This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Excessive battery drain from open back hatch while parked and engine off. Having my back liftgate open while my engine was off for a 30 minute period drained my battery so that I could not start my vehicle. Had not my friends been there to jump me I would have been without transportation miles from home. No warning light was given by the vehicle. Others with this vehicle have had similar issues and it is an easy issue to find complaints about. A service center has not been contacted yet but I plan on speaking with my dealership soon. This problem blindsided me completely.
1. My battery failed, so I replaced it. I didn-??t keep the failed one. 2. Problem started while driving w/ a handicapped, elderly passenger in remote rural area at night. Help at least 1/2-hr. away. No open garages. Frightening. 3. AAA confirmed. 4. AAA inspected. 5. My Check Engine light came on, Cruise Control stopped working. Pulled over, ck-??d manual, nothing noted about battery, no Battery warning light. Car started up, drove home very slowly, stopping occasionally. Next morning, car wouldn-??t start, called AAA to take to mechanic (charge $150 to check system). There was no previous warning that battery was losing power. AAA found battery problem. No engine problem. Replaced. No more lights. Very disappointed that much worry could have been avoided.
With a relatively new battery, my car would not start. I had the rear lift gate open, but lights turned off, for about an hour while packing for a trip and when I went to start the car it was completely dead and I had to jump it to get it started again. This also happened a few months prior while leaving the tailgate up for about 30 minutes to get some things out of the car. Both times the only lights that were on were the mirror lights when I approached the car
3 years after the vehicle purchase the OEM battery died. Replaced it with a well reviewed local brand. It is almost 3 years since the replacement battery and the Subaru service rep said the battery is dying. I fear there is something wrong with the electrical system which damages the batteries over 3 years. I will be replacing the battery again, but what if 3 years later this one dies too" What if, because of the age of the car, the battery dies earlier? When I am on a road trip with family" I feel it is related to https://www.torquenews.com/1084/subaru-battery-lawsuit-new-information-outback-and-ascent-owners-should-know
In my 2015 Subaru Outback the battery is drained below 50% charge if the vehicle is not driven for a week. It takes daily trips to keep it charged up. The first dead battery was replaced by Subaru after 19 months under warranty. That battery lasted just over two years and it went dead too, while we were away on vacation. I replaced that battery at my expense. My safety is a concern because, if an emergency arose, I don-??t know if the vehicle will start. I-??ve only involved Subaru when the OEM battery died so soon after buying the car. There is/were/are no warning lights or gauges to inform me of impending battery failure. As a side note, my son owns a Subaru Forester, and because he works at home, there are days he goes without driving it, and between trips his battery is constantly self-draining, too. Very frustrating!
- Georgetown, TX, USA
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The vehicle EATS batteries on a frequent basis. We are currently on the 4th HIGH QUALITY battery for the vehicle. We live in a rural area so we do not have short frequent trips that would impact a battery. We have had the dealer (Redding Subaru) check the system and they cannot find out why it goes through a battery every 12-16 months. All equipment on the vehicle is stock and none of our driving/storage conditions would impact a vehicle battery. Our previous Subaru's did not have this issue and our current Toyota vehicle is on only its 3rd battery in over 12 years of service. There is obviously some "vampire" issue constantly draining the battery
My battery has had to be replaced twice because it drains even though the car is used regularly and nothing is left on. I have had to be jumped six or seven times since I purchased the car and towed once to the dealership.
The fourth battery has died since the car was purchased in 2015. It will not take a charge. The dealer has replaced with the same battery each time and said nothing about the car having any electrical issues.
Car purchased new 2/25/2015. The battery died 4/27/2016 at 9890 miles and replaced under warrantee by Subaru. The battery died again on 9/11/2018 at 35067 miles and was again replaced by Subaru, though not under warranty. Subaru obviously agrees that there is a problem. The battery is again showing signs of weekness in 2021, and I am worried it will die yet again.
