New Subaru Starlink Lawsuit Update And What You Need To Know Now

I bought my 2019 Subaru Outback and last year noticed a kinda haze look to the screen. The past year the screen reacts so strangely and makes the volume go all the way up randomly. More so recently it looks like a ghost is operating it, changing stations and opening all the apps. It’s incredibly distracting and sometimes scary bc it is loud and unexpected.

I have a 2018 Outback , that had bubbles form on the screen and in the past few weeks, nothing works on the screen- GPS, radio, connecting phone, heat, defrost and it will either freeze totally or constantly flashing. I just learned of lawsuit and that others have this problem. Trying to resolve.

I have a 2019 Subaru WRX (Gray Series). Starting at the end of summer 2023, little splotches appeared behind the screen. Then they slowly grew. The unit at first would work fine when you first started the car, then after a while the touchscreen would not be responsive in certain zones. Then it would have phantom button pushes and call someone or try texting someone randomly. It now is randomly changing functions constantly and seems to be almost completely inoperable. I just filed a complaint with Subaru and am starting the process to try to get them to replace it.

I purchased a 2024 Crosstrek with the understanding it had a functioning Starlink system. That system failed at 2,000 original miles. The car has been in and out of the dealer's repair shop and it cannot be fixed. So the local dealer offered me $11,000 less than I paid to buy back the defective vehicle! 5/15/2024

I have a 2018 Subaru outback and the screen infotainment center whatever you want to call it has a bunch of bubbles under the screen and it causes the radio to change randomly, maps are messed up and it will even make random calls while I am driving. Just started doing it a week ago. Buttons on screan don’t work it’s got a mind of its own! Is Subaru covering the cost to fix this?

I leased my 2019 Legacy in 2018, I purchased it, after the lease ended.It has only 19,000 miles on it. We don't use the radio a lot because it distracts my husband. That being said, a few months ago the Starlink radio started acting like there was a "ghost" in the machine. Would randomly switch channels. Turn itself on. Made weird beeping noises. of course my warranty was expired and the service department told me to contact Subaru Got nowhere with that. I have to leave the radio turned off, all the time.

My 2020 Outback has been having the blackout issues. Dealership did a software update a couple years ago that seemed to fix it for awhile or long enough for warranty to expire. Last few days it blacks out several times within an hour commute and now won't pair with my phone. So frustrated and concerned about safety since so many features depend on the software.

‘22 Outback
Head unit comes and goes without rhyme or reason
Dealership says big Subaru is aware, will NOT replace, just keep coming in for “updates” for free UNTIL YOUR WARRANTY IS OUTDATED!!!
Is there justice for NEW car customers?

2019 Subaru Outback
having the same issue, The starlink has bubbled screen, Doesn't respond, switches itself on and off, won't connect to the phone, If it does it'll disconnect and the reconnect, Icons dance across the screen.....
we have 120,000 miles on the Car and Subaru are only offering $800 towards the repair cost, because we are over the 100,000 miles....
even the local dealer said if we were under 100,000 mile they would just do it!!!!

2019 Outback has all of a sudden started locking up. It’s intermittent but often. Had the dealer do software update. It froze on the way home! Happens when phone is connected by cable and using car play. And also when I’m not connected at all. Dealer is doing free diagnostic check tomorrow.

I have a 2019 Outback Touring. There are several pea sized blemishes Behind the front screen that have increased in number. Those seem to be responsible for several faults including the unit making random phone calls, switching back and forth between functions and screens, causing settings to change etc. You can see the screens switching and functions being accessed without any touch to the screen or buttons. Most of the time there is no ability to control the functions by physical touch and the unit is completely non usable.

My screen does not work and I am past the 3 year warranty. How do other people join this class action lawsuit or is there also one in the state of WV. It is horrible not being able to use my screen.

I have recently done the Starlink update on my 2020 Subaru Outback and the infotainment is not working ever since, and since all the convenience(ac, audio, etc) and safety(Lane assist, cruise, braking, Rear collision etc.) are controlled via infotainment, my car is basically not in a drivable condition.

