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Subaru driver-side mirror problems and replacements caused a class action lawsuit that alleges the mirrors vibrate to the point they make driving dangerous.
The Subaru driver-side mirrors allegedly vibrate in these vehicles:
- 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
- 2024 Subaru Ascent
- 2023–2024 Subaru Solterra
The original Subaru driver’s side mirror replacement lawsuit included one vehicle owner in Texas, but the class action has been amended to include five plaintiffs and these states: Texas, Utah, Alaska, Florida and California.
Texas plaintiff Katelyn Robinson purchased a new 2024 Subaru Crosstrek equipped with a driver-side mirror that vibrated and shook while driving. The plaintiff filed the Subaru class action for more than $5 million after complaining the replacement driver-side mirror vibrated just like the original mirror, and the Subaru dealer said it could do no more.
According to the Subaru mirror lawsuit, the driver-side mirror vibrates due to “deficient materials used to make the mirror housing itself and/or a deficiency in the structure of the mirror housing.” The plaintiffs complain the driver-side vibrating mirror makes the mirror look blurred which causes problems viewing anything in the mirror.
The class action says Subaru knows about mirrors that vibrate because technical service bulletin (TSB) 12-195-15 was issued to Subaru dealerships in 2015, and the subject of the bulletin was the mirror.
However, the TSB included older Subaru vehicles and did not include the vehicles named in this mirror replacement lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, a replacement Subaru mirror is allegedly as defective as the original vibrating mirror.
Motion to Dismiss the Subaru Mirror Replacement Lawsuit
Subaru references the mirror replacement lawsuit which asserts the “mirror defect” is caused by either “the materials used to make the mirror housing” or “deficiency in the structure of the mirror housing” that makes the mounting points too weak or rigid for normal driving conditions.
Subaru says the plaintiffs allege no facts supporting a manufacturing defect which would be covered by the warranty.
The plaintiffs also claim Subaru should have been aware of the vibrating mirrors based on “engineering principles, material properties, and structural considerations.” According to Subaru, these allegations rely solely on the assertion of a design defect which is not covered by the warranty.
“New Vehicle Limited Warranty explicitly covers only defects in ‘materials or workmanship’ and does not extend to design defects. Courts consistently hold that warranties limited to defects in materials or workmanship do not cover design defects.” — Subaru’s motion to dismiss
The class action lawsuit refers to the Subaru window stickers (Monroney labels) that included information about vehicle specifications, safety features and other details. But Subaru argues the lawsuit does not allege any specific information on the stickers that was false or misleading, and Subaru says the window stickers are not relevant to this driver-side mirror replacement lawsuit.
“Plaintiffs also claim, without specificity, that they were ‘led to believe’ their vehicles were ‘safe, reliable, and high-quality’ based on SOA’s representations, but they fail to identify any statement by SOA or its representatives that led to this belief. Plaintiffs’ allegations amount to boilerplate assertions unsupported by specific facts. Courts consistently dismiss similar claims for lack of specificity regarding causation and reliance.” — Subaru
Subaru also argues against the mirror lawsuit which alleges the court should force Subaru to recall all the vehicles due to the alleged mirror vibrations. But it’s the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which handles vehicle safety recalls, not a judge.
The Subaru driver-side mirror replacement lawsuit was filed by these customers:
- Katelyn Robinson / Texas / 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
- Michelle Anders / Alaska / 2024 Subaru Ascent
- Michael Brenner / California / 2024 Subaru Solterra
- Ricardo Chaidez / Utah / 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
- Jessica Taylor / Florida / 2024 Subaru Crosstrek
The Subaru driver-side mirror replacement class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey: Katelyn Robinson, et al., v. Subaru of America, Inc.
The plaintiff is represented by Lemberg Law, LLC.