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.
My Subaru Outback is less than 3Y 9M after being purchased a brand new and it already got 5 (five !!!) new batteries replaced without being identified with any issues by Subaru technicians. The first time the battery died was when the car was only 7 month old on the original warranty. A new oem battery (#2) has been installed at the Subaru dealership. 14 months later this Subaru battery #2 is dead, replaced by a new aaa battery #3 that within two months was dead, extremely corroded. Once again I was forced to address the same issue, bringing the car to a dealership where a new oem Subaru battery #4 was installed and covered by a thick layer of petroleum jelly. The battery #4 has lasted only for 17 months. Thus a new Subaru oem battery #5 had to be installed. Every time I'm told the car has been checked, no issues have been found, though I had also reported that I kept adjusting the clock in my car every couple of weeks, it has been falling behind. It's hard to accept that Subaru technicians have not been able to diagnose the cause of the parasitic drain problem in my car. What is exactly going on with my Subaru Outback 2017 electrical system?too much frustration when I missed my working hours, medical appointments due to dealing with the car thatis not starting, as well as witnessing my car losing its value. All the documents are kept in a file, my notes are recorded.
The electrical system keeps draining the battery. I have to keep a battery jumper in my car because the battery is constantly dead. I'm in my 2nd battery and having to jump star5 it at least twice a month and the car only has 30,000 miles.
Dead battery requiring tow service to charge battery 4/2018 and 5/2018. Replaced battery under warranty after testing at Subaru 5/2018. Dead battery requiring towing company charge times in 5/2020 and replaced battery on 5/14/2020. Dead battery now again in 4/2021 requiring towing company battery charge.
I am experiencing repeated battery drain leaving the vehicle unable to start. The dealer says I am leaving something electrical "on" when I park it. It has gotten so bad that I carry a starter jump pack battery to get it going when the battery goes dead. The original equipment battery rating is 200 cold crank amps below the standard of 550 cca seen in most cars. This problem has been going on since I first purchased the vehicle new.
Have the car 5 years, have had to replace the battery now twice. Once at 2 years and once a year and a half later. I own a 2014 VW beetle and still have not had to replace the battery.
- Lindenhurst, NY, USA
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This car has had repeated electrical issues. The car is on it's third battery in 4 years. Suubaru paid for the last "aftermarket" battery based on my request and numerous complaints from others. The safety issue came up from the last problem: The key was stuck in the ignition. This too is a common problem. The dealer replaced the sensor in the gear shift mechanism to fix this problem. The safety issue is owners are posting workarounds on line to get around this problem. The workarounds get around the issue. However, by disconnecting wires the key can be removed in any position, including while the car is in gear and moving. That is clearly a potential problem. This repair was made approximately three weeks ago. Two days ago the battery was completely depleted and the tailgate would not function. I brought this to Subaru's attention. This time they said I was out of warranty and they would not assist (I was out of warranty on the ignition switch and battery issues). I believe there is a fundamental problem in this generation of Subaru's that needs to be investigated. A simple search of the Subaru Outback forum for key release problems will verify my assertion. Subaru needs to come clean on the electrical engineering deficiencies impacting safety and reliability.
I recently started having issues with removing my key from the ignition. I could remove it most of the time after multiple attempts and messing with the shifter and steering wheel etc. But there was at least one time that I had an appointment and could not after 10 minutes, remove the key. I had to leave the key in the ignition with the car in the partially "on" setting. I took this into Subaru dealership to get it fixed on 25mar2021. I discovered that this is a known issue, but that Subaru decided it wasn't a safety issue. I had to pay about $500 to repair this issue. I beg to differ that this is a safety issue. Leaving the keys in the ignition because I could not remove them is a safety issue because 1) an un-licensed driver or youngster could have gotten in the car and started driving it; or 2) a criminal could have gotten in the car and waited for me to return with malicious intentions and 3) or the car could have simply been stolen. I also contacted my insurance rep and found out that if a car is stolen with the key in the ignition, that this would be a non covered claim. Even if it was physically impossible for me to remove the keys.
It looks like the car bleeds the battery. Vehicle purchase: Oct 2016 I had my oem battery replaced due it it dying in < 3 years. (September 2019) I replaced it with duralast gold and that also died in 2.5 years. (Feb 2021) during the cold wave in Texas, the vehicle would not start. I chalked it up as cold weather and went on. But this past week it died all of a sudden and I had to get it replaced via warranty. I ran a blue driver report and it shows low voltage errors for some components. This sounds like the same ongoing lawsuit for battery drain issue.
