2018 Subaru Outback

2018 Subaru Outback headunit is "delaminated" causing phantom touches on the headunit's touch screen. While driving, the headunit will act as if something is pressing random buttons, changing radio stations, opening/closing maps, going through settings panel and changing car settings, ultimately distracting the driver usually at highway speeds. Many other Subaru owners are reporting the same issue on the forums: [XXX] [XXX] Subaru is reporting the fault as "regular wear and tear" and charging customers $1200+ to replace the headunits. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Sterio and Navigation screen has formed bubbles and what appears to be a film under the screen and has also started delaminating. The screen is now rarely usable as it appears to have a mind and hands of its own as it makes its own selections on the screen and no longer allows me to control it. This is very dangerous as the Subaru touch screen offers setting adjustments that are being changed while on the road, without my control. It is my understanding that Subaru will not replace this unless you pay $2k+ out of pocket even though SEVERAL incidents are reported. Unfortunately, I am not in good standing to purchase another car right now so I will have to continue driving this car and praying that whatever settings that car adjusts during that drive won't have a negative impact.

Reported to local Subaru Dealer there was a problem with the Parking Brake. While parked at red light, when I attempted to release the parking brake, it would NOT release, and had great difficulty getting to release and proceed. (This is in Traffic). They tested it and claimed it was ok, no problem. Fast forward, several weeks and I started the car, put it in Drive. Car would not move forward. Subaru sent Tow service. At dealership service manager says some debris had filtered down into the parking brake mechanism. I am Not a mechanic. This is what I had told them weeks earlier, [What I suspected]

CVT Transmission failed and shut off engine. 2018 Subaru Outback Limited with only 56,500 miles. On 5/19/24 at approximately 11:30PM, my family and I (5 members) were driving northbound on an interstate highway, when all of a sudden, the engine and transmission completely shut off with all warning lights flashing on the dashboard, while travelling at speeds of 65 miles per hour. When pressing on the accelerator, vehicle would not accelerate, rather the vehicle was decelerating. Fortunately, not many vehicles were on the highway at that time and our vehicle had enough momentum to move right towards the shoulder of the highway and came to a complete stop. When engine turned on and shift to D or R, vehicle does not move. Vehicle is at Subaru dealership being inspected and hopefully being repaired under warranty, which was extended by Subaru of America. SUBARU NEED TO FIX THIS, IT IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT.

We have replaced the battery 3 times now in less than a year. The battery keeps dying, which is so bad it is ruining the battery such that it has to be replaced. My pregnant wife and child have been stranded several times. Subaru sent a class action lawsuit notice, but when we went to the dealer they claimed they knew nothing about it. They tested the battery and said nothing was wrong. Doing some digging it seems that numerous others have had this same issue. It is an issue with the alternator and the DCM causing parasitic battery drain. Subaru is doing nothing to fix the issue.

The driver's side daytime running light has failed. This light is an LED designed to last the life of the car and cannot be repaired. Unfortunately, there is no indicator light inside the car to notify the driver of the failure. In hazardous weather conditions, it may appear as though the light is functioning based on the dashboard lights, but it is not. Regrettably, replacing the bulb is not an option and this poses a potential risk to the driver and others during inclement weather or low visibility situations. The dealership has inspected the vehicle and confirmed that it cannot be repaired. To resolve the issue, the entire unit must be replaced, which will cost over $1000. This model has experienced numerous instances of failure with the driver side daytime running lights, indicating a widespread safety concern that the manufacturer has yet to address in this particular year. Previous years have been recalled for the same issue.

We have experienced 3 cracked windshields within 4 months due to small rock debris kicked-up from passing vehicles. Each crack originated at the edge of the glass; 2 from outside edge passenger side and 1 from center bottom edge passenger side. Driving conditions were different for each incident, as each incident occurred during highway driving during light, medium, and heavy traffic flow. Passenger safety was not compromised. The dates for each incident were 15 February 2024, 28 April 2024, and 21 May 2024.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the windshield cracked without impact. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer to have the windshield replaced; however, the failure recurred soon after the replacement. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the Eyesight system had become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the system was recalibrated. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the infotainment system screen was delaminated, causing the touchpad function to become inoperable. The contact was concerned because the Eyesight system could only be configured through the infotainment screen. Additionally, the contact stated that the infotainment system screen delamination had caused the infotainment system to activate vehicle functions independently. The contact stated that the rearview camera was still operable. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that it was a common failure. The dealer related the failure to an Extended Warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.