2018 Subaru Outback: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle	2018 / subaru / outback
known issues	7 clusters (reviewed 2026-07-31)
complaints	811 on file (2017-08-20 → 2026-09-12)
recalls	3
investigations	0
fars	38 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexed	yes
license	CC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Infotainment touchscreen delamination and ghost touchesELECTRICAL SYSTEM48 complaints2022-08 → 2026-07outback-2018-touchscreen-delamination

11722438 The infotainment touchscreen in my 2018 Subaru Outback has developed severe screen delamination and now generates persistent “ghost touch” inputs. The screen registers touches without any driver interaction
11603477 2018 Subaru Outback headunit is "delaminated" causing phantom touches on the headunit's touch screen. While driving, the headunit will act as if something is pressing random buttons, changing radio stations, opening/closing maps, going through settings panel
11536795 The STARLINK multimedia touchscreen system screen started delaminating July-2022; April-2023 it developed a ghost glitch & changes all settings/info on its own - it doesn’t recognize any true touch on the screen

Rearview camera image loss with head unit failureBACK OVER PREVENTION12 complaints2022-12 → 2025-07outback-2018-rearview-camera-image-loss

11674518 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
11499569 The infotainment system freezes randomly causing screen to freeze including while backing up. This causes it to appear as though the back up camera is working when in reality it is not
11620100 The infotainment screen has delaminated rendering it unusable and will intermittantly interrupt the backup camera while moving

Battery drain while parkedELECTRICAL SYSTEM30 complaints2022-04 → 2024-09outback-2018-battery-drain-while-parked

11463152 The Battery of the vehicle drains frequently, making the car inoperable. The battery has been replaced three times in four years, much more frequently than i would expect in a relatively new vehicle that was purchased new from a dealership
11506939 My 2018 Subaru Outback battery is draining practically every day now. There must be something in the car that drains the battery constantly so in the morning I am unable to start. I needed to jump start the battery on multiple occasions now
11472975 The car battery will drain completely when the car is not being driven. This has happened to us numerous times while camping leaving us in a remote area with a dead battery and no cell phone service to call for help

Windshield cracking without impactVISIBILITY/WIPER27 complaints2022-04 → 2026-06outback-2018-windshield-cracking

11592438 The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the windshield cracked without impact. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer to have the windshield replaced; however, the failure recurred soon after the replacement
11514673 My 2018 Subaru Outback's windshield has cracked overnight parked on the driveway. There's no visible rock strike point. This will be the 4th windshield replacement in the 5 year ownership
11461671 The contact stated while approaching her parked vehicle, she noticed that the driver’s side windshield was cracked. The contact stated that there was no impact to the windshield to cause the crack to occur. The contact stated that the crack occurred overnight

Sunroof glass shattering while drivingUNKNOWN OR OTHER6 complaints2023-12 → 2026-03outback-2018-sunroof-glass-shattering

11705158 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
11666941 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
11727236 OUR SUNROOF EXPLODED AND SHATTERED. IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A BAD ACCIDENT AS THE SPEED LIMIT IS 65-70 FULL OF CARS AND TRUCKS ON I-95 NORTH. THERE WAS NO WARNING, JUST A LARGE EXPLOSION AND SHATTERED GLASS

Sudden acceleration during low-speed brakingVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL15 complaints2022-08 → 2026-04outback-2018-low-speed-sudden-acceleration

11553716 While pulling into a parking spot with my foot on the brake and preparing to stop, the car continued to move up over the curb and then began to accelerate even after I applied both of my feet pushing down on the brakes until I hit our condo building
11734591 Driving slowly in a parking lot, I applied the brakes as I approached a parking space. Instead of slowing down, the car inexplicably accelerated quickly and did not respond to increased pressure on the brakes
11482083 Car jerked back and suddenly accelerated without warning as driver had foot on brake and was slowly pulling into parking spot. Car hit wall of parking garage causing front end damage. Parking collision warning did not sound at any point

Loss of engine and electrical power while drivingELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE6 complaints2022-07 → 2026-01outback-2018-loss-of-power-while-driving

11547483 While going through the construction zone, my car lost all power and just shut off completely. No warning signs just went completely dead. I almost got rear ended, thankfully the car behind me went to the left of the center, but almost had a head on collision into oncoming…
11476659 While leaving shopping mall parking lot, vehicle suddenly shut down; no electrical, no accelerator, no power steering, no engine. Was able to steer vehicle to safe location out of traffic path. Waited approximately 10 minutes, tried vehicle again, and it started / drove normally
11714422 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

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

count	earliest_date	latest_date	crash_flagged	fire_flagged	top_components
811	2017-08-20	2026-09-12	27	4	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:265; VISIBILITY/WIPER:233; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:160; FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM:43; VISIBILITY:41

Recalls all years →

campaign_number	report_received_date	component	summary	consequence	remedy
18V935000	31/12/2018	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."	Failure to display the rearview image while backing up increases the risk of crash.	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.
18V773000	01/11/2018	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.	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.	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.
21V587000	29/07/2021	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.	Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.	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.

Investigations all years →

none listed

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_years	occupant_deaths	match_type	vpic_recovered
2010-2024	38	legacy-code	0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2018 Subaru Outback vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2018/subaru/outback

@misc{wrenchpro_2018_subaru_outback_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2018 Subaru Outback},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2018/subaru/outback}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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