CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013 Outback has a problem with excessive oil consumption.

A class action lawsuit is pending that alleges Subaru's "FB" engine has defective piston rings which causes oil to leak past the rings & burn up at an excessive rate. More information about the class action is available here.

2.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,080 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Subaru Outback lights problems

lights problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2013 Subaru Outback:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2013 Subaru Outback Owner Comments

problem #8

Jun 032020

Outback 4-cyl

  • 83,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The warning lights- brakes, tire pressure, cruise control, engine lights and traction control all come on and won't go off. Had them reset by the mechanics but a day later they came back on while I was driving down the highway for no reason. Cruise no longer works as the lights are on. A lot of people on line seem to have this problem and I think you should make Subaru issue some kind of recall to fix this problem. Thank you.

- Madison Lake, MN, USA

problem #7

Jun 302019

Outback

  • 29,000 miles
Water pours into vehicle from center rear brake light every time it rains. Bloomington Subaru confirmed issue is water leak via center rear brake light. Soa contacted, no response received. Original owner since new, current mileage is 30,000. Still leaks.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #6

Jan 012017

Outback

  • 75,000 miles
Repeated lighting failures on exterior lights all around car. Have replaced headlights, tail and side lights repeatedly at my cost. Some completed at dealership, some completed at home after cost too much.

- Salem, OR, USA

problem #5

Jun 012015

Outback

  • 20,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Various external lights (eight) have needed to be replace. Car has only 50K miles on it. Unsafe to drive car at night when one of the headlights is non functional. Flashers not functioning is not safe when making a turn.

- Lincoln University, PA, USA

problem #4

Jul 012017

Outback

  • 90,000 miles
Have replaced the low beam H7 bulb 5 times this year and has even blow less than 1 hour after fixed by a Subaru dealership. Tail lights have been replaced 3 times in 8 month. High beam lights 3 times in the past 12 months. Fixtures twice. Charred from extreme amp spikes in wires. Now to top it all off entire wiring harness for passenger side is out.

- Evans Mills, NY, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #3

Feb 042013

Outback

  • miles
Excessive headlight bulb failure. Replacement of both driver and passenger sides on a more than acceptable frequency. This has been reported to dealership vehicle was purchased from new. Bulbs have been replaced by them and also by myself numerous times since vehicle was purchased October 2012.

- Athol, ID, USA

problem #2

Mar 062017

Outback

  • 60,000 miles
Since owning this vehicle, I have replaced the low beam headlights five times, high beams three times, front running lights four times, rear brake lights twice, and rear running lights five times. Subaru has offered to reimburse me for the lights, by sending them the receipts. Although this is admirable, I'm worried about electrical failures and small fires from short circuits.

- River Vale, NJ, USA

problem #1

Feb 122015

Outback

  • 27,640 miles
Upon noticing a blown 3rd tail light(one of the tail lights on the rear hatch/door of the wagon, ) I disassembled and found that the sockets on both sides(left and right 3rd tail-light sockets) were scorched around where the bulbs fit into them. The discoloration was brown/black and was present not only on the socket with the blown bulb but also the other, working side. Dealer replaced blown bulb and made no comment on scorched bulb sockets. It almost appears as if they were so heated they were ready to melt or burn the plastic. Car has been in service for 27 months and has 27K mostly city driving on it. Happy to provide photos of the affected sockets to anyone investigating or concerned.

- Potomac , MD, USA

Not what you are looking for?