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
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Subaru Outback Wing Mirror: OEM Part Number
Subaru Outback Wing Mirror: More Electronics Hiding Inside Than Most People Realise
What looks like a simple glass-and-plastic assembly on the outside is often anything but on the Subaru Outback: its wing mirrors typically house folding motors, heating elements, indicator lights, and sometimes blind-spot sensors, so a "faulty mirror" isn't really one specific fault.
Subaru Outback Wing Mirror: Driver's Side or Passenger Side? Sorting Out the Terminology
One thing worth getting right before you buy a Subaru Outback wing mirror: terminology for left and right isn't applied consistently across UK retailers and parts catalogues, which trips up plenty of buyers. On a right-hand-drive UK car, the convention runs like this:
- 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.
Subaru Outback Wing Mirror: 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.
Subaru Outback Wing Mirror: Generations, Derivatives, Colour & Mirror Adjustment
| 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 |
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A Genuinely Important UK-Specific Limitation Worth Knowing — Subaru Outback Wing Mirror
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.
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.
Subaru Outback Wing Mirror: 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.