Skip to main content

Subaru Customers Get Preliminary Approval To $6.2M Starlink Class-Action Settlement

The class-action lawsuit against Subaru of America concerning the $6.2 million Starlink case has received preliminary approval. See what it means for customers.

Customers are getting closer to receiving the $6.2 million dollars coming to them in the Subaru Starlink class-action lawsuit settlement. Attorneys from Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP have reported on October 4, a New Jersey court has granted preliminary approval to the class action settlement reached with Subaru related to 2018 Subaru Outback, 2018 Crosstrek, 2018 Legacy, 2017-2018 Impreza, and 2018 BRZ.

Seven plaintiffs (Chad Udeen, Mary Jane Jeffrey, Lydia Runkel, Michael Block, Gary Gilpin, Alicia Smith, and Susan Williams) allege the Subaru Starlink multimedia system can “freeze and malfunction because the head units fail, and updates offered by the automaker have allegedly failed to fix the systems (Starlink problems).”

2018 Subaru Outback Starlink

The Starlink system consists of Harman Gen 3 audio and navigation head units, and the lawsuit alleges it's the head units that create safety concerns for Subaru drivers.

What does the preliminary approval mean for customers?

All individuals in the U.S. who purchased or leased one of these vehicles will be entitled to receive an extended warranty covering the Starlink system on their 2017-2018 Subaru Impreza, 2018 Outback, 2018 Legacy, 2018 Crosstrek, and 2018 BRZ vehicle. Class members will also be able to claim cash compensation of up to $300 if they had to have their infotainment systems repaired multiple times and/or $16/day spent without a functioning system while replacement head units were on backorder. 

Subaru Starlink connectivity

All class members will be issued a formal notice within 60 days from the date of the preliminary approval order on October 4, 2019. This final approval to the settlement has not been granted yet, and another hearing is scheduled on February 3, 2020, in District Court for the District of New Jersey.

What owners can do

If you are experiencing problems with your Subaru Starlink system, the equipment is covered under the 3-Year/36,000-Mile Subaru Limited Warranty. Take your vehicle into a Subaru dealer and document your conversation and get written proof of your complaint with each visit.

Subaru Starlink multimedia

Stay tuned for additional information on the final Subaru Starlink settlement on your 2018 Subaru Outback, 2018 Crosstrek, 2018 Legacy, 2017-2018 Impreza, and 2018 BRZ vehicles on or near February 3, 2020.

You Might Also Like: Having Problems With Subaru Starlink? What Owners Can Do

Bookmark the TN Subaru page and be sure to follow Subaru Starlink class-action lawsuit reports on FacebookTwitterInstagramSubaru Report. Send us your Subaru news tips @SubaruLegitNews and we'll give you a shout out! Check back tomorrow for more Subaru news and updates.

Watch Why Subaru Didn't Bring More Exterior Changes to the 2020 Outback video and subscribe to the Torque News YouTube channel for daily Subaru and automotive news analysis.

Leave your comments below, share the article with friends and tweet it out to your followers!

Photo credit: Subaru USA

Comments

Edward Lowe (not verified)    October 6, 2019 - 7:48PM

In reply to by Denis Flierl

Wife and I have had seval issues with the system constantly restarting, freezing and the navigation/radio getting stuck when the navigation speaks the front speakers are designed to lower the radio and the navigation speaks. There are times the radio doesn't play back through the front speakers until you turn off the car.

Zoe Thompson (not verified)    October 7, 2019 - 10:46AM

In reply to by Denis Flierl

Subaru Outback 2018. My biggest issue is that the system will freeze and will have to turn off the car wait to make sure everything is shot off, then turn it back again. The car play will not connect at all then unplug the cable and connect again. While connected and playing, it will lose connectivity. Very frustrating.

Larry Olesen (not verified)    October 7, 2019 - 5:53PM

In reply to by Zoe Thompson (not verified)

We have had the same thing occur quite a few times on our 2018 Outback. How do we make sure to be included in the extended warranty when they finally figure out how, and can fix the thing?

