Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2026 Subaru Uncharted submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 26 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 26, in the owner's own words
The headlights in the car shake while driving. Especially noticeable at night, and if the ground is not perfectly smooth, the light beams vibrate/shake in a distracting way that is unlike any other car I've driven.
The headlight jiggle at night producing an inconsistent and distracting beam.
Headlights vibrate/jiggle (as if they are loose within the housing) when going over normal road surfaces at night. This is distracting for the driver and probably for oncoming traffic as well. This is a known issue with this model.
Headlights seem to shake while driving down the road.
When driving in the dark the headlight housing bounces a lot causing the headlight beams to bounce and dance like crazy over any and all little bumps on the road and is very distracting to me the driver and more than likely cars driving towards me and I feel that this could be a safety concern and a manufacturing defect The headlight housing is not rigid on the vehicle you can manually move the housing very easily and I feel they did not secure it to the vehicle properly
Just bought brand new 2026 Subaru Uncharted GT, noticed the headlights flicker or shake a lot while driving especially when going over slightly bumpy roads. It’s very distracting to me as a driver and I would think to other drivers in front of me or opposing drivers. No specific lights or warnings come on when this happens. I have read online that many drivers have the same issue with their Subaru.
Headlights (high & low beams) bounce as if loose when hitting any sort of uneven road surface. Edges of light almost appear to flicker when this is occurring which is anytime headlights are on and car is moving. Extremely distracting and creates uncertainty when driving in rural areas.
Headlights visibley shake when the car encounters a bump in the road, during braking, and anything else that can create an impulse on the car. The vehicle is available upon request for inspection. It creates a distint and distracting event that is distracting to the operator when and potentially on-coming traffic when driving at night. I have heard that others have also verified this with dealers, but I have not personally had the opportunity to bring it to mine. The problem in my personal vehicle has not been inspected by any authority, I have just purchased it. There are no warning lights or symptoms as this appears to be a mechanical mounting issue that is unmonitored by the computer.
Headlight beams shake while driving causing strobe effect and causes me to feel ill and dizzy.
When going over a bump or anything that makes the car bounce (however slight) causes the light beam to oscillate which is not only distracting but makes it hard to see things at night consistently.
When driving over bumps in the road, the headlights visibly shake/vibrate, which is distracting to the driver - and potentially to drivers of other vehicles - while driving at night. I've seen others on forums that have discussed the same problem with their Uncharted cars.
When I drive at night, the headlights wobble whenever I hit a bump or go over an uneven surface, which I find disruptive. From the drivers perspective, the lighting bounces up and down on the street. The issue was noticeable the first night I drove the vehicle and does not represent a damage or something that can be repaired by service.
The light from the headlights on this brand new car flicker when driving over the slightest bump. On dirt roads or uneven pavement, the shake and flicker of the headlights is very prominent, even with the high beams turned on. This is a major safety hazard as the light from the headlights is not consistent and the flicker gives intermittent lighting outages of the road ahead - literally leaving the driver to drive blind. The flicker/bounce of the lighting is also highly distracting for a driver and creates an ongoing safety hazard due to this design flaw in the vehicle. Please force a recall for the Subaru Uncharted headlights. This is a widespread issue with this model.
The headlamp assembly on my Subaru Uncharted appears loose and can be manually pushed to reproduce the shaking and jittering headlights at night. This creates unstable illumination, distracts the driver, and may cause glare or confusion for oncoming traffic. The issue suggests a potential mounting defect affecting headlight stability and safe nighttime driving.
The head light assembly is loose and vibrates. At night it is distracting to the driver and drivers of other vehicles to see the head lights flash off other cars and signs. I have had multiple cars flash me because the lights look like they are flickering when approaching on the road. The dealership told me that they are aware of all the complaints for the Uncharted having vibrating headlights and to report it as a safety concern. There have been no inspections done on the headlights. The headlights have been this way since the first day I purchased it.
Headlights vibrate causing loss of visibility at night as they bounce over uneven terrain or potholes.
Headlights bounce up and down a lot over rough road. This causes a noticeable "flicker" off signs and cars in front of you and can be very distracting.
While driving at night the headlight bounces on the road and not only distracting but limits what you see as while bouncing the beam of light is partly blocked by moving past the opening for it in the bumper. You can push down on the top of the daytime driving lights as they are one assembly with the headlights and the whole assembly moves. This assembly needs to be secured. I also filed a report on this with you previously for my 2026 Subaru Solterra vin#[XXX]. On the forums all owners of both cars are complaining of this safety hazard and they have said they also filed a safety complaint withthe NHTSA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Low beams are susceptible to moderate shaking/vibrations that are very distracting/dangerous. They create a vertical strobe-like effect for oncoming traffic as they bounce up/down, and for the driver as well as they reflect off signs and other objects. This could be caused by their lack of attachment to the chassis directly or from the high/low beam mechanism that moves the high beam cover out of the way internally.
at night, when going over any sort of bump in the road the headlights visibly shake. It’s distracting and generally disconcerting.
The headlights quiver in their housing and this creates a jittering effect on the road ahead and in the faces of oncoming drivers. The shakiness is a potential hazard to the ability to view surroundings by, and distracting to, driver of this vehicle and other drivers.
I am reporting a headlight stability issue on my 2026 Subaru Uncharted. While driving at night, the LED headlights produce a severe oscillating/strobing effect over normal road imperfections and bumps. The beam pattern rapidly shifts up and down, creating alternating bright and dark visibility (“black/white flicker”) on the roadway and traffic signs. This issue is distracting during nighttime driving and negatively affects driver visibility confidence. The effect is significantly noticeable even at normal driving speeds and on regular road surfaces. I brought the vehicle to the Subaru dealer for inspection shortly after purchase. The technician acknowledged that the behavior did not appear normal, but the dealer stated they did not currently have a repair available and would need to contact Subaru for further guidance. The issue appears related to excessive movement or instability within the headlight/projector assembly. Multiple owners online appear to be reporting similar behavior on this vehicle platform. I am concerned this condition may impact nighttime driving safety and driver visibility. I also have a video but cannot upload [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving at night, the headlights seem like they bouncing with each slight bump on the road. They aren’t staying properly and give me headaches. I cannot drive at night now.
Headlights bounce/shake when the car is driven on a non-smooth surface. This causes visual distractions when driving at night.
When the headlights are on at night, any bump or movement of the vehicle over rough surfaces causes the headlights to visibly shake. It is especially noticeable when the low beams are on. Even the reflection in vehicles or signs, you can see the lights shake. It caused quite a distraction when trying to drive. Dealer states this is normal and all other variants of this car do the same. I have never had a car that had headlights shake like this.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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