Complaint volume
797 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
797 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Subaru Outback, grouped by component category.
Buyer interpretation
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
797 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
The most common categories are visibility/wiper, electrical system, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Enriched records include 26 crash reports, 4 fire reports, 10 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage is available on 488 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 21,422 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
797 total complaints on record
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2019 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | WINDSHIELD CRACKED LESS THEN 2 MONTHS FROM PURCHASE.. FOR NO REASON ..ASSISTED DRIVING DEACTIVATED... STEREO AND GPS SYSTEM ALSO NEED ED TO BE REPLACED... REAR DOOR MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED... STEREO AND GPS SOFTWARE NEEDED TO BE UPDATED... STILL HAD PROBLEMS.. FINALLY REPLACED SYSTEM... | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,500 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, A SMALL PEBBLE WAS KICKED UP FROM THE CAR IN FRONT OF US AND BOUNCED OFF OUR WINDSHIELD. IT LEFT A TINY CHIP THE SIZE OF A PINHEAD. WE REPORTED IT IMMEDIATELY AND TOOK IT FOR REPAIR WITHIN TWO HOURS OF THE INCIDENT AT SAFE LITE. TWO DAYS LATER, THERE WAS A GIANT CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD. WE BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPLACEMENT AT A COST OF NEARLY $1000, $500 OUT OF POCKET. | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,000 |
| Oct 2019 | SEATS | THE DRIVER'S SEAT CONTINUOUSLY SQUEAKS WHILE DRIVING. SUBARU DEALER SAYS I NEED A NEW SEAT BOTTOM. APPARENTLY, THERE ARE OTHER VEHICLES AND YEARS WITH THIS SAME ISSUE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 54,000 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | VEHICLES WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED WHILE STATIONARY. DURING A ROAD TRIP WITH SEVERAL PASSENGERS, WE MADE A PIT STOP AND WHEN WE GOT BACK IN THE CAR A PASSENGER NOTED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED WHEN IT HAD NOT BEEN PRIOR TO THE STOP. | Crash: No Fire: No | 18,000 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD JUST CRACKS DRIVING 64MPH FOR NO APPARENT REASON. JUST SPIDER CRACKED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 16,000 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD CRACKED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED 2 TIMES IN FIRST 20 MONTHS WE OWNED IT. WINDSHIELD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND DRIVER-ASSIST (EYESIGHT) SYSTEM RECALIBRATED TO OPERATE SAFELY. HAPPENED IN JANUARY 2018, AND MAY 2019 | Crash: No Fire: No | 25,000 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I RECEIVED A SINGLE MINUTE HIT FROM AN 18-WHEELER WHILE DRIVING ON A FREEWAY AND NOW THAT GROWN WITHIN A MONTH TO COVERING THE WHOLE WINDSHIELD LIKE AN ART DRAWING MY FEAR IS DRIVER ASSIST CAMERA MAY BE AFFECTED PUTTING OTHERS AND ME IN ACCIDENT DANGER | Crash: No Fire: No | 16,000 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | THE WINDSHIELD ON MY SUBARU OUTBACK LIMITED 2018 THAT I JUST BOUGHT ON JUNE 15, 2018 SUDDENLY CRACKED WHILE DRIVING