Car Parts Guide
TAIL LIGHTS Subaru Crosstrek · PARTS GUIDE

Subaru Crosstrek Tail Lights: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

On the Crosstrek, checking for missing breather caps on the tail light assembly's backside has genuinely resolved persistent condensation on related models.

Illustration of a tail light unit Illustration for editorial purposes
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OEM Part Number: confirm via VIN — tail light (aftermarket) Abakus 120-1901L-UE / Equal Quality GP1793

Accuracy note: Covers the Subaru Crosstrek (XV 2012-2017) as listed in the UK aftermarket catalogues. Tail lights are handed (left and right are different parts) and the right one depends on whether your car has bulb or LED units, whether the cluster comes with its bulb holder, the body style and the facelift date. The references below are UK aftermarket catalogue listings for this generation, labelled by brand with the fitment details the catalogue gives, and shown for the left-hand light with its right-hand pair where the catalogue names one. Carmakers rarely publish the genuine number against these, so order a genuine light against your VIN if you want a guaranteed match; if the unit on your car has a separate inner light on the tailgate, that is sold as its own part.
Tail lights (aftermarket)Abakus 120-1901L-UE (left, LED, without bulb holder, from 2015, outer section, right-hand pair 120-1901R-UE); Abakus 220-1929L-UE (left, without bulb holder, right-hand pair 220-1929R-UE); Equal Quality GP1793 (left, without bulb holder)
Genuine (OE) numbers quotedNone quoted in the catalogue listings — the genuine light varies by trim, bulb or LED type and facelift date, so order it against your VIN
Fitment notesLeft and right are separate parts; check LED or bulb type, whether the bulb holder is included, body style and facelift date before ordering.

Subaru Crosstrek Tail Lights: More Wiring Behind There Than Most People Assume

Because brake light, indicator, reversing light and rear fog light are usually combined in one Subaru Crosstrek tail light housing, a single electrical fault can knock out more than one function at once — which is why this particular complaint rarely means just one thing.

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

Subaru Crosstrek Tail Lights: What It Does

Beyond basic rear visibility, tail light units on the Crosstrek 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 Crosstrek Tail Lights: Watch: Replacing It

🎬 Watch: 2013-2017 Subaru Crosstrek How to replace Tail, Brake, Backup or Sidemarker lights

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Subaru Crosstrek Tail Lights reference plate

Fitment & Compatibility

Subaru Crosstrek Tail Lights: Generations & Tail Light Type

Standard trimsHalogen bulb-based units as standard
Higher trims, later model yearsLED tail lights become available further up the range, genuinely a different assembly and connector from the halogen units on lower trims

Tail light design changed between generations of the Crosstrek, 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 Crosstrek 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.

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A Genuinely Specific, Real Fix Worth Checking For — Subaru Crosstrek Tail Lights

If you're seeing condensation in a tail light, this is genuinely worth knowing: on related Subaru models, the light assembly has small breather caps on its backside, designed to let the unit breathe while keeping water out. Documented cases have found these caps missing entirely, with simply replacing them resolving a persistent condensation problem permanently.

A genuinely useful diagnostic distinction worth knowing: genuine condensation that clears relatively quickly on its own is a normal characteristic, but an actual pool of standing water at the bottom of the light is a genuinely different problem worth taking to a dealer, since it points toward a real leak rather than normal condensation.

It's also genuinely worth knowing that LED tail lights run considerably cooler than traditional bulbs, making genuine leaks more likely to persist rather than clear on their own, and persistent standing water has been documented corroding electrical components in LED units over a period of roughly two years.

Subaru Crosstrek Tail Lights: 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.