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.
The battery keeps dying overnight. I had to change my stock battery pre-maturely and it just dies overnight. This is giving me stress and costing me a lot of money and time. Looks like there is a parasitic drain that making the battery go dead even after all lights are turned off
Battery drain issues leaving my car stranded. Multiple occurrences, too many to count. First occurrence in Feb of 2018 left me stranded overnight and close to 24 hours in a remote location in northern Nevada. A number of occurrences later, Subaru replaced the oem battery (in Feb 2019). I've had multiple issues over this past year 2020 in remote locations in Wyoming and Colorado that have left me stranded.
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on multiple occasions. The contact mentioned that when the vehicle was off for a couple of days, it would failed to start. The contact stated that she had replaced the battery however, the failure continues to occur. The contact mentioned the vehicle had to be driven every day in order for it to start. The contact stated that her certified independent mechanic came over to her residence on multiple occasions to jump start the vehicle and it was able to start. The manufacturer has been made aware of the failure. The failure mileage started at approximately 4,000.
The rear hatch after use it appears to be closed. It does not indicate it is not latched or closed and drains the battery and the car does not start. The back up indicator did not alert me that there was a car coming across behind me.
- Mount Pleasant, SC, USA
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If the vehicle sits unused for 2-3 days, the battery is completely drained and the car will not start. I've had the issue happen even after 24 hours before. The battery either has to be disconnected if I am not going to be driving for a few days, or jumped. I only noticed this issue because, due to covid 19, eight months ago I stopped driving my car every day. I purchased a brand new battery to replace the old one and the issue still occurs.
Battery keeps draining inexplicably. This has been going on for last 3 years (sine Jan 2018 till Jan 2021) and we have had to do jumpstart every time. We took it to dealer couple of times however this has not been adequately resolved. In June 2020, we paid for battery replacement however this has not solved the problem and have been stranded in remote places. 1. we close the vehicle, lift gate, switch off all internal lights, shut all doors after parking the car 2. we drive the vehicle at least once every 3/4 days. On Jan 18, 2021 we again sent it to dealer and now they are replacing a new battery, however they don't have an explanation on why the battery is draining
The car battery has been completely dead twice when parked in airport lot for several days. Once the battery was completely dead in the home garage when it hadn't been driven for several days. Each time the battery had to be jumped. The battery was replaced at our expense the first time because we assumed we left an interior light on. We are sad to discover there is an electrical problem that Subaru will not fix.
2 weeks after purchasing the vehicle, the battery was described as, "completely dead." 1 year later, again, the car would not start and aaa reported the battery as, "completely dead, " and could not find anything on in the car. A new battery was placed in the car and 24 hours later, aaa reported the battery as, "completely dead, " as the car would not start. I have gone through 3 brand new batteries in 2 years, yet the car continues to drain the battery for no apparent reason. Upon research I found there is a class action lawsuit against Subaru for Outback vehicles from 2016-2020 due to this exact problem, yet Subaru, "refuses to fix the problem."
I"ve had several experiences of the battery draining on my 2017 Outback. Most of the time it was after not using the car for a couple days. Recently, my Outback was completely dead after being garaged for three days at a hospital while I gave birth to my baby. The car is always garaged. I?ve replaced the battery once already since purchasing the car and am once again experiencing another dead battery which will need to be replaced. It"S pretty unacceptable for a car 3 year old car to have burned through 2 batteries and needing a third. VIN [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contract called on behalf of his father who owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery was replaced on several occasions. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to miller hill Subaru (4710 miller trunk hwy, duluth, mn 55811) where the failure was diagnosed as a faulty battery, remote starter, sensor and rear liftgate. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was unknown.
Original battery failed about 30 months after car purchased (new car). There was no warning-just dead after parked in garage overnight. Purchased new duracell battery from sams club on 1-24-20. Replacement battery was dead after parked overnight in garage on 12-24-20. Battery failed in 11 months. No previous warning, weather was normal both instancies.
