2018 Subaru Legacy problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Visibility/Wiper (25) · Electrical System (20) · Fuel/Propulsion System (6)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Subaru Legacy model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
54 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2021-07-29 · campaign 21V587000 · 175,968 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Visibility:rearview Mirrors/Devices 2018-12-31 · campaign 18V935000 · 71,190 vehicles
Defect: 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."
Risk: Failure to display the rearview image while backing up increases the risk of crash.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline 2018-11-01 · campaign 18V773000 · 228,648 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (445)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-05 · SubaruNet Announcement (M · Other
this announcement provides information on a new software update for the midtronics dss and dca machines.
Power Train 2026-09-28 · SubaruNet Announcement (T · Other
this announcement provides information on an enhancement of the techshare cvt diagnostic assitance application.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-18 · 13-109-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
Electrical System 2026-09-18 · 18-244-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"this bulletin announces additional troubleshooting steps for the following dtcs: dtc c1956: rh actuator circuit dtc c1957: lh actuator circuit"
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · SubaruNet Announcement (C · Other
this announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-14 · 15-333-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 445 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-27 · Visibility/Wiper“following an engine-out service at an authorized dealer (bill kolb jr. subaru), a primary powertrain mounting bolt was left unthreaded by approximately 1 inch, creating an undetected 8,000-mile safety hazard that resulted in extensive drivetrain and suspension component failures. subsequently, during a diagnostic inspection at another authorized de…”
2026-07-08 · Electrical System“the vehicle on board video entertainment display has stopped working properly. it does not allow any input to the touch screen. and the only way to regain some functionality is by pressing the steering wheel source button. however it works intermittently. and this causes driver distraction while driving.…”
2026-06-19 · Electrical System“the factory harman kardon starlink touchscreen infotainment system in my 2018 subaru legacy has experienced severe touchscreen delamination. the display has developed widespread bubbling beneath the glass and now generates repeated "ghost touches" without any driver input. the system activates buttons, changes screens, opens menus, and performs fun…”
2026-06-18 · Unknown Or Other“the computer screen has an issue where there is bubbling in the lamination causing the screen to go nuts and become a distracting hazard that you can not shut off. it's a known subaru legacy issue and should be a recall. a new screen is $2000 plus, which is not feasable for the average person to pay and it's become a safety hazard, ect. …”
2026-06-08 · Unknown Or Other“the car 2018 subaru legacy 2018, has touch screen delamination on thecentral information/ entertainment screen, which leads to screen freezing, unresponsiveness, and erratic "phantom" inputs. these malfunctions disable vital safety features, like backup cameras, etc.. subaru has settled claims on this issue, for this vehicle/model, but i do not bel…”
2026-04-27 · Electrical System“ghost touch issues with infotainment system (as with many other subaru models). cannot use radio, bluetooth or any screen functions.…”
2026-01-23 · Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection“the infotainment touchscreen in my 2018 subaru legacy experiences “ghost touch,” where the screen registers inputs without driver interaction and becomes unresponsive. while driving, the screen changes settings on its own and distracts the driver. as a result of the touchscreen malfunction, critical safety features including blind spot warning and…”
2025-11-22 · Unknown Or Other“i experienced an incident of spontaneous acceleration of my vehicle on november 21, 2025. i was driving slowly with my foot on the brake as i was about to make a turn and the engine suddenly accelerated. i slammed down on the brake and the car stopped, but this was extremely frightening. …”
2025-10-20 · Service Brakes · 💥 crash“my wife experienced an unintended acceleration in her 2018 subaru legacy. my wife had begun to slowly back out of a parking space in a school parking lot when her 2018 legacy went into an unintended rapid acceleration in reverse. the car took off in reverse and did not respond to her applying the brakes. somehow she managed to steer the car whic…”
2025-10-07 · Visibility/Wiper“i have been going back and forth with subaru of america's advocacy department for about two weeks now, i purchased my 2018 subaru legacy back in august of 2023. my head unit in my vehicle has now completely stopped working, i have explained that now my back up camera is now freezing and going black and that it poses a safety risk, but they are not …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.