Why are your brake lights out on your 1996 Subaru Outback Impreza?

Check the bulbs - they are double filamented with the smaller being for the brake lights

Check the fuse

Check the operation and adjusment of the stop light switch - usually located at the upper end of the brake pedal under dash area

I have a 1991 Subaru loyal station wagon I use as a work car and had the exact same problem with mine.

I checked the fuse checked the bulbs, even replaced them all with no luck.

but I did find what was wrong. The tail lights are all on one harness that connect the sockets to each other. I replaced that harness and the brake lights worked again.

You can go to a junk yard and take the harness out of another subaru of that year and model and you shouldn't have any problems after that

I replaced the one on the passenger side because it seemed to be the main one.

Hope this helps