Recently the power front seats in our 2012 Subaru Outback stopped working. Since both front seats stopped working at the same time, I could assume it wasn't the switch assembly or motors in the seats, but more likely that the seats were not getting power. Let's find the fuse...
0:00 Front power seats are both getting no power
0:41 Under the hood, finding the bad fuse
0:56 Removing the (suspect) pink 30 amp Slow-Blow fuse
1:23 Checking the removed fuse for continuity
2:07 Parts store run for a new fuse
2:18 Installing the new fuse and testing - Power seats fixed!
These cars have 2 fuse panels, one behind a cover on the dash near your left knee if you are seated in the drivers seat, and one under the hood behind the battery on the drivers side. This panel under the hood has smaller and larger fuses and relays that are referenced online with labels for what they control, but none that are referenced mention the power seats. After reading several blog articles I found a reference to SBF-11. This is a "Slow-blow" fuse in position 11 in the panel. It's a pink 30 amp fuse.
I remove the fuse, test it for continuity and find that it is indeed bad. If you don't have a digital multimeter, pick one up, it's a must have tool for troubleshooting.
A quick trip to my local auto parts store ($5.29 + tax) and we are headed home. I also bought a second fuse, I like having spares on hand.
With the new fuse installed the problem is solved. I hope this quick video helps you, thanks for watching! This fix should also be relevant on 2010 to 2014 Subaru Legacy models.
Tools used:
Needle-nose pliers
Digital Multimeter
Parts used:
30 amp fuse: amzn.to/3CWKTjJ
(I bought my fuse at a local auto parts store, but this is the exact matching part if you want to order online)
I hope this video helps you, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases referred from my content at no additional cost to you. :)