Awesome guide! While I haven't found any leaks in my hatch yet, it's great to know that it's a simple fix. Thanks for taking the time to photograph your work and write this up.

 

Something else I learned doing this... The 3rd tail light isn't built in a way that would let you replace the bulbs if they go out. They are LEDs and shouldn't go out anyway, but if they do the only option is to buy a whole new light for $60. Not the end of the world, but still.

Thanks!

No problem. Much credit to my Samsung Galaxy S4 for the pics.

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the tutorial. I did it this morning on my 2013 Outback.

My cheap ($5) plastic trim removal tool kit from Harbor Freight came in handy once again.

My holddown nuts were only on fingertight.

I used a brass wire brush to knock the bulk of the original gasket off, and my fingernails did the rest.

On installation I snugged the holddown nuts up a little tighter than they had been.

Next carwash I'll see if I gained anything.

Interesting that I found a spiderweb in the little recess built into the fixture for the rear squirters to have a path to the glass. How the heck do they find these places?

Thanks again for the photos.

 

Hey great write up! Have the same problem with mine and have been meaning to get out there and take care of it for a few weeks. Now that it isn't freezing cold it's raining all the time but hopefully soon. Thanks for the nice pics!

 

2010...Same problem..this is the fix...thanks for the info and instruction. The right side washer/nut only half way tightened in my car..??

 

Thanks for the detailed and illustrated instructions!

If you have the risk of a removed nut falling out of a socket in between body panels, I've found these work pretty well.
http://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Socket-Inserts-Model-300/dp/B001AYJDTE

I've even taped the socket to the extension to make sure it stays put as well if there is any chance of knocking off the socket from the extension inside a body panel or engine. In fact, tape wrapped around a socket universal joint can keep it in the correct orientation whenever you need to use one and must reach it into some deep recess where you can not keep your fingers on it to guide it over the nut or bolt.

 

Thanks for the detailed and illustrated instructions!

If you have the risk of a removed nut falling out of a socket in between body panels, I've found these work pretty well.
Magnetic Socket Inserts, Model# 300 [Misc.] - - Amazon.com

I've even taped the socket to the extension to make sure it stays put as well if there is any chance of knocking off the socket from the extension inside a body panel or engine. In fact, tape wrapped around a socket universal joint can keep it in the correct orientation whenever you need to use one and must reach it into some deep recess where you can not keep your fingers on it to guide it over the nut or bolt.

Bubble Gum works Tooo

Not kidding...


.

 

Similar experience in my '10. It doesn't appear to leak when closed, but after a rain when the tailgate is lifted water streams out of the joints on left and right of top center trim and soaks whatever is in the cargo area in two spots. Is the 3rd brake light 'gasket' issue to blame?

Honestly pretty p.o.'d that this is even an issue.

What if I had irreplaceable items soaked? Luckily not the case here.

Oquipah

 

oquipah, did you wind up doing this fix as described in this thread? Your description is EXACTLY what is happening to my new-to-me 2010 OB. Thanks mws4ua for the original tutorial!! I have a feeling I'll be doing this before the weekend is out.

 

Haven't read through the thread, but this seal cannot be purchased separatly. It comes with the light.

I applied silicone.
Solved.

 

Thanks OP! I got exactly the same issue, only in mine, the gasket was not completely ripped out. However, it was flatten enough to where water would just come in. Also, I noticed that the screws holding the light were loose, this probably exacerbated the problem.

Instead of using silicone, I ended up creating a new gasket using tool box drawer liner that I got from Harbor Freight. It almost has the same consistency and thickness of the original gasket.

Using pen, ruler, and paper knife, I created an almost identical gasket out of the drawer liner. Instead of scraping the old gasket off, since it's so thin anyway, I placed the new gasket on top of the old one. I used thin double tape in a few spots just to hold the gasket in place.

I tested it by going trough the car wash and it was completely dry. So, I'm happy so far with the result. I still left the top trim opened just to monitor the situation. I'll wait for more rain to come and more car wash to see if the new gasket does its job.

I also found another potential source of water coming into the rear gate. Like many other people, I only used the top two holes to screw in my rear license plate. This leaves the bottom two exposed and can let water into the rear gate. I used my HVAC tape to make a seal by cutting it into a round shape the size of the license plate screw holder.

I also created two round rubber gasket using the drawer liner for the top two holes that holds the license plate. This way, there should be no water coming in from any of license plate holes.

 

YES!! Thank you!!

 

Thanks for the fix. I thought that it was the rear glass. But after seeing your investigation and repair, I found that I had the same problem. New taillight on order. Thanks again.

 

I approve of mws4ua, plus couple of tips

Thanks to mws4ua for helping to diagnose and provide guide for the fix! Due to mws4ua, I was able avoid bringing it to a body shop.

Some tips:

--8 mm socket does fit.

--for Step 2: Instead of using bubble gum, I put a little bit of strip caulk into the socket so that the nut sticks to it.

--for Step 4: I was scraping the old gasket initially, but then found that it can be rolled up like a carpet cleanly.

--Step 5: As an alternative, I used 3M Strip Caulk which is what I think body shops use.

 

Great call on the strip caulk! Works like a charm!

Don’t want to drop the two nuts? Get this magnetic tip nut driver. See link below

Klein Tools 630-5/16M 5/16-Inch... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LEX58E?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I approve of mws4ua, plus couple of tips

Thanks to mws4ua for helping to diagnose and provide guide for the fix! Due to mws4ua, I was able avoid bringing it to a body shop.

Some tips:

--8 mm socket does fit.

--for Step 2: Instead of using bubble gum, I put a little bit of strip caulk into the socket so that the nut sticks to it.

