2018s seem to have had a lot more than their fair share of problems (particularly the head unit and fuel gauge recalls) - don't think anyone saw that coming - but the rest of the 5th Gens appear to have been relatively solid. It's unfortunate.

...My touring has a bad battery that I will have to replace at my own expense, and Subaru seems to have no interest in keeping me as a customer. I guess this is a" bought" lesson. Most of mine are.

That's not possible unless you're insisting on an aftermarket replacement (which some folks have also gotten Subaru to reimburse). The stock battery is covered under the 3yr/36k warranty.

 

2018s seem to have had a lot more than their fair share of problems (particularly the head unit and fuel gauge recalls) - don't think anyone saw that coming - but the rest of the 5th Gens appear to have been relatively solid. It's unfortunate.



That's not possible unless you're insisting on an aftermarket replacement (which some folks have also gotten Subaru to reimburse). The stock battery is covered under the 3yr/36k warranty.

I am not insisting on anything. After jumping the vehicle off three times, I am going to put a new NAPA on the vehicle tomorrow at my expense and forget about it. The dealer does not care. Google 2018 Outback battery problems and you might be surprised. I was.

 

Hers ran out of gas on the way home with the first tank of gas. Gauge showed 1/4 tank.

Did you do the Gas Gauge Recall?

 

The recall was not out at that time.

 

are the radios at the latest firmware for the 2018? There was a recall to get it up to date for the firmware version Rel_UO.18.43.20 (in december 2018) - there was a campaign with letters to owners to update to that version (Free from a dealer) , but there has been a newer release which is available that might fix some of your issues - Rel_A1_19_17_20 (july 29, 2019). You can download and install the update yourself using the subaru maps downloader (those updates are firmware and maps) <-- NOTE: only if your outbacks have navigation, otherwise any firmware update you will need to visit a dealer (don't know what models you own).

Also maybe read through the thread (it's long!!) about the 2018 headunit issues... maybe work backwards as early issues have been addressed with firmware updates (the subaru map updater site). https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/2018-headunit-issues-thread.465882/page-102#post-5871106

Here is a link to the fuel gauge recall iamian mentioned: https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/fuel-gauge-recall-2018.501579/

 

Thank you for your help.

 

Gas gauge and head unit have recalls on them. Mine were done prior to my purchase and have had no problems (except my google pixel 2 won't connect to the head unit). I'm guessing a different phone would solve this. No battery issues for me. It is still the original. I'll replace it with an Interstate battery when it needs it. I've always had battery issues with all my cars. Interstate seems to be the best of them all.

If that's all your problems, they seem fairly minor. Inconvenient, yes.

 

Looked on Carvana today just for grins and found something that made me cringe. My 2018 Outback Limited H6 was virtually worthless. CARFAX counted a very minor scuff on the drivers side rear bumper as an accident, when a guy in a pickup grazed the bumper when he dipped behind the Outback while exiting an off-ramp from the highway. Carvana dinged the value of my Outback by $6K because of it. It buffed

right out.

 

@Sparkland

Carvana is a rip off. Their sales prices are too high. They discount trade ins to offset shipping costs and overhead more than any other dealer. If you want a fair market value for your car in your area try www.cargurus.com . It will list what is for sale in the radius you provide from your zip code and by the year/make/model.

CarFax does the same but their valuations are oddball and inconsistent.

NADA is what is still used by dealerships. And CarFax is another, but again, CarFax puts values higher than NADA.

 

As I hike in the mountains, I replaced my Prius v with 2018 Outback, which I call "snowflake." I should have stayed with Prius v, which was "Little Engine that Could." The battery failed in 5 months when I reversed, and the dealer did not see anything wrong. I contacted Subaru, and they told me that I should read the manual and learn how to reverse. I was driving 30 years! It failed again, and at least Subaru did contact the dealer for me. The dealer said that the battery was bad, and gave me another battery. In less than 26 months, that battery failed 2 times in 2 months. The dealer said that the battery was good. After the third time, they told me to bring the car back "next morning at 9am and we will take care of it." I did, and I was told that the battery was bad but oh my gosh, your battery warranty expired yesterday! I bought Diehard battery at a auto part store, and it has been working fine, and Subaru reimbursed the cost.

Of course, my head unit had to be replaced as it went blank. And now I have to replace my tires, My car only had about 30,000 miles. But I drive ragged roads to trail heads, so I should accept that.

What I do now understand is that Outback is not for those who enjoy outdoor! That is the advertising myth. The GPS cannot take coordinates. And how many trail heads have an address? I use Apple CarPlay to navigate instead of using the GPS. When I get to a trail head, I add the location to the GPS. And Apple CarPlay does not connect 100%. And the cargo door cannot be kept open for my dogs during dog shows.
Prius v had its own problems, but I am so sorry that I thought Subaru was better fit to my life style. Sorry for the rant.

 

The concept of 2018 being a bad year has been invalid for a long time at this point (March 2021). The head unit issues are solved with a trip to the dealer to get the firmware update. The gauge issues are also solved with a trip to the dealer to get the recall service on the gauge. As far as I know, there were no other problems that were unique to 2018.



Wow, a Toyota Prius is better for you while exploring the outdoors. It is hard to think of a worse insult to Subaru. I do agree that Subaru should be leading the way on fail safe systems. For example, battery usage should be idiot-proof. I could go on, but I don't want to digress.

Anyway, the battery drain problem can be solved. There are a number of threads on this site that discuss what you need to do. As a customer, you should NOT have to perform extra research to solve the battery drain problem. I am just saying it is a solvable problem.