This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The passenger's-side low beam headlight burned out a week ago and was replaced by the dealer. One week later, the driver's-side low beam headlight burned out. The car only has 15,000 miles presently. The dealer reports that this is a common occurrence in late-model Outbacks. I live in Alaska where the use of headlights is mandatory on some roads. Frequent and unanticipated loss of the headlights is a safety hazard as well as costly.
I purchased my vehicle new from dealer 18 months ago my vehicle requires a low beam bulb replacement every 6 weeks to 3 months. I have been pulled over by the police on numerous occasions due to this defect. Poor access for headlight replacement is another safety issue that compounds this problem. I've always kept a replacement headlight in my previous cars for such the rare occasion that a bulb burned out I could easily pull over and in 2-3 minutes be back on the road with functioning lights. I have never owned a vehicle that required laying on the ground, having to remove the inner fender and likely if you aren't a petite 5 foot tall individual such as myself you may also have to remove the tire to access a headlight. This is a serious safety issue and the dealership telling me there are no service bulletins pertaining to such a problem. All they(Subaru dealer) can do is give me a new bulb and that I am no longer under warranty for a bulb if anyone other than they (Subaru dealer)installs the bulbs. Ridiculous! I feel a greater concern about the bulb burnout shortout or whatever it is issue due to the fact that you just can't fix it along side the road if you had to. All car headlights should be easy to get to and replace they are just that important. Especially when a car has really questionably operating headlights Subaru.
I purchased my vehicle new from dealer 18 months ago my vehicle requires a low beam bulb replacement every 6 weeks to 3 months. I have been pulled over by the police on numerous occasions due to this defect. Poor access for headlight replacement is another safety issue that compounds this problem. I always leap a replacement headlight in my previous cars for such the rare occasion that a bulb burned out I could easily pull over and in 2-3 minutes be back on the road with functioning lights. I have never owned a vehicle that required laying on the ground, having to remove the inner fender and likely if you aren't a petite 5 foot tall individual such as myself you may also have to remove the tire to access a headlight. This is a serious safety issue and the dealership telling me there are no service bulletins pertaining to such a problem. All they(Subaru dealer) can do is give me a new bulb and that I am no longer under warranty for a bulb if anyone other than they (Subaru dealer)installs the bulbs. Ridiculous! I feel more concerned about the bulb burnout shortout or whatever it is issue due to the fact that you just can't fix it along side the road if you had to.
Driver side low beam headlight failed at about 29,000 miles. Passenger side low beam headlight failed at ~32,000 miles (roughly 3 months time elapsed between events).
The car's headlights burn out at a very frequent rate. Replacing them is very inconvenient and time consuming since you have to remove the wheels in order to get access. Dealer charges $100 to replace. Something must be wrong with the electrical system since my other Subaru has needed only one replacement since 2004.
- Reading, PA, USA
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I have now replaced 3 low beam light bulbs in my car within the last 6 months. Two on the left and one on the right. This is a huge safety issue. Bulbs should not burn out this quickly and repeatedly.
Driver side headlamp burned out, replaced at dealership and 12 weeks later the passenger side headlamp burned out. I am shocked that a vehicle with only 20,000 miles would already have two headlamps burn out within weeks of each other. Dealership denies any knowledge of a problem with headlamps even though internet is flooded with similar complaints.
