2011 Subaru Outback Exterior Lighting Problems
- 112
- 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.
Among these 112 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- passenger side · 20 records
- beam headlights · 18 records
- headlight bulbs · 17 records
- beam headlight · 15 records
- safety issue · 12 records
- side beam · 12 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 27 |
| 1–30k mi | 24 |
| 30–60k mi | 23 |
| 100–150k mi | 7 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Exterior Lighting
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.
ODI 11297469
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Headlights burn out too quickly. I am replacing my headlights approximately every 12,000 miles.
ODI 11282044
Exterior Lighting
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.
ODI 11266599
Exterior Lighting
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.
ODI 11230781
Exterior Lighting
Traction control, brake, and check engine warning lights together periodically turn on, and occasionally the speed control light flashes. Happens when car is stationary and while driving. No car performance has been affected, yet. Unknown if these "symptoms" pose or could result in a safety issue.
ODI 11193269
Exterior Lighting
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…
ODI 11171328
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
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…
ODI 11166358
Exterior Lighting · Power Train
Cvt failure. While driving..car shuddered, dash lights came on and stalled out. Mileage: 115.000...just over extended warranty. Cost of repairs 9,597.70 plus tax. Contacted subaru....they will not help.
ODI 11133534
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Visibility/Wiper
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.
ODI 11104910
Exterior Lighting
Frequent headlight burnout (have had to replace headlight bulbs 4 times in the last year) review of data online indicates that subaru recognized this as a problem and was offering reimbursement for these costs to consumers. Deadline was 2016. Class action suits have also been filed. Please help! This is ridiculous to continually need to replace bulbs so frequently and expensive since they are not easy to do on my own
ODI 11097170
Exterior Lighting
Bought a 2011 subaru outback on february 7, 2018 from dealership, 90k miles. I've owed this car for 5 weeks and one day and i finally had time to go to the dealership to have the driver's side low beam bulb (which blew out about 3 weeks after purchase but is under warranty) and also both brow lights (daytime running lights). One was dim, the other was out. I brought the bulbs and gave them to the dealership to be…
ODI 11079709
Exterior Lighting
The subaru outback 2011 has a known issue with headlights burning out frequently. I replace 7 headlights on my vehicle since i purchased the vehicle used in september 2017 costing me $200. The outback has an extended warranty for lightbulb replacement, but that ends in 2021, and causes the driver the inconvenience of frequently taking the vehicle in to have headlights replaced. A recall needs to be created to fix…
ODI 11071807
Exterior Lighting
2011 outback and have replaced the drivers side low beam headlight 4 times as of today. Seems to be failing way too often. Vehicle has 41,000 miles and always garage kept, original owner.
ODI 11057029
Exterior Lighting
I have replace all exterior lights multiple times over the 6 years i have own this car.
ODI 11056031
Exterior Lighting
While driving home from work 11-09-2017 at around 6:30 pm both my headlights went out. I could not see the road and i drove off the side of the road and slammed my brakes on. I put the car in park and got out and looked at my headlights. They were both out. The high beams did work. I had to keep high beams on so i could make it home.
ODI 11045154
Exterior Lighting
When put into gear, and you turn on headlights low beam, they are not working. Car can be stationary or moving. The high beams work. Fog light work. Low beams are the problem. While driving, in motion the sensor light will blink on & off, then headlights go out. Have replaced the headlights multiple times within past year. Was already in for service, but now problem is back
ODI 11012069
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Two low beam highlights burned out at same time after starting car at night around 10:00 pm. After that, the battery was getting worse and dead at the service center just before replacing the highlight bulbs. The manager said that the battery's situation was not related with the problem of the high light, and there was no clues.
ODI 10984521
Exterior Lighting
I have replaced headlights in this vehicle five times and they keep burning out. The drivers side headligh is out again and needs to be replaced.
ODI 10968418
Exterior Lighting
Low beam headlamps burn out very quickly - within 3-6 months, repeatedly. Also, the low beam headlights only come on after dark. As day-time running lights they fail to come on. This occurs at all times regardless of speed, temp, or driving conditions.
ODI 10959980
Exterior Lighting
Exterior lights burning out far too frequently.
ODI 10949481
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Visibility/Wiper
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!
ODI 10940389
Exterior Lighting
Head light low beams continue to burnout, have had for 3 years. Have had to replace 3 low beam headlights in past year
ODI 10948335
Exterior Lighting
The low beam headlights burn out ever 8-10 months. No matter what type of bulb used, the low beam bulb overheats and burns itself out faster than any other car.
ODI 10937089
Exterior Lighting
The headlight bulbs on my 2011 subaru outback "burnout" every 4-5 months. I addressed the issue with the original dealer where the vehicle was purchased, to no satisfactory end. They basically said there was nothing they could do other than replace the bulbs. Since the first instance i have personally replaced the bulbs a minimum of a dozen times. The latest burnout occurred this weekend while driving in a…
ODI 10936355
Exterior Lighting
Repeated premature failure of headlights, marker lights, brake lights. I'm aware of the recall replacing the headlights but that is not fixing the problem.
ODI 10935218
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2011 Subaru Outback.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.