Update:
- A federal judge in New Jersey declined to dismiss a class action lawsuit accusing Subaru of manufacturing and selling certain vehicles containing defective Starlink infotainment systems.
- U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler determined the court did not have enough facts to dismiss the common law claims of fraud, breach of warranty, unjust enrichment and fraudulent concealment.
- The judge also allowed all but one state consumer protection claim to move forward, ruling the class action adequately alleged the Starlink information systems did not work as advertised.
- Subaru, in its attempt to dismiss the claims, argued some of the claims were untimely and that any warranty would have been made solely by Subaru of America.
- The judge ruled it was too early in the case to distinguish the liability or severability between Subaru of America and Subaru Corp.
Subaru Starlink class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Marco Cilluffo, Jeffrey Quarles, Pamela Doze and Carl Jean-Louis filed a class action lawsuit against Subaru of America Inc. and Subaru Corp.
- Why: The plaintiffs claim Subaru manufactured and sold certain vehicles equipped with allegedly defective Starlink infotainment systems that create a safety risk.
- Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in New Jersey federal court.
- What are my options: Advance Auto Parts carries many options when it comes to entertainment systems.
(April 14, 2023)
Subaru of America manufactured and sold certain vehicles equipped with Starlink infotainment systems containing a defect that has rendered them partially or wholly inoperable, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiffs Marco Cillufo, Jeffrey Quarles, Pamela Doze and Carl Jean-Louis claim the Starlink systems contain a defect that causes them to “freeze, become non-responsive, experience ‘ghost touch’ or phantom input, shut off, reboot, work intermittently or not at all.”
The plaintiffs argue further that Subaru falsely promises the Starlink systems will provide drivers with “seamless navigation,” “extra safety” and “everyday convenience.”
“Instead, Subaru sells and leases Class Vehicles equipped with defective Starlink systems that fail intermittently or altogether, causing serious inconvenience and safety concerns for lessees and owners, their passengers, and other drivers on the road,” the class action states.
The plaintiffs want to represent a nationwide class and Arizona, New York, New Hampshire and Washington classes of consumers who have purchased or leased a Subaru vehicle equipped with a Starlink infotainment system.
Certain Outback, Legacy, Forester, WRX vehicles have defective Starlink systems, class action says
Subaru vehicles equipped with the allegedly defective Starlink infotainment system include model year 2019-2023 Subaru Outback, Legacy, Forester and WRX vehicles, according to the Subaru class action.
The plaintiffs claim the allegedly defective Starlink systems present a safety risk for drivers of the class vehicles by disabling safety features and presenting drivers with “distracting and frustrating” effects.
Further, the plaintiffs argue Subaru must be aware of the alleged defect based on “related service bulletins” and since it conducted pre-release vehicle testing and the alleged defect “manifests so quickly.”
The plaintiffs claim Subaru is guilty of unjust enrichment, common law fraud and fraudulent concealment, and of violating the New Hampshire Consumer Protection Act and New York General Business Law, among other things.
Plaintiffs are demanding a jury trial and requesting injunctive relief along with an award of punitive damages for themselves and all class members.
Subaru initiated a recall in December for certain of its model year 2019-2022 Subaru Ascent vehicles over concerns an issue with the fastening of their Positive Temperature Coefficient ground terminals could pose a fire risk.
Have you purchased or leased a Subaru vehicle equipped with a Starlink infotainment system you believe is defective? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Andrew W. Ferich, Robert R. Ahdoot and Bradley K. King of Ahdoot & Wolfson PC.
The Subaru Starlink class action lawsuit is Cillufo, et al. v. Subaru of America, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:23-cv-01897, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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123 thoughts onSubaru class action over Starlink infotainment defect escapes dismissal
2019 Outback, having same issues with the screen/radio/starlink system. Going to contact dealer today. Need a new car soon. If they don’t help, I’ll never buy Suburu again.
I have a 2019 Subaru Legacy and I am on my second Infotainment system and it is now doing the same thing it did before—bubbles appearing on the inside of the screen causing it to malfunction and glitch.
Dealership said it is out of warranty and will be $1200 to fix. Terrible. Will not buy another Subaru
My infotainment, map, Pandora, Appleplay and gps system acts weirdly. 2019 Outback 2.5 Subaru.
Screen has small squared bubbles in it. Until recently only acted this way in high temperature times; now intermittently whenever!!
Same problem as everyone else. 2018 Outback. My screen jumps all over the place and does things like attempting to send text messages while I’m trying to navigate. The delamination bubbles are visible. What a massively infuriating punishment for buying a VERY expensive car.
I have a 2019 outback and the infotainment system has such bad damage from the bubbles I have to manually turn off the system due to it changing settings about my car I cannot fix. In addition I can’t plug in any phones to the front or have my Bluetooth on because it will restart the screen automatically and it then begins to start its ghost clicks.
deffective radio / nav screen on my 2019 subaru outback
My 2018 Subrau outback screen is not working it wants to flash on and off, not let me go to the radio not letting me do anything not even let me connect my phone
I have a 2020 Forester that has this problem too. It started right after the warranty expired. I spent a lot of money to have a nice car. It is starting to be a piece of junk. I’m so disappointed. I want my 2004 Subaru Outback back.
I dont live in New Jersey but South Carolina. I bought a used 2020 Subaru Wrx in cash. After 6 months of driving, I noticed bubbles appear spontaneously on my screen and causes the infotainment system to continuously activate random functions without my input. This is known as ghost touch and this occurred without me ever applying moister on the screen. Now this problem is so bad that my infotainment system is rendered unusable.
Yes the screen freezes and it’s as if a button is being constantly pressed until it freezes and resets to the phantom button pushes. Started out with just an occasional blip which doing the soft reset fixed, but now completely inoperable.