Our car has 80K miles on it and is about 6.25 years old. We are on the 3rd battery. There appears to be a pending lawsuit, so adding my information to the database. I have all the servicer records of when the batteries were replaced.
2015 Subaru Outback -and now on my 4th battery. One instance, I got stuck in a small town in nh and had to get a battery that was only 2 years old and battery guaranteed for 5 years. Didn't know I had to bring it back to the mechanic back home so I ended up paying for another battery. 8 months later battery died again. Subaru said to bring it in and they will check it out. It is not warranted and it could take 2 hrs to 10 and I would pay for labor. They need to pay and fix a very well known problem. It has happened to friends who own SUV, S, wagons and sedans..
The car is on a battery maintainer 24/7 when not in use and still needs to be jump started periodically. Dealer has replaced battery annually since car was purchased new. Each time claiming a "bigger" battery was installed and this will solve it; and each time it never does. Car is completely unreliable. Contacted Subaru of America multiple times (after the first two batteries were replaced). They claim that the car was never built or advertised to be used on in-town travel and I must waste gas on highway travel at least once a week in addition to always keeping battery on maintainer. Subaru has insisted that this is normal and expected behaviour of a car. Subaru sent a factory-field technician out to inspect the car and "found nothing wrong with the vehicle" and simply advised that an even larger battery be used in addition to all of the other additional steps (keeping on charger/maintainer and weekly highway driving).
Poor battery life has always been a problem. Windshield crack showed up suddenly very recently, right after we got a class action lawsuit notification.the car has very low milage.
Parasitic battery failures: Multiple events between July 2018 and January 2021. Battery & alternator were consistently found to be working correctly. Battery was replaced three times. One event had excessive battery percolation. The problem was caused by an after-market hum speed & location monitoring device placed in January 2018 and partially removed in October 2020. We did not know about the hum attachment to the obdii port. The problem was finally fixed when an astute mechanic recognized that the failures were likely due to the remaining hum part attached to the obdii port. Logical it would draw down the Outback undersized battery, which is well documented. So: advice to owners: Do not attach after-market devices to your Outback. Remove connections like phone jacks as needed when the car is parked. And, if you have an unexplained dead battery problem, check the obdii port & remove any foreign devices or have your mechanic do so.
Battery discharging/not properly charging. Replaced with new battery in 2017 at dealer's recommendation. New battery continues to not store charge/discharge, including when the car is parked at a store or a parking for brief periods of time. This poses serious safety concerns, as I have no idea when and where my car would not start. This has occurred in excess of 20 times in the last 3 years, and I am forced to frequently replace the battery and to always have a jump starter in the car.
Electrical problems have caused the battery to fail several times in four years. The car was purchased on June 5, 2015. Car failed to start on 9/30/16 and the main relay was replaced by the dealer. The battery was replaced three times by the dealer: On 12/5/16, 2/8/17, and 1/30/19 (including a software update on 1/30/19 to "increase battery life.") the latest battery (84 mo. 490cca) has failed recently on three occasions: 9/29/20 (twice) and 10/21/20, each requiring a jump start. On 9/29/20 the car was jump started, driven for twenty minutes, sat with the engine off for 30 minutes and driven five minutes more, was gassed up (engine off), driven five minutes, sat with the engine off for ten minutes and then required another jump start. The dealer has performed battery performance tests (some failed, some passed) but to the best of my knowledge has not checked components for failure to shut off, which could lead to battery drain. As instructed, I keep the key fob away from the car when not in use, so this appears to not be a factor.
Vehicle will not start/crank. Battery is brand new, all electronics function and light up, yet when ignition is turned the engine doesn't turn over. Vehicle is in the shop for the third time in 3 weeks. A new wiring harness was installed but failed to resolve the issue. Vehicle has been showing codes for the cam & crank sensors, including code P0340, yet all sensors have tested as operational. I'll post an update as soon as I hear from dealer.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Saint Cloud, MN, USA