Susan Foley (not verified)    October 6, 2019 - 11:06PM

I don’t have the Starlink system, however, I have a 2016 Subaru Forester and my audio system does the same thing! It freezes up and malfunctions! I complained about it, they put a new system in, and it still does the same thing! Now that it’s out of warranty(more than 3 years old), they said I have to pay for any repairs or replacements! Even though the new system is only a year old!

David (not verified)    October 6, 2019 - 11:45PM

I live in Australia & have a 2018 XV (Crosstrek) "S". I have experisnced the screen freeze several times. Have just had the first service at 12,500 kms. The dealership claims to have no knowledge of this problem and assures me that upon checking they were unable to find any issues with the system. I will be monitoring the problem very carefully and will be keeping records.

Jeffrey Socha (not verified)    October 7, 2019 - 2:34PM

I've had my entertainment system replaced 3 times on my 2018 Impreza. It seems to be working the better now but still has some issues ie: carplay not staying connected and intermittent loss of satellite signal. I'll be following this story for sure.

Mary M Stetson (not verified)    October 25, 2019 - 9:44AM

Complaint Number: 11270960
Vehicle Identification Number:
Your Vehicle's Make Model and Model Year: SUBARU OUTBACK 2018
Note: Your VIN, make, model, and year are all protected under the Privacy Act.
What part of your car was affected? Speed Control, Steering, Unknown or Other
What happened?
10/2018 TO PRESENT: INFOTAINMENT SYS: WHILE DRIVING GPS SCREEN GOES WHITE ENTIRELY & SOUND STOPS. WHILE DRIVING GPS SOUND IS LOST OR PARTIAL LOSS. WHILE DRIVING GPS WILL REROUTE TO DIFFERENT LOCATION. THE ABOVE CAUSES MENTAL CONFUSION/DISTRACTION TO DRIVER W DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. BEFORE DRIVING/WHEN DRIVING RE/PROGRAMMING MAP WHEN DIRECTIONS STOP OR SCREEN WHITE OR GPS VOL DROPS OR VARIES THE UNIT WILL GO FM MAP TO PHONE FAV RELIABLY CAUSING DISTRACTION TO DRIVER, MENTAL CONFUSION ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. WHILE DRIVING RADIO: SOUND VOLUME GOES HIGH & LOW OR DROPS SOUND OR WHEN CHOOSING A STATION FROM PROGRAMMED RADIO BUTTONS CHANNELS BEGIN TO CYCLE RAPIDLY THROUGH EACH PROGRAMMED CHANNEL AND REPEATS CYCLE UNTIL I CAN MANAGE TO POWER OFF THE RADIO & TAKES UP TO 5 TIMES TO PRESS RADIO POWER BUTTON TO POWER OFF CAUSING DISTRACTION TO DRIVER & MENTAL CONFUSION TRYING TO POWER OFF THE RADIO IN TRAFFIC ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. STEERING: WHILE DRIVING FEELS LIKE HIGH WINDS/HYDROPLANING AS CAR SWAYS IN LANE & OUT OF LANE WITH NO RAIN & NO HIGH WIND CONDITIONS CAUSING DISTRACTION TO DRIVER & MENTAL CONFUSION TRYING TO CONTROL STEERING TO STAY IN LANE IN TRAFFIC ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. ENGINE: WHILE DRIVING IN EMERGENCY MANEUVERS SEVERE DELAY IN ACCELERATION WHEN PEDAL IS TO THE FLOOR CAUSING NEAR COLLISION SITUATIONS, DISTRACTION TO DRIVER & MENTAL CONFUSION TRYING TO AVOID A COLLISION IN TRAFFIC ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. ENGINE: RPM EXTREMELY HIGH ON ACCELERATION AS IF I AM IN LOW GEAR & MANUAL PADDLE NEVER WAS TOUCHED CAUSING DISTRACTION, CONFUSION, AND INABILITY TO CONTROL INTENDED SPEED OF VEHICLE CAUSING DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.
When did this happen? 10/01/2018 to present. Getting worse with age/mileage.
Was there a Crash? No
Was there a Fire? No
Was there an injury or fatality? No
How fast were you going? (in mph) 20 to 60
About how many miles were on your vehicle at the time of the incident? 10000-to 24000. Getting worse with age/mileage

