2018 Subaru Outback: sudden loss of power

Filed Sep 11, 2026 · Engine · NJ

The car started to make very loud engine noises and then the engine completely failed. The car was no longer able to accelerate and lost the ability to go in both forward and reverse. Luckily, my son had just arrived home when the car completely lost power, but it began to have acceleration issues as he was driving home. No warning lights came on until after the car had completely failed. Less than a week prior to the incident, the car had an oil change and inspection by the dealership and no issues of concern were noted. The car was towed to the dealer. The technician said that the oil contained metal shavings, indicated an engine block failure.

Filed Jan 30, 2026 · Electrical · 30 miles · OK · fire

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that when driving approximately 30- 40 MPH, veering off the highway, the vehicle suddenly lost power, but had immediately regained power. The failure had occurred 3 - 4 times total. The last time it occurred, the vehicle took a bit longer to regain power. After pulling into the desired parking lot, the contact checked the battery. When touching a wire connecting to the battery, it sparked and caught fire. The contact immediately grabbed some snow nearby and threw it onto the wire to put out the fire. There was no fire report filed. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. The contact had noticed that the instrument panel would flash with several warning lights; however, it would illuminate quickly and intermittently. The vehicle was then scheduled to be towed from the parking lot, but it had not been taken to the dealer after the incident. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Sep 30, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · OK

On 9/28/23 I was driving in a 2-lane construction zone with my daughter. While going through the construction zone, my car lost all power and just shut off completely. No warning signs just went completely dead. I almost got rear ended, thankfully the car behind me went to the left of the center, but almost had a head on collision into oncoming traffic. Thankfully, no wrecks were involved. It did eventually start back up and has yet to happen again. However, back in July/August of 2021, I received a recall notice on my vehicle the federal safety agency Campaign #21V587000. When I called to check on the recall it was stated that my vehicle did not have a current recall. I believe this is inaccurate to the fullest. When I bought the vehicle, I took my outback in several times to the dealership with what I thought was transmission and some electrical issues. They could find nothing wrong, how convenient for them, they weren't the ones almost killed because the vehicle would stall at intermittent times during acceleration. I took it in on 1/24/19, 4/26/19, 10/24/19, and 7/27/20. The mileage range was from 1K to 55K, now at 111K my car just has a complete system failure. Honestly, they didn't seem enough to care and treated me like I didn't know what I was talking about. I drove it 7 days a week and they drove it for 15 minutes and said there were no issues. That is not a fair assessment. I would like to resolve this matter before someone gets killed because of a defective issue on Subaru's part that was documented several times. I have the receipts and work orders to support the evidence. I have notified my family of the issues in case something does happen because of the vehicle, and I am, or others are injured or killed in an accident. Like I said, I have all the documentation to support any claim henceforth. I bought a Subaru because of its safety ratings. Now, I'm afraid to have passengers or my grandkids ride with me out of fear for their safety and others.

Filed Apr 27, 2019 · Engine · 6,000 miles · CO · fire

While driving, the vehicle started to lose power and engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was parked and upon inspection of the engine the engine had caught fire. The fire grew and the car was demolished as a result of an engine fire. The vehicle was in perfect working order before the fire, well maintained and had low mileage for a one year old vehicle.

Filed Dec 28, 2018 · Electrical, Fuel system · 12,500 miles · CO

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 subaru outback. While driving approximately 55 MPH at night, the fuel range dropped and the vehicle lost power and shut off. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road. The manufacturer's roadside assistance was called, but no one answered. The contact called the police for assistance due to the darkness. The contact called triple a and was provided some fuel to drive home. Two days later, the contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v773000 (electrical system, fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was taken to groove subaru (720‑279‑9409, located at 5300 s broadway, englewood, co 80113) where it was confirmed that the parts were not available. The manufacturer was called, but no one answered the phone. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 12,500. ..*bf*jb

Filed Oct 9, 2018 · Electrical, Engine · 13,000 miles · FL

** 2018 subaru outback ** this has happened three times** driving car when car shuts off complete loss of power engine turns off without warning at various speeds - seems to occur when the low fuel warning system turns on at 1/4 tank of gas. This 3rd time almost got me killed traveling at 45mpg when it happened today inside a major intersection. Software / sensor for the low fuel system? Something is very seriously wrong. 1. Is this car safe to drive with a full tank of gas? 2. Has there been other complaints about this exact problem? 3. Is there a recall or fix ?