Subaru Forester Tail Lights: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

Confirmed: an official technical bulletin addresses tail light condensation as normal — plus a genuinely specific, real fix: checking for missing breather caps on the assembly's backside, which permanently resolved one documented case.

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OEM Part Numbers

Accuracy note: we weren't able to verify a confident Subaru Forester tail lights part number at the time of writing. Please confirm the correct part via a Subaru dealer or parts specialist using your VIN.

More Wiring Behind There Than Most People Assume

A tail light unit typically bundles several functions into one housing — brake light, indicator, reversing light and rear fog light — which means a single electrical fault can affect more than one function at once, and a "faulty tail light" can mean several genuinely different things.

Before you buy: tail light design and bulb type vary by trim and facelift status. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

What It Does

Beyond basic rear visibility, tail light units on the Forester typically integrate brake lights, indicators, reversing lights and rear fog lights into a single housing. Higher trims may use LED units with a distinct light signature, which are not interchangeable with standard halogen units even if the physical mounting looks similar.

Subaru Forester Tail Lights reference plate

Fitment & Compatibility

Tail light design changed between generations of the Forester, and facelifted versions within the same generation often use a revised light signature that isn't interchangeable with pre-facelift units. Always confirm the exact part for your specific model year before ordering. Whether you're sourcing a replacement tail lights for your Subaru Forester from a dealer, specialist, or online marketplace, always check compatibility against your registration or VIN before buying, and confirm you're ordering the correct side — driver's side (RH in the UK) or passenger side (LH in the UK) — since these are not interchangeable.

Confirmed: A Genuine Technical Service Bulletin Worth Knowing About — Subaru Forester Tail Lights

This is genuinely worth knowing if you're seeing condensation in a tail light: a confirmed technical service bulletin addresses this exact issue, with Subaru's official position being that genuine condensation is a normal characteristic rather than something covered under warranty. Genuinely worth knowing before assuming a fault: condensation that clears relatively quickly on its own, particularly following seasonal temperature changes or after washing the car, matches this normal pattern. However, if you're finding an actual pool of standing water at the bottom of the light, rather than just fogging that clears, this is a genuinely different problem worth taking to a dealer specifically, since it points toward a real leak rather than the normal condensation the bulletin describes.

A genuinely specific, real fix worth checking for before assuming a full light replacement is needed: the light assembly has small breather caps on its backside, designed to let the unit breathe while keeping water out. One documented case found two of these caps missing entirely, and simply replacing them resolved a persistent condensation problem permanently. It's genuinely worth checking whether all these caps are present and properly seated before assuming a more complex seal failure is responsible.

It's also genuinely worth knowing that LED tail lights run considerably cooler than traditional bulbs, meaning there's less heat available to help evaporate any moisture that does get in, making genuine leaks more likely to persist rather than simply clearing on their own. Persistent standing water in an LED unit specifically has been documented corroding the electrical components over a period of roughly two years, a considerably more expensive problem to resolve than a simple bulb replacement — worth addressing a genuine leak promptly on an LED-equipped car rather than assuming it will sort itself out.

Common Faults, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice

These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Tail Lights Guide for diagnosing which circuit has failed, how easy this job is to DIY, and aftermarket advice.

More Subaru Tail Lights

The same part, covered across other Subaru models.

Subaru Forester Tail Lights: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

OEM Part Numbers

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Confirmed: A Genuine Technical Service Bulletin Worth Knowing About — Subaru Forester Tail Lights