINDSHIELD GLASS MAY BE COMPROMISED(OR POOR). I AM NOT SURE IF THE COMPANY HAS NOTICED THIS COMPLAINTS. WHEN I SPOKE TO 3RD PARTY GLASS VENDOR HE TOLD ME THAT THERE ARE MANY SUBARU OUTBACKS WHICH HAD SEEN SIMILAR ISSUES. ON TOP OF IT, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS A CHARGE OF ~250$ TO ADJUST SMART LENS, WHICH IS RIDICULOUS, SO IN SUMMARY WHEN A WINDSHIELD CRACKS IT TAKES 350$ GLASS + 250$ LENS CORRECTION = 600$, WHICH I FEEL IS HIGHLY IN-JUSTIFIED. THERE HAS TO BE SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO TAKE A LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE COMPANY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 23,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | OCTOBER 22ND, 2019 MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED OUT OF THE BLUE AS I WAS SITTING WAITING FOR MY KIDS TO GET OUT OF SCHOOL. | Crash: No Fire: No | 40,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I NOTICED A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD DOESN'T KNOW HOW IT'S HAPPENED. I REPORTED THIS ISSUE TO THE DEALER. THEY SUGGESTED FIXING THE ISSUE WITH INSURANCE. I DON'T KNOW WHY SUBARU IS VERY CARELESSLY HANDLING THE QUALITY OF WINDSHIELD EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE FOCUSING MORE OTHER SAFETY FEATURES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 18,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD CRACKS | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHOUT BEING HIT OR CHIPPED WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 22,000 |
| Mar 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | KEYLESS ACCESS SYSTEM HAS ISSUES. SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE FOUND THE CAR UNLOCKED AND / OR WITH THE REAR HATCH DOOR APPROXIMATELY HALF WAY OPEN. I'VE NOTICED ALSO THAT SOMETIMES OTHER PERSON FOB INTERFERING WITH MY CAR. 2X WHEN I'VE BEEN PARKED WITH ENGINE OFF THE ALARM SYSTEM WOULD START BLARING FOR NO REASON. ALL THESE INCIDENTS HAPPENED WITH THE CAR PARKED AND ENGINE OFF. | Crash: No Fire: No | 12,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED FROM BELOW WHERE THE WIPERS ARE INTO A HUGE CRACK. NO ROCK HIT ME. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,000 |
| Mar 2020 | SEATS,VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED A CRACK ON THE TOP PASSENGER SIDE, I DO NOT RECALL ANY ROCKS OR DEBRIS HITTING THE WINDSHIELD. NEXT MORNING THE CRACK GREW TO OVER HALF THE WINDSHIELD. OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS THE CRACK HAS GROWN TO COVER 85% OF THE WINDSHIELD HORIZONTALLY, ALMOST IN A COMPLETE "U" SHAPE.I NOW HAVE TO DECIDE TO SPEND THE ~$1,000 TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD OR DRIVE WITH THE CRACK. AFTER READING ALL THE COMPLAINTS ON 2ND CRACKS, I'M HESITANT. THE DRIVER SEAT HAS A VERY ANNOYING SQUEAK WHEN GETTING IN/OUT AND WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. SOME DAYS IT'S WORSE THAN OTHERS, AND IT DOESN'T SEEM TO MATTER WHAT THE CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 24,000 |
| Mar 2020 | STEERING | UNCONTROLLED STEERING AS DESCRIBED BY OTHER COMPLAINTS WHILE IN MOTION. DANGEROUS AT HIGH SPEEDS. HAPPENING SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW JULY 18, 2018. | Crash: No Fire: No | 100 |
| Feb 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE CRACKED. THE CRACK RUNS FROM THE FAR LEFT CORNER ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE JUST IN THE MIDDLE AT THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. THE CRACK WAS CAUSED BY A SMALL PEBBLE BOUNCING OFF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT MENTIONED IT WAS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE WITH THE WINDSHIELD CRACKING. THE DEALER BUD CLARY AUTO GROUP (1030 COMMERCE AVE, LONGVIEW, WA 98632 (360) 423-1700) REFERRED THE CONTACT TO AN AUTO GLASS COMPANY WHO REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,000 |
| Feb 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | TRAVELLING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT FREEWAY SPEED, A TRUCK KICKED UP A ROCK WHICH HIT THE WINDSHIELD. IT CREATED A CHIP LESS THAN THE SIZE OF A QUARTER. WITHIN ONE HOUR IT STARTED CRACKING TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT OF THE CHIP. I HAVE NEVER HAD A ROCK CHIP SPREAD LIKE THIS. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN EASY REPAIR. NOW THE WINDSHIELD IS CRACKED ALMOST THE ENTIRE LENGTH. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE SAFETY FEATURES IN THE WINDSHIELD MAY NOT WORK EFFECTIVELY NOW. I AM ALSO CONCERNED THAT CRACK WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD AND INHIBIT MY VISION. | Crash: No Fire: No | 31,500 |
| Feb 2020 | SEATS,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1-WINDSHIELD VERY LARGE CRACK AND IT KEPT GETTING BIGGER 2-DRIVER SEAT IS SQUEAKING EVEN AFTER THE REPAIR. AFRAID THE SEAT FRAME MIGHT COME A PART DURING ACCIDENT | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,000 |