but replacing it would seem to require getting into the roof in the trunk area. It would be good to hear that this is a reasonably straightforward thing to do before I shell out for service manuals etc.

That's right. The harness, on the body side, goes down the D pillar to two connectors behind the RH side cargo area side trim. Access requires removing the interior trim on that side. (See attached photo).

Similarly the trim on the rear gate has to be removed.

One thing that I'd want to know is whether the replacement harness has better wires, otherwise it's just as likely to develop the same problem in future. If that's the case, and given that removing the trim provides access to the wires on either side, instead of replacing the harness or patching the wires where they broke at rubber boot area, I would consider cutting out a length of each wire further along at the body and rear gate ends and replacing with a length of better (more flexible, especially when cold) wire. The splices wouldn't be where the breaks were, and can be spaced out so that there isn't too much bulging where the new wire inserts are connected.

By the way, it's good to see someone doing the homework and finding those earlier threads first.

Please let us know what you decide, and any observations about the new wiring harness, if you go that route. Also, if you do-it-yourself, regardless of what approach you take, a "how to" (or "how I did it") thread, with details and photos, would be much appreciated. There's a sub-forum here specifically for "do-it-yourself" threads.

 

One thing that I'd want to know is whether the replacement harness has better wires, otherwise it's just as likely to develop the same problem in future.

I doubt the new harness is any more durable than the old one. There are high flexibility wires made for industrial and robotics applications. The catch is that the stuff is $500 per hundred foot roll. On the positive side, the problem would be unlikely to reoccur.

#2671 Ultra Flexible Sub-Miniature Wire - U/L STYLE 1568, 1692

Otherwise, about all you can do is use a heavier gage wire in the hopes it'll be more durable.

This post is very timely, as my '05 just lost power to the radio antenna preamp, probably due to a broken wire.

 

The $500 quote is for the part and the time it'll take for the shop to replace it. Its mostly shop hours, but shouldn't take more than 2 hours to change.

If the car were mine, I'd pull the C pillar rear trim and the tail gate interior trim, and pull the wiring harness back out of the rear of the car, through the gator at the tail gate hinge area, and partly out of the tail gate, but leave it connected to the lights and lock/wiper components.

This would give you about 3 feet of harness to solder/splice/reinsulate the broken wires.
If it would be easier for you to do the job on a workbench, then disconnect the harness from everything. Just be sure to take some pictures of the wiring route throughout, so you can get it back into place correctly.

Two hours of my time is a heck of a lot cheaper than $500 at the dealership. Good Luck!

 

I have mine apart right now. I was about to upload the pics to the thread I started last week. I only have the one wire to my rear hatch solenoid that is broken. The wire is just too short in my case. I can't even get the ends to touch, so it's been under a heck of a load for a long time. I'm going to guess a lot of us are about to experience this. As soon as I get the pics uploaded I'll tie my thread to this one.

 

Pull both ends of the wire out of the boot. One section will be in the head liner. The other in the lift hatch. Splice in a long section of new wire. Pull the new wire through the boot, using lock wire or similar material Leaving enough Wire to place the lift gate side splice into the frame of the hatch. The other splice above the head liner. That way there is no splices in side the gator boot

 

Here's the link to my thread. A little one stop shopping here. http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums...rums/66-problems-maintenance/41302-rear-hatch-wont-lock-05-obxt.html#post387170 It got dark before I could make a decent repair. I capped both ends and will get back on it tomorrow. Before I did I got the two wires to just barely touch each other and tried the door remote for a few cycles. It works, so this is definitely the correct wire.

 

FYI ... I had a local mechanic (specializing in Subarus) do the repair of the wires rather than replacing the harness. Quite a common repair he said, and he was able to splice new segments in place to avoid the taughtness reported by aftCG.

Dealer quoted CDN$350 for new harness plus an estimated 3.5 hours of labour. Local mechanic charged 1hr labour ($100) which was well worth it.

My issue was headlights/fog lamps not working which took a couple of passes at the dealer to track down (see http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/80-electrical-electronics/35328-headlights-not-working.html).

