Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 06/01/2008 | 2000 | ||
| Since the car was nearly new the airbag warning light comes on intermittently and now stays on continuously, rendering the airbag system inoperative. the vehicle was brought to the dealer the first time it happened but the dealer said no fault code was found. in december 2012 the warning light came on continuously. i brought it to the subaru dealer to diagnose and service the problem. the service manager stated that the problem is with the light in the maplight module, and if something in the module goes bad the airbag warning light will come on and prevent the airbag from deploying. consequently i have to replace the entire maplight console at a cost of $510 ($110 to read the code plus $400 for the light module) to fix a dangerous safety defect and design flaw that should be the responsibility of subaru. | |||
| 06/06/2009 | |||
| Tl*the contact owns 2008 subaru outback. while driving approximately 25 mph on a rural road after the sunset with the low beam headlights engaged, they failed to fully illuminate the road. the dealer stated that the vehicle does comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standards; which was a manufacturer design with no modifications. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was unavailable and the current mileage was 103,000. the vin was rejected from the system and will be updated upon receipt of the safety complaint. | |||
| 09/23/2008 | 1 | 1 | |
| I purchased a 2008 subaru outback and the low beam headlights are dangerous when traveling on hilly roads. the headlights do not illuminate the road properly and have a horizontal line to the beam. nothing can be seen under this line. no problems encountered with high beams. *tr | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||
| 12/12/2007 | 1 | 10/29/2007 | |
| The rear trim that retains the center light will break off if there is ice built up on the inside of the hinge area. all ice and snow can be removed from the top of the car, however there is no seal between the rear hatch and the body to prevent ice from building up. there is no warning with the car to be aware of this issue. there is no warning to the owner until it too late and you have broken the wing off the car. *tr | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 12/25/2007 | 1 | 07/09/2007 | |
| The headlights in the 2008 subaru outback are deadly and an accident waiting to happen. i can not believe these headlights were approved and that they are lawful. *tr | |||
| 11/26/2007 | 3200 | 1 | 10/22/2007 |
| We purchased a 2008 subaru outback in oct. 07 and discovered a problem with the headlights after daylight saving time went into effect. the headlights are totally ineffective on back roads with hilly terrain. visibility can be limited to as little as 20 feet at times. after speaking to the dealer and a subaru regional rep. we were told to deal with it as the vehicle meets manufacturer specifications. our concern is the danger not only to humans but the wildlife that live in this area. we have tried to pursue the lemon law but continue to hit roadblocks and have not been successful. we will probably trade the vehicle and cut our losses before we cause injury to ourselves or others. *tr | |||
| 12/29/2007 | 1 | 10/06/2007 | |
| When driving our new 2008 subaru outback in darkness there are times when the headlights do not project the beam far enough ahead to adequately see. this condition is very noticeable in hilly terrain where as the vehicle is moving in a forward down motion with a upward hill approaching. there is a definite horizontal plane of light and darkness. at times this situation has caused us to brake quickly due to the possibly of coming in contact with something in the road that we would otherwise be able to avoid with adequate lighting. *tr | |||