There are 6 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2013 Subaru Outbackin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE WARNING LIGHTS- BRAKES, TIRE PRESSURE, CRUISE CONTROL, ENGINE LIGHTS AND TRACTION CONTROL ALL COME ON AND WON'T GO OFF. HAD THEM RESET BY THE MECHANICS BUT A DAY LATER THEY CAME BACK ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY FOR NO REASON. CRUISE NO LONGER WORKS AS THE LIGHTS ARE ON. A LOT OF PEOPLE ON LINE SEEM TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND I THINK YOU SHOULD MAKE SUBARU ISSUE SOME KIND OF RECALL TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *TR
WATER POURS INTO VEHICLE FROM CENTER REAR BRAKE LIGHT EVERY TIME IT RAINS. BLOOMINGTON SUBARU CONFIRMED ISSUE IS WATER LEAK VIA CENTER REAR BRAKE LIGHT. SOA CONTACTED, NO RESPONSE RECEIVED. ORIGINAL OWNER SINCE NEW, CURRENT MILEAGE IS 30,000. STILL LEAKS.
SINCE OWNING THIS VEHICLE, I HAVE REPLACED THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FIVE TIMES, HIGH BEAMS THREE TIMES, FRONT RUNNING LIGHTS FOUR TIMES, REAR BRAKE LIGHTS TWICE, AND REAR RUNNING LIGHTS FIVE TIMES. SUBARU HAS OFFERED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE LIGHTS, BY SENDING THEM THE RECEIPTS. ALTHOUGH THIS IS ADMIRABLE, I'M WORRIED ABOUT ELECTRICAL FAILURES AND SMALL FIRES FROM SHORT CIRCUITS.
REPEATED LIGHTING FAILURES ON EXTERIOR LIGHTS ALL AROUND CAR. HAVE REPLACED HEADLIGHTS, TAIL AND SIDE LIGHTS REPEATEDLY AT MY COST. SOME COMPLETED AT DEALERSHIP, SOME COMPLETED AT HOME AFTER COST TOO MUCH.
VARIOUS EXTERNAL LIGHTS (EIGHT) HAVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACE. CAR HAS ONLY 50K MILES ON IT. UNSAFE TO DRIVE CAR AT NIGHT WHEN ONE OF THE HEADLIGHTS IS NON FUNCTIONAL. FLASHERS NOT FUNCTIONING IS NOT SAFE WHEN MAKING A TURN.
EXCESSIVE HEADLIGHT BULB FAILURE. REPLACEMENT OF BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDES ON A MORE THAN ACCEPTABLE FREQUENCY. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO DEALERSHIP VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED FROM NEW. BULBS HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY THEM AND ALSO BY MYSELF NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED OCTOBER 2012.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026