Subaru's response to this is "At some point in time, every autombile will encounter a condition which require minor and sometime major repair" and they can not be of any assistance.

My 2019 Subaru Outback radio has bubbles under the screen and is acting crazy……should be a recall!!!!

I own a 2019 Subaruoutbck 2.5L. I replaced a car battery in Feb 2024. That battery died just 7 months later in Sept 2024. Did some online research and found all these threads about StarLink and Infotainment panel. Since summer the infotainment system has glitched. At first was odd, started mildly, sometimes only sound was affected. Now it glitches everyday: radio sound is gone, constant scanning of stations, randomly dials phone numbers, changes menu display. I worry about safety. If I'm relying on GPS to travel, the system is useless to me or anyone else driving. Other internet threads are full of similar stories : unresponsive radios, glitching, condensation bubbles appearing. It's not just the Starlink DCM. It has to be the the whole panel and infotainment system. Subaru needs to to own this problem and fix it for all Subaru owners.

My 2018 Subaru legacy has a defective touch screen. It has been replaced once for same thing when it was still under warranty. The dealership told me I was outside of the warranty now and would have to pay $1400 to replace it. It is “delamination”. What a headache! This will be the 2nd time this has been replaced for same reason!

We own a 2019 Subaru Outback. About six months ago the radio started with “ghost touch”. It is very distracting and we are unable to listen to the radio. The blue tooth for my phone also doesn’t work. The top half of our touch screen has spots of condensation underneath that we can’t get rid of. We contacted subaru and they acted like they were unaware of the problem. We are interested in joining a class action suit if possible. Thank you, Rebecca Pahlman 724-594-6641

In Jan. 2019 I purchased a new Outback equipped with the Starlink system. I put approximately 5000 miles a year on it and never had a problem until this year. I can no longer program the map, my radio is constantly in a scan mode and won't hold any station. At times it will scan into other modes such as maintenance scheduling program. A few times the backup camera didn't work. At times it will just completely freeze up and do nothing. I refuse to pay what the dealer wants to replace it. I've been driving Subaru's since the 90's and nothing else. This will be my last one unless Subaru does the right thing and replaces the defective system.

I’ve actually been in two wrecks since I bought my 2019 Subaru Outback . One wreck in particular, my mother was in the vehicle with me. I wasn’t able to repair the vehicle and I drive it around wrecked. My insurance is incredibly high now. I bought this car as a single mom going through a high conflict custody case. This has been really hard and I can’t afford to fix it. Email me please.

2019 Subaru Outback head unit delaminating and very distracting while driving. It calls people on my phone who return my call and after I tell them what happened they say I sure don’t want a Subaru. Radio stations change, constantly beeps and changes screens. I try to get it stuck on a screen that doesn’t have buttons in the affected area but that doesn’t always work.

I have a 2019 Subaru Legacy. The head unit started having problems with Carplay crashing randomly within the first year but it wasn't often enough to worry me. I figured a software update would solve it eventually. Those crashes started resulting in the head unit itself crashing and resetting. Carplay will not work again unless the car is turned off for some period of time. Sometimes the unit just crashes for no reason. Then usually keeps crashing. Also, this unit has never updated. Connect to the internet but there has been zero firmware/software updates applied to this unit. Carplay fails 50% of the time now.

As of this year I started noticing that the touch screen began activating itself randomly. Seems to happen more so when the sun is hitting it? Not sure about that, but it is definitely getting worse by the day. When the touch screen starts going haywire, the unit becomes unusable.

Currently looking into aftermarket options.

I have a 2016 Outback that I originally leased for 3 years and then purchased outright from the dealer. About 3 months ago the radio started changing stations on it's own and actually double programmed preset stations I had already programmed in. About a month ago it went totally dead and my dealer was unable to do a reset as recommended by Subaru of America.
I have an active case pending with them but still waiting on a determination. I sure hope they make good on the radio as a "Good-will" gesture ???

I realize my model year is not part of this lawsuit but do you have any advice ???

