2018 Subaru Legacy reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 117 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Subaru Legacy over 9 years — 15 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Legacy years here — over the median of the other years, which is 7. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Fuel pump, Rearview mirrors, and Electrical system, software.

2012 Subaru Legacy — Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain

Complaints

117

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (40 of 117), then Visibility and wipers (25) and Engine (10). Those filings include 7 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Legacy has 119 complaints, 7 per year, and the 2019 has 123 complaints, 18 per year. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2018 Subaru Legacy. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall Fuel pump 2021-07-29 · NHTSA campaign 21V587000

Summary 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.

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.

Recall visibility, rearview mirrors 2018-12-31 · NHTSA campaign 18V935000

Summary 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."

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.

Recall electrical system, software 2018-11-01 · NHTSA campaign 18V773000

Summary 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.

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.

Complaints by component (117 total)

Electrical system

Visibility and wipers

Engine

Fuel and propulsion system

Visibility

Service brakes

Lane departure

Steering

Structure

Air bags

Back-over prevention

Speed control

Suspension

Equipment

Exterior lighting

Forward collision avoidance

Powertrain

Tires

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Parking brake

Seat belts

Wheels

Show 14 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Following an engine-out service at an authorized dealer (Bill Kolb Jr. Subaru), a primary powertrain mounting bolt was left unthreaded by approximately 1 inch, creating an undetected 8,000-mile safety hazard that…"
Suspension, Powertrain, Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-08-27
"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…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-07-08
"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…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-06-19
"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…"
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Unknown or other · filed 2026-06-18
"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…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-06-08

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2018 Subaru Legacy 4 DR AWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Legacy all-wheel drive	3.6L, 6-cyl	Automatic (AV-S6)	All-wheel drive	20	28	23 MPG	$2800
Legacy all-wheel drive	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AV-S7)	All-wheel drive	25	34	29 MPG	$2250

Specs and fitment

6th generation (BN/BS), 2015–2019

Body styles Sedan

Oil 0W-20 synthetic (2.5L; 5W-30 if 0W-20 unavailable) , 5.1 qt capacity

Tire size 225/50R18, 225/55R17 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 21V587000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that 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. Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. 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. When NHTSA lists multiple Subaru nameplates in one campaign, the published unit count is shared across them.

Compare

Previous year 2017 Subaru Legacy Next year 2019 Subaru Legacy See every Subaru Legacy model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Subaru Legacy reliable?

What are common problems with a 2018 Subaru Legacy?

Is the 2018 Subaru Legacy more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2018 Subaru Legacy been recalled?

The 2018 Subaru Legacy has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2018 Subaru Legacy?

Owners have filed 117 complaints about the 2018 Subaru Legacy with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Subaru Legacy get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Subaru Legacy is 26 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Subaru Legacy use?

Recent Legacy 2.5L US manuals specify 0W-20 synthetic, with 5W-30 only when 0W-20 is unavailable.

What generation is the 2021 Subaru Legacy?

7th generation / BW (2020-on).

What tire sizes does a Subaru Legacy use?

Recent US generations commonly list 225/50R18 and 225/55R17 among trim options.