2018 Subaru Outback: headlights failing or too dim

Filed Oct 20, 2026 · Lights · PA

Was notified by the dealer upon completion of an oil change, on May 20, 2026, that the driver side front daytime LED running light was not functioning. The light was not on. I am a faithful user of either turning on my headlights in the absence of DRL or using the factory DRL on the vehicle. The failure of one DRL compromises the safety effect of using DRL by 50% and jeopardizes the safety of the driver and others compared to two (2) operating fully functional DRL. There are no dashboard of other system warning indicators on the car to indicate that the DRL is not functioning properly. The repair cost is unreasonable and subjects any 2018 Subaru Outback Owner with a factory defective DRL to spend over $1,000 to essentially "change a light bulb" to have the DRL system work as designed by Subaru itself. Not only does the failed DRL compromise the engineered and manufactured safety of the Subaru, the remedy to fix the Subaru DRL is cost prohibitive for most owners.

Filed Jun 17, 2025 · Lights · CA

Halo light is out and it does not show on dashboard. Halo light is part of headlight system. It is part of daylight running lights. Unable to replace light without replacing the entire headlight.

Filed Dec 2, 2021 · Electrical · AR

We have a 2018 Subaru Outback with 87,000. As of yesterday our car is now on its third battery. The original battery lasted about a two years, then we purchased one from Autozone, that battery only lasted 15 months. There is obviously an issue with the electrical system on these cars causing the battery to have a shortened life span. With so many electronics in the car it seems the battery may be to small, it is only a 25 series battery. It could possibly be there are issues with the electrical system cause constant drain. We do know that the car showed no real signs of battery failure before the battery is dead. No slow starting, dim headlights, etc. Both batteries were working well, until all of a sudden they did not. I have read online where this seems to be a real problem with these cars from 2016 to 2019 and possibly the 2020 models.

Filed Jun 19, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · TX

The battery completely dies after at-least 3 days of not driving the vehicle. Within a few weeks of driving the car off the lot in 2017 (new from the dealership), the car would not start after not being driven over the weekend. I had the car jump started. It happened again the next week after a long weekend of not driving the vehicle. I had it jump started the drove it to the dealership. I was told there was nothing wrong with the vehicle or the batter. It happened again the next weekend and I had to get it jump started again. Since then I have not left the car un-driven for more than a couple of days. On June 18, I took the car for an oil change and was told i needed a new battery. I replaced the car battery that same day. Hooked everything up and the car started just fine. I check all interior lights and headlights to make sure they were all off. The next day, I go to start the car and my battery is completely drained. There is an issue with the car where it is draining the battery. I don't know if replacing the battery caused some kind of software reset, but now i'm having issues with a full brand new battery being drained overnight.

Filed Mar 6, 2019 · Visibility · CA

When it rains the water drops do not run off of the side mirrors we are unable to see. At night the drops of water magnifies the headlights of the cars behind us and this blinds us. This is very dangerous. We had to spend the night in a motel as we couldn't drive. We have tried to fix this, but nothing works

Filed Nov 14, 2017 · Lights · TX

Low beams upper half of view is so dark I can not see the road. Low beams seems to cut view in half horizontally. I can't see through upper half of windshield unless highbeaks are on. Brand new car. Just bought it. Only 950 miles onnit.