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Free public service · Official NHTSA & EPA data

2018 Subaru Outback

Verified July 23, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
3
on record
MPG
—
combined

Open recalls on record

3 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Recalls3
Complaints805
Safety
Fuel

Vehicle Summary

2018 Subaru Outback

3 recalls
805 complaints
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Check all recalls are completed
Review consumer complaints
Verify no crash-related complaints
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
3
Owner complaints
805
Complaints citing a crash
27

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalised by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

3 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

3 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 18V935000high

    Visibility issue

    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."

  • 18V773000high

    Electrical issue

    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.

  • 21V587000high

    Fuel pump may fail

    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.

Consumer complaints

805 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

805
Total
27
Crashes
4
Fires
19
Injuries

Most reported components

  • VISIBILITY265
  • ELECTRICAL234
  • OTHER128
  • ENGINE45
  • FUEL SYSTEM36

Notable Issues

805 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 19 reports involve injuries. 27 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

visibility issues (wipers, defrost, mirrors)265
electrical issues (battery, wiring, infotainment)234
miscellaneous issues128

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Unknown
Drive type
Unknown
Engine
0L 0-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Unknown
Seats
0

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Data sources

Explore related

Adjacent model years

All Subaru Outback years

Common problems

Subaru Outback problems

5,688 owner complaints analysed

Systems recalled

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 21V587000

    Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

  2. Recall

    Recall 18V935000

    Failure to display the rearview image while backing up increases the risk of crash.

  3. Recall

    Recall 18V773000

    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.