2008 Subaru Outback Electrical System Problems
- 30
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
What owners report
- airbag light · 10 records
- wiring harness · 7 records
- warning light · 6 records
- light comes · 5 records
- passenger airbag · 5 records
- rear hatch · 5 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 10 |
| 30–60k mi | 7 |
| 100–150k mi | 7 |
| 1–30k mi | 2 |
| 150–400k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System
Passenger side airbag on/off light malfunctioning. Sometimes ceiling console passenger indicator light comes on to indicate bag is off (supposed to happen when less than 25 lbs in passenger seat) and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes dashboard red airbag warning light comes on to indicate malfunction with bag and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the passenger airbag on/off light shows dimly as if it's trying to…
ODI 10653675
Electrical System
The radio and heater, a/c and defroster controls are all one piece in my car. The display screens on both go blank without warning. When this happens nothing works, most importantly the defroster when you bad weather while driving. The output temperature and fan speed cannot be changed and the defroster cannot be turned on or off. The factory radio-a/c control unit went bad and was useless. Subaru was unable to…
ODI 10598402
Electrical System
One wire leading to the rear cargo hatch (right side) broke and 3 others had cracked insulation due to a lack of resilience after flexing. These wires are flexed every time the hatch is opened and closed. All electrical parts on the hatch travel though this wiring harness (wipers, lock, etc.). Had the failure of the lock not been noticed, further wear could have caused a short and a fire. The vehicle is only 4 and a…
ODI 10467668
Air Bags · Electrical System
Dash airbag light comes on intermittently, and this disables the airbag. Dealer states this is a known problem, but can only fix by trial and error replacing (expensive) components. It happens most on cold wet weather days, often goes off when car warmed up, so probably electrical. Has continued for years now, still happening at 105,000 miles. Many many examples on internet boards of people with this same problem.…
ODI 10668661
Air Bags · Electrical System
Since the car was nearly new the airbag warning light comes on intermittently and now stays on continuously, rendering the airbag system inoperative. The vehicle was brought to the dealer the first time it happened but the dealer said no fault code was found. In december 2012 the warning light came on continuously. I brought it to the subaru dealer to diagnose and service the problem. The service manager stated that…
ODI 10491450