Within the last few months, my 2015 Outback has been unreliable with the fuel gauge indicator, causing me to run out of gas three times, stranded roadside, with supposedly 30 miles in rank. Fortunately, there were no accidents, but two out of three times, I was left stranded on highways, that put me at risk of being struck.
Subaru Outback fuel gauge problems
24 of the 9,794 owner complaints about the Subaru Outback describe wrong fuel gauge reading, most of them for the 2018 model year.
- owner complaints
- 24
- worst model year
- 2018
- typical mileage
- 21,000
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Fuel leak 3Stalling 2Fuel smell 2Won't start 1Loss of power 1Engine failure 1Check engine light 1
What owners say
I experienced a fuel leak while driving my car. It was leaking from the fuel lines in the engine bay. My fuel gauge was showing low and I had just refueled several days before. I didn't know it had a leak in the line. When I tried to put more gas in, the fuel ran out under the car. I had my car taken to the dealer where I had bought it less than two years ago. They called me and said it was a bad fuel line caused by squirrels biting the line. They said the insulation around the line had soy in its making which attracted them.I I got it back after a week. This is most certainly a safety hazard. They also said other makes and models have used these same components since 2010.
Fuel gauge reading incorrectly. Shows full tank and it is not full. Also mpg and mileage range indicators fluctuate, sometimes wildly
Gas Gauge is not working correctly. This problem was supposedly fixed in a previous recall.
Summary: I have a 2019 Subaru Outback 3.6r with approximately 30k miles. It spent most of it's life in Texas, a low-corrosion state. When I was camping in Colorado, it started leaking fuel for extended periods from the tank area on the passenger side just in front of the rear wheel. The left a strong gas odor/fire danger as it leaked for many hours. I can supplies photos and video. The leak appeared rather suddenly, and is worse when the vehicle tank was just filled. It leaves large puddles of fuel on the ground. Failed system: fuel storage. It is available for inspection upon request. Safety: this issue resulted in a large fuel spill/gasoline vapor cloud, and the leak continues for hours. there is no crash damage/etc. to the vehicle. I have not taken the issue to a dealer yet. Should I get the car looked at by them? It is easy to reproduce by filling the tank normally at a gas station, the leak is worse when the tank is full. There are no warning lights/etc. The fuel gauge on the dashboard has also become intermittent after the leaking started. Sometimes it shows the fuel level, sometimes it shows empty (the tank is not empty). Note the image showing conflicting information on mileage to empty vs the needle fuel gauge level - the tank is appx 3/4 full in that image, neither fuel gauge is correct or agrees with each other.
Gas gauge appears to be out of calibration. Not giving good / accurate readings. It's "50-50".
Fuel injector fuel delivery line rupture and leaking. Left on vacation in this 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R Touring on 07/23/2021, noticed the strong smell of gasoline when stopped, less so when interstate driving, with the fuel gauge declining more rapidly than it should. Stopped by Wheeling Volkswagen/Subaru Dealership just before their daily closing. They inspected and found the above ruptured fuel line, leaking onto the pavement under the engine compartment. They determined it was unsafe to drive, but did not have a replacement part. They found there were less than 10 of these fuel injector fuel delivery lines available in the whole U.S. Had to leave the vehicle with them, and the repair was completed 4 day later. The faulty component was observed by the service department personel, and by myself. I have no photos to submit, but have the repair invoice covered under Subaru's drive train warranty. This component failure could have easily resulted in a vehicle fire or explosion, and I feel very fortunate that did not happen! This fuel line is flexible rubber, not metal, and I think is made of faulty materials. I have never heard of such a failure personally. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms, other than the strong smell of gasoline.
Car lost power and engine shut down while at freeway speed with 1/8 tank apparent remaining on the gas gauge and 60 miles remaining on the miles to go indicator. Added 1 gallon at roadside and car started immediately. Added an additional 15.5 gallons at a station 12 miles from point the engine shut down. This leaves between 2 and 2.5 gallons of unused fuel in the tank at the point the car shut down from fuel starvation.
My gas gauge says I have 95 miles before ineed gas however my warning light comes on at that time tell me to get gas right away
When we were driving the 2011 subaru outback on the road on july 5,2019, the fuel gauge suddenly shifted from almost full to zero. The car stopped and we placed it in park. Subsequent attempts to start the car did not even ignite the engine, even when we added another gallon of gas and tried jump starting the car. There were no visible signs of a gas leak. Our insurance company towed our car to nearby coleman subaru nj, where the dealer has now assumed it was a computer issue and have asked to order another computer to fix it. This was an incredibly scary experience for us. There were five people in the car when we were driving and thankfully no one was hurt. If it happened on the high way, I don't know what would have happened. We are concerned this is a safety issue which can get people hurt.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 21V587000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Impreza, Outback, Legacy, and Ascent vehicles. The low pressure fuel pump may become inoperative.
- Risk
- If the low pressure fuel pump fails, the engine may stall without the ability to restart the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the low pressure fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-20.
Recall number 20V218000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and cap
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger or sport utility vehicles may have a loose or out of position fuel filler hose clamp.
- Risk
- This could result in fuel leakage. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and tighten the clamp on the fuel filler hose. Owner notification began august 27, 2003. Owners should contact subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783.
Recall number 03V303000 · Recall details
Questions about the Subaru Outback fuel gauge
Which Subaru Outback years have wrong fuel gauge reading problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2018 (9 complaints), 2017 (7 complaints) and 2011 (2 complaints).
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