Subaru lighting problems
Across all Subaru models in NHTSA's complaint database, 878 complaints involve lighting. The Outback accounts for the largest share (39%). The single worst model year is the 2011 Outback with 117 lighting complaints.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 878 about lighting, all Subaru models
- Most affected
- Outback 39% of these complaints
- Typical mileage
- 45,000 miles 400 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 16 and 14
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Which Subaru models
| Model | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Outback | 342 | 39% |
| Impreza | 206 | 24% |
| Forester | 98 | 11% |
| Legacy | 95 | 11% |
| Crosstrek | 36 | 4% |
| Uncharted | 31 | 4% |
| B9 Tribeca | 16 | 2% |
| Ascent | 13 | 2% |
| WRX | 11 | 1% |
| XV Crosstrek | 8 | 1% |
Worst model years for lighting
- 2011 Subaru Outback117 complaints
- 2018 Subaru Impreza64 complaints
- 2019 Subaru Impreza63 complaints
- 2010 Subaru Outback36 complaints
- 2017 Subaru Impreza32 complaints
Lighting complaints by model year
View the numbers
| Model year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 4 |
| 1991 | 4 |
| 1992 | 2 |
| 1993 | 2 |
| 1995 | 5 |
| 1996 | 4 |
| 1997 | 6 |
| 1998 | 8 |
| 1999 | 2 |
| 2000 | 11 |
| 2001 | 9 |
| 2002 | 5 |
| 2003 | 6 |
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2005 | 45 |
| 2006 | 25 |
| 2007 | 13 |
| 2008 | 27 |
| 2009 | 22 |
| 2010 | 49 |
| 2011 | 139 |
| 2012 | 29 |
| 2013 | 29 |
| 2014 | 28 |
| 2015 | 31 |
| 2016 | 18 |
| 2017 | 51 |
| 2018 | 85 |
| 2019 | 86 |
| 2020 | 26 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 16 |
| 2023 | 12 |
| 2024 | 22 |
| 2025 | 14 |
| 2026 | 36 |
Among the 400 of these complaints that report mileage, the median is about 45,000 miles.
Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many vehicles each brand sells, so large brands naturally have more complaints.