10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,877 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2018 Subaru Outback:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #82

Nov 302017

Outback

  • miles
This car has had battery drainage issues since I purchased it new in 2017. It has only 10,000 miles on it and and is on it's 3rd battery. The car must be jump-started in order to drive it. The problem occurs if I drive the car for a short trip. It also occurs if I take longer trips (I.e. 100 miles) in that the battery will be deleted if I do not drive it within 7 days or so, I have had this car jump-started probably 20-30 times. The dealership continually blames me for the problem and says I should not expect the car to start if I do not start it every day. Most of the time, I have to borrow my mother's Buick to have a working car. Because the battery is constantly dying, the power windows do not work and have to be reset after each battery drainage. I owned a 2014 Subaru Outback prior to trading up to the 2018 model. I have the exact driving habits now as I did with the 2014 model. The 2014 model never had any issue starting. I have recently learned that there is a class action lawsuit filed by other Subaru owners with the exact problem I'm having. I cannot fully express how deeply I hate this car and regret trading up. It is not reliable. I have purchased a noco boost plus to start my car each time so that I don't have to constantly call tow services. The battery on this car is not sufficient to start the car and the dealership will only replace it with another insufficient battery. I would also like to add that the dealership claims my low mileage is the reason my car won't start, claiming I don't drive it enough. This is infuriating. I have repeatedly told the service manager that it has low mileage because it does not start and I cannot drive it, and borrowed my mother's car for the first 2 years because of the battery issues on the Subaru. They do not care.

- Concordia, KS, USA

problem #81

Apr 022021

Outback

  • miles
Batteries drained spontaneously while vehicle was stationary. Old battery replaced with new one and the new one was dead 24 hours after replacement

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #80

Apr 082021

Outback

  • 80,800 miles
In a rural town I was driving 30mph. Weather was overcast 60 degrees with occasional showers. I was moving straight. Road was well paved. No close car in front of my vehicle. Car may have approached from other direction... unsure. Heard a explosive sound from roof, followed by tinkling of debre falling off car. The sound was similar to frozen snow or ice coming off the roof of a car in winter. I stopped the car and found sunroof had a hole size of large cantelope.

- Eau Claire, WI, USA

problem #79

Apr 082021

Outback

  • 21,000 miles
While traveling at highway speed, the sunroof "exploded" with a load noise and rained pieces of glass into the passenger compartment. No rock or other projectile was seen coming toward the car. It seemed spontaneous. Speed was 65 mph. Road was straight and well paved. No vehicle was in front of the car. The car had just been run through an automatic touchless carwash about 10 minutes before. Outside temperature was approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Rutland, VT, USA

problem #78

Dec 202017

Outback

  • 30 miles
Navigation system gives wrong directions and has almost caused me to get in accidents as a result. Accurate voice command is needed for safety when traveling on the highway and realize I am lost and need to find out when to begin to move over and to exit it is unable to understand my very clear speech.

- Woodinville, WA, USA

problem #77

Mar 032021

Outback

  • 30,000 miles
The battery seems to drain very quickly and without apparent reason. The dealer recently replaced the battery under warranty but did not explain why it has gone bad so quickly. I was stuck a number of times with a suddenly dead battery. I am concerned that the actual cause of the draining has not been addressed and I go off the warranty in another month. I have read that this problem has occurred with other owners of this year Outback. This occurs after the car has been sitting for a while.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #76

Mar 142021

Outback

  • 29,000 miles
The windshield has developed a crack starting at the very bottom below the plastic edge, with not apparent impact site.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #75

Jan 282021

Outback

  • 24,000 miles
Rear gate malfunctions sometimes doesn't open sometimes doesn't close properly (this allows exhaust gases to be drawn into the vehicle) when you drive with the gate not completely closed. Dealer has no solution for the problem. This happens on a regular bases.

- Pound Ridge, NY, USA

problem #74

Jan 102021

Outback

  • miles
The battery keeps dying for no reason. Thr first time it occurred was in October 2020. We jump started the vehicle and drove it. It died again two days later. We replaced the battery with one from an auto parts store. Approximately 5 weeks later in December 2020 it did the same thing. We went to start it up and it wouldn't start. We jumped it and drove it for approximately 30 minutes. Went out the next day and it wouldn't start again. Took it to the dealership and they stated the problem was the battery so I paid for a replacement. Exactly a month later, January 2021, I went out to start the car and the battery is again dead. I will be taking it back in to the dealership this week.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

problem #73

Jan 052021

Outback

  • 15,600 miles
When starting the vehicle, the screen for the backup camera, periodically remains dark. When this happens, I do not have the use of the back up camera.