In home driveway, car won't start, battery dead. Towed to dealer, battery good but needed charge. Dec11, 2020, in driveway, car won't start, and clicking noise in rear power gate, towed to dealer. Battery tested bad, replaced. Also replaced prg module for rear gate. Mar 8, 2021, in driveway at home, won't start. Jumped and drove to dealer...(this new battery) charged and tested, failed, so they replaced the battery, again. "parasitic draw test found 45ma of draw, below maximum allowable draw specification of 70ma. Verified correct and normal operation. Test code:. K1gkf40-2fcl091"
After 2 years of use, the oem battery was not keeping the charge or was draining due to an issue with the electrical system. I had to have the car jumped a couple of times to get it started. Brought the car to Subaru dealer and they did not find any issues but replaced the battery with another oem battery, quite unusual until I read an articale about a class action suit against Subaru. In 2020, the new oem battery was having issues requiring I jump it several times. I was away from home at the time and brought the car to advanced auto parts. They tested the 2nd oem battery and advised the battery was bad and not holding the charge. At that time I purchased a diehard battery and have had no issues in the last 6 months. As I stated above, I have read that Subaru is in a class action suit for the exact issue I had and wanted to have this issue recorded.
Battery died less than 2 years old. Car was parked for about a week and when I tried to start it it would not turn over. Took to dealer and they said the battery was dead.
I have replaced the battery twice on my own since I was told they aren't covered under warranty. The batteries discharge on their own when the car is parked. I have to use a battery charger all the time or the battery is dead when I try to start the car. I put the last battery in around Aug 2020.
During first 3 years of ownership our new car has failed to start many times and emergency service called to jump start vehicle as battery was discharged after power trunk opened without any activation while parked in our garage. Battery discharged several times without trunk activity, simply parked overnight in our garage with everything electrical checked and turned off. Dealer replaced battery 4/20. Battery discharged again a couple of weeks ago (3/06/2021) while having trunk open to clean inside of car. Very concerned as to being stranded again due to safety..
Vehicle's battery went dead at about 22,283 miles in Jan of 2020. Battery would keep dying even after proper jumping. Vehicle was brought in to dealership. Dealership advised of software issue draining the battery. I was advised that they did an update and replaced battery. A year later, vehicle is having battery issues again (battery kept dying- multiple times- even after driving to try to "charge" battery). Vehicle was brought into dealership in Feb 2021 at 23,560 miles. Different statements were made by dealership. I was told there was an issue with the vehicle electrical system needing more power than the battery could provide. I was told they had a solution, a bigger battery. When I picked up my car they just swapped out the battery with the same size battery. They didn't tell me (tried to hide it). When I confronted them, they advised that Subaru didn't have a fix yet for the draining of the battery. Subaru says I will just have to keep bringing in my vehicle every time there is an issue with the battery until they come out with a fix. Please note: Subaru appears to try and hide the electrical issue. None of this information was on my service paper work and they only spoke about the electrical system in Feb 2021 after I brought up the issue after reading forums on the internet about people having the same issue.
My 2017 Subaru Outback 2.5I limited began having dead battery issues at nearly 15,000 miles. The first incident happened while visiting the Cherokee national forest. The car would not start after we returned from a short hike. It left us stranded and forced to walk 4.5 miles to gain cell service to call for help. My car now has 36,000 miles as of 3/16/21 and is on its third battery. This time I bought the best battery I could find and am hoping for the best. Something keeps draining the battery, leaving me in one bind after another. With no help diagnosing the problem at the dealership, what more can I do"?"
Battery appears to drain over a relatively short period of time resulting in: P1604 startability malfunction, B2320 back &side radar low voltage, C1413 antilock brakes voltage malfunction, B2500 power lift gate voltage malfunction, B2A07 telematics battery charge history fault, B1011 battery power supply control malfunction, B1013 ignition power supply failure, and B1014 accessory power supply failure. All is taking place while vehicle is parked in heated garage.
Battery failure several times after playing radio 15 minutes, after tailgate left up for 1/2 hour. Dealer reprogrammed ECU to increase charging, would not start and dealer said all normal on 1/12/19@ 18,301 miles. I replaced it with the larger capacity battery at autozone. Since then no battery problems. However, I am still afraid to play radio or have tailgate up for a long period.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Boston, MA, USA