--for Step 4: I was scraping the old gasket initially, but then found that it can be rolled up like a carpet cleanly.

--Step 5: As an alternative, I used 3M Strip Caulk which is what I think body shops use.

 

Thanks for the diagnosis and guide! I was noticing the same leaking in my outback. Searched it on here and found this thread. The gasket around third brake was falling apart when I pulled it out. Instead of using a scraper, I used a flathead screwdriver the same width as old gasket.

 

Had this same problem on a 2011 Outback and decided to tackle this yesterday. It was threatening to rain but I figured I could get it done pretty quick. I did drop one of the screws in the hatch and went over to a local hardware store to but a magnetic wand. I couldn't find it with the magnet but I could hear it rolling a bit when I would close the hatch. It eventually fell out on its own. I scraped off the old gasket as it was pretty soft and wet, put some black silicone on it and just tested it today and no water leaked. Thanks for the pics and guidance. Also changed both headlights on the car yesterday. Boy what a pain that is. I think I finally figured out to do it after changing 3 bulbs out.

 

I took my new to me '10 OB through it's first car wash earlier this week and had the same problem. Thanks for this guide!! I'm going to give it a shot this weekend.

 

Got it done last night! Right before we're supposed to get 8-10 inches of rain over the next few days!

When I popped the middle piece of trim the right side nut for the third brake light fell in to the cargo area. So that pretty much confirmed that this is the source of my leak. Got the other nut off, pulled the light, and low and behold the gasket is completely falling apart. Sealed it up with the silicone sealant. So far no leaks from the rain overnight!

Thank you again for this guide!

 

My first attempt to fix this wasn't successful as I still ended up getting a little water in inside the hatch area. I think I didn't put enough sealer around the light and maybe left a gap. I took everything apart again and used a socket with a magnetic attachment with an extension. I loosened the nut with the wrench attached and then just held the extension in my hand and took the nut off. Both came out easy and neither fell in the hatch like the first time. I scraped all the original sealer off and reapplied a different brand. The first one I used seemed a little difficult to spread for good coverage. I also applied some around the screw holes as there seemed to be a bit of a gap there too. It's been a couple of weeks and no new water in the hatch. I'm glad I got this fixed before winter arrives.

 

Thanks for posting this fix. We ran into the same issue on our 2011 Outback while traveling for Christmas. Like many others have posted, the right side nut was only threaded on about half way. Working on fixing it now.

 

Followed your notes and photos. Worked like a charm. Thank you!
2010 Outback Limited 93K and going strong.

 

I noticed the leak on my 2013 outback today. Went to remove the upper panel on the tailgate trim and a significant amount of water came out. By the looks of it, there had been some water in the for quite a while! One of the nuts holding my light on was very loose. I'm hoping that explains the metal chatter sound I occasional get from the rear end. I used a healthy amount of silicone caulking I had sitting around the house. Hopefully this solves the leak issue!

 

THANK YOU for this guide!

I had a fair bit of water in my 2012 3.6 Limited this morning after a severe thunderstorm. I didn't find your thread at first so I spent an hour fiddling puzzled how the light came out. The foam seal on mine looked good but was water-logged (dropped when I pushed it) and as I tried to dry it the foam disintegrated.

I'm putting it back together with marine silicon for sealing hatches and such, the hardware store suggested it should be watertight but also not too bad to peal off if I had to change the LED bar ever.

One recommendation, get CLEAR silicon sealant. That's all I could find but it worked out well because I put on so much it squished out around the top/bottom a bit. Fortunately it's super easy to wipe clean while wet and any residue won't show.

 

I don't have a lot of experience with different types of silicone, but I do know some create a strong bond and are very difficult to remove.

For those who have done this , do you lay down the silicone bead and then let it completely dry before installing the light or are you putting on the silicone and installing the light while it's still soft?

My concern is removing the light bar after the silicone has cured. I've never had good luck removing pieces where silicone was used. One of the pieces always gets broken as the bond is so strong. Perhaps it's a different silicone?

Thanks
James

 

The guy in the store claimed the RTV silicon would peal off if I ever wanted...but in my 2012 its an LED light bar so if it ever fails I won't worry about breaking the old one taking it out as it would need complete replacing anyway.

 

Hey guys. I have the same problem and would like to fix it the coming weekend. Just out of curiosity, would a self-adhesive foam tape do the job in replacing the worn-out gasket? It is used as weatherstripping and is water proof, and since only one side is adhesive, there is no risk of bonding on the other side. Any thought?

MD Building Products 3/8 in. x 17 ft. Foam Weatherstrip Tape-02253 - The Home Depot

 

Thanks for the instructions. Had a leak on inside of rear window every time after going through the car wash. Took the brake light off. Applied a thin seam of clear silicone to the gasket on the door side and all fixed now.

Cheers!

 

I just fixed my 2014 Subaru Outback that had the leak and I took off the old foam and replaced it with 1/4 inch foam that I got from the hardware store that is just weather seal. It formed right around just like the old one. I just started at the middle of the bottom of the light and went around and to meet up with the other end put the light back in and no leaks. I was hesitant to use silicone because if I would have to ever have to take it off I wouldn't be able to get it off.

 

@mws4ua just followed your steps to fix the leak on my 2011 Premium - thanks for posting the step by step breakdown. I was blown away when I was the original gasket material - it basically looked like a sponge. No wonder it disintegrates in a few years. I hope Subaru pays attention to some of these issues, I think they can be easily avoided if they didnt try to save an extra penny. Between the heat shield rattle and this leaky sponge-seal, my trust in Subaru's ability to build reliable cars is starting to falter a little.