2018 Subaru Legacy Problems, Recalls & Reliability
162 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Subaru Legacy, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 46/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 16,745 miles.
Below average
Where 2018 sits among all Legacy years
What owners report
“Ran out of gas on a flat highway, when the indicator said there were 30 miles left. Gague went from 1/4 to 0 in less than 20 miles.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Legacy
“The display area components(screen)toggles from radio to other components without any input from driver. The radio stars playing by itself.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Legacy
“My windshield cracked spontaneously while i was driving and the crack quickly spread and became very large”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Legacy
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 66 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 21,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 8,400 and 35,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
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.
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 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,…
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…
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…
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…
Technical service bulletins
429 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2018 Subaru Legacy. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2018 Legacy TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2018 Subaru Legacy reliable?
The 2018 Subaru Legacy drew 162 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 46/100, scored against the model's worst year (1995).
What are the most common 2018 Subaru Legacy problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Subaru Legacy are electrical (43 complaints), other (32), and visibility & wipers (32).
At what mileage do 2018 Subaru Legacy problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 Subaru Legacy problems around 21,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 8,400 and 35,000 miles.
Does the 2018 Subaru Legacy have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Subaru Legacy. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.