Subaru Outback low beam headlights going out is a dangerous safety issue. Purchased 2011 Outback in Nov 2010. July 2011 driver side low beam headlight replaced at dealer. Nov 2011 passenger side low beam headlight replaced at dealer. July 2012 driver side low beam headlight replaced at dealer. Dealer checked out lighting system and found no problems. Dec 2012 both low beam headlights out. Called Subaru corporate and they said they had no reports of this problem (even though there are lots of discussions online). Replaced at local mechanic because it was 17 degrees out and these bulbs are not easy or cheap to change (my cost was $40+ for 2 bulbs plus $38 for mechanic install). Identified that dealer bulbs removed were philips. Replaced with sylvania. March 2013 driver side low beam headlight out again. Called corporate again. They suggested taking to local dealer (45 minutes away) to have them check the car out. Corporate and dealer are sorry to hear of problem and will change the bulb... but that doesn't eliminate the safety issue. In addition, it doesn't take care of the hassle or the costs. If you need more examples of this same problem (to prove it is not just my car), check out these other cases listed on this NHTSA website: 2011 ------------------------- date of incident: 03/01/2013 NHTSA id number: 10500919 date of incident: 05/03/2012 NHTSA id number: 10487940 date of incident: 09/13/2012 NHTSA id number: 10475296 date of incident: 08/17/2012 NHTSA id number: 10471366 2010 ---------------------------- date of incident: 11/01/2011 NHTSA id number: 10498055 date of incident: 10/01/2010 NHTSA id number: 10486749.
The lowbeam headlamps on this vehicle have an unusually short lifespan. On several occasions, both driver and passenger side headlamps have failed within a few days of one another leading to an unsafe vehicle condition. The dealer and Subaru have refused to perform free diagnostic tests to determine the cause of the headlamp failures and short lifespan.
The low beam headlights have burned out twice. The car is a 2011 Subaru Outback, and it has less than 30,000 miles on it. The headlight setting is not kept on the "auto" setting. (some claim using the auto setting causes the lights to switch on-and-off more causing additional wear to the headlight.) the headlights were installed by a dealer, so it can be assumed they were installed to correct Subaru specifications. The commute to and from work every day is a sinuous, tree-lined road, with the occasional deer crossing. During this time of year, the commute to and from work is in the dark. Having one or both headlights burn out is a safety issue; driving with the high-beams on just to see the road is also a safety issue and is illegal.
I am on my third set of headlight bulbs car is 23 months old and bulbs keep burning out. Never had a problem like this. Many other owners have the same issue and no resolution has been found. This is the low beam bulbs that burn out. Not at the same time usually within 2-4 weeks of each other.
I keep replacing headlight bulbs and they keep burning out Friday we had to drive a mountain road with fog lights only because they both burned out. There must be a problem as it is happening all to often.
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the headlights did not provide proper illumination of the roadway. The contact stated that there were two different light shades where the top half of the light was dark and the lower part of the light was bright, making it difficult to drive at night. The dealer and manufacturer were notified, but denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 20 and the current mileage was 7,000. The VIN was not available.
With the headlight switch in auto mode the headlights come on and then turn off while going under interstate bridge overpasses. The hazard with this is: Vehicles in front think they are being signaling at and they suddenly slow. Also vehicles in oncoming lanes think they are being signaled at. They slow and stare. This issue I have taken to the dealers. They know its a problem but give no solution or have a correct replacement part.they say it is normal, "all Subaru do this". there is an adjustment they have tried but either the lights come on too soon or they don't come on soon enough. At the happy medium they come on as describe above at every bridge overpass. This is not normal. I wish someone would address this defect. Other owners I have talked with either manually turn their lights on when needed or they leave the headlight switch in the "always on" position. Headlights are expensive for this model and leaving them on is not an option for me. Sometimes I forget to turn them and I find myself driving in the dark. All my other cars have auto-on lights and naturally work properly. I would appreciate your attention to this potentially hazardous defect. If I was privy to this defect I would not have bought a Subaru.
I have owned several Subaru's over the years and always loved the headlights. Unfortunately, I have owned this one less than a month and I almost had an accident driving at night on the country roads in ct. The night time driving lights only illuminate to a very low height (10 feet maybe?) and have a cut off line which appears to bounce up and down on country roads, making it almost impossible to see the road or anything in the distance. When I took the car back to the dealer to have them adjust or replace the headlight bulb they said that is how it was manufactured and there was no adjustment needed. They said to drive with the high beams on it will help. I honestly think that this may (probably will if it hasn't already) cause accidents, it almost did for me and Subaru should really look into a fix for this before someone loses their life.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Anchorage, AK, USA