2005 Subaru Outback lights problems

Filed Jan 30, 2021 · Body, Engine · 20,000 miles · CO

This is the first subaru I've ever owned and so far it's been a nightmare. I have had to repair: an oil leak in the engine that required the whole engine to be taken apart. While replacing a seemingly simple part, the hydraulic lifts that keep the back hatch open, the threading that holds the screw in broke off and I had to hire a mechanic yet again to weld that part to be able to screw in the screw to hold the lift in place. And now, the entire interior lighting doesn't work, including the stereo, all the dome lights and the remote control system. In addition to that, the rear wiper doesn't work properly.

Filed Sep 21, 2020 · Lights, Visibility · CA

Defrosters and all digital climate controls are unresponsive. I cannot see out of my vehicle

Filed Jul 10, 2016 · Electrical, Lights · 87,000 miles · CO

Rear hatch harness wires are broken/ frayed. Backup lights do not work, and the rear wiper works intermittently. Every now and them rear defroster doesn't work. Hazard a lot of 2005-2009 outbacks have.

Filed Feb 14, 2015 · Electrical, Lights · 178,000 miles · VA

The wiring for the license plate lights failed in the upper right hatch hinge boot causing the license plate lights to not operate. The purple wire had broken inside the boot area. The purple wire is extremely small gauge for a location that is opened and closed often.

Filed Feb 10, 2015 · Electrical, Lights · 93,781 miles · FL

Wiring located on the rear passenger side between the hatch door and body (in the protective boot) was severed as a result of poor quality wiring and design. Wires were stress-severed and nearly severed by normal operation of opening/closing the wagon rear door. Apparently this is a common issue as discovered by visiting online forums.

Filed Nov 19, 2014 · Lights · 160,000 miles · OR

My wife and I recently purchased a used 2005 subaru outback. The headlights on this vehicle are what I consider to be dangerously dim, barely lighting up the road. Both the fog lamps and also the high beams work well, but the low beam light (which is produced from a different bulb than the high beam) is very inadequate. I have replaced the bulbs with higher intensity bulbs. This offered little if any increase in lighting. I have also had the electrical system checked to assure the proper voltage is being supplied. Googleing this problem has told me I'm not alone. Other subaru owners complain of the same issue. Here's what I have researched and determined to be the problem. There is an inner reflective cavity in which the headlight bulb is housed. The reflection process within this housing magnifies the light produced by the bulb. This process is similar to that of a reflective prism inside a lighthouse. In the case of our subaru, the reflective material inside of the headlight bulb housing has either worn away or become clouded to the degree that the light produced by the bulbs no longer reflects adequately to produce a bright light. These headlights need to either be replaced or perhaps somehow removed from the vehicle, opened up and then repaired. In either case this would be very expensive to the degree in which most consumers would not be willing to incur the cost, thereby continuing to take their chances driving at night with unsatisfactory headlights. My questions: is this considered a safety issue? If so, is it the responsibility of the manufacturer to correct this problem? Do I have to pay for any corrections? I'd be grateful for any help or suggestions you can offer to assist me with this issue. I feel this is a potentially dangerous problem, not just for myself, but other subaru owners. Thank you for your time.

Filed Jul 14, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 110,812 miles · WA

Subaru outback 2005: the wire harness to the rear tailgate failed and shorted out the brake lights and reverse lights, creating a safety hazard while driving.

Filed Mar 22, 2014 · Electrical, Lights · 92,000 miles · NY

Low beams replace several time, replaced both recently and both went out at the same time in the dark on they way to work. Lights in dashboard constantly flashing on and off, ABS, battery, brake. Speedometer jumping all over the place. Been happening over a month or so. Very upset can't figure out what it is.

Filed Dec 4, 2013 · Electrical, Lights · 98,000 miles · MN

Rear wiper failure was first noticed followed by failure of the license plate light, the wiring harness in the rear lift gate has multiple broken wires where the door hinges. Appears that the wiring insulation becomes hardened and brittle, and will break instead of flexing. There are several other wires in the harness that are showing bare wire but have not yet broken. This is what all the harness enables and will eventually fail: rear wiper motor license plate light rear gate latch switch rear gate lock actuator rear defogger back-up light rh rear defogger back-up light lh

Filed Aug 28, 2013 · Lights · 20,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru outback. The contact stated that both headlights failed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed and the manufacturer was not notified of the incident. The approximate failure mileage was 20000. The VIN was unavailable.