Mary M Stetson (not verified)    October 25, 2019 - 9:47AM

Complaint Number: 11270960
Vehicle Identification Number:
Your Vehicle's Make Model and Model Year: SUBARU OUTBACK 2018
Note: Your VIN, make, model, and year are all protected under the Privacy Act.
What part of your car was affected? Speed Control, Steering, Unknown or Other
What happened?
10/2018 TO PRESENT: INFOTAINMENT SYS: WHILE DRIVING GPS SCREEN GOES WHITE ENTIRELY & SOUND STOPS. WHILE DRIVING GPS SOUND IS LOST OR PARTIAL LOSS. WHILE DRIVING GPS WILL REROUTE TO DIFFERENT LOCATION. THE ABOVE CAUSES MENTAL CONFUSION/DISTRACTION TO DRIVER W DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. BEFORE DRIVING/WHEN DRIVING RE/PROGRAMMING MAP WHEN DIRECTIONS STOP OR SCREEN WHITE OR GPS VOL DROPS OR VARIES THE UNIT WILL GO FM MAP TO PHONE FAV RELIABLY CAUSING DISTRACTION TO DRIVER, MENTAL CONFUSION ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. WHILE DRIVING RADIO: SOUND VOLUME GOES HIGH & LOW OR DROPS SOUND OR WHEN CHOOSING A STATION FROM PROGRAMMED RADIO BUTTONS CHANNELS BEGIN TO CYCLE RAPIDLY THROUGH EACH PROGRAMMED CHANNEL AND REPEATS CYCLE UNTIL I CAN MANAGE TO POWER OFF THE RADIO & TAKES UP TO 5 TIMES TO PRESS RADIO POWER BUTTON TO POWER OFF CAUSING DISTRACTION TO DRIVER & MENTAL CONFUSION TRYING TO POWER OFF THE RADIO IN TRAFFIC ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. STEERING: WHILE DRIVING FEELS LIKE HIGH WINDS/HYDROPLANING AS CAR SWAYS IN LANE & OUT OF LANE WITH NO RAIN & NO HIGH WIND CONDITIONS CAUSING DISTRACTION TO DRIVER & MENTAL CONFUSION TRYING TO CONTROL STEERING TO STAY IN LANE IN TRAFFIC ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. ENGINE: WHILE DRIVING IN EMERGENCY MANEUVERS SEVERE DELAY IN ACCELERATION WHEN PEDAL IS TO THE FLOOR CAUSING NEAR COLLISION SITUATIONS, DISTRACTION TO DRIVER & MENTAL CONFUSION TRYING TO AVOID A COLLISION IN TRAFFIC ON LOCAL ROADS & ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. ENGINE: RPM EXTREMELY HIGH ON ACCELERATION AS IF I AM IN LOW GEAR & MANUAL PADDLE NEVER WAS TOUCHED CAUSING DISTRACTION, CONFUSION, AND INABILITY TO CONTROL INTENDED SPEED OF VEHICLE CAUSING DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.
When did this happen? 10/01/2018 to present. Getting worse with age/mileage.
Was there a Crash? No
Was there a Fire? No
Was there an injury or fatality? No
How fast were you going? (in mph) 20 to 60
About how many miles were on your vehicle at the time of the incident? 10000-to 24000. Getting worse with age/mileage

Carole Otis (not verified)    November 1, 2019 - 12:37PM

2018 Crosstrek - Starlink don't concisely work on texting, phone out, turning on, staying connected, Bluetooth won't call out, volume is low sometimes with incoming and outgoing calls...UBS port has been replaced...radio head has been replaced and the problems are the same...

Mady Calloway (not verified)    December 11, 2019 - 1:46PM

2019 Subaru Outback - How do I get in on the class action lawsuit on the navigation system! It is horrible!

Carolyn sansom (not verified)    January 8, 2020 - 9:50AM

I have been having problems with star link freezing up on me so I don’t use it any more.i have the 2018 Subaru Forester

Diane Schweizer (not verified)    January 15, 2020 - 11:55AM

Outback 2018 - I have had intermittent problems with the system shutting down, saying "no Carplay", etc.

