2018 SUBARU OUTBACK

VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES

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

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

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

The STARLINK touchscreen display on my 2018 Subaru Outback has experienced progressive delamination — a separation of the screen's protective layer from the display panel — resulting in large, spreading opaque blotches that obscure significant portions of the screen. This is a known manufacturing defect that Subaru of America acknowledged through the issuance of a Technical Service Bulletin and an extended warranty for 2018 model year vehicles. That extended warranty has since expired, and Subaru has declined goodwill coverage despite the defect being documented by an authorized Subaru dealership (SOA Case No. 260106-1800881). The screen serves as the primary interface for the backup camera, navigation, and climate controls. Obscured visibility of this screen while driving creates a distraction hazard. I am requesting NHTSA investigate this defect and take appropriate action.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that when driving approximately 30- 40 MPH, veering off the highway, the vehicle suddenly lost power, but had immediately regained power. The failure had occurred 3 - 4 times total. The last time it occurred, the vehicle took a bit longer to regain power. After pulling into the desired parking lot, the contact checked the battery. When touching a wire connecting to the battery, it sparked and caught fire. The contact immediately grabbed some snow nearby and threw it onto the wire to put out the fire. There was no fire report filed. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. The contact had noticed that the instrument panel would flash with several warning lights; however, it would illuminate quickly and intermittently. The vehicle was then scheduled to be towed from the parking lot, but it had not been taken to the dealer after the incident. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not inf

Mileage: 30

the Infotainment system is malfunctioning. the screen is delaminating and pressing ghost buttons, flickering between screens or not functioning at all and I am unable to press any buttons on the screen. safety: when making calls hands free with the system, it will mute calls, end calls, or switch calls between the car speaker and the phone speaker. This is problematic if emergency services are ever needed to be called and makes it difficult to remain hands free as the buttons on the screen often don't work properly when this is happening. it also changes between screens when using the GPS maps and does not leave the map/directions displayed on the screen which puts the driver and others at greater risk of an accident when relying on the GPS to get places. The vehicle was inspected by a Subaru dealership on 1/8/2026 and confirmed the issues with the screen and confirmed that this is a known issue with the 2018 Subaru outback infotainment system. symptoms were first mild and starte

This is a Base model automobile with manual seats. The right front passenger seat unlocked without warning during a quick deceleration. The seat slid forward on mounting rails and caused the front passenger to be squished between forward motion of seat and the seat belt. Lucky this was not a collision, but weight of seat moving forward & smashing passenger against seat belt was very uncormfortable. During a collision, this may have resulted in a serious injury. Seat bottom was replaced by dealer at my expense. I have kept defective seat bottom for further inspection. I have attached the repair invoice. Car has been used afterward without front passenger awaiting for part to be made available. Invoice incorrectly reports mileage. There is less that 15,000 miles on this car.

This is a Base model automobile with manual seats. The right front passenger seat unlocked without warning during a quick deceleration. The seat slid forward on mounting rails and caused the front passenger to be squished between forward motion of seat and the seat belt. Lucky this was not a collision, but weight of seat moving forward & smashing passenger against seat belt was very uncormfortable. During a collision, this may have resulted in a serious injury. Seat bottom was replaced by dealer at my expense. I have kept defective seat bottom for further inspection. I have attached the repair invoice. Car has been used afterward without front passenger awaiting for part to be made available. Invoice incorrectly reports mileage. There is less that 15,000 miles on this car.

While driving my 2018 Subaru Outback on the freeway, the sunroof spontaneously shattered without warning. At the time of the incident, there were no nearby vehicles, road debris, or external factors that could explain the failure. This appears to be a dangerous and unexpected defect.

Touch screen has delamination that causes false control of functions controlled by the touch screen. Due to delamination of the screen it can make false phone calls, change the radio station or modify system settings, causing dangerous distractions for the driver.

While the lane keeping assistance is on the car will follow the exit lane beside the lane I’m in and jerk over into it. There has been a car beside me when has happened but I caught the steering wheel before a crash. Also if a car is turning in front of me sometimes, not always, the brakes will jam on when I’m not even close to the car that is turning but I would be going around the car after it has turned almost all the way. There has been no crashes or injuries yet.

While the lane keeping assistance is on the car will follow the exit lane beside the lane I’m in and jerk over into it. There has been a car beside me when has happened but I caught the steering wheel before a crash. Also if a car is turning in front of me sometimes, not always, the brakes will jam on when I’m not even close to the car that is turning but I would be going around the car after it has turned almost all the way. There has been no crashes or injuries yet.

