Complaint 2090579

Complaint Summary

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Owner Narrative

The driver's side headlamp assembly (one complete piece, LED lighting) has a thin strip at the top that is used for daytime running lights. These are automatically on when the vehicle is on and it's not yet dark. In early 2024, this driver's side thin strip daytime running lights stopped working entirely. I've learned that the entire headlamp assembly must be replaced, rather than being able to just change out the daytime running component or replace a light bulb like one used to be able to do. I've taken the vehicle in for an estimate, and the Nashville, TN Subaru dealership quoted me about $1700 to replace the headlamp assembly, with nearly $1,000 of that being for the light itself, and the rest being labor. The technician at the Subaru dealership was aware of this problem, with many others coming into the shop for the same thing, and he advised complaining directly to Subaru. There are aftermarket options for $200 but the labor is still excessive. From researching online about how to find the aftermarket options, I've learned from a quick google search, lots of posts on Reddit and Facebook, among other forums, of other vehicle owners of this year and the years surrounding it that it is a very frequently-occurring problem, related to it being too close to something in the engine- and others reported that this has happened multiple times to their same vehicle! I called Subaru of America to complain and ask for a Good Will replacement, but they said they would not be able to assist me as I was beyond 3 years/50k miles, and that I would have to go with the Subaru of America option. Please look into this and find that this is a common problem and the remedy should not be stuck to the consumer, with such an exorbitant bill. Subaru should address this known problem and a recall should be made so that we may have this corrected/those who have had to pay for it can be compensated. Thank you!

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.