NHTSA Complaint #11561860 — 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK SEATS

Complaint Details

ODI Number	11561860
Vehicle	2013 SUBARU OUTBACK
Component	SEATS
Date of Incident	October 2, 2023
Date Filed	December 26, 2023
Mileage	N/A miles
Crash	No
Fire	No
Injuries	0
Deaths	0
Vehicle Towed	No
State	OR

Consumer Description

Electronic seat recliner motor (outer bushing) noise when reclining, but Kendall Subaru in Eugene saying motor can not be fixed (defective design), only replaced with another (defective) motor @ cost near $1,000. Seat then stuck all the way back; even with seat headrest behind my back (w/sweaters on top of it even) driving comfort/visibility are not as good. [This entire electronic seat recliner motor system is inferior/defective to begin with vs. a typical manual seat reclining lever design, for at least the following reasons: 1) much slower/less easy to operate 2) plastic activation buttons easily break off 3) much less reliable, where manual lever system safety & other problems are almost unheard of 4) much more costly].

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