- Vestal, NY, USA

problem #72

Jan 272020

Outback

  • 19,000 miles
January 27, 2020 I was driving about 45 mph on NJ hwy 29 to my son's home. Small rock hit windshield and made a small crack, less than 1 inch. I called insurance who would send a mobile repair truck to repair it onsite at my son's house. As I was driving, the crack getting bigger. By the time I arrived at my son's, 45 minutes later, the crack was more than 7 inches long and widening and growing horizontally and vertically. The crack so so big. The insurance rep said mobile glass repair could not repair it because it was so big. I had to bring it in for a windshield replacement and recalibration. I was told not to drive the car. Windshield was replaced on January 29, 2020 at safelite auto glass in East brunswick, NJ the total cost for windshield replacement and recalibration was $1,011.23.

- Kenilworth, NJ, USA

problem #71

Jul 252019

Outback

  • 15,000 miles
Windshield cracked for no reason on July 25,2019. Pulled out of my driveway and headed down the street when it was starting to crack. Toke a picture when I got to work. First time in over 40 years of driving to ever have a windshield crack.

- Columbia City, IN, USA

problem #70

Oct 032020

Outback

  • 40,000 miles
Battery consistently drains and car will not start. Battery is new, replaced in 2020. Car has been parked for less than 12 hours when it will not start. Car has been jumped, taken to dealer who state "nothing is wrong with it", then within 1-4 days usually happens again. Has happened multiple times since 10/03/2020.

- Burlington, NC, USA

problem #69

Nov 242020

Outback

  • 15,890 miles
Windshield is cracked.

- Bethel, NC, USA

problem #68

Nov 212020

Outback

  • 200 miles
Driver side window will not close, will go up than down half way. If trying to close the window when it starts to rain/snow and it does't close can be a distraction to the driver, especially when driving on the highway at speeds of 70mph. This has been problem since I have owned this car and reported too Subaru during the warranty, also know on the internet for a long time. It does not matter if stopped or driving.

- North Tonawanda, NY, USA

problem #67

Mar 052019

Outback

  • 8,000 miles
Battery dies prematurely, if vehicle is not driven for a few days, or if parked and rear hatch is opened and closed a few times. Dead battery left me stranded five times since 3/5/2019. Battery tested well at dealership three times, so was not replaced under warranty until it failed a draw test.

- Franconia, NH, USA

problem #66

May 012018

Outback

  • 1,500 miles
On infrequent yet multiple occasions since purchasing the car in spring 2018, after hanging up from a bluetooth phone call, the radio would blast at full decibels and be unresponsive to attempted adjustments with the volume control. On all occasions except for today's event, I was driving on major highways, becoming startled, then having to immediately try to rectify the ear-blasting sound. Today, I was in a parking lot, having turned off the engine--the radio continues to play and the bluetooth remains live in an Outback for 5 more minutes, until the door is opened--I made a call, hung up, and the radio volume was fine; I immediately made another call, hung up, and the radio blasted at full decibels again. This time, I was unable to elicit a response by turning the volume knob, with the radio stopping shortly thereafter because it had reached the 5-minute limit. This event occurred whether I hung up first or the other person hung up first. I have had the car back to rafferty Subaru on multiple occasions, with a variety of fixes attempted, most recently by swapping out my amp with one from a loaner vehicle. I have found identical complaints on the subaruoutback.org forum, with others achieving no resolution as well, and with other being concerned about this uncontrollable condition occurring while driving at high speed on highways. This appears to be a problem in the 2019 and 2020 models as well.

- Media, PA, USA

problem #65

Sep 162020

Outback

  • 51,000 miles
While driving a rock.. not a large one, cracked my windshield which ultimately progressed through out the windshield. One other time a similar situation occurred when a small rock hit the windshield causing damage to it. I also had a rock hit the passenger side on the second row window which completely shattered it. The car was in motion for the windshield on a divided highway occurence but stationary on a city street with passenger window damage.

- Addison, TX, USA

problem #64

Jun 242020

Outback 4-cyl

  • 10,000 miles
Windshield cracking while driving down interstate 80.

- Lincoln, NE, USA

problem #63

Jun 132020

Outback

  • 43,900 miles
The car windshield suddenly cracked on its own without any external or internal impact while parked. The crack started from the top on passenger side and extended vertically to the middle of the windshield. This crack impaired the ability of the eyesight driver assistance system to function properly causing the vehicle to lose safety critical features like forward collision avoidance and lane keep assist.

- Auburn, CA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »