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2018 Subaru Outback recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 3 US recalls for the 2018 Subaru Outback, and 4 in Canada. Owners filed 816 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system. Its best NHTSA overall crash rating is 5 stars.

3US recalls
0urgent recalls
816owner complaints
5★overall crash rating

Is your car affected?

Check by VIN to confirm the exact model and see every recall for it.

Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.

US recalls (3)

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery, fuel pump

2021-07-29 · campaign 21V587000 · 175,968 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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

2018-12-31 · campaign 18V935000 · 71,190 vehicles

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."

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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

2018-11-01 · campaign 18V773000 · 228,648 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Canadian recalls (4)

Show 4 Canadian recalls

Label

2024-08-15 · campaign 2024-546

Issue: On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words listed on the label for "Tires", "Rims", "Front" and "Rear" appear in English only, when they should be listed as "Tires/Pneus", "Rims/Jantes", "Front/Avant" and "Rear/Arriere". Canadian regulations require this information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safety Risk: These small errors do not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. Subaru has corrected the compliance label for all new vehicles.

Fuel system

2021-07-29 · campaign 2021-466

Issue: On certain vehicles, the low-pressure fuel pump could fail. If this happens, then engine may run rough or may not start and the check engine light may turn on. This could also result in a sudden loss of engine power while driving. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Subaru will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the fuel pump.

Visual system

2018-12-31 · campaign 2018-750

Certain vehicles equipped with a built-in navigation system may not comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS 111) - Mirrors and Rear Visibility Systems. A software issue could prevent the centre display screen from turning on properly when the vehicle is started. If this occurs, the rearview image may not be displayed when the vehicle is put in reverse, which could reduce a driver’s rear visibility. Correction: Dealers will reprogram the head unit software.

Fuel system

2018-11-02 · campaign 2018-607

On certain vehicles, the low fuel warning light may not turn on at the correct time to warn of a low fuel level. The driving range indicator in the multi-information display may also indicate a remaining distance-to-empty when the fuel tank is empty. While the low fuel warning light will eventually turn on and the fuel gauge will eventually display “E” (empty), if the driver continues to operate the vehicle based on the range indicator, the vehicle may run out of fuel, causing the engine to stall and increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will reprogram the combination meter (gauge cluster) software. Note: Until the recall repair is completed, drivers should ensure to refill the fuel tank before the fuel level is close to empty.

Owner complaints (816)

Owners filed 816 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Subaru Outback (27 crashes, 4 fires, 19 injuries reported). Among 32 model years of this model, it ranks #4 for the most complaints (median 208).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Electrical system267
Visibility/wiper234
Unknown or other162
Fuel/propulsion system43
Visibility41
Engine37
Steering36
Vehicle speed control21

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2018 Subaru Outback.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2018 Subaru Outback SW AWD5★5★5★4★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2018 Subaru Outback version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
Outback AWD 2.5 L Automatic (AV-S7)253228$2,400
Outback AWD 3.6 L Automatic (AV-S6)202722$3,050
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Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada). Recalls updated 2026-10-30.