There's A New Subaru Starlink Lawsuit And What You Need To Know Now

Our 2019 Subaru Outback began experiencing the issues with our touchscreen during the fall of 2023. Our dealer said ours isn’t covered as the warranty had expired. After much complaining they agreed to order a new one and replace it but to date, we haven’t received any updates. 2/17/24

I have a 2017 Outback limited and have the exact same issues with starlink. So far no dealership will fix it. The issues are starlink dashboard freezing, glitching, and changing stations on its own.

I’m sitting at Subaru right now dealing with this infotainment system. Same thing: bubbles and phantom changes, car play stops working, Bluetooth stops working, radio starts scanning on it’s own. It’s a nightmare.

The car itself (2019 Outback Limited) has been wonderful, although once the infotainment system stopped working I stopped using the cruise control and Eyesight for fear it would malfunction. So far, the replacement part is $1200 and labor will be $300ish. I’ve got the number to customer service to see if I can be reimbursed for this. 🙏

Just got a 2024 forester limited - STARLINK states server is down. However my 2020 Outback worked just fine. Very disappointed with Subaru for not letting there new customers know this up front. If I had known my decision would have been different.

I have a 2020 Subaru outback with the following issues. The heating valve was
Replaced, mileage increased a little.
I have interruptions in stalling and pausing
Or shutting off when driving. The oil pump was never replaced.
The infotainment center shuts off, radio stays on and other problems which they have never corrected since they can’t
Create the problem when I bring the car in for service the car has 42000 miles on it.
Mike Boden is the service man at
Schumacher Subaru in Royal Palm , Fl
You can contact me as a whiteness
I am 84 and I club raced Porsche Cars for
8 years. The CVT transmission is garbage.
Thank you
Bob Missle

Hi, I have 2019 subaru outback, and facing the head unit issue.
Subaru is only offering to cover a fraction of the cost to fix it...

I too have just dealt with the "ghost bubbles" experience with my 2019 Certified PreOwned Outback. Very frustrating. I was charged $143.31 for a Subaru technician to diagnose the problem. They ordered a new infotainment system and after installing it they charged me another $100 as a copay for my current warranty. Again, this is very frustrating. Please keep me posted with any updates to Subaru Starlink Lawsuit.

I have a 2018 outback and am scheduled to have a new radio installed Monday. Subaru advocate is paying partial but I still have to pay $1500.00. Since the suit has been settled for the 2018 is there anything left for me to do except pay?

I JUST BOUGHT A 2019 OUTBACK WHICH IS DEFINITELY LISTED IN THE LAWSUIT...CAN WE SUE THE DEALERSHIP THAT SOLD THE CAR KNOWINGLY IT WAS UNDER A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT???THANK YOU FOR YOUR INFORMATION

I am having the same issues again! and the head has been replaced 3 times already. I let my son take the car and it stranded him at the airport hotel. It appears the starlink system light drained the battery overnight. Now the airbag warning lights are on and starlink is down. The radio randomly blares and the phone keeps getting disconnected. The minute he gets it back here I will be taking it to the dealer again!

I will never buy another Subaru. This was to be my last new car and I was going to drive it til the wheels fell off. It is a 2022 Outback Touring XT and I am so disgusted with the hassles I have had with it.

2019 Subaru Outback - “infotainment system, head unit” defective since reported in October 2023. Claim remains unresolved. Constantly beeps while driving, cannot use Bluetooth phone or radio.

Our 2018 subaru outback touring 3.6 has bubbles under screen and apps keep changing non stop with out touching .. very dangerous for driving
with only 37000 miles on it and warranty just expired.. Subaru does not care about safety only profit..

How do we get this issue resolved? Been suffering for months and all I hear from Subaru is that the head unit is backordered no eta. What a disaster! Have the 2019 Outback which is not driveable for more than local drives due to this issue.

Yes i have a 17 impreza. They replaced the dcm last year for parasitic draw, not my radio cuts in and out and rear camera freezes.

I have a 2020 Outback that started having problems within 2 months of owning the vehicle. I had a back and forth with Subaru, even them blaming me saying that I turned off the screen. Not sure why or how I would want to turn something off that I was using to drive from the Midwest to the East Coast. I have all the videos of the deteriorations of the head unit that I could safely get while driving. I took them to arbitration and won, but SOA doesn’t want to pay.

2019 Subaru Outback Touring has bubbles in upper right portion of Starlink screen and phantom screen activations come from this portion of the screen. This is extremely distracting as it can happen randomly and unexpected. It can last from seconds to hours for full duration of a driving trip. After examination I can see a potential design (flaw) that the screen can be affected by the temperature change from the vent positioning being right above the delamination bubbles. Heat or Cold air from this venting above screen can cause this problem to exacerbate when in use. Since this is an ongoing problem, Subaru should fix this issue to keep us undistracted and safe while driving their vehicle.

Starlink system acting up and started draining battery. Bought new one but didn't help. Too much trouble to deal with needed it for work everyday. Just had 2 years to pay off. Thought Subaru was suppose to be one of best cars.