HOME ON INTERSTATE 80 FROM OMAHA, NE TO ATLANTIC, IA WITH MY MOM ON NOVEMBER 10, 2018. THE CRACK STARTED ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AND CONTINUED STRAIGHT UPWARD UNTIL IT REACHED ABOUT HALF THE LENGTH OF THE WINDSHIELD. I CONTACTED SUBARU AND IT SAID THE WINDSHIELD WAS NOT COVERED IN THE POLICY SO I HAD TO PAY FOR IT MYSELF OR HAVE MY CAR INSURANCE PAY. I ENDED UP GETTING THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED BY DETER MOTORS IN ATLANTIC IA ON NOVEMBER 23, 2018. THEN ON AUGUST 25, 2019 WHILE DRIVING TO DES MOINES, IA ON INTERSTATE 80 WITH MY THEN FIANCEE, MOM, AND SISTER, THE WINDSHIELD SUDDENLY CRACKED AGAIN FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THIS CRACK STARTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD ON THE BOTTOM AND CONTINUED UPWARD ABOUT 7 INCHES AT FIRST. THE CRACK HAS SINCE GROWN IN SIZE AND LENGTH. I CONTACTED SUBARU AGAIN AND WAS GIVING THE SAME ANSWER IN THAT THEY DON'T COVER WINDSHIELDS. I HAVE YET TO BE FIXED AS I WAS QUITE FRUSTRATED WITH TWO CRACKED WINDSHIELDS IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR. I STARTED TO LOOK ONLINE TO SEE IF OTHER SUBARU OWNERS WERE HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES AND FOUND THAT YES, MANY ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING CRACKED WINDSHIELDS FOR NO APPARENT AND/OR OBVIOUS REASONS. I DO WANT TO GET THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED BUT AM WORRIED THAT IT'LL JUST CRACK AGAIN. I DO HAVE RECORD OF THE FIRST WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT FROM DETER MOTORS. I ALSO HAVE PICTURES OF THE 2ND CRACK AND WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE THEM. | Crash: No Fire: No | 7,500 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WE'RE ON OUR 3RD WINDSHIELD. THE WINDSHIELDS CRACKED FOR NO REASON. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | AROUND JANUARY THIS YEAR MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED AS SOON AS I GOT OUT FROM THE GARAGE(64 DREGREES) TO THE DRIVEWAY(39 DEGREES). I WENT TO THE LOCAL DEALER AND THE SERVICE ADVISOR RUN A BALL AROUND THE GLASS CRACK AND SUDDENLY STOPPED AND FORCEFULLY PUSHED AGAINST THE PEN AGAINST THE GLASS AND SAID THAT WAS AN IMPACT. I LOOKED AT THE AREA OF THE GLASS IMPACT BUT ALL I SAW WAS THE DENT THAT THE PEN LEFT. THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE GLASS DUE TO AN IMPACT AND REFERRED TO MY AUTO INSURANCE. I PUT A CLAIM AND PAID MY $500 DEDUCTIBLE TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD. IN RETROSPECTIVE I KNEW IT WAS NO IMPACT AND WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER THEY DID NOT HAVE THE INTENTION ON HELPING ME. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2019 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | WINDSHIELD CRACKED A SECOND TIME JUST A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE NEW WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED. THE PEBBLE THAT HIT THE WINDSHIELD WASN'T LARGE ON EITHER OCCASION. THE DEALERSHIP CHARGES A LARGE FEE TO CALIBRATE THE EYE SIGHT FEATURE AND THAT CAN ONLY BE DONE AT A DEALERSHIP SO WE CAN'T GET A BETTER/STRONGER WINDSHIELD ANYWHERE ELSE NOR PURCHASE A COMPETITIVELY PRICED ONE. IT FEELS LIKE SUBARU IS MAKING GOOD MONEY OFF OF DEFECTIVE WEAK WINDSHIELDS. IN MY PREVIOUS CAR, A MAZDA 3, I DROVE FOR 12 YEARS WITHOUT A SINGLE CRACK. IN A NEW SUBARU, IT'S HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN A YEAR. BOTH TIMES I WAS DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS BETWEEN 65-70 MPH. BOTH ROCKS WHERE SMALL. THE FIRST TIME WAS BETWEEN CITIES DRIVING BACK FROM LUBBOCK TO DALLAS WHEN A TRUCK SLOWED TO THE RIGHT FOR ME TO PASS. THE 2ND TIME WAS WHILE DRIVING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC ON THE TOLLWAY IN A MIDDLE LANE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 24,000 |
