Emily Sortor  |  September 9, 2019

Category: Auto News

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subaru starlink infotainment systemSubaru has reached a $6.25 million settlement with drivers who claim that the Starlink touchscreen infotainment systems are defective.

Under the proposed settlement deal, Subaru has agreed to extend warranty for the affected cars, as well as pay drivers for repairs and out-of-pocket expenses that they incurred as a result of the allegedly defective infotainment systems.

Additionally, the Subaru drivers note that the company has already made a number of improvements to the Starlink system.

According to court documents, “Subaru has represented — and plaintiffs have verified — that these updates address and largely fix the Starlink issues which led to the filing of this lawsuit.”

The Subaru drivers say the faulty Starlink systems are present in the 2018 Subaru Outback, Forester, Legacy, CrossTrek, and BRZ, as well as in the 2017 and 2018 Subaru Imprezas.

Subaru has agreed to pay $1.5 million in attorney fees and litigation expenses. The seven lead plaintiffs will receive $3,500 in incentive awards for their role in the Subaru class action lawsuit. The motion for approval notes that the Class will receive benefits of more than $6.35 million, even with the other expenses.

The Subaru Starlink defect was filed by drivers who said that the Starlink infotainment systems malfunctioned in a number of ways, including the back-up camera freezing, the screen display turning off, the navigation system not working, and the radio and audio failing.

The Starlink glitch class action lawsuit claims that the drivers often had to pay out-of-pocket to get the malfunctions fixed. To address this alleged injury, Subaru has agreed to provide affected Class Members with cash payments to compensate for money already paid, or coupons of higher value.

Additionally, other drivers allegedly had to wait to get repair parts for their vehicles, because Subaru experienced a shortage of repair parts. Around 9,590 customers will reportedly qualify for compensation for the delay. Each of these Class Members will receive around $16, for a total of around $2.08 million.

Under the proposed deal, Subaru has also agreed to extend its warranty from three years and 36,000 miles to five years and 100,000 miles, only for issues associated with the Starlink system. This expansion is supposed to help protect customers who may still have issues with the Starlink system.

The proposed Starlink class action settlement will also provide some compensation for drivers who had to incur additional out-of-pocket expenses including rental car fees or ride service fees. Class Members who incurred these fees will be eligible to receive $45 in compensation per day, up to $90.

Are you a Subaru owner who will benefit from this settlement? Let us know in the comment section below.

Top Class Actions will post updates to this class action settlement as they become available. For the latest updates, keep checking TopClassActions.com or sign up for our free newsletter. You can also receive notifications when this article is updated by using your free Top Class Actions account and clicking the “Follow Article” button at the top of the post.

The Subaru drivers are represented by Benjamin F. Johns, Andrew W. Ferich and Alex M. Kashurba of Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP, Kevin P. Roddy of Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer PA, Daniel R. Lapinski of Motley Rice LLP and J. Llewellyn Mathews.

The Subaru Starlink System Defect Class Action Lawsuit is Chad Udeen, et al. v. Subaru of America Inc., et al., Case No. 1:18-cv-17334, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

UPDATE: February 2020, the Subaru starlink defect class action settlement is now open. Click here to file a claim.

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85 thoughts onSubaru Reaches $6.25M Starlink Class Action Settlement

  1. Adam G Alsop says:

    I had a 2017 Imprezza, my father had a 2018 Imprezza, and I currently have a 2018 Outback – we have NEVER received ANY notification of this lawsuit whatsoever in any way, shape, or form – and our dealerships (where we get them serviced) have never mentioned anything!
    We only have the Outback at this point, and that unit is just going haywire (I suppose we can be thankful we didn’t notice or experience it earlier, but it seems to be “making up for lost time” now! I called the dealer and they said they had never heard of the issue and that they would have had to be notified by Corporate about it. I called Corporate and the rep I spoke to had never heard of the lawsuit, so it is being handed over to a specialist. I have also placed calls into the law firms who handled the case. The settlement website & # are closed. I will NOT let this rest!!! CLEARLY someone screwed up in properly notifying people! I will update when I have a final resolution on the issue and detail the process I went through. As a multi-repeat customer, they BETTER take care of the issue without a hassle. And yes, the parts dept did advise that the units STILL take 1-2 months to be received.

  2. Thomas Cooney says:

    I own a 2018 Subaru Outback which has the starlink infotainment system. the screen has now failed is going completely black rendering it useless. It would appear from the previous comments that I should be covered under the settlement. Dealers are telling us they are not aware of the settlement agreement.

  3. Jacqueline Martinez says:

    I bought my automobile to the Subaru dealer because the radio, navigator system, and the connection to my Apple phone are not working.
    I have a 2018 Legacy. My automobile had problems with this system after a year of ownership. I brought it to the dealer, and they always said it was a software update issue. ( I now know this is a lie). I was told six weeks ago that I needed a new radio and that it was on back order, and that I should receive it in a month. This is part of the Subaru ( Reaches $6.25M Starlink Class Action Settlement) where they were supposed to extend the warranty to 5 years. The dealer representative keeps telling me that the radio is on Back order and the ones that arrive are defective. Do I have any recourse. Please let me know if anyone is having the same issue.

    1. Lee Paul says:

      Yes, we are experiencing that problem.

  4. Clayton Haigh says:

    2018 WRX 60,000kms

    Hi, Im in Vancouver, BC Canada
    same problems here, in the beginning the head unit freezes after 1 – 2 minutes of driving, but steering wheel controls still work. back up camera does not work at all.
    And now,
    whole system is frozen, no music, no Nav, no controls.
    Should have kept my Ford Fusion…..way better car.

  5. Lynda says:

    Received $150 today in California. Thank you so much.

  6. Kevin Stewart says:

    I own a 2017 wrx which has the same problems. The faulty unit has been replaced several times and the most recent want was even a refurbished replacement. I’d love some money back for my headache and unnecessary trips to the dealership.

  7. Margaret D. Schwarz says:

    My leased 2015 Subaru Cross Trek StarLink panel malfunctioned during my lease since driving off the showroom floor in late 2015 – loaded with CCTV semi-autonomous driving throughout out my ownership and trade in in 2017.
    In late 2016, I drove across the US from CA to Maine and back to Nevada to acquired mega breaches of my TelCom devices and more interference. Subaru and dealer covers ups to this day with retaliation on my current vehicle – remote diagnostics messed with for just in time battery jumps and more remote nonconsentual ‘training’ research DMV fuel research auto funding in CA. And moneylaundering my credit cards. Nonconsentual arranged by my ExHusbands for unjust decentralized blockchain self-enrichment.

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