Danielle Weiner (not verified)    February 25, 2020 - 10:39PM

I can't rely on the navigation system at all. Not only does it give confusing commands, it sometimes instructs me to do the exact opposite of what is called for (ie. turn left instead of right). Sometimes it does not recognize an address for a home or business that has been used for many years and is NOT at all out in the 'boonies'. Occasionally, I will give an address or phone number verbally and it restates it completely wrong, even though I speak it as clearly as anyone can. I do not have an appreciable accent, either! Just weird. One more thing - I keep assigning an FM radio station to my display tabs and it regularly just deletes my choice. I have Sirius and use that almost exclusively, but I don't think that should cause this to happen.

Julia Bozman (not verified)    April 7, 2020 - 3:29PM

I bought a 2018 Subaru CrossTrek on St. Patty’s in 2018, I am a disabled woman with a plate in my neck. My Subaru just turned 21,000 miles. My vehicle 1st they replaced the radio, and when they did that. I didn’t no longer have the same radio. That the vehicle came with. I bought this vehicle for safety. But under 6 months all the lights would come on in the vehicle. The vehicle just jumped and would not take gas. I had just gotten gas and pulled out in the left lane to turn around, and now the vehicle would knot move. That day I was lucky, because the Sheriff was at the light, he was able to stop traffic until we were able to get the vehicle in a parking lot of a motel. We unhooked the battery cables. I took the Vehicle to the Dealership and they said they fixed it. Well it wasn’t fixed. It did it again. This time they had to tow my vehicle to the dealership. Mean while the Starlink wasn’t helping me either. They had my vehicle for almost two and half weeks they replaced a computer. The computer had to be programmed for the vehicles VIN number. Then I get three recalls. One for a brake line fitting that could cause the brake line too swell and lose your brakes and cause you to crash. Second was a PVC that if it breaks parts go into your motor, which might have to be replaced, so they replaced the PVC part but the third one is the killer, the ignition switch, they didn’t replace mine, they reprogrammed it. So if the car cuts off and you can’t restart your engine, you will crash. You will lose all power, steering and end up crashing or n the Marsh ( where I live at ) I don’t feel safe driving my Vehicle. Subaru miss represent the part about being the safety vehicle. This vehicle has almost caused me to crash twice. I hope my vehicle falls under that extended warranty. Because I don’t think my problems are over. With. I still have three years of payments, and I believe they breached there contract and sold me a lemon. Thank You, and God be with all of us with this darn Subaru’s.

Vince P (not verified)    July 3, 2020 - 6:25PM

Our 2017 Forester's NAV/Infotainment system has been a glitchy, buggy piece of crap since day 1. Moreover, Subaru's apparent unwillingness to EVER issue one single system update to address the numerous issues with it, or to keep pace with iPhone updates which render the Subaru/iPhone integration completely non-functional, tell me that Subaru simply doesn't give a damn about its customers, once they leave the showroom. This is our first Subaru, but it will definitely be our LAST.

Julia Bozman (not verified)    July 12, 2020 - 12:15PM

Now my 2018 Subaru, now has 24,000 miles on it. The paint is bubbling on the hood of the vehicle. I really hope that we receive some sort of settlement on these vehicles. I am scared to drive this new vehicle. They advertise the most safety vehicle on the market. That’s false advertising. My vehicle has caused me more problems than any other new vehicles I have ever bought.
I hope the Judge at least makes Subaru extend our warranties to ten years or 100,000 miles.
Has anyone out here received a settlement payment?
Please let me know.
I am thinking about trading in this vehicle. Because it’s left me stranded twice now. I live 32 miles to the closest town. I live in the Blackwater Refuge. Cell phones don’t work, Starlink doesn’t work, there’s nothing but water on both sides of the roads with marsh and ditches big enough to swallow a vehicle.
I don’t drive after dark either. I am a disabled woman.
I really hope and pray for the settlement to come threw for all of us.
Thank You.
Julia Bozman

Suzanne thigpen (not verified)    September 15, 2020 - 1:14PM

My Subaru 2020 ascent radio blasts at top volume after phone calls occasionally. I am beginning to think it happens when the other person hangs up first. It is however so loud that I think it startles me and I am fortunate not to have had an accident because of it. It is so loud that my ears “hurt” for a day or two. Very scary. I’m Asking them to look at it today. But it is really disheartening that this has been been happening for years apparently on older models and has not been resolved.