| Oct 2019 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO REASON KNOWN - I MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE UPON GETTING INTO MY VEHICLE TO FOLLLOWING MORNING I NOTICED A CRACK THAT GROW SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN A DAY HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED A FEW MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING FUEL CAPACITY DOES NOT REGISTER CORRECTLY - I DID HAVE THE RECALL DONE BUT IT STILL DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY | Crash: No Fire: No | 4,000 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD CRACKED WHILE IN MOTION, AFFECTED VISIBILITY SO I HAD IT REPLACED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 52,000 |
| Oct 2019 | STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 10/2018 TO PRESENT: INFOTAINMENT SYS: WHILE DRIVING GPS SCREEN GOES WHITE ENTIRELY & SOUND STOPS. WHILE DRIVING GPS SOUND IS LOST OR PARTIAL LOSS. WHILE DRIVING GPS WILL REROUTE TO DIFFERENT LOCATION. THE ABOVE CAUSES MENTAL CONFUSION/DISTRACTION TO DRIVER W DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. BEFORE DRIVING/WHEN DRIVING RE/PROGRAMMING MAP WHEN DIRECTIONS STOP OR SCREEN WHITE OR GPS VOL DROPS OR VARIES THE UNIT WILL GO FM MAP TO PHONE FAV RELIABLY CAUSING DISTRACTION TO DRIVER, MENTAL CONFUSION ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. WHILE DRIVING RADIO: SOUND VOLUME GOES HIGH & LOW OR DROPS SOUND OR WHEN CHOOSING A STATION FROM PROGRAMMED RADIO BUTTONS CHANNELS BEGIN TO CYCLE RAPIDLY THROUGH EACH PROGRAMMED CHANNEL AND REPEATS CYCLE UNTIL I CAN MANAGE TO POWER OFF THE RADIO & TAKES UP TO 5 TIMES TO PRESS RADIO POWER BUTTON TO POWER OFF CAUSING DISTRACTION TO DRIVER & MENTAL CONFUSION TRYING TO POWER OFF THE RADIO IN TRAFFIC ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. STEERING: WHILE DRIVING FEELS LIKE HIGH WINDS/HYDROPLANING AS CAR SWAYS IN LANE & OUT OF LANE WITH NO RAIN & NO HIGH WIND CONDITIONS CAUSING DISTRACTION TO DRIVER & MENTAL CONFUSION TRYING TO CONTROL STEERING TO STAY IN LANE IN TRAFFIC ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. ENGINE: WHILE DRIVING IN EMERGENCY MANEUVERS SEVERE DELAY IN ACCELERATION WHEN PEDAL IS TO THE FLOOR CAUSING NEAR COLLISION SITUATIONS, DISTRACTION TO DRIVER & MENTAL CONFUSION TRYING TO AVOID A COLLISION IN TRAFFIC ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. ENGINE: RPM EXTREMELY HIGH ON ACCELERATION AS IF I AM IN LOW GEAR & MANUAL PADDLE NEVER WAS TOUCHED CAUSING DISTRACTION, CONFUSION, AND INABILITY TO CONTROL INTENDED SPEED OF VEHICLE CAUSING DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,000 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED BY ITSELF WHILE BEING STATIONARY IN A NEAR-EMPTY PARKING LOT (ONLY TWO CARS IN THE PARKING LOT INCLUDING MINE). HAPPENED ON OCT 10, 2019 BETWEEN 10-11:30AM. PARKED THE CAR IN THE LOT AND WENT INSIDE BUILDING FOR 90 MINUTES. WHEN