The Subaru Tribeca tail light requires a 3157 bulb size for the specific lighting component located at the rear of the vehicle. Data for the bulb specifications covers the range from 2008 through 2013.
The year-by-year compatibility chart below provides a quick reference to verify the correct bulb size for your vehicle.
The Subaru Tribeca uses three distinct bulb types across its tail light positions: the 168, 1157, and 3157, all of which conform to ANSI standards recognized in the United States and Canada.
The 168 bulb is a T10 miniature wedge type rated at 12V and 4.9W. Its low wattage reflects its role as an indicator or courtesy light rather than a primary stop or turn signal source.
The 1157 is a dual-filament bulb with a BAY15d bayonet base, rated at 12V with filaments drawing 21W and 5W respectively. The dual-filament design allows a single bulb to serve two functions, typically combining stop and tail light operation.
The 3157 is a dual-filament wedge bulb in the T25 form factor, rated at 12V with filaments drawing 27W and 7W. Its higher wattage output compared to the 1157 places it among the brighter options in standard automotive tail light applications.
The inner tail light position on the Subaru Tribeca (2008-2014) uses exclusively the 168 bulb across all model years covered in the specifications.
The outer tail light position lists both the 1157 and 3157 as applicable bulb sizes across overlapping model years, which indicates that the socket may accommodate either type depending on the specific assembly installed on the vehicle.
The 1157 uses a BAY15d bayonet base, while the 3157 uses a wedge base. These two base types are physically incompatible with each other, so the correct base type must correspond to the socket present in the outer tail light housing.
For the 2014 outer tail light, only the 1157 is listed, whereas the 3157 does not appear for that year. Both the 1157 and 3157 are listed for the 2008-2013 model years.