2018 Subaru Outback Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 24,000 miles. Parts named most: Windshield (36).

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

Was notified by the dealer upon completion of an oil change, on May 20, 2026, that the driver side front daytime LED running light was not functioning. The light was not on. I am a faithful user of either turning on my headlights in the absence of DRL or using the factory DRL on the vehicle. The failure of one DRL compromises the safety…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal to park the vehicle, the brake lights failed to illuminate as designed. While returning to the vehicle after the vehicle was parked and attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start due to a safety feature that disabled the…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 81,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 16,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

The touchscreen has delamination and ghost touching of the apps. I spoke with my dealer and was first told it was covered by Subaru to replace, as it was a known issue, but when I took my car to the dealer, I was told I would have to pay around $1,500 to have it repaired/replaced. The ghost touching of the screen is so bad and consistent…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The car screens are delaminating and bubbling due to fault of the manufacturer. This is a widespread issue and causes safety issues due to the screen moving erratically while driving, messing with volume and function controls.Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 6,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

On three different occasions after starting the car in the cold weather and putting in drive it accelerated by it self. All three times it lasted about 5 to 7 seconds. Once I stepped on the brake and then the accelerator pedal it was back to normal. It’s been about a month with this issue.Owner complaint, filed 2023

2 incidences where the car accelerated on its own. 1st time pulling into a parking Space, Slammed on brakes barely got it to stop otherwise I would have gone through a store front. 2nd time same night in heavy traffic going to the George Washington bridge crawling in traffic while keeping at least a car length Between me and the car in…Owner complaint, filed 2022

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 25,000 miles. Parts named most: Warnings (12), Automatic emergency braking (11), Sensing system: camera (9).

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help

What owners said

Our Subaru backup camera screen is suffering from a factory defect delamination issue which has caused the screen to become hazy and difficult to see. In daylight, the screen is often completely obscured by the defect. Subaru issued a warranty extension from 2020 to 2023 due to class action litigation regarding this issue, but we were…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The infotainment head unit in my 2018 Subaru Outback has experienced internal adhesive delamination, resulting in frequent "ghost touches" and unpredictable system malfunctions that pose a severe safety hazard. Most critically, the backup camera display intermittently disappears or freezes while the vehicle is in reverse, causing a total…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 6,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

The car started to make very loud engine noises and then the engine completely failed. The car was no longer able to accelerate and lost the ability to go in both forward and reverse. Luckily, my son had just arrived home when the car completely lost power, but it began to have acceleration issues as he was driving home. No warning…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Engine cam carrier seals are leaking. Repair cost is $5,700 plus tax. Vehicle is well cared for and well maintained with only 96,000 miles The Subaru Manufacturer was contacted and will do nothing to fix and does not admit engineer defect nor manufacturing defect. Basically, 96,000 and needs a new engine. Please put out a national recall.Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 5,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle briefly lost Electric Power Steering assist before returning to normal functionality. The failure had since become a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 25,000 miles

While driving under normal conditions, (no hazardous weather or speeding), the steering will suddenly pull to the right, for only a moment, feeling as though a strong gust of wind had blown it, but there is no wind, it just does it on its on. A warning light comes on, and makes a pinging sound, then it turns off; it does not stay on long…Owner complaint, filed 2023

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 10,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

Reported to local Subaru Dealer there was a problem with the Parking Brake. While parked at red light, when I attempted to release the parking brake, it would NOT release, and had great difficulty getting to release and proceed. (This is in Traffic). They tested it and claimed it was ok, no problem. Fast forward, several weeks and I…Owner complaint, filed 2024

I was visiting my daughter's and after I pulled in the driveway, and I hit my brakes to stop the car, but they failed, and I ended up crashing into their brick garage. I was physically fine, but my car and their garage was damaged. There were no warning lights of failure. I had Autozone check the car computer today, and they came up with…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 8,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

I slowed down to approximately 5 MPH to pull into a parking space in front of a building. Without warning, the car suddenly accelerated toward the building. The car jumped over the parking block and onto the sidewalk in front of the building. I attempted to stop the car but the brakes did not function at that point. The car stopped when…Owner complaint, filed 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while their wife was pulling into a parking space, uphill, when the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The vehicle jumped the curb and crashed into a sign. The vehicle continued accelerating approximately a car length of distance causing it to jump another curb onto grass and…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 41,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 15,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (15).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

I was driving on the highway going 70 MPH when the hood latch suddenly came unlatched. The hood flew up and smashed into the windshield, blocking my view. I was able to slow down and pull onto the shoulder, but there was damage to my hood, windshield, rear view mirror, body panels, sunroof, roof, and trim.Owner complaint, filed 2026

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. Luckily our sunshade was closed so the glass was contained. It was raining and about 50 degrees.Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 7,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

CVT Transmission failed and shut off engine. 2018 Subaru Outback Limited with only 56,500 miles. On 5/19/24 at approximately 11:30PM, my family and I (5 members) were driving northbound on an interstate highway, when all of a sudden, the engine and transmission completely shut off with all warning lights flashing on the dashboard, while…Owner complaint, filed 2024

After driving for approximately 10 min from cold start, attempted to pass another car at WOT (wide open throttle) at approx 40-50 mph. The car began to accelerate normally, then abruptly stopped accelerating while the engine revved up to the rev limiter and bounced off it for 3-4 seconds. It seemed as though the CVT had been shifted into…Owner complaint, filed 2023

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 12,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated upon inspecting the vehicle, he noticed all 4 wheels showed signs of cracks on the rims and spokes. The low-pressure tire warning light had illuminated. In addition, all tires required air frequently. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 84,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 subaru outback equipped with four bridgestone dueler hp sport as tires, size: 225/60/r18 (na). While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and there was an abnormal popping noise. The contact discovered that the front driver's side tire blew out. Additionally, there were lines from the bead to the thread. There…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 16,927 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 2,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

Rear trailing arm snapped rendering vehicle unsafe to drive - the rear trailing arm snapped. It looks apparent it was slowly failing as some parts of the fracture are rusted out. The part number is 20250al02a. These parts were designed with very thin walls and may be the reason why it failed. I got lucky that the vehicle was just off the…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 40,200 miles

The contact owns a 2018 subaru outback. While driving various speeds, the vehicle suddenly jerked from side to side and became very unstable. The cause of the failure was not determined. The [VIN] and local dealer were not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 2,500.Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 2,500 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 24,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

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 &…Owner complaint, filed 2025

I folded my rear seats down to gain more cargo area room, upon unloading my cargo, I proceeded to fold up my rear seats. Both rear seats folded up and locked, except the driver's side rear seat locked into position but would recline backwards and not stay locked. I have owned this vehicle for seven years and have only had passengers in…Owner complaint, filed 2025

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

I was slowly backing out of a parking space, with no cars coming in either direction, and the car had a loud warning sound and my driver airbag deployed and exploded in my face. The car filled with smoke. I was only halfway out of the parking space when this happened, I was able to pull forward and park safely. I did not hit anything and…Owner complaint, filed 2025

[XXX] at [XXX] We were sitting at a complete stop with our turn signal on, waiting for traffic to clear enough to turn left. It was dark/cold but otherwise good road conditions, no rain/snow/wind. We were suddenly slammed from behind in the rear/R passenger rear by the Black Dodge Journey. This impact then pushed us into the oncoming…Owner complaint, filed 2024