29 of the
42 complaints filed about the Subaru Uncharted
are about the lighting —
69% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2026.
Insufficient dampening on front headlight mounting, causing excessive shake/ jitter of headlights at night. This design issue allows the headlight cut-off level to hit the eyeline of oncoming traffic. Aside from the safety issue of occasionally blinding other drivers, the shaking/flickering also causes headaches on long drives at night.
NHTSA complaint #11757730 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The headlights jitter and shake while driving on normal road conditions, due to poor mounting inside the bumper. You can push on the headlight housing and notice it move. This causes very districting conditions while driving at night, oncoming traffic flashes high beams often thinking that I'm flashing them or something. I took it to the dealership to get it looked at after seeing numerous owner reports online about it, and got a similar result, with the dealership admitting that there is no recall, nor any fix for it, and I'm supposed to just deal with it. It can create unsafe conditions for other motorists due to the potential for flashing them with bright, jittery light. This is unacceptable on a car that is around $40,000+. Here is a video link from the master technician saying there is no fix available: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11756884 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle is brand new and when driving at night it is incredibly distracting the way the light from the headlights bounce and shake/jitter all over the place. Other drivers think I'm flashing lights at them because the roads aren't even that bad. These headlights need fixed.
NHTSA complaint #11757067 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The headlights in the car shake while driving. Especially noticeable at night, and if the ground is not perfectly smooth, the light beams vibrate/shake in a distracting way that is unlike any other car I've driven.
NHTSA complaint #11754873 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Headlights vibrate/jiggle (as if they are loose within the housing) when going over normal road surfaces at night. This is distracting for the driver and probably for oncoming traffic as well. This is a known issue with this model.
NHTSA complaint #11753721 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving in the dark the headlight housing bounces a lot causing the headlight beams to bounce and dance like crazy over any and all little bumps on the road and is very distracting to me the driver and more than likely cars driving towards me and I feel that this could be a safety concern and a manufacturing defect The headlight housing is not rigid on the vehicle you can manually move the housing very easily and I feel they did not secure it to the vehicle properly
NHTSA complaint #11753198 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Just bought brand new 2026 Subaru Uncharted GT, noticed the headlights flicker or shake a lot while driving especially when going over slightly bumpy roads. It’s very distracting to me as a driver and I would think to other drivers in front of me or opposing drivers. No specific lights or warnings come on when this happens. I have read online that many drivers have the same issue with their Subaru.
NHTSA complaint #11752009 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Headlights (high & low beams) bounce as if loose when hitting any sort of uneven road surface. Edges of light almost appear to flicker when this is occurring which is anytime headlights are on and car is moving. Extremely distracting and creates uncertainty when driving in rural areas.
NHTSA complaint #11750470 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Headlights visibley shake when the car encounters a bump in the road, during braking, and anything else that can create an impulse on the car. The vehicle is available upon request for inspection. It creates a distint and distracting event that is distracting to the operator when and potentially on-coming traffic when driving at night. I have heard that others have also verified this with dealers, but I have not personally had the opportunity to bring it to mine. The problem in my personal vehicle has not been inspected by any authority, I have just purchased it. There are no warning lights or symptoms as this appears to be a mechanical mounting issue that is unmonitored by the computer.
NHTSA complaint #11748349 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When going over a bump or anything that makes the car bounce (however slight) causes the light beam to oscillate which is not only distracting but makes it hard to see things at night consistently.
NHTSA complaint #11746814 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving over bumps in the road, the headlights visibly shake/vibrate, which is distracting to the driver - and potentially to drivers of other vehicles - while driving at night. I've seen others on forums that have discussed the same problem with their Uncharted cars.
NHTSA complaint #11745706 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The light from the headlights on this brand new car flicker when driving over the slightest bump. On dirt roads or uneven pavement, the shake and flicker of the headlights is very prominent, even with the high beams turned on. This is a major safety hazard as the light from the headlights is not consistent and the flicker gives intermittent lighting outages of the road ahead - literally leaving the driver to drive blind. The flicker/bounce of the lighting is also highly distracting for a driver and creates an ongoing safety hazard due to this design flaw in the vehicle. Please force a recall for the Subaru Uncharted headlights. This is a widespread issue with this model.
NHTSA complaint #11744700 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When I drive at night, the headlights wobble whenever I hit a bump or go over an uneven surface, which I find disruptive. From the drivers perspective, the lighting bounces up and down on the street. The issue was noticeable the first night I drove the vehicle and does not represent a damage or something that can be repaired by service.
NHTSA complaint #11744718 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The head light assembly is loose and vibrates. At night it is distracting to the driver and drivers of other vehicles to see the head lights flash off other cars and signs. I have had multiple cars flash me because the lights look like they are flickering when approaching on the road. The dealership told me that they are aware of all the complaints for the Uncharted having vibrating headlights and to report it as a safety concern. There have been no inspections done on the headlights. The headlights have been this way since the first day I purchased it.
NHTSA complaint #11743988 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The headlamp assembly on my Subaru Uncharted appears loose and can be manually pushed to reproduce the shaking and jittering headlights at night. This creates unstable illumination, distracts the driver, and may cause glare or confusion for oncoming traffic. The issue suggests a potential mounting defect affecting headlight stability and safe nighttime driving.
NHTSA complaint #11744008 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Headlights bounce up and down a lot over rough road. This causes a noticeable "flicker" off signs and cars in front of you and can be very distracting.
NHTSA complaint #11743110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.