- The problem
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
- The risk
- The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
- The fix
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
Electrical system
2008 Subaru Outback Electrical problems
Owners have filed 34 complaints about the 2008 Subaru Outback's electrical system with NHTSA - 15% of all its complaints, most recently on June 24, 2026. They describe 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries. Dead batteries, warning lights, wiring, alternators, infotainment and electronic module failures.
- Complaints
- 34
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Electrical recalls for the 2008 Subaru Outback
- The problem
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.
- The risk
- If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
- The fix
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.
Electrical complaints
Unknown why car sparked & ignited. Car was driven to grocery store 5min away then sat for approx. 2hrs before catching fire.
Four Subaru dealership licensed service centers in Maine and New Hampshire have had for some 8 weeks my Outback to evaluate, diagnose, and -upon my approval- service. Every one of the four Subaru locations was been unable to resolve a single one of these chronic problems of the Outback's erratic 1) start/no-start, 2) triggered security light and activated alarm, 3) dashboard battery and brake icons lighting/pulsing, 4) error code 55 (or SS) and 5) car headlights pulsing. The above problems compound with the issues...
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Subaru's service teams have failed to resolve since early days of new car ownership (despite repeated repair) for 1) brakes regularly making noise, 2) radio randomly changing volume or shutting off, and 3) back tail light not working. Note: During the first two years of ownership, Subaru's service stated it "could not replicate" the problem with the brakes I'd reported within weeks of purchasing the new car. But a few weeks out of warranty, the same Subaru service location stated "I need whole new brakes" and quoted some $1,800 in repairs. A few months later, Subaru issued its first admission to the defective brake system. These four Subaru dealership licensed service centers in part or full 1) held my car at least 2x - 4x longer than quoted, while upselling me on the loaner model, then missing several by which they'd a written diagnostic report , 2) refused diagnostic report and when sought provided scant or impractical information, 3) demanded under threat of rental fees if loaner was not retuned within a couple of hours .... during a business day (including at distant locations too far to reach by deadline), and 5) sought many hundreds of dollars in payment for undisclosed and unapproved work without ever diagnosing issue, which they demanded in conjunction with the rental fees ginned up by dragging out and then failing to do the diagnostic work. Subaru USA added years of delay and refuses to honor manufacturer's or licensee-issued warranties.
The contact owns a 2008 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to depress the brake pedal, the brakes failed to function. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed the failure and replaced the brakes. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would not start. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer and the battery was replaced. Soon after the battery replacement, the front headlights began strobing and the...
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taillight wiring caused the lights to fail. Additionally, there was moisture behind the A-pillar applique trim. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the contact was informed that the alternator needed to be replaced. Additionally, the wiring and bulbs in the taillights needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to reach out to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The Rear Gate Harness wires that are in the grommet wear and break from the rear gate going up and down. This issue has many issues. Rear lighting and break light, rear wiper, also rear locking mechanism and other unknown issues.
Ever since I purchased my car from carmax there have been problems with the ignition switch. There have been about 10+ times since I purchased the vehicle in dec. 2016 That I will put the key in the ignition, (while the car is parked and turned off, in order to turn it on) and the engine won't turn over. I have to toggle the gear shifter in order to get the car to respond and then the car will turn on. (Only after I agitate the gear shifter will the ignition then respond). I received an email that there may be a...
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recall for subaru outback 2008 for ignition-related issues but when I looked up my specific vin number, my vehicle does not appear to be a part of the the recall. Please let me know how I can have my car be considered in this recall, I know this is a related problem.
My vehicle has a problem with an intermittent airbag light illuminating, indicating an issue with the airbag system. Specifically in my case, it indicates that the overhead airbag indicator system is in a fault state. This is extremely common in this vehicle and age, with many other owners reporting the same issue with no recall action from subaru. This is a major safety issue with this car if not addressed and can result in the airbags not deploying in the event of a crash. Cost for an owner to repair (and in my case) is $300+ and should be covered by subaru.