I CAME OUT I NOTICED A LARGE CRACK IN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD ORIGINATING AT THE DEICER AREA IN FRONT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE CRACK PATTERN SEEMS SIMILAR TO THE 2015/2016 OUTBACK/LEGACY CRACKED WINDSHIELD ISSUE (SUBARU BULLETIN #12-192-15R). OTHER SUBARU OUTBACK OWNERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR ISSUES FOR RECENT OUTBACK YEAR MODELS BASED ON GOOGLE SEARCH OF SUBARU FORUMS. TOLD SUBARU DEALER ABOUT THE ISSUE AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THEY ASKED ME TO REPLACE WINDSHIELD USING AUTO-INSURANCE GLASS COVERAGE. I HAVE REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD USING MY INSURANCE AND ALSO PAID (VIA INSURANCE CLAIM) FOR EYESIGHT CALIBRATION AS REQUIRED BY SUBARU. | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,300 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | MY WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED TWICE SINCE LAST YEAR WHEN I BOUGHT IT NEW. | Crash: No Fire: No | 25,000 |
| Oct 2019 | STEERING | SUBARU OUTBACK 2008 PULLS TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT BY ITSELF INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN IT HAPPENS, CAR SPEED IS ALWAYS > 45 MPH AND THE ISSUE IS THE MOST OBVIOUS ON HIGHWAYS WITH A SPEED > 60 MPH. IT FEELS LIKE THE STEERING HAS ITS OWN IDEA. SOMETIMES WHEN I WANT TO CURVE TO THE RIGHT, THE STEERING TURNS BY ITSELF TO THE RIGHT AND SOMETIMES EVEN STAYS THERE. SOMETIMES WHEN I DON'T WANT TO TURN, IT TURNS. THIS IS NOT RELATED TO LANE ASSISTANCE. THE FEATURE IS TURNED OFF AND THE ISSUE HAPPENS WHEN I DRIVE IN THE LANE. I STRONGLY FEEL UNSAFE AND A BIT NERVOUS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY RECENTLY. AT THE HIGH SPEED, A SLIGHT TURN MAY LEAD TO SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. HOPE SUBARU COULD SOLVE THE ISSUE. A GOOGLE SEARCH TODAY SHOWED THAT MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME MODEL ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME, POTENTIALLY DAMAGING ISSUE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,000 |
| Oct 2019 | POWER TRAIN | CVT TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED. 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK, 47,000 MILES. CAR ONLY 18 MONTHS OLD. WIFE AND KIDS IN THE CAR IT WAS VERY SCARY MOMENT. THE CAR STARED TO SHUTTERED ACCELERATING FORM A STOP. THEN AT 40 TO 50 MPH, THE RPMS BECAME ERRATIC SHIFTING UP DOWN, TO MAINTAIN SPEED. IT LIKE IT WAS CONFUSED, WHICH GEAR TO BE IN. THEN CAME TO A STOPPED FOR A RED LIGHT. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, CAR SHUTTERED AND LOUD BANG, NO GEARS. CAR WOULD NOT GO SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE. MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS, SUBARU NEED TO FIX THIS, IT DANGEROUS DEFECT AND EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. | Crash: No Fire: No | 47,000 |
| Oct 2019 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | TWO TIRE BLOW OUTS CAUSING IMMEDIATE LOSS OF AIR. CAR WAS TRAVELLING AT APPROX 35 MPH. EACH TIME ON A CITY STREET. FIRST AT 4000 MILES. SECOND AT 21000 MILES. TIRE HAD CIRCUMFERENTIAL CRACK AT BOTTOM OF TIRE GROOVE. ORIGINAL OEM TIRES. CAR PURCHASED NEW IN SEPT 2017. | Crash: No Fire: No | 21,000 |
| Oct 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | CRACK DEVELOPED ON WINDSHIELD SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT IMPACT OF ANYTHING. | Crash: No Fire: No | 25,000 |
