The wires on my 05 Outback going from the body to the liftgate are broken, some have failed. 

 

What is the best way to attack this. Do I just use but connectors to spllce them as they sit, or do I splice in some longer wire to remove the strain? 

 

 

 

I had this same thing happen to our "06.

I spliced in more wire.

I agree! Splice in more wire and solder the connections and cover with shrink tubing.

Yup that seems to be the fix. the replacement harness is not new or improved. 

Cut out those sections about 4" back from the breaks. Find some high quality wire (silicone jacketed wire is super flexible) and splice in new stuff.