2011 Subaru Outback: headlights failing or too dim

Filed Mar 21, 2021 · Electrical, Visibility · 48 miles · WA

The head lights to this vehicle are constantly going out. Sometimes if I hit a bump the light will turn back on. Today I drove nearly fifty miles in the dark with either the high beams on or the lights completely off.

Filed Jan 6, 2021 · Electrical, Lights · 157,400 miles · WA

Low headlamp bulb housing melted so bad it must be replaced at estimated dealer cost of $650. There is an extended warrantee for replacing the bulbs that have been burning out every 6-9 months. I believe they have been burning up due to a manufacturing defect in the housing that is not being addressed. There should be a recall on the low-beam housing unit as it poses a fire risk. The extended bulb replacement warrantee is a band-aid that did not address the underlying issue.

Filed Mar 6, 2020 · Electrical, Lights · 120,000 miles · CA

Have had the low beam headlights blown multiple times on my subaru outback, 2011, at least 3-4 times each ones, left and right. Don't remember if I received a notification from subaru or saw it online about the same complaint from many owners and subaru having a fix for it. Took it to the dealership in 2017 and they replaced the blown bulb and told me that it was a improper contact that caused the issue. Unfortunately, the problem continues. I have replaced the headlights at least 2 times since and have one blown again. Suspect that this is a design issue and needs a through fix. It can cause a dangerous situation if both headlights blow at the same time.

Filed Jan 11, 2020 · Lights · 219,000 miles · WI

Low beam head light burns out while driving on the the interstate highway. Replacing the bulb is not that easy. This is well known problem and subaru has been aware of the problem for last eight plus years. Instead of replacing the defective lighting system subaru has extended the warranty for 10 years and it reimburses the cost of the new bulbs. This is a safety issue and all these defective lighting equipment should be replaced. Low beam lights burned out several times since vehicle was purchased.

Filed Jan 6, 2020 · Lights · 94,000 miles · NM

Headlights burn out repeatedly, without warning or incident, sometimes both within a week. Car is driven less than 10k miles per year, yet one or both headlights have had to be replaced annually on average. Bulbs are very difficult for consumer to replace and must be done by garage or dealership. On one occasion both headlights were out before vehicle could be taken to get bulbs replaced.

Filed Nov 24, 2019 · Electrical, Lights · MA

Headlights burn out too quickly. I am replacing my headlights approximately every 12,000 miles.

Filed Oct 6, 2019 · Lights · FL

Main headlamps burn out every 9 to 10 months causing a dangerous driving situation. Replacement of these bulbs is unnecessarily cumbersome for the owner and subaru dealers charge $150 to replace a $15 dollar bulb. If not installed correctly you risk a fire hazard. This seems to be outside of reason, and a poor design that risks lives. I have found myself away from home with no working headlights several times now.

Filed Jul 10, 2019 · Lights · 85,000 miles · OH

Headlights go out with abnormal frequency. Driver's side bulb has needed changing on average every 3-4 months, even though the vehicle is rarely driven at night. Passenger side has been replaced twice in the last year alone.

Filed Jan 22, 2019 · Lights · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. The contact stated that the headlights and brake lights failed to operate. The contact had to repair the headlights three times and the brake lights four times. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the lights were faulty. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and suggested that the contact call the federal safety agency. The dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Jan 10, 2019 · Electrical, Lights · 95,000 miles · OR

Headlight and other exterior light bulbs die prematurely. I received a letter from subaru about a warranty extension and that they would cover the costs. So far I've had 3 headlights go out in the last two years (after 85k miles) and also was told by a subaru dealer yesterday that 5 other exterior lights were out. The general consensus is that it's a power surge in the lighting/electrical system that subaru isn't addressing. The replacement of headlight bulbs is extremely difficult and recommended that a shop or dealer do the work, making it very inconvenient to replace lights. It is dangerous to have the headlights go out so often when driving at night and visibility is reduced. There has been no recall or technical service bulletin issued by subaru, that I know of, and a lawsuit pending. Https://legalnewsline.com/stories/510725171-complaints-about-subaru-outback-s-lights-preceded-class-action

Filed Aug 15, 2018 · Acceleration · 120,000 miles · AP · crash

Upon parking in a routine parking spot in our apartment parking garage, I turned the corner and accelerated some, as I always did, to get to the parking spot to back in. As soon as I went to reverse it, the car accelerated fully on its own accord. I was able to press the break and stop the vehicle but since I was only about 10 feet from another car and the wall of the parking garage, I was not able to stop in time to avoid a collision. I hit the corner of the cement wall with the front left headlight portion of the vehicle.

Filed Jun 30, 2018 · Electrical, Lights · 99,351 miles · NY

Tamara recall I have had my 2011 outback for 4 months now and have gone through 3 sets of low beam headlights. Not sure why they keep dying prematurely. I have gotten more expensive bulbs every time and now the $60 bulbs are doing the same thing. I feel there is an electrical issue and I have seen multiple forums describing the same issue from other people with the same year, make, and model.