| Oct 2019 | STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | BOUGHT CAR NEW, 7 MILES ON ODOMETER. TOOK CAR INTO AUTONATION SUBARU - CENTENNIAL COLORADO FOR NOISE COMPLAINT IN DRIVER-SIDE FRONT WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP. MISSING PARTS WERE NOTICED BY SHOP. SHOP SAID IT WAS COMPLETELY FIXED, BUT WE STILL HAD THIS NOISE, IT WAS JUST QUIETER. VEHICLE FELT LIKE ALIGNMENT WAS OFF, AS IT SHAKES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. CAR MAKES TIRE SQUEALING NOISE WHEN TURNING IN AND OUT OF PARKING SPOTS AT LOW SPEEDS. TOOK CAR BACK TO DEALER SHOP MANY TIMES FOR OVER 1 YEAR. SHOP ALWAYS INSISTED NO ALIGNMENT WAS NEEDED, FRONT-END WAS IN GOOD REPORT, TIRES WERE IN GOOD BALANCE, AND ROTATION WAS NOT NEEDED. SHAKING PERSISTS, 20K MILES LATER DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE IS WORN DOWN TO ALMOST STEEL ONLY ON IN-SIDE OF TIRE; ALL OTHER TIRES HAVE AT LEAST 6/32NDS ON TREAD (SEE ATTACHED PHOTO: OUT-SIDE OF TIRE IS THICK TREAT LIKE ALL OTHER TIRES, IN-SIDE TREAT IS GONE). ORIGINAL TIRES. NO MODIFICATIONS TO CAR. SERVICED ONLY AT SUBARU DEALERSHIP. VEHICLE SHAKES SO BAD NOW IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR MIGHT FALL APART. I DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE HAVING MY PREGNANT WIFE DRIVE OUR ONLY VEHICLE. HELP! NOT FAIR TO BUY A NEW CAR WITH MISSING PARTS AND SAFETY ISSUES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 7 |
| Sep 2019 | STEERING | AT 13,000 MILES CAR STEERING PULLED TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT WITHOUT DRIVER PERFORMING THIS ACT. FEELS LIKE CAR IS HYDROPLANING OR AFFECTED BY HIGH WINDS WHEN NEITHER CONDITION IS PRESENT. PRESENTS DANGER AS DRIVER HAS NO CONTROL AS TO WHEN THIS HAPPENS OR WHAT DIRECTION IT WILL GO. OCCURS AT ALL SPEEDS BUT WORSENS AFTER 50MPH. RESEARCH SHOWS THERE ARE OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS SAME SITUATION WITH OTHER SUBARU CARS. MY DEALERSHIP CLAIMED THEY HAD NOT HEARD OF THE PROBLEM BUT SUGGESTED TO MANUAL TURN OFF LANE ASSIST. I PERFORMED THIS ACTION TO NO AVAIL - THE PROBLEM CONTINUES . HAPPENS ON CITY STREETS AT 25 MPH AS WELL AS ON HIGHWAYS. WHILE FIRST INCIDENT WAS AUGUST 5, 2019 IT NEVER STOPPED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 13,000 |
| Sep 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED. WAS NOT HOT BY ANY OBJECT. SUBARU OUTBACK 2018. CRACK INITIATED BELOW DRIVERS SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER. | Crash: No Fire: No | 22,000 |
| Sep 2019 | ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE | DIVING 55 MPH ON HIGHWAY WHEN CAR STARTED TO HARD SHUDDER, LOSE ACCELERATION. ENGINE LIGHT AND ALL OTHER WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. DIFFICULT TO STEER AND BRAKE. ABLE TO BARELY PULL OFF ROAD SAFELY AND AVOID GUARD RAIL. NO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS NOTED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,000 |
| Sep 2019 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | CAR DEVELOPED A CRACK ON WINDSHIELD OVERNIGHT WHILE PARKED IN AN INDOOR PARKING GARAGE. A FEW DAYS LATER CRACK GREW IN SIZE AGAIN WHILE PARKED IN A DIFFERENT INDOOR PARKING GARAGE. CAR HAS ~33,000 MILES AND WAS NOT HIT BY ANY ROAD DEBRIS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 32,500 |