Subaru Outback Wing Mirror: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

On the Outback, UK-spec cars genuinely don't fold via the electric motor at all, despite the mirror unit being physically the same as the JDM part.

Illustration for editorial purposes

OEM Part Numbers

Accuracy note: genuinely worth knowing: left and right Outback mirrors are usually not interchangeable, and folding function, motor wiring, and turn signal integration (where fitted) all differ by side — double-check you're ordering the correct side before purchase, since a same-side return can be harder to arrange than you'd expect.

More Electronics Hiding Inside Than Most People Realise

A wing mirror looks like a simple piece of glass and plastic from the outside, but on most modern cars it houses folding motors, heating elements, indicator lights, and sometimes blind-spot sensors — meaning a "faulty mirror" can mean several genuinely different things.

Before you buy: mirror specification varies significantly by trim — heated, power-folding, indicator-integrated and blind-spot-sensor versions are not interchangeable. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

Subaru Outback Wing Mirror reference plate

Driver's Side or Passenger Side? Sorting Out the Terminology

Wing mirrors are sold by side, and UK retailers, workshops and part catalogues don't always use the same terms for the same side — so it's worth being clear before you order. In right-hand-drive UK cars:

Driver's side = right-hand (RH) = offside (OS) — the side closest to the centre of the road.
Passenger side = left-hand (LH) = nearside (NS) — the side closest to the kerb.

Part listings may use any of these terms interchangeably — "RH mirror," "offside mirror," and "driver's side mirror" all refer to the same physical part on a UK-spec Outback. Double-check which convention your supplier is using before ordering, since a mix-up here is one of the most common reasons the wrong mirror turns up.

What It Does

Beyond the obvious job of rear visibility, modern wing mirrors on higher trims of the Outback often integrate turn signal repeaters, puddle lights, heating elements to clear condensation, and power-fold motors for tight parking spaces. Higher-spec versions may also house blind-spot monitoring sensors, making them considerably more expensive to replace than a basic mirror.

Generations, Derivatives, Colour & Mirror Adjustment

Accuracy note: mirror covers colour-match the body — see notes below. Manual vs. electric adjustment and heated glass are general patterns by trim and era, not a substitute for confirming your exact derivative via VIN, since even within one generation the base specification can differ from what's typical for that era. This applies equally to the driver's side and passenger side mirror, which always match in adjustment type and heating.

All generations	Crystal White Pearl, Crystal Black Silica, Magnetite Grey, Autumn Green Metallic; electric adjustment is standard on most trims from this generation, with heated glass increasingly common too — though the most basic specification may still be manual; confirm your exact trim

A Genuinely Important UK-Specific Limitation Worth Knowing

This is genuinely worth knowing before assuming your mirror should power-fold: Japanese Domestic Market spec cars have an electric motor that folds the entire mirror housing in, but UK-spec cars genuinely don't fold via this motor at all, despite having what is physically the same mirror unit with the same folding components inside. UK buyers sourcing a replacement mirror are effectively paying for internal parts they can't use.

A genuinely useful, free reset trick worth trying before dismantling anything: if a mirror has gone "floppy," partially folding on its own while driving, try setting the fold switch to folded, then to unfolded, then pressing the button again. This has been documented resetting the internal mechanism in some cases without any disassembly at all.

It's also genuinely worth knowing that the auto-fold-on-lock feature doesn't work out of the box on UK-spec cars fitted with double-deadlocking central locking specifically — an additional relay is needed to acquire a re-open signal for this feature to function correctly.

Common Faults, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice

These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Wing Mirror Guide for common faults to check for, confirming the exact spec against your VIN, how difficult this job is to DIY, and aftermarket advice.

More Subaru Wing Mirror

The same part, covered across other Subaru models.