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.
Summary of Electrical system issues: 1.pertaining to battery draining and 2. eyesight randomly goes out and other dash board lights flash and later goes away. As well as, 3. Windows that can not completely close at times. Details: I purchased 2016 Subaru outback - 4 cylinder in 2019 with 64,000 miles. By 2020, the car experienced random dashboard lights indicator flashing that would resolve itself ( flashing light) in a few days. One issue was the eye sight would randomly inactivate while driving and resolve after turning off car for a half day or a day. However it happens often. Dealer Car repair shop said it could not duplicate. Besides the dash board lights issues; the passenger front window and moonroof would not go up to completely close at random times. Rendering the windows useless to use. These issues continued on and off from purchase thru to-date. The biggest issue came in 2021 & 2022, when the battery would drain. A jump of the battery seem to resolve the problem. Auto store would jump battery and show CCA and CA and Alternator output proficient for the battery. On random times the battery would have the same draining issue. I am not convinced it is a battery issue for these incidents. I believe it is related to an electrical issue for all of these issues. Risk: The components installed and advertised by the Subaru brand influenced me to purchase the vehicle over other vehicles because of its safety records and longevity of the vehicle. This is clearly a false and fraudulent marketing. The Subaru has failed to provide my confidence as a consumer of its safety record. I am extremely uncomfortable driving the vehicle more than 30 miles locally because of fear it will breakdown or I will be stranded. Even locally, I have had to purchase a AAA membership at an extra expense to ensure some means of assistance. Recently, within 2 days I have had ti use my membership for a drained battery. I am now seeing many Subaru owners make similar complaints.
Vehicle only has 42,000 miles and I'm already on my 2nd replacement battery. Continuous battery drain by the Controller Area Network (CAN) causes premature/sudden battery failure. My battery is already groaning on morning starts and the temps are only in the 40s. Subaru needs to correct the problem, not just help pay for replacement batteries. There's no telling where you'll be when the battery dies.
-??Yes available upon request. My Subaru Outback has issues starting up even with a battery that tests good. The problem started off as intermittent and continues to happen more often. -??I bought this car for Ohio winters and I-??m worried me and my kids could get stranded with a drained battery. -??The dealership did a 90,000 mile tune up and said to -??wait until it breaks or fails all the way to get it fixed, intermittent problems are too hard to diagnose-?? -??Just my local dealership -??The battery light flashes, it started happening very sporadically about six months ago, and has progressed into a pretty common occurrence.
Chronic issue with the vehicle draining batteries. I-??ve gone through 4 new batteries in the time I-??ve owned the vehicle and find that they die in what-??s sometimes only a few months after purchase. No lights or other electronic accessories in the Outback are ever left on and we-??re careful to keep doors closed when we-??re not actively shuffling people or cargo in or out of the vehicle. I just experienced another episode of the battery dying when we returned from vacation to a dead car in the airport parking deck, despite only 15k miles on this battery and all lights being confirmed to have been correctly turned off before our departure. I-??m concerned for the safety of my family when the vehicle can-??t be trusted to regularly start and the battery could die in situations where my family-??s safety could be put in jeopardy.
- Charlottesville, VA, USA
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My battery failed to turn over one day and at the beginning there was a battery icon lit up in the dash, but later did not show up again. I received a jump from another person. The next morning my battery did work but not my radio. Now my radio will work at times and other times, not. I have not taken my car to a dealer or Calle them.
I had a two-year-old battery that kept dying or starting very weakly, intermittently. I had this battery replaced by the dealer 09-16-22 at my expense. This new battery died overnight on 10-01-22, in just two weeks. No lights were left on, the car was locked, the rear hatch was fully closed. I was left stranded far from my home and I had to hitch a ride to buy a jump-starter. I tested the alternator and it is working correctly to charge the battery. I contacted the dealer and they denied that the car model had any electrical problem and said that there were no class action suits or recalls related to this problem. They advised that I bring the car in for a diagnostic test (at my expense). There appears to be a large parasitic electrical drain that is draining the car's battery when the car is off.
Since we've owned the car it has gone through 3 batteries and the blind site and lane assist go on and off all the time. Windows lock. Dealership said there is nothing wrong with the car. My mother is 80 and we have kept the car in the garage most of the time unless it's a grocery trip. She has called my uncle twice this year to boost her because the car wouldn't start. We keep the car on a slow trickle charge and it doesn't make a difference. How are we suppose to sell this?
