2018 Subaru OUTBACK: complaints, problems and recalls

DRIVERS SIDE VIEW MIRROR DOES NOT ADJUST FAIR ENOUGH TO SEE MY BLIND SPOT WELL. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. I'VE READ COUNTLESS FORUMS ON POPULAR SUBARU FORUM WEBSITES. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11016407 at NHTSA ↗

THE CAR IS PARKED. THE FLASHERS ARE ACTIVATED. THE CAR IS THEN LOCKED FROM THE OUTSIDE WITH THE KEY FOB. AFTER RETURNING TO THE CAR A SHORT TIME LATER (MAYBE 5 MINUTES OR SO) THE KEY FOB IS TOTALLY UNUSABLE. LOCK, UNLOCK, REAR HATCH OR PANIC DO NOT WORK. MUST THEN USE THE KEY IN THE DOOR LOCK, TO UNLOCK THE DOOR. THEN, OF COURSE, THE ALARM SOUNDS UNTIL YOU CAN PUT THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION TO SILENCE THE ALARM. THERE APPEARS TO BE A TIME OUT PROBLEM BECAUSE THE KEY FOB CAN UNLOCK THE CAR WITH THE HAZARD FLASHERS ON, RIGHT AFTER LOCKING THE CAR…

Owner-reported narrative. 950 miles reported. Look up ODI 11041865 at NHTSA ↗

AFTER PUTTING ON HAZARD SWITCH AND LEAVING VEHICLE, I CAME BACK TO VEHICLE AND THE KEYLESS ENTRY WOULD NOT FUNCTION. SYSTEM DID NOT SEEM TO RECOGNIZE MY SMARTKEY AS THE DOOR HANDLE SENSOR DID NOT OPERATE. I TRIED THE BUTTONS ON THE SMARTLY FOB AND THEY TOO DID NOT FUNCTION. ALSO TRIED THE MOBILE REMOTE APP AND THAT TOO FAILED. I HAD TO USE THE MECHANICAL KEY TO ENTER VEHICLE. OF COURSE THE SECURITY HORN GOES OFF, BUT STRANGELY I WAS ABLE TO START VEHICLE SO SYSTEM WAS ABLE TO RECOGNIZE MY SMARTKEY AFTER ENTRY. PROBLEM SEEMS TO ONLY OCCUR AF…

Owner-reported narrative. 300 miles reported. Look up ODI 11043616 at NHTSA ↗

ON OCCASION, AND WHILE IN MOTION, THE HEAD UNIT (NAVIGATION DISPLAY, RADIO, ETC), IN OUR 2018 OUTBACK LIMITED W/ EYESIGHT, WILL FREEZE UP AND NO HARD OR SOFT BUTTONS WILL REACTIVATE THE SYSTEM. I MUST SHUT CAR DOWN FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE A "REBOOT" TAKES PLACE. I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS ON SUBARUOUTBACK.COM.

Owner-reported narrative. 1,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 11044153 at NHTSA ↗

LOW BEAMS UPPER HALF OF VIEW IS SO DARK I CAN NOT SEE THE ROAD. LOW BEAMS SEEMS TO CUT VIEW IN HALF HORIZONTALLY. I CAN'T SEE THROUGH UPPER HALF OF WINDSHIELD UNLESS HIGHBEAKS ARE ON. BRAND NEW CAR. JUST BOUGHT IT. ONLY 950 MILES ONNIT.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11045969 at NHTSA ↗

THE VEHICLE PULLS TO THE LEFT. THE DEALER ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM TWICE IN TWO WEEKS BY DOING A FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THE VEHICLE IS STILL PULLING TO THE LEFT. A MORE CONCERNING ISSUE JUST STARTED. THE VEHICLE HAS APPLIED THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. NOT HARD, JUST ENOUGH TO FEEL THE STEERING WHEEL JUMP TO THE RIGHT. I WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 65 TO 70 MPH ON A STRAIGHT INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED.

Owner-reported narrative. 4,900 miles reported. Look up ODI 11055701 at NHTSA ↗

STARLINK RADIO IN TOURING MODEL WITH 8"SCREEN UNRELIABLE. HAD ISSUES WITH TOUCHSCREEN FREEZING AND CD LOADING ERROR FROM PURCHASE DATE IN AUGUST TO DEC. 18, 2017. DEALER TRIED TO PERFORM SOFTWARE UPDATE AND FRIED RADIO. RADIO WAS REPLACED. ISSUES WORSE WITH NEW RADIO. TOOK 2500 MILE TRIP AND HAD COMPLETE FAILURE OF RADIO, NAVIGATION, BLUETOOTH, BACKUP CAMERA. LETTING CAR SIT CLEARED SOME ERRORS BUT LATER SIMILAR PROBLEMS REOCCURRED. ALSO HAVE ISSUE WITH DOORS DO NOT ALWAYS LOCK WHEN SHIFTING INTO GEAR OR UNLOCKING WHEN SHIFTING INTO PARK.…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,040 miles reported. Look up ODI 11061559 at NHTSA ↗

THE ABILITY TO ADJUST THE OUTSIDE DRIVER SIDE MIRROR IS SIGNIFICANTLY RESTRICTED IN COMPARISON TO THE PASSENGER OUTSIDE SIDE MIRROR. THIS INCREASES THE CHANCE OF AN OPERATOR BEING IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO REDUCED AWARENESS AND/OR NEEDED INCREASED REACTION TIME TO COMPENSATE FOR THIS DESIGN FLAW. THE BLIND SIGHT MONITORING SYSTEM SHOULD NOT BE USED AS THE ONLY SYSTEM TO DETECT VEHICLES IN YOUR BLIND SPOT. SUBARU DOES NEED TO ADDRESS THIS MATTER.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11062512 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2018-11-01 (November 1, 2018)

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.

Consequence: 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.

Reported: 2018-12-31 (December 31, 2018)

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."

Consequence: 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.

Reported: 2021-07-29 (July 29, 2021)

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.

Consequence: 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.