Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Subaru Outback owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This is the first Subaru I've ever owned and so far it's been a nightmare. I have had to repair: an oil leak in the engine that required the whole engine to be taken apart. While replacing a seemingly simple part, the hydraulic lifts that keep the back hatch open, the threading that holds the screw in broke off and I had to hire a mechanic yet again to weld that part to be able to screw in the screw to hold the lift in place. And now, the entire interior lighting doesn't work, including the stereo, all the dome lights and the remote control system. In addition to that, the rear wiper doesn't work properly.
2005 Subaru Outback 2.5xt was parked in a public / private parking structure at approximately 6:30 pm on 10/13/2005. At approximately 8 pm the fire alarm was triggered by vehicle catching on fire. Fire dept found no signs of arson or foul play, looked to be an electrical fire in the front right headlight cluster. No response from Subaru, insurance dropped my policy - loss not covered!
Wiring located on the rear passenger side between the hatch door and body (in the protective boot) was severed as a result of poor quality wiring and design. Wires were stress-severed and nearly severed by normal operation of opening/closing the wagon rear door. Apparently this is a common issue as discovered by visiting online forums.
The wiring for the license plate lights failed in the upper right hatch hinge boot causing the license plate lights to not operate. The purple wire had broken inside the boot area. The purple wire is extremely small gauge for a location that is opened and closed often.
Rear hatch harness wires are broken/ frayed. Backup lights do not work, and the rear wiper works intermittently. Every now and them rear defroster doesn't work. Hazard a lot of 2005-2009 outbacks have.
I purchased my 05 Subaru legacy Outback in September 04. The passenger side low beam headlight went out in October 05 and I had a local mechanic replace it with the recommended replacement bulb. I noticed that now the right low beam is more angled down than previously, making visibility at night more limited than it was before the replacement. In December 05 the driver's side low beam headlight also expired and my father and I replaced it with the same compatible part. I noticed that night that the driver's side low beam was now only illuminating about 10 feet in front of the car (less than the right low beam now) and so I had to crane forward over the steering wheel to see the part of the road that was illuminated. My dad and I adjusted them as much as we could but there's really not much to adjust. …
We purchased a used 2005 Subaru Outback ltd. Wagon in August of 2008 and almost immediately had to replace the left front driver's low beam headlight bulb. Since that time, we have replaced 3 more left side headlight low beam bulbs and 2 right side low beam headlight bulbs. Subaru tells us there are no issues with their electrical system, yet they claim that they have redesigned the low beam headlight bulbs 3 times now and that their branded bulbs should work. At appx. $20.00 each, their solution should not be acceptable. We have spent over $100.00 replacing bulbs that should last for years and years, not 2-3 months! We are asking for assistance with this problem. We live in a rural area of colorado where there are few street or highway lights and wildlife is always a concern while driving. …
Without any accident, under normal usage, the vehicle's license plate lights failed. The problem was traced to a break in a conductor (wire) contained in a wiring harness that connects the vehicle to the rear hatch through a rubber bellows. Once the bellows was retracted, the broken wire was found along with twelve (12) other wires that were all nearly broken: their insulation was cracked and several wires ultimately broke completely upon further flexing. These other wires fed the brake lights, turn signals, running lights, hatch lock, and all other electrical circuits on the rear hatch. It appears that the insulation on this wire does not hold up in this environment and will ultimately fail in the course of several years. This poses a safety problem as the vehicles rear lights (turn signals, brake lights, etc.) can fail at any moment.
Rear wiper failure was first noticed followed by failure of the license plate light, the wiring harness in the rear lift gate has multiple broken wires where the door hinges. Appears that the wiring insulation becomes hardened and brittle, and will break instead of flexing. There are several other wires in the harness that are showing bare wire but have not yet broken. This is what all the harness enables and will eventually fail: rear wiper motor license plate light rear gate latch switch rear gate lock actuator rear defogger back-up light rh rear defogger back-up light lh
Dt: 2005 Subaru Outback - the problem was with the headlights. They did not provide enough light to drive safely at night. While driving at night, the consumer could not see. There was very limited road way vision, with only a couple hundred feet in front of the car that was lit up properly, from that point on it was just black. The consumer had to drive with the high beams on to get home safely. The consumer spoke to the dealership and they said that it was the design of the headlights. The dealership said there was nothing that they could do to adjust them.
Headlight complaints in other Outback years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2005 Subaru Outback?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the lights of the 2005 Subaru Outback, 11% of the model year's 273 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Subaru Outback headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2005 Subaru Outback, though it has 9 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Subaru Outback headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 66,000 miles, and 43% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to lights problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.