CSR

Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2018 Subaru Legacy

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

116

Complaints

7

Crashes

1

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2018 Subaru Legacy have filed 116 safety complaints with NHTSA between November 2017 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 40 of them (34%). The typical failure was reported at 20,450 miles, the median across the 54 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints more than doubled year on year: 19 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 7 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

21V587000 · July 29, 2021

The 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.
The risk
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
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.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 175,968 vehicles across all model years covered

VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES

18V935000 · December 31, 2018

The 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."
The risk
Failure to display the rearview image while backing up increases the risk of crash.
The remedy
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.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 71,190 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE

18V773000 · November 1, 2018

The 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.
The 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.
The remedy
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.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 228,648 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 116.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 40 34%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 29 25%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 24 21%
ENGINE 10 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 7%
VISIBILITY 8 7%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 4%
LANE DEPARTURE 4 3%
STEERING 4 3%
STRUCTURE 4 3%
AIR BAGS 3 3%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 22.

2017 2025 2026
2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

Sunroof spontaneously failed. Tempered glass shattered and sprayed into cabin

NHTSA complaint 11510830. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

The Driver Side Rear View when I started the Car back in January of 2024 after car had been running for 30 Seconds smoke and Fire flames were seen coming through that rear view mirror immediately contacted Subaru of America and was called back with urgency and they fixed this issue but since then I haves a few other issues I believe relate to the wiring inside the vehicle and due to the wiring, which caused the fire. I have tried to contact Subaru of America and let them know this and have had no luck with any type of help with other repairs.

NHTSA complaint 11687253. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed

I was going down the hill in my development, I made it approximately 2-300ft at 7-10MPH when suddenly there was a loud “bang”. I could not see anything, my airbags had deployed and blocked my field of vision. I ended up hitting an electrical pole. There was no need for the airbags to go off. I could have been killed. There is no airbag recall on my VIN number.

NHTSA complaint 11491503. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed

Vehicle proceeded from a stop at intersection when it unexpectedly decelerated and holding the brakes down seem to do nothing, tried turning corner at next stop sign to maybe slow it down and hit utility pole and parked car in driveway. A resident that was outside on porch by stop sign said they heard it just loud exceleration. This was a short street block in a residential area. No warnings, vehicle undrivable and waiting on insurance. Police accident report filed. There were no skid marks, although there was wet pavement.12/6/2022

NHTSA complaint 11496852. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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.

NHTSA complaint 11749001. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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 functions on its own while the vehicle is being driven. These unintended inputs create a driver distraction and make it difficult to use navigation, audio, and vehicle information functions safely. This appears to be a known and widespread issue affecting 2018 Subaru Legacy vehicles equipped with Harman Kardon Starlink head units. The problem is

NHTSA complaint 11745323, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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.

NHTSA complaint 11745102. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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 believe there is an official recall, even though there is obviously a safety issue.

NHTSA complaint 11742800. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Ghost touch issues with infotainment system (as with many other Subaru models). Cannot use radio, Bluetooth or any screen functions.

NHTSA complaint 11733981. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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 Lane Keeping Assistance became disabled. This directly impacted safe vehicle operation. The issue was diagnosed by an authorized Subaru dealership, which confirmed the head unit is defective and requires replacement. Subaru previously issued a warranty extension for this known defect. Subaru of America denied goodwill assistance despite the

NHTSA complaint 11712979, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Subaru Legacy

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2023 10 2
2022 32 2
2021 31 3
2020 121 6
2019 123 3
2017 118 2
2016 146 3
2015 159 3
2014 53 10
2013 66 12
2012 90 16
2011 167 16
2010 150 18 1

Other 2018 Subaru models

Every Subaru on this site — 97 vehicles, 147 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst