2019 Subaru Outback Exterior lighting Problems

Parasitic battery drain when vehicle is turned off. The DCM module in these vehicles will not shut off properly and continue to drain the battery. Subaru has firmware on the vehicle that will not fully charge the battery when driving to save fuel. The vehicle has had 6 or more instances over the past two weeks where the car was undriveable unless jumped from another vehicle or a boost device is used.

NHTSA ID

11643837

Incident

Feb 20, 2025

The radio and head unit is glitching and automatically doing crazy things. The lighting is also affected on the head unit. The radio volume will turn up loud for no reason. It is intermittent. The dealership says it’s bubbling and head would have to be replaced..but back ordered parts and 3,000 dollars. I’ve googled and this is a well known issue with 2019 Subarus, but it’s a safety issue if you are driving and volume/screen is not controlled.

NHTSA ID

11587427

Incident

May 7, 2024

I have had 3 dead battery issues with this car. Something is draining the battery while the car is off.

NHTSA ID

11574544

Incident

Feb 28, 2024

Display screen for radio, navigation, status has failed and is flashing on/off. Radio, navigation and other functions are not operable. First occurred in Fall 2022, dealer examined and diagnosed in Jan 2023. Repair replacement parts are indefinitely unavailable. There is not a committed schedule to repair/replace. This appears to be a widespread problem/defect with no known schedule to deliver parts for repair. The result is a vehicle that is dangerous to drive at night with flashing lights at this display panel. I write about this to add to the field of data and information about this problem with this model vehicle. Any assistance in expediting manufacturers attention to this is appreciated

NHTSA ID

11519710

Incident

Dec 15, 2022

Driver-side Daytime Running Light (DRL) failed after only 3 years. DRL is made up of LED bulbs integrated in the headlight assembly, and not able to be repaired or replaced. Entire headlight unit required replacement; estimated at ~$500, plus additional labor at Subaru dealership service center. There was no warning lamp, message, or other symptoms to indicate a problem with the headlight. It was discovered only when viewing front end of car in a reflection. This poses a threat to occupants’ and others’ safety due to decreased visibility during operation. Exorbitant cost of parts and labor poses a significant hurdle to repair. This problem was inspected and verified by dealer service center. Dealer described the issue as “weird,” and stated “that should not happen; I’ve never seen that before.” By the time I retrieved the vehicle following headlight assembly replacement work, the dealer service center had reportedly taken in 4 additional customers’ vehicles in for the same complaint. Dealership waived all charges associated with parts and labor to repair, despite being out of warranty, due to fact that LED DRL failed well before its projected useful life. Faulty headlight assembly was retained by dealer service center and sent to Subaru corporate for further inspection.

NHTSA ID

11501506

Incident

Nov 15, 2022

The car's battery is draining fast and the car's electric system stopped working after I replaced the battery three times. The car is currently inoperable.

NHTSA ID

11493165

Incident

Oct 2, 2022

Battery drained by approx 50 % in a 12 hour period preventing car from starting. No lights, radio or other electrical feature could be activated. This is the 3rd occurrence of this feature since I purchased the vehicle on 9-28-2020. Supposedly Subaru dealer, Patrick Motors, Worcester, MA replaced the battery in 2020 at that time.

NHTSA ID

11463908

Incident

May 9, 2022

2019 Outback Premium bought Bought May 2019. When I bought the car and for at least 6 months or more the headlight produced nice white light and I could see the road clearly. During this period the car was driven before sunrise and no issues with light emission. Driving the car today on the same roads at same time in morning road visibility is extremely poor. After the first 6 months I only drove while sunlight was present. Last month I drove the car once at night and thought "strange, the lights look dark and the street is not very bright." Then two weeks later I took a trip and stayed at a place that had few street lights. The first night I drove at night I could barely see 20 feet in front of me. Even when I turned on the high beams I still could not see. I notice when I pull behind a car or my lights shine on a stop sign the light looks orange/brownish. I brought it to the dealer today and the said the battery was good and the light output was "legal". They said they put in a new bulb to compare and said the light output was essentially the same. So according to them there is nothing wrong and nothing to do. The covers on my lights appear to be clear and clean.

NHTSA ID

11438722

Incident

Sep 30, 2021

Car battery has failed no less than three times. Upon failure, car is completely inoperable. Used Subaru roadside assistance to jump the car. The battery has drained on more than one occasion. No inspections. No warnings or prior symptoms before the dead battery. Available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11417398

Incident

May 13, 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ALSO BECAME INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT PULLED OFF THE INTERSTATE AND COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROADWAY TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED HOWEVER, ONLY RUNNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED A SECOND TIME. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HIGH-BEAM AND REAR TAILLIGHTS ILLUMINATED HOWEVER, THE LOW-BEAMS FAILED TO OPERATE AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE TO HER RESIDENCE WITH THE HIGH-BEAM HEADLIGHT ACTIVATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER ARRIVING TO HER RESIDENCE, THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED AND ALL THE LIGHTS STARTED WORKING AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,275.

NHTSA ID

11375186

Incident

Nov 17, 2020

Mileage

27,275 mi

HEADLIGHTS ARE AIMED TOO HIGH. ACCORDING TO SUBARU THIS CAN'T BE ADJUSTED. THIS IS THEIR STEERING ADAPTIVE HEADLIGHT. I GET HIGH-BEAM BLINKED BUT TOO MANY ONCOMING CARS. ON DARK NIGHTS I CAN SEE THEIR ANGLE IS UP NOT DOWN TOWARD ROAD. I SEE GREAT BUT ONCOMING MUST BE DIFFICULT. YOU MUST BE ABLE TO HAVE ABILITY TO ADJUST.

NHTSA ID

11278339

Incident

Nov 2, 2019

Mileage

1,400 mi