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.
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
124 thoughts onSubaru class action over Starlink infotainment defect escapes dismissal
My dealership replaced the entire screen system at my insistence a couple of years ago, as SO many disruptions, dealership service appointments without resolving multiple problems which were occurring.
My vehicle 2020 Outback
2019 Outback here was told by SOA that I’m outside of warranty so also looking up this class action lawsuit as this is freaking ridiculous at this point.
I have a 2019 Outback. The touchscreen has become non-responsive. The console display just starts changing screens by itself, asking for driver profile and other instructions; changing radio stations by itself; and emitting a constant pinging sound. Please give me information to join class action.
I financed my 2019 Subaru Legacy in 2022 and as described above my infotainment system is all ghostly and randomly calls people.
I have a 2018 Subaru Outback 2.5i premium and the infotainment system on this is horrible. The ghost touch makes the unit null and void, it constantly switches stations, freezes, turns the volume up, etc.
I would like information on the class action suit. I have a 2019 Outback, that of course just went out of warranty a few weeks before all this started. It’s dangerous and definitely a safety hazard to have your radio/navigation etc… just start changing and going through all the different sources on your system. Please give me information to join class action.
I have over two pages of intermittent failures related to the infotainment screen and Eyesight safety/cruise control functions. I’ve already had it in once, but all they did was install an update. It only fixed a few issues and made others worse or appear for the first time.
If they are unable to fix them or try to explain them away I will look to join a class action lawsuit.
I bought my 2019 Suburu a few months ago. Before I left the dealership I asked my salesman to show me how to set up my infotainment center. He had no clue. He had to Google it. He still never set it up. So I went to my daughters house and she set it all up for me. It seemed to work fine at the time. A week or so goes by and my infotainment center started acting up. I would push buttons and it wouldn’t respond. The backup camera would be black a couple of times. So I called the dealership and spoke to the salesman that sold it to me. He said he would cover the cost and had to make an appointment with someone outside of the dealership for repairs. A week went by and he calls me to inform me I have an appointment and to take the car to an Electronics center. Well that was June 10th. I get there and they pulled the car in and explained to me there was an 8 month backup on my 2018 subaru infotainment center. They would have to wait on parts. Never heard anything from them nor my salesman. I’ve called every 2 weeks about it. Now they’re waiting on a special part. Now it’s August and still no backup camera or anything. Why is it so hard to fix it. They told me they would have to rebuild it with other parts. No telling what it will look like after all of this and no calls from dealership. I’m irrate!
I have a 2018 Legacy. Randomly about 6-8 months ago my set up started with phantom changing, freezing, changes stations and so on.
I have a 2022 crosstreck that basically does everything described.