Thank you in advance for your input.
Jeff Millies
262-239-5106

My Outback infotainment system has been inconsistent and today, completely died. I

I leased a Subaru 2024 in July 2023 at the height of of inflation
I have had a lot of aggravation with the infotainment since l have it notifying them on many occasions..
They said it needs another update.
I just did it last week. No one at Subaru acknowledges a problem saying it needs a tweak. I am paying top dollar at present and have hated the infotainment system for a year and a half.
How about some remuneration
Thank you for listening
Sincerely
Suzanne Levine

I recently had my head unit replaced. Subaru of America made a “goodwill “ gesture and paid $1000 toward the repair. That left me with a $563 bill and 3 hours of my time and inconvenience. I would like to be compensated.

Hi Denis,
I have had problems with the Infotainment system in my 2019 Outback for several years. Every time I look online, I find another problem I've had with the car is related to the failure of the infotainment system, (navigation, battery drain, door locks, radio, unwanted changes in my displays, sound problems with radio and navigation, etc., etc., etc...
Tomorrow, I'm going to call Starlink and ask how I can determine if my Starlink Safety Plus Plan would function if I had an emergency.
My car has been to the dealership over and over again. At first, I was told the fault was mine. I should get a new cable; I shouldn't let the cable touch the screen; I'm not touching the door correctly to lock and unlock it. Then small repairs were made, map updates, USB port replacements, battery replacement. and finally, they replaced the radio, with a rebuilt one, or one that had been on the shelf since 2019 or earlier. I knew this, because the maps were a good 8 years old. They still used exit numbers on the highways that had been changed at least 8 years ago. They updated the maps, but first made me pay for the update. When I said I had paid to update the maps in the original system, and expected the "new" system to have at least what I had already paid for, they relented and said I could apply for a refund from SOA. I did get the refund.
After this repair, I left the dealership with assurances that all was right. On the way home, I stopped at a store for 15 minutes. When I got back into the car, the navigation system did not work. I called the dealership from the parking lot of the store, and they said I could make an appointment to bring the car back. I told them I was turning around, and to expect me in a few minutes.
When I got back to the dealership, my service rep said he was going to talk to "the guys" and find out what else they could do for me. He would be in touch.
The dealership manager suggested I buy a new Outback because now the connection is wireless, and there would be no problems. I'm not sure whether or not he was joking. I told him my car had 50,000 miles on it, and, if it holds up like my previous 3 Outbacks, I expect it to go at least another 50,000 miles. I did not want to spend money on a new car now. Also, I would not be able to sell my car because of all its problems. The manager said they would take it as a trade-in. (You know how much less you get from a trade-in that when you sell it yourself!)
I did not hear back from my service rep for 2 months. When I finally called him, he said he could not find anything else that could be done.
Then I wrote to The Customer Advocacy Department of SOA. I told them the problems, and the attempted solutions which all failed. I told them the dealership tried their best to help me. I said it was SOA' s job to come up with a solution, and relay it to their dealerships. I wrote that, "Subaru cannot or will not assume the responsibility and the expense of replacing the defective system with one that works..."
The response I got was that they have been in touch with my dealership and SOA wants me to bring my car in (again) for a diagnosis!
Reluctantly, I am going to do that this coming week. Maybe they'll offer me a new car for free? I've had 3 red Outbacks and one silver Outback. I can't decide what color to choose this time.
BTW, I think the Customer Service rep at SOA is AI. "Kimberly" really didn't respond directly to the comments or questions in my emails. Her responses sounded like a script.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my story. I will follow up next week.
Paula

2024 Outback Touring here. So many have already said what we experience with ours. The 2021 we used to have wanted to eat batteries, but gave it's life in a front head on. But teh 2024 system seems so much worse, so underpowered, so miserable. Plus anyone else hate the design where sunshine makes it unreadable? But I'm convinced the 2024 system is just as buggy and defective as the prior years.

I have a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek with EXACT same issues. Taken in multiple times. Causing battery to drain when parked. So it’s not just the models you mentioned.

My 2019 outback Starlink infotech system just started failing in December 2024 with 86K miles. I am going to meet with dealership to see what they may do.

Our 2025 Subaru models using the system Starlink system?