NHTSA Safety Recalls
2018 Subaru Outback Recalls
The 2018 Subaru Outback has 3 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on July 29, 2021.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2018 Subaru Outback. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 3
- Owner complaints
- 816
- Crashes reported
- 27
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
4 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2018 Subaru Outback, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
3 recalls on the 2018 Subaru Outback
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- Campaign
- 21V587000
- Reported
- July 29, 2021
- Vehicles affected
- up to 175,968
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2019–2020 Outback, 7 other models
Visibility: rearview mirrors/devices
- Campaign
- 18V935000
- Reported
- December 31, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 71,190
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 111, rear visibility
- Same campaign
- also 2 other models
Electrical system: software
- Campaign
- 18V773000
- Reported
- November 1, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 228,648
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
2018 Subaru Outback complaints by year
NHTSA has received 816 owner complaints about the 2018 Subaru Outback, the newest on October 20, 2026. Of these, 27 describe a crash (3%) and 4 a fire; owners reported 19 injuries.
In complaints about the 2018 Subaru Outback, the component group named most often is the electrical system (33%), followed by the visibility/wiper (29%) and the fuel/propulsion system (5%).
1 of the 2018 Subaru Outback's 3 recalls also concerns the electrical system.
Where 2018 Subaru Outback owners gave the mileage (488 complaints), the median was 16,660 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Electrical System267
- Visibility/Wiper234
- Unknown Or Other162
- Fuel/Propulsion System43
- Visibility41
- Engine37
Complaints received, by year
| 2017 | 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 80 | |
| 2019 | 156 | |
| 2020 | 164 | |
| 2021 | 174 | |
| 2022 | 66 | |
| 2023 | 48 | |
| 2024 | 47 | |
| 2025 | 36 | |
| 2026 | 39 |
Complaints about the 2018 Subaru Outback peaked in 2021, when NHTSA received 174. 71% arrived between 2017 and 2021, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2018 vehicles, the 2018 Subaru Outback drew 6.7× the complaints of the median Subaru Outback year in the same window: 3rd highest of the 23 ranked years.
That makes 2018 one of the Subaru Outback years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★★
- Frontal: 5/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 816 complaints about the 2018 Subaru Outback are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Subaru Outback by model year
Other 2018 Subaru models
Newest record on this page: October 20, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted