Five problems related to seats have been reported for the 2013 Subaru Outback. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2013 Subaru Outback based on all problems reported for the 2013 Outback.
Electronic seat recliner motor (outer bushing) noise when reclining, but kendall Subaru in eugene saying motor can not be fixed (defective design), only replaced with another (defective) motor @ cost near $1,000. Seat then stuck all the way back; even with seat headrest behind my back (w/sweaters on top of it even) driving comfort/visibility are not as good. [this entire electronic seat recliner motor system is inferior/defective to begin with vs. A typical manual seat reclining lever design, for at least the following reasons: 1) much slower/less easy to operate 2) plastic activation buttons easily break off 3) much less reliable, where manual lever system safety & other problems are almost unheard of 4) much more costly].
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after driving for about two hours, she switched seats with her boyfriend. While her boyfriend was driving, there was an abnormal odor present. The contact noticed smoke under the front passenger seat. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The driver attempted to put out the fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire and disconnect the battery. The contact removed the passenger seat fuse. The passenger seat was jammed. A police report was filed. There were no reported injuries. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 173,400.
Red airbag light . Dealer diagnosis code b1650. Response is to replace the bottom part of passenger seat. 1840. 00 repair. This happened about a year after they replaced the airbag related to takata recall. Soa has offered 1000. 00 �in good will gesture � . Saw a recall in 2015 for impreza wagons throwing off b1650 code. Was told by soa not to drive my Outback as this is a safety issue. I totally agree, but also think that a 6 year old Outback should not be having this kind of safety issue . I am unable to repair due to the costly repair and in my opinion this is Subaru's responsibility to fix! there is no possible way I could have caused this malfunction.
I took the car into dealership service to report an electrical drain on the battery, requiring the car to be jumped started if left several days parked. Service department tested electrical system and replaced the battery. Car was parked in their lot for several hours and on return the car was was found to be heavily damaged by smoke and fire from passenger seat. The car was totaled by my insurance company.
The passenger occupant detection system (ods) malfunctioned or shorted out for no apparent reason. As a result, the passenger airbag will not enable even when occupied by an adult passenger. The passenger airbag is constantly in “off” mode. In addition the ods apparently controls the seatbelt warning feature. Regardless of whether or not an adult passenger is occupying the seat the ods is constantly detecting a passenger and the passenger seatbelt warning light and chime continuously are on. When the passenger seatbelt is buckled the warning light and chime remain continuously on. The vehicle has 40,000 miles and this system is not covered under the manufacture’s extended warranty or the extended service contract sold by Subaru through cna. The dealership is recommending a new ods be installed and calibrated at a cost of $1,200 plus applicable tax and fees.
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