 

giving it a go

I'm going to take a look at it today. ... I was stumped on removing the right trunk panel until I found directions in a pdf in this thread:
http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums...k.org/forums/109-gen-3-2005-2009/40926-grocery-bag-hook-clip-repair-change.html

Tailgate trim removal directions are here
http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums...91512-removing-inner-rear-hatch-panel-2005-outback-231376-rear-gate-trim-65.pdf
Not sure which thread I found those in.

I'll take pictures as I go.

 

I'm about to take my interior panels out too. I tried yesterday to at least put a crimp splice between the two ends. The wires are extremely brittle and break off with the slightest amount of being twisted.

I'm going to go several inches in each direction and splice in a new section.

I'll post up what I know too.

 

I tried yesterday to at least put a crimp splice between the two ends. The wires are extremely brittle and break off with the slightest amount of being twisted.

I did the same today, with the same experience of wires breaking off. I was able to get the splice in for the reverse lights, but I think I'm going to pull the interior panels and do the same thing (add in a new section away from the break point) for the rest. There are at least 3 other wires in the bundle that I can see have cracks.

Thanks to everybody for the help here - now if somebody could magically make the wires longer I'd appreciate it.

 

I think I'm going to pull the interior panels and do the same thing (add in a new section away from the break point) for the rest.

Let us know how it works out. Also, any chance you could record the steps in words and photos and post them here? It looks as if this would probably be most helpful to others in future.

 

So I found this thread, and others when I had discovered the wiring failure in my new-to-me 05 OBXT.

My problems started when I was inspecting the car before purchase last week. I noticed that the rear wiper was not working. The fuse had blown, so I replaced it and the sprayer started working but the wiper did not. I figured that the wiper motor had burned out.

After I got home with it, I noticed that the license plate lights were not working as well. Replaced one, and it did not light up. Tested the socket and found there was no power. That's when I began tracing and found this lovely surprise under the wire boot.

Dealer quoted me $245 for just the harness on special order. Well I invested about $20 in wire and a few hours of my time and replaced about 2 feet of the entire wiring harness.

I started on the hatch side and cut all the wires at varying lengths to keep the resulting bundle "bulge" to a minimum where I spliced.

I then fed the bundle of new wires through the rubber boot. All the new wires are between 18-20ga. There is one 16ga wire for the rear defroster.

I also took the inner rubber shield and moved it further up the bundle to help protect where the wires enter the roof of the car.

I then spliced every wire individually and heat-shrinked them.

I did the same with the hatch wires, but forgot to take pictures as I was going since it was 108 outside here in Phoenix.

It took about 5 hours total and wasn't overly difficult. Just have to be careful with the soldering iron.

Now everything works. The wiper, license plate lights, etc.

 

Nice job and photos!

 

Another thing I noticed that wasn't related to the wiring, but is related to Subaru's in general:

When I removed the inner lower plastic section of the hatch gate, a bolt fell out that was just rattling around in there. Upon closer inspection I discovered that the bolt was from the retainers holding the outside body molding to the car.

I replaced the bolt and inspected the rest of the bolts, about 8 or so. I found another bolt completely loose, but had not backed off the threads completely and the rest were between 1/2 and 2 turns loose. I tightened them all back down. But I'm wondering if I should have put some thread locker on it to prevent it from happening again.

As I saw in another thread when I was researching OB's was that if you hate rattles, then you'll hate an OB. Well from the looks of it, the rattles are from things loosening and need to be shored up. I noticed my driver's door has a significant rattle when the door is shut, but none of the others do this. I'm going to tear into it soon and see if it's just something else that has loose bolts.

 

That's a great write up. Thanks, and make that a special thanks as this is your first post here. What a way to start!

Welcome to the forum!

 

Great pictures. Had to do this exact surgery on an old Impreza wagon. The washer hose for the rear glass also needed a splice because it flattened and hardened at the bend, restricting the flow. My warning was a non-functioning trunk light.

