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Reliability report · 2018 Subaru Outback · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,200/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

A cleaner fifth-gen pick with a shorter recall list — still a cam-carrier-leak car, so check the engine is dry.

2018 is one of the easier fifth-gen years to shop: its three recalls are two harmless software reprogrammings (a fuel-gauge fix and a rearview-camera fix) and the wide Denso low-pressure fuel-pump recall (21V587), all free. A Subaru specialist actually prefers an '18 or '19 over a 2020 specifically because these cars predate the thermal control valve that gives the sixth-gen cars an expensive repair.

The catches are the same fifth-gen pair: the cam-carrier oil leak (about $6,000 to reseal, engine-out, no extended coverage) and the parasitic battery drain from the telematics module, which a class action and warranty extension addressed. Head-gasket failure isn't a concern on this engine. Inspect for a dry engine and confirm the battery-drain and fuel-pump work were done.

Evidence: 803 NHTSA complaints · 3 recall campaigns · 3 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Chirping

What that means: 803 federal complaints and a shorter, tamer recall list than 2016 or 2017 — two software fixes and the shared Denso fuel-pump recall. The underlying fifth-generation patterns are the same: the cam-carrier oil leak (the one repair with no free coverage) and the Data Communication Module battery drain.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

803

Federal complaints

3

Recalls

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2018 Subaru Outback SW AWD (NHTSA VehicleId 12397)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Cam-carrier oil leak — the engine-out repair with no coverage

major
  • 2.5L boxer (FB25)

The FB-series boxer seals the cam carrier to the cylinder head with RTV silicone; that seam and the timing-chain cover seep oil as the seal ages and heat-cycles. A Subaru specialist explains that resealing requires pulling the engine — there's no in-car fix — so it runs about $6,000 out of warranty (owner estimate) with no warranty extension. A Subaru email answer confirms the cam-carrier/oil-leak behavior is 'pretty much the same' across '18, '19, and '20 cars. Keeping the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system healthy and oil changes on time slows it. Inspect the front of the engine for seepage before buying.

This is a 2.5L boxer (FB25) problem. The 2.4L turbo (FA24) doesn’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Cam-carrier reseal (engine out)

~$6,000

Slowing it with PCV service + oil changes

maintenance only

Sources: Independent Subaru mechanic channel transcripts (cam-carrier, generation comparison)

Parasitic battery drain (Data Communication Module) — covered by extension + settlementmoderate

The telematics box — the DCM, or Data Communication Module — keeps drawing power after the car is off, flattening the 12-volt battery over a day or two and ruining batteries over time. Subaru extended the DCM warranty (8 years/100,000 miles on this era), settled a class action, and issued a 12-volt battery warranty extension. Repeat dead batteries on a 2018 trace here — confirm the software/extension work was performed rather than assuming the battery is at fault.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2018 Subaru Outback (true count 803) · NHTSA recalls + manufacturer communications (DCM/battery extensions, fuel-pump, recall documents)

$0

Under DCM extension / settlement

Recalls: two software fixes and the Denso fuel pump — all freemoderate

The three 2018 recalls are mild. A software error could leave the low-fuel light off and show a positive miles-to-empty when the tank is empty, risking an unexpected stall (18V773) — a combination-meter reprogram. An audio-display software fault could leave the rearview camera blank on backup (18V935) — another reprogram. And the wide Denso low-pressure fuel-pump recall (21V587) covers a pump that can fail and stall the engine — a free replacement. All three are free; confirm each shows completed by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA recalls + manufacturer communications (DCM/battery extensions, fuel-pump, recall documents)

$0

All recall work

Yeah, personally I'd probably trade a 2020 down to an '18 or a '19 — they didn't have that thermal control valve to worry about.
3 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Subaru dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 18V773Software error may leave the low-fuel light off and show a positive miles-to-empty when the tank is empty — risk of unexpected stall (2018 Legacy/Outback). Combination-meter software reprogrammed free. Subaru code WTW-82.open
  2. 18V935Audio-display software may not initialize, leaving the rearview camera blank on backup; FMVSS 111 noncompliance (2018 Legacy/Outback/BRZ). Reprogrammed free. Subaru code WTZ-85.open
  3. 21V587Denso low-pressure fuel pump inside the tank may fail, stalling the engine (broad campaign incl. 2018 Outback). Pump replaced free. Subaru code WRG-21.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2018 Outback

Three sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

28 MPG combined (25 city / 32 highway) for the AWD, 2.5L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 38856 (Outback AWD).
Other builds EPA lists: AWD, 3.6L 22 MPG.

$2,200/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Theft

Stolen about 78% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2016–18 models, published May 2019 (report WT-18). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Subaru Outback 4WD with EyeSight.
Other series: Subaru Outback 4WD 51, where 100 = average.

22 vs 100

78% below average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Cam-carrier reseal (engine out)~$6,000
Slowing it with PCV service + oil changesmaintenance only
Under DCM extension / settlement$0
All recall work$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Inspect the front of the engine and cam-carrier seam for oil seepage; budget ~$6,000 if it's leaking (no extended coverage).
  2. 02Ask about repeat dead batteries and confirm the Data Communication Module (telematics) extension/software work was done.
  3. 03Verify the fuel-pump recall (21V587) and both software recalls (18V773, 18V935) are closed by VIN.
  4. 04Ask for CVT fluid service history — a 3-year/36,000-mile drain-and-refill record is the best longevity sign.
  5. 05On a northern/salt-belt car, look underneath for subframe, brake-line, and suspension-mount rust.
  6. 06Confirm this year predates the thermal control valve (a sixth-gen expense) — a reason a Subaru specialist favors '18/'19.

Own one already?

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vincanary.com/subaru/outback/2018