Headlight Switch Problems of Subaru Outback

My headlights have gone out 6 times! the last time I switched to an led system and now it has blown my rf headlight in 6 months! led it supposed to last longer! I definitely have some kind of electrical issue!.

See all problems of the 2011 Subaru Outback 🔎.

After fuses blown repeatedly and replaced, rear wiper, washer pump and lock ceased to operate for perhaps a year. Recently the headlights got real funky - would not operate in normal "on" position. But then some strange behavior when shifted into reverse (ignition on without starting to allow shifting). Headlights still not lit in either off or on position, but then came on as switch moved back from headlights on to running lights position! I happened upon the video mentioned in an earlier post about rear wiring harness issue which easily could have been related to wiper/lock issue, so took a look. Inspection revealed 11 severed wires with a clump of 5 or so melted together and another 3 wires nearly severed (see photos). Dealer says he'll replace wiring harness for $350 -500, and had a same generation Outback in the shop for same work. Service mgr suggested a call to Subaru customer care line. If you have goofy electrical issues, especially in rear, check the wiring inside boot from body to door on upper right side. It's not easy to get at as wires are short, which may have led to quite a serious, um, short. Call Subaru before your headliner ignites. . .

See all problems of the 2009 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Subaru markets their high beam assist (hba) feature as working ¿in conjunction with eyesight to automatically switch the headlights between the high and low settings when an oncoming vehicle is detected. ¿ that¿s not entirely true and that¿s where the safety issue comes into play. The hba feature turns off high beams at lower speeds no matter if an oncoming car is present and absolutely turns them off at a stop sign. This makes for traveling at low speeds in residential communities dangerous. In our community, for example, it¿s very hilly and curvy with a lot of wildlife and people who walk/jog so speeds are often below 20 mph, the speed at which Subaru¿s manual says this feature works. If anything, when there is no oncoming traffic in a residential communities high beams should always be on at night. This allows for the earlier detection of people and animals. In talking to Subaru they really didn¿t care at all that this created a dangerous situation and offered to tell their engineers. Of course, this can be turned off, but only by visiting a dealer and paying them to fix Subaru¿s design flaw. Nhtsa should require Subaru to 1) fix this feature so that it only dims high beams when there is oncoming traffic; and 2) require Subaru offer to disable the feature free of charge at any authorized dealer until the problem is fixed.

See all problems of the 2017 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Purchased Subaru Outback 2011 new. At approximately 65,000 miles low beam front headlights began to burn out quickly: 4 replaced over about 14 months. Experienced an episode 1/8/16 where all front lights completely failed in the park and drive position but left low beam headlight worked intermittently when car was in reverse. All front headlights but 2 worked the following day when at the dealership. Brake/rear car lights also stopped working intermittently during the time the auto experienced total front high, parking and low beam failure. Whether or not rear car lights worked was also affected by whether car was in drive, park or reverse at times. This did not happen the following day at dealership. Remedy :switch for brake lights was replaced: they felt it could be sticking at times thus causing the back lights intermittent failure and the 2 front headlight bulbs which were burned out were replaced.

I have a 2010 Subaru Outback. Beginning in December 2012 I have had to replace burned out headlights four times in the past year. Besides the cost. . . It is a major safety issue considering visibility is half of what it should be when they blow out. I never know when I'm going to pull the switch and not have lights.

See all problems of the 2010 Subaru Outback 🔎.

The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, all the lights on the instrument panel and the headlights failed to illuminate. The driver then turned the light switch to off and all the lights on the instrument panel illuminated. The contact pulled into his driveway with the switch still turned to the off option and all of the lights illuminated. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 4,100.

See all problems of the 2012 Subaru Outback 🔎.

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.

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 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 Subarus 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 potentually hazardous defect. If I was privy to this defect I would not have bought a Subaru.

I have 2 cars, a 2002 chev. Impala and a 2010 Subaru Outback. Both cars have an automatic on headlight feature. The headlight switch on the impala is on the dashboard and I have never touched it in the 13 years I have the car. It works perfectly, when the light level is low the headlights come on. The Outback has the headlight switch on the end of the turn indicator stalk. The switch has a number of positions, the first 3 being headlight automatic on, headlight manual on and parking lights on. When the headlights are on, either on the automatic on or headlights manual on positions as well as the parking lights on position there is an indicator light on on the dashboard as well as the dashboard lights are on. With the indicator light on on the dashboard and the dashboard lights on you cannot tell which of the 3 positions the switch is at, all indicators are the same. Many times, inadvertently because of using the turn signal stalk, the headlight switch turns to the parking light position and I find myself driving with the parking lights on rather than the headlights, a dangerous situation. There is no indication on the dashboard of this dangerous condition. The light indicator bulb is on and the dashboard lights are on but the headlights are off. Again a dangerous condition. The light switch should be relocated from the turn signal stalk to the dashboard or the light indicator on the dashboard should be off when in the parking light position.