 

There are two harnesses depending on the VIN, one for about $90 and one about $240.

That's a big cost difference. I checked the Subaru of America Parts - Genuine Subaru Parts from your Local Retailer website for the rear gate cord for years from 2005 to 2007. Interesting that only 2005 has those two widely different priced harnesses; 81812AG03A is the higher priced one, 81812AG03B is the lower. 2006 uses the same p/n ending in B, and 2007-9 uses the same number but ending in "C" at around the same lower price as the "B". Strange.

If your dealer has the three different harnesses in stock, perhaps you could look at them to see if there's any distinction. I wonder if perhaps the earlier 05s used better wire; a type that was less prone to breakage, and thus the much higher price. It's probably not the case, but I don't see any change in the actual wiring circuitry during the 2005 production year (there's nothing in the wiring diagrams), and there's not much else that would dictate a large difference in price.

Even if the "A" type is much more expensive, some might be interested in using it as a replacement, even in later model years, if it will avoid breaks in the future, especially as the cost to do the work (dealer labor or own work) is the same.

 

OK the cost difference is based on whether the car is a Sedan or Wagon. Wagon has the expensive harness. Makes sense because there are a lot more things connected to it. I hope the new harness is better than the original. I suppose that if I get 100k out of it, it will not be a big problem.

It should get here Wednesday or Thursday. I'll do a quick write up on the complete replacement.

 

Anyone know where the harness terminates in the body? i.e. How hard is it to access that end. I know about the tail gate part, and that isn't to difficult.

I guess I'll tear into it today, and maybe have the answer before the parts dept opens on Monday.

 

See photo attached in post #2 above. The interior trim on the right side of the cargo area has to be removed, as well as trim above the hatch opening so that the headliner can be dropped.

 

The harness enters the car body at the flexible boot, and twists off to the right, to follow a path down the D pillar. The harness ends in the cargo area of the car, on the right side, below the D pillar. The 2005 has three connectors at that end. The location of the connectors is shown in the photo in post # 2 above, circled, although that's a 2007, with only two connectors.

Here's the 2005 harness routing:

Incidentally, in light of the fact that it appears the 2005 has three connectors at the D pillar, at least according to this diagram, but the later years show only two, that might be related to the different part numbers. Still seems to be a rather large difference in price, though. Be interested in what you find at the dealer.

 

Yes, I totally missed that possibility. Good to know. Thanks for the update.

If you have a chance, take photos and put together a step-by-step thread in the DIY sub-forum here Do-It-Yourself Illustrated Guides - Subaru Outback - Subaru Outback Forums.

That way the your report will be easier for others, who are facing the same challenge, to find. There's various posts with bits of information (including photos) about repairs to the harness, but as far as I can recall, there's no single thread that details full harness replacement. And no doubt there will be more as the cars age.

Thanks

 

I did this job a couple of weeks ago. It was easier to replace the entire harness than to splice some of the wires (which I had done in the past) The harness is expensive at $204, but it saved me some time, and it was a clean job when I was done.

All of the body side connectors are under the right side rear cover in the hatch area. You don't have to completely remove the cover, since they are all just below the pillar at the rear end of the car. There are three plugs located in a group.

Replacing the tail gate side is pretty easy since you have all the covers off already. Taking a picture of the routing a head of time may help figure out how to route the various parts, but it is pretty obvious. The biggest nuisance it figuring out how to release the various connector latches.

I don't expect that the new harness is really better than the original, but if it lasts as long as the first one, the car will be pretty well used up before it fails again.

 

I have to tackle this on our 08 wagon. Confused tho as part #81812AG03C referenced earlier is 88.80 and previous post mentions harness cost at 204? Our dealer said the part number is correct for our car and labor would be 325 for them to do it but would like to attempt myself. Can someone confirm if I have the right harness number for my car please? Thanks

 

Just make sure you diagnose that you indeed need a wiring harness... my rear window defogger stopped working, I took it several times to the dealer. They advised to have the harness changed.
I popped out the rear window panels only to find that one of the terminals to the defogger grid fell off/rusted out. I've soldered it back in and my defogger works like new...

