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What 805 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Subaru Outback Wilderness

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (805)Crash / fire / injury (34)Visibility & wipers (272)Electrical system (265)Fuel system (45)Engine (36)Steering (35)Speed control (21)Backup camera & sensors (19)Brakes (18)Driver assistance (18)Transmission & drivetrain (14)

1 of 805 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jan 31, 2020Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS WIFE WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING LOT, THE ENGINE REVVED, AND WITH THE DRIVER'S FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND WENT OVER THE PARKING CURB AND CRASHED INTO AN EMBANKMENT IN ANOTHER PARKING LOT. THERE WAS NO WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS WIFE COMPLAINED ABOUT AN UNKNOWN LIGHT THAT ONCE FLASHED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE DASHBOARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LIGHT DID NOT STAY ON. THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED BUT WAS NOT TOTALED. THERE WAS NO INJURY AND NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE (ANDERSON SUBARU LOCATED AT 7050 PENSACOLA BLVD, PENSACOLA, FL 32505), WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS INTENDED. THE TECHNICIAN OFFERED TO HAVE AN ENGINEER EVALUATE THE FAILURE BUT WARNED THAT IT WOULD TAKE THREE TO FOUR MONTHS TO BE COMPLETED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 39,000. *DT*JB

NHTSA ODI 11306268

Working with the data? Download all 805 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2018 Subaru Outback Wilderness verdict →