There's seems to be a common issue with the wiring on 2005-2009 subaru outback/legacy models that affects both the airbag and the locking mechanism. I have seen multiple threads online where the airbag indicator light comes on specifically indicating that the passenger airbag may be affected and sensors may be faulty? There is also a common error in the electrical system in which when you lock the car - all locks activate with the exception of the rear tailgate which poses a safety risk or total theft of the car. These problems occur upon vehicle ignition and when the car is on or off (for the locking)
The lights and the radio on the instrument panel constantly go off and on sitting still or moving I told the technician at the dealership and it has not stopped as of 6/7/2017
The wiring harness passing from the vehicle body through to the hatchback is chaffing and has broken wires. I discovered this when my rear windshield wiper stopped working. After replacing the motor the problem persisted. Online search provided many reports of this phenomenon. I called subaru service and they are aware of the problem and report the fix is around $500-600 and entails replacing the wiring harness. I was told that the wires get brittle with age and it is a tight fit. My issue is on the rubber...
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boot on the passenger side of the car. The vehicle was stationary in my garage as I was troubleshooting the inoperative rear wiper motor. 85,150 Miles on the car, never been in an accident, and always parked in garage. I can upload photo documents if requested. As bare wires are present in this area I feel that this is a potential hazard. Rear wiper is also inoperative due to broken wire and could result in limited rear visibility. Service manager was very aware of this common problem. Online research showed reports of rear back up lights becoming inoperative as well.
Wire harness going to rear hatch had multiple wires severed by repeated opening/closing of rear hatch. Lock and tail light wires were broken though. 4 Other wires had their insulation cut and the conductor was exposed. In searching the net this appears to be a very common problem. Why hasn't a recall been issued? Failure of brake lights or tail lights are a safety issue.
Rear hatch wiring insulation failed after 8 years & 70,0000 miles resulting in (among many other problems) failure of all brake lights. Wires shorted out resulting in blown brake light fuse. There was no indication of failure of brake lights on any dashboard warning light. It is unknown how long this vehicle (known to have unsafe airbags) was also driven without brake lights. This is a known common failure point and should be a safety recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 subaru outback. The contact stated that the abs, traction control, engine, and other unknown warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was unable to be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.
Bought a used 2008 subaru outback in april of 2015, and shortly afterwards began seeing the airbag dash light occasionally upon startup. The airbag light would remain on until the vehicle was turned off, and would often come on and stay on when the vehicle was started again. Overhead passenger airbag indicator also was malfunctioning, and did not indicate on or off. Vehicle was serviced at dealership on 3/22/2016, and the overhead console (part # 92151ag13aor) was replaced to remedy air bag code 26. Total cost was...
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$182.95; $130.45 For the new console, and $52.50 For the labor. This malfunction is far too common in subaru vehicles across several years,and is an extremely important repair and a dangerous safety concern. The airbag system is inoperable when the dash light is on, and should be a recall situation for all subaru vehicles that have the defective console.
The dashboard lights blinked off & on and the heater stopped working, then started working again. This happened three times. It gives the appearance of involving a short circuit. This happened both when the vehicle was stationary and while moving.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 subaru outback. While driving 5 mph, the audio and the whole panel related to the heat/air and defroster failed without warning. The contact stated that the audio and h-back control panel lights were blinking. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 37,000.
(Vehicle has 112k miles) beginning approximately in the march 2015 timeframe, the radio controls/display began to malfunction intermittently. At first, the radio display would blink off/on, and then preset station buttons stopped/started working, then the cd/radio/aux control knob stopped/started working, etc. Controls from the steering wheel appear unaffected. There would be one problem on one day, which would seemingly "go away." Then, at random (sometimes days or weeks later), another problem would present...
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itself. It, too, would "go away" in short order and the process would repeat itself. The problem would occur on start-up as well as suddenly while in motion (in may 2015, I had the radio go off about midway on a 150-mile trip.) On sept 16, the radio controls became completely inactive, but the unit functioned and the display was on. Then, on sept 24, I was travelling at night when the headlights and radio/ac displays suddenly went dark. This is clearly a safety concern. The high beams and running lights remained functional, but the regular lights no longer function. I did not test the fog lights and I am no longer driving the car. I am using my wife's car. Until I can take the car for service, its use is limited to daylight hours. The issue has remained and does not appear to be "going away". When you turn on the headlights, the radio/ac displays go blank and the headlights do not light.