Like with doctors, always get a second opinion (or diagnose yourself on websites like Mayo Clinic)....this will always save you money!

 

Yea, I have confirmed it with moving the rubber boot at hatch. Multiple things are not working, reverse lites, wiper, ect...has worked, then stopped and works if ya wiggle harness. I just need to make sure I have the right harness ordered ect.. confused as stated above w numbers and price differences. Thanks for input tho.

 

My turn !



I discovered this when the tail gate wouldnt lock anymore. I am debaiting buying a harness or patching it. I have to see what supplies I have and am dealing with a couple of health issues.

 

I did my 2008 Outback wagon last weekend. Used the factory harness to replace from the rear body connectors to the tail gate wiring. Purchased the harness from the local dealer and it was delivered to my home.

I no longer have issues with my wiper not working or parking, my rear top brake light works again, the hatch now unlocks again, and the rear cargo light works too. It is amazing how many items were impacted by this harness. I had patched several circuits before, and decided to throw in the towel and get the new harness.

The replacement required removal of all the interior panels on the tail gate, and about 4 panels on the rear cargo area on the body side as well as lowering the rear of the head liner (but not removing it) from it's rear fasteners. It took the day for me to complete. Not hard work, just slow going as I didn't want to break any panels or fasteners.

The new harness includes body fasteners, so feel free to chop up the old ones while removing.

 

Thanks for the report. This thread, with the links, is now probably the thread to refer to for rear gate and related electrical problems. Bookmarked.

 

Not sure what else to do!

Fellow Outbackers - I have a 2008 2.5 Limited - Trunk lock, rear wiper, reverse lights, and rear defogger not working.

I pulled the cargo panels and inspected all the harness wiring. I pulled up the boot and saw no cracking on the wires' insulation. I checked all the fuses in both the engine and driver's compartment. I don't see any breaks in the line, no corrosion at the connections, but there must be something happening somewhere.

I am not sure what I did after I checked all the connections and grounds but the trunk locked worked three times then stopped. :grin2: :surprise: :|

Can I safely assume there is a break in the wire under all the electrical tape wrapped around the harness?

I have not disconnected anything to pull out the entire harness to inspect it (got dark and started raining here in Los Angeles) but I figure $90 for a new harness should do the trick since I have all the panels detached.

Anything else you suggest I try? :crying::crying::crying:

 

Can I safely assume there is a break in the wire under all the electrical tape wrapped around the harness?

yes, not that rare. checking continuity is best confirmation.

everyone in this thread is just buying another harness, but you can easily splice the wires in situ.

 

You can have broken wires witout broken insulation. Have a meter?

 

Replaced the entire thing

Got a harness online from another Subaru dealer outside of my home state.

The trickiest part for my was getting my hand in to attach the clips for the rear dome light. I pulled down the headliner but kept making creases in the fabric. :surprise:

So nice to be able to have the rear wiper, reverse whites, and most importantly the trunk door working correctly.

Anyone add their own external lock to the truck door? Have you seen a retrofit kit or a good MacGuyver job?

 

Hello new to this forum, actually came across this looking for reasons why my parking lights dont work. I have a 2007 Subaru Outback and found a number of wires broken at the rear hatch. I checked all the fuses and relays and even someones patch job to the parking light switch. so i am wondering if the broken wires at the hatch could cause my parking lights both front and back and license plate lights not to work. im taking the car into the dealership tomorrow morning to have it diagnosed.

 

. . .patch job to the parking light switch.

Somewhat suspicious. Can't make out much in the photo.

I checked all the fuses and relays . . . . . wondering if the broken wires at the hatch could cause my parking lights both front and back and license plate lights not to work.

Definitely. But which fuses did you check, and, how did you check them? Also, the Parking Light switch on top of the steering column has to be working properly for the parking lights etc to work, whether using that switch or the main headlight switch control with the ignition at On.