While the lane keeping assistance is on the car will follow the exit lane beside the lane I’m in and jerk over into it. There has been a car beside me when has happened but I caught the steering wheel before a crash. Also if a car is turning in front of me sometimes, not always, the brakes will jam on when I’m not even close to the car that is turning but I would be going around the car after it has turned almost all the way. There has been no crashes or injuries yet.

The head unit on the vehicle has delaminated. The touchscreen display no longer works, it has false touches. This affects navigational safety of the vehicle, as navigation no longer works. This also affects sounds of the vehicle, not being able to change volume for ADAS alerts. This also affects the backup camera, which is a big safety concern. The problem has been confirmed and inspected by a dealer, it costs $2300.00 to replace. Warning symptoms were bubbles on the screen and the screen stopped working/became jittery.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the infotainment system was displaying a blank screen. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the infotainment system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

Mileage: 68,000

Head unit / radio has delamination and causing buttons to randomly press and cycle until it freezes. This is a know. Issue and Subaru has extended the warranty for a but , but if issue occurs after this the owner is on their own. It is a safety issue when electrical systems just randomly start going off. Should be covered.

My 2018 Subaru Outback has a defective head unit that poses a serious safety hazard. Subaru has already acknowledged this defect in this exact make/model/year and issued an extended warranty, but my vehicle was denied full coverage because the warranty window expired. The defect causes the head unit to: -Power on/off by itself. -Force phone connections even when Bluetooth is disabled. -Place dozens of calls on its own while I am driving (call random number, hang up, call number, hang up, etc). -Randomly connect to nearby devices. -Emit loud, unexpected noises. During a recent 4-hour family trip with my [XXX] son, the head unit repeatedly dialed contacts and hung up on them uncontrollably, forcing me to pull over on the highway. This is a clear safety risk, as it distracts the driver and requires emergency stops. At Subaru Customer Advocacy’s request, I took the vehicle to a Subaru dealership twice and paid nearly $200 for a formal diagnosis, which confirmed the known delamination

MY 2018 Outback experienced a driver side smoking mirror a few days ago. While parked at the gas station, a large amount of smoke suddenly began emanating from the driver side mirror. As a result I no longer see my TPMS, the ability to lock/unlock the car with the remote, interior lights no longer work.

Summary of Problem: The infotainment screen on my 2018 Subaru Outback has delaminated and is malfunctioning, causing multiple safety issues. This is a known manufacturer defect previously addressed in a class-action lawsuit (Starlink Infotainment System Litigation, settled 2021). However, my vehicle’s screen failed shortly after the extended warranty expired. Detailed Description of Safety Hazards: The malfunctioning screen creates the following safety risks: 1. Backup Camera Obstruction – The screen dims erratically, sometimes going completely dark, rendering the rearview camera unusable. This poses a serious safety hazard and appears to violate FMVSS 111 requirements for rear visibility systems. 2. Unintended Screen Inputs – The screen exhibits “ghost touches” that result in random phone calls, volume changes, and navigation menu disruptions, all without user input. This creates an unsafe level of driver distraction. 3. Driver Distraction and Interference – The system

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the radio system display had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

Mileage: 20,000

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the radio system display had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

Mileage: 20,000

The infotainment system in the car has suffered from screen delamination, which is apparently common with these models. This has left the touchscreen both non-responsive to touch as well as randomly selecting items on the screen, rendering it unusable. This is a safety issue because the only way to deactivate Reverse Automatic Braking and the rear parking sensors is through the touchscreen. Being able to do this is essential when connecting a trailer or attempting to reverse with one attached. Subaru is aware of the problem and was subject to class action litigation related to it, ultimately being required to extend the warranty on the units as a result. However, the warranty extension was inadequate and left several thousand units in the field which would eventually require replacement. Note that a similar issue on the 2019 models resulted in an 8-year / 150,000-mile warranty extension on the units, yet prior models were only required to have a 4-year / 80,000-mile extension.

The infotainment system in the car has suffered from screen delamination, which is apparently common with these models. This has left the touchscreen both non-responsive to touch as well as randomly selecting items on the screen, rendering it unusable. This is a safety issue because the only way to deactivate Reverse Automatic Braking and the rear parking sensors is through the touchscreen. Being able to do this is essential when connecting a trailer or attempting to reverse with one attached. Subaru is aware of the problem and was subject to class action litigation related to it, ultimately being required to extend the warranty on the units as a result. However, the warranty extension was inadequate and left several thousand units in the field which would eventually require replacement. Note that a similar issue on the 2019 models resulted in an 8-year / 150,000-mile warranty extension on the units, yet prior models were only required to have a 4-year / 80,000-mile extension.