Hvac fails to operate. Defroster will not operate. Symptoms accompanied by flashing control panel for hvac and radio. Widespread reports of this problem shared on car owner internet forums.
The airbag warning light is frequently on for extended periods of time (days, weeks,months). The issue and subaru's unwillingness to address it are well documented in complaints filed with nhtsa by other subaru owners and on various subaru owner websites. For example, see http://www.Arfc.Org/complaints/2008/subaru/outback/air_bags/problem.Aspx there is conflicting advice on whether illumination of the dashboard warning light means the airbags are disabled or not. Either way, this is a serious safety hazard that needs to be addressed immediately.
The wiring for the rear lift gate lock is broken. The same problem occurred in 2013. Definitely faulty design. Subaru says to replace the entire wiring harness to the lift gate for $500+.
The wires in the boot between the hatch and body become brittle over time and can snap with hatch usage. I removed the boot and found one wire completely severed (operating the hatch lock which had stopped working). Others were frayed and required repair (including the wires for the brake lights). *Tr
The airbags light is on intermittently. The tech at the subaru dealership said it was a problem in the connection in the map light console. He indicated the airbags would deploy correctly. It appears to be a common problem with 2008 outbacks and other posters have indicated the airbag system will not work if dashboard airbag light is illuminated. Apparently many folks have found a weak/aged solder point to be the cause of an intermittent connection. Given the large number of owners encountering this problem, subaru should initiate a recall based on the safety concerns of a an airbag system failure in the event of an accident. *Tr
Having airbag light coming on intermittently along with passenger airbag light. Mechanic said airbags probably are not functioning properly. Cost for repair would be between $350-$400. From reading other complaints, this is an easy and cheap fix but dangerous if it's not repaired. This should be a recall! *Tr
I'm updating my 2/3/15 complaint 10680982. I contacted subaru directly on the same day and included a copy of the complaint I filed with nhtsa and my bill for the replacement of the overhead airbag control module. In the report the subaru tech said the unit was shorting out, showing code "26 for passenger?S airbag indicator failure and s8 airbag light on." I also gave subaru my tally of my first cursory search of the nhtsa complaints database on the word "airbag" for all models of subaru from 2000 to present. The...
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search resulted in 145 complaints. After I looked through the first 60 complaints I found 45 of them that seemed to be about this exact problem - the airbag warning light on the dashboard and/or passenger side airbag overhead indicator going on and off intermittently. These complaints were across every model of subaru and years from 2003 to 2013. My 2008 outback had the most complaints - 13. Other searches for different key words and spellings of airbag resulted in many hundreds of results, too many for your database to display, probably many of them were about the recent airbag recall issue. Subaru's customer service department responded immediately and on 2/12/15 they promised to reimburse me for the entire $352, the total cost of parts and labor to replace the module. I urge all subaru owners to test their passenger airbag lights and those with problems to lodge a formal nhtsa complaint and report it to subaru. Since the airbag doesn't work when the light isn't working properly this is a very dangerous problem! Enough complaints to the nhtsa will help pressure subaru to finally let all potentially affected owners know about it. *Tr
Was driving vehicle in heavy snow, suddenly lost power, the dash light flashed, the instrument cluster needles moved as if the car was starting up. Could not restart engine, would not crank. All other electrical equipment worked. Sat in heavy snow for two hours (no tow trucks available until next day). Suddenly after attempting to restart after many failed attempts, it did. Drove it home fine. Stalled next day on way to repair shop. Had car towed and shop found one code, but nothing else wrong. Drove home fine,...
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ran can for 45 mins, fine. Next day drove for 35 min to work, fine but left work and immediately stalled just like few days before. Towed to subaru dealer and took a day to figure out was main engine compartment wiring harness. Replaced with minimal charge of $50, even thought three months out of warranty. Vehicle has been fine since then. *Tr
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. Should be a safety recall! *Tr
Subaru Outback electrical complaints by year
Outback electrical problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data