2019 Subaru Outback Touring has bubbles in upper right portion of Starlink screen and phantom screen activations come from this portion of the screen. This is extremely distracting as it can happen randomly and unexpected. It can last from seconds to hours for full duration of a driving trip. After examination I can see a potential design (flaw) that the screen can be affected by the temperature change from the vent positioning being right above the delamination bubbles. Heat or Cold air from this venting above screen can cause this problem to exacerbate when in use. Since this is an ongoing problem, Subaru should fix this issue to keep us undistracted and safe while driving their vehicle.

2019 Legacy 40,000 miles as of 1 April 2024. Purchased from dealer Sept 2019 as dealer service loaner, original purchase date (to dealer) Sept 2018.
Car is on its 4th battery. First failure during my ownership < 30,000 miles Oct 2022. Took to dealer after next failure (< 1 year). Dealer replaced battery and updated software to prevent future problems. Batter died again 6 months later. Web sleuthing indicated problem likely due to parasitic draw by DCM when car is powered down. Likely cause is retirement of 3G cellular network. DCM is heavily back ordered. Dealer offered DCM block out device (at my expense) to fix it, which would no longer provide STARLINK service. I’ve pulled the DCM fuse in the meantime, which also disables the front speakers, Bluetooth, and cabin microphone.

@jeff with the screen bubbles.
Same problem. Touch screen has bubbles underneath. Screen locks up. Screen flashes rapidly back and forth between Sirius, Radio, Bluetooth. Brings up random screens. The safety hazards created by this system’s inherent unreliability demand recall.

We have a 2019 Outback and our screen is also delaminating and bubbling. Told by the dealership it is the same issue as the previous lawsuit. The screen needs to be replaced by recommendation of our dealership. Subaru said they would give us $1000 towards the replacement putting us on the hook for $3000.

2019 Legacy. Bubbles under screen near top of touchscreen. Touchscreen randomly goes through different apps even when it has not been touched. Constant beeping for seconds, minutes, or hours. At this point screen is completely frozen and unusable, but it will still randomly beep and change apps at various times.

This has been happening off and on for about a year but at this point the screen is non-functional and a dangerous distraction with the beeping.

Talked to SOA and waiting for appt at dealer.

I purchased a 2019 Outback new in 2019. Within the last year the infotainment system has become inoperable due to the touchscreen not responding and randomly changing radio stations.

2018 Outback. Infotainment system touchscreen does not work, can’t turn the radio off, unit changes screens randomly, which is distracting while driving. The screen has also turned hazy, affecting the view out of the backup camera. Called the dealer and they said too bad, the warranty extension for this problem ended in 2022. Replacement cost quoted was $1300.

On 4/18 2024 my wife and I went to Phoenix az and she noticed that my starlink icon was greyed out and sure enough subaru sent me a message to my 2023 outback letting me know there was a Starlink issue and for me to contact my dealership which is in Prescott az Findlay subaru,so I did and they were not aware of any problems of any kind.Well I tried explaining to them my problem they had know idea what I should do.Finally talked to there new car specilist and he sugested that I connect to my WIFI and check for updated and it said it was up to date .funny thing is remote stuff works off my phone but Starlink icon where my other icons are at is not lit up like the rest of them.Ive got 3yrs 36000 mile Starlink coverage on my leased 2023 outback.Do I need to be added to the list of customers experencing the same type of problem and whats in it for me and is it safe to drive?

I have had to replace my battery two times - twice in about 1 1/2 yrs. Now I am told that I have to replace the entertainment system/radio/map etc. because it is acting crazy - turns itself on, flashes between screens-and I have had the eyesight safety thing pop on saying it isn't working. I have a 2019 Outback. I just cannot afford to buy another Subaru if this is what is happening and they don't cover it!!

My 2019 Subaru Outback's Starlink system has been failing for the last couple of months and is getting progressively worse. The entire screen will go "haywire" and switch from maps, to radio, to internal engine diagram, etc. I cannot make calls through my CarPlay, my apps (Spotify, maps, etc.) won't play or switch back and forth with other apps, and/or the entire screen just freezes. At the beginning, I could reset it by holding down the volume button, but that doesn't work anymore. This is very, very frustrating.

I have a 2019 Subaru Legacy and my screen is changing intermittent colors. Some of the buttons on my radio touch screen do not work due to this malfunction. In addition, I put my Subaru in reverse for the back up camera and the screen turns a greenish color. This makes it very difficult to back up using the camera. I took my Legacy to a Subaru Dealership (Romano Subaru of Syracuse) and they stated my radio is malfunctioning and stated it would be $750 to have the radio replaced. I seen there is a class action lawsuit that extended the warranty to 5 years/100k miles under warranty. Why is Romano of Syracuse stating they will not warranty and charge $750? Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

2020 WRX. 3 months since my warranty expired, 37k miles bubbles started appearing on the screen. It works for a minute when I first turn on, but then I’m factory resetting it, eventually nothing works when I touch it. After a while when I’m on the phone it puts the calls on hold. Now out of nowhere it’s beginning to completely tweak out and click different things on its own.

My 2018 Outback multimedia unit was defective and replaced. Now, in 2023-2024 the replacement unit malfunctions, causing distraction and frustration. In Arizona and in New Mexico, I missed exiting the highway(s) three times due to the navigation screen going bonkers and causing me to take my eyes off the road: not good especially in the crazy highway maze of Phoenix. My local Subaru service guy in Colorado says to contact somebody at corporate Subaru to complain.... no results yet!