The battery has died multiple times from minor power draw. For example, opening the windows when the engine was off or briefly charging and iPhone with the key in auxiliary. I have replaced the battery at my own expense and this continues to happen.
My 2016 Subaru Outback has required 3 battery replacements between Jan 2020 and July 2022. I have been stranded with a dead battery on 4 separate occasions beginning around April/May of 2016, leaving me unsafe and vulnerable until help could arrive. AAA provided battery jump service twice and strangers helped twice. AAA has provided the 3 battery replacements and I have retained those receipts. Each time they confirmed that this is a highly unusual and likely due to an electrical issue and at some point they will no longer replace the battery under warranty. I have talked to the Subaru dealership about this issue 3 different times and had them test the alternator twice and each time they assured me there were no problems with my electrical system and that my driving habits were the problem. This is objectively false since I have now been informed that Subaru knew full well that the 2016 Outback model I purchased had this exact battery drainage problem due to a defective electrical system. the batteries failed without warning and despite the fact that I charged it at least weekly overnight when not in frequent use. the first battery failure occurred around April or May of 2016 just a few months after i purchased it new.
Replaced battery. Two and a half years after replacing battery, I had to replace the battery again. No warning, just didn't start one morning. Battery was dead.
Car failed to start five times. No cranking. No lights. No nothing. Four times required roadside assistance, jumper, from State Farm Insurance. One time, after a five-minute rest, it started with no problem. Three times battery was replaced. 12/21/18 @ $144.12----3/8/22 @ $167.38----9/16/22 @ $172.78
Battery discharges too quickly, leaving me with a car that won't start. I've already replaced the battery once - to the tune of over $300 because I needed roadside assistance - and I'm looking at having to do it again. I've been stranded multiple times and have had to find someone to jump start my car. I just ordered a $200 car jumper so I don't get stranded again.
This incident occurred on Friday July 29, 2022 @ 5pm. I was pulling into a parking space while my foot was on the brake I proceeded to put the car in park when the car suddenly lunged forward into the concrete patio of the Market/Store. I was in disbelief at what just happened. I would happily make my car available for inspection. I want to find out what is wrong with the car. I believe this could happen again and I am fearful for my life and the lives of others. I was so lucky that the table and chairs were roped off that evening for some reason. People could have been sitting or walking there at the time of this incident. This incident has not been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer or independent service center. I brought the car to the Subaru dealer for them to do a diagnostic test and any other things needed to give me some answers & repairs. I was told no issues were found. They also told me they would like to have my car for a week so they could drive it & do more test. I asked for a loaner and they said they could not do that. I can-??t afford to rent a car for a week. And I feel they will come back to me with the same answer of not being able to find an issue. I have had this car for almost 3 years and I park by putting my foot on the brake and then shift into park. There was a malfunction! What it was I don-??t know. But I do know something went very wrong with the vehicle. There was never any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to this failure.
Hello, Since February, we have replaced our battery 3 times. Eventually we discovered from a mechanic that the car had a parasitic draw that will drain the battery if the car is not driven every day. We put the battery on a trickle charger every night just in case. Two days ago, the car would not start after sitting in a parking lot for two hours. The AAA guy's first question was "is that a 2015 or 16"". When asked why, he responded "This happens all the time because the computer keeps self-checking and it drains the battery." So now we have a car that could leave us stranded at any time, and based on the number of lawsuits against Subaru for electrical drainage of batteries of their vehicles from 2015-2020, we have a terminal issue that Subaru is well aware of but refuses to acknowledge. This is unacceptable. Doesn't this qualify as gross negligence under some consumer law" Maybe instead of producing commercials with dogs driving their cars, they stand by their customers and fix their mistakes.
The battery keeps going dead for no obvious reason(s). The battery was tested at an auto repair shop and was determined to be fine but, nonetheless, continues to go dead.
My 2016 Subaru Outback has some kind of an electrical malfunction such that the battery drains rapidly. I have had to replace the battery in my car four times since purchase in 2016. I am now on my fifth battery in six years of ownership. Most recently, my battery died today 7/5/22, and required replacement.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Green River, WY, USA