2018 Subaru Outback: Common Problems, Recalls and Vehicle Data

What the public data shows

The public record for the 2018 Subaru Outback lists three recall campaigns, 807 complaints filed with NHTSA, and no open investigations. With three separate campaigns rather than a repeat repair or a lingering federal inquiry, the notable pattern here is how spread out the recalls are: one covers the electrical system (an inaccurate fuel display, campaign 18V773000), one covers visibility (a rearview camera image failing to display, 18V935000), and one covers the fuel system (a fuel pump failure risk, 21V587000). That's three different systems touched by three unrelated campaigns, rather than repeated attention to one part of the car. Complaints skew toward two categories: visibility and lighting account for 273 of the 807 complaints, and electrical issues account for 258. Together these two categories make up the large majority of filings, with "other" complaints and a smaller number of steering-related reports filling out most of the rest. Separately, manufacturer service bulletins for this model year lean heavily toward the electrical system, with 115 of 344 total bulletins concentrated there, and another 79 on equipment. Bulletins are not recalls -- they're guidance issued to dealers for addressing symptoms reported by owners or found during service, not confirmed defects requiring repair. It's worth noting that complaint counts reflect how often owners chose to report an issue to NHTSA, not a measured rate of how many vehicles were actually affected by any given problem.

809 complaints on file with NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, grouped into CarTold's broad component categories.

Most frequently reported, by the specific component NHTSA logged each complaint under (not CarTold's category groupings above):

• VISIBILITY/WIPER — 210 complaints (26%)
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 197 complaints (24%)
• UNKNOWN OR OTHER — 99 complaints (12%)
• VISIBILITY — 37 complaints (5%)
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — 23 complaints (3%)
• STEERING — 22 complaints (3%)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

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.

Consequence: 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.

VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES

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."

Consequence: 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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

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.

Consequence: 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.

NHTSA crash-tests each body-style/drivetrain configuration separately, so ratings can differ by variant — shown as tested, not averaged. See how the 5-star ratings work, including why an overall score isn't the average of the three category scores.