I'm on my 4th battery in 3 years. Battery has gone dead multiple times, leaving me stranded in difficult and potentially dangerous situations. Cannot open lift gate to access the cargo area where I keep my road safety reflectors, flashlight, tire pump, etc. Stranded in dark parking lot 1 time. As a result of the reliability concerns I have had to buy a portable charging unit to have in the car at all times. I have also had to purchase a new battery for a car that only has 27K miles on it. There are instances of many similar problems resulting in a class action lawsuit against Subaru. This not only impacts the reliability and safety, it also impacts the resale value.
Multiple times the tailgate has spontaneously opened when we were not in the vehicle. Aside from issues like running the battery down, inclement weather damaging the interior and the theft of contents of the car are issues. Thus far, the car has not been in motion when it happened, but there was a least one incident reported where a vehicle was in motion when this happened (see attached complaints of other owners.)this is not a case of accidentally activating the key fob - it has happened when the car was turned off and someone was sitting in the passenger seat. The only key was in a purse in the back seat. The passenger witnessed the car tailgate just spontaneously opening. It has happened when we returned to the car after being at an appointment, while staying at a motel, and when the car was packed for a trip the night before. We are very concerned this could happen when the car is in motion, creating a deadly hazard for other vehicles. We have found this problem reported by numerous owners of this model. The local dealer initially dismissed the problem as a case of accidentally pressing the key. We disputed this and they kept the car for two days to see if it would happen and it did not. Sometimes it is two months between incidents. This is a serious problem and safety hazard that Subaru needs to acknowledge and correct, perhaps necessitating a recall. There does not seem to be any conversation among service departments that have received similar complaints. It's just a single isolated case as far as our local dealer is concerned. I am submitting a document that shows multiple complaints (and not all) that other Subaru owners have been reporting for years.
Battery intermittantly discharges nessitating recharging. I replaced it with a new one thinking perhaps the oem (2yrs old) was faulty. Then I read that this is a known problem with this year/model Subaru.
We bought this vehicle new. Our battery has been drained prematurely numerous times and we had to replace the factory battery quickly after purchasing it. We have been stranded numerous times with the car being unable to start at all. Majority of times this occurred, we had left on the accessories less than 5min. While waiting in our car before the entire battery was drained. On one occasion, the battery drained with no explanation. We contacted our local dealership for service and they said there is nothing that can be done about this. This issues is unlike any other car we have ever had. It is common to leave accessories on for a small amount of time without draining the whole battery. Especially in a new car. After becoming frustrated with the dealership's response, we looked online and saw this is a known issue for Subaru Outbacks from our year. Apparently the electrical system is flawed. We plan to trade in this vehicle as it is not reliable and we have been stranded so many times it is not a safe car to own. The car should be recalled or at least have a fix available.
On December 7, 2020, at approximately 1200 hours, I returned to my 2017 Subaru Outback after a brief shopping trip. The battery was unable to start the vehicle. I had to use a portable battery starter to start the vehicle. The drive from my residence to the store was approximately 20 minutes long. The first thing I noticed upon starting up my vehicle was it drew hard from the battery, almost not starting. I am not new to this issue, as it has occurred several times over the past 4.5 years of owning this vehicle. The battery that came with my vehicle, purchased in July of 2016, was replaced under warranty at 808 miles. The battery was replaced again approximately 2 years later, suffering from the same issues. The battery would work okay at best, then start to draw hard on the battery, then die completely. When tested, all of the batteries were supposedly suffering from a bad cell. 3 batteries were replaced under warranty. The current battery was purchased just outside of warranty in 2019, as the last warranty battery was in 2017. This battery is supposedly a newer, updated model with more cca. I do not leave lights on in the car, or any electronics plugged in due to this consistent issue. This recurring issue has lead to a lack of trust in the vehicle starting, having stranded my family several times. To combat this issue, I keep a portable battery charger and jumper cables in the vehicle.
2017 Subaru Outback, constantly dead battery. I've had the car due on me multiple times. It cannot hold a charge. Dec 5th it happened again and had to call tow company to jump it so I could take to the dealership. This is a recurring problem. This car has just 16,000 miles.
Car battery will not hold a charge. I had to replace the original battery twice now. Original battery died March, 2019 ' I had my mechanic replace that with a new battery (battery replacement 1). Battery replacement 1 died February, 2020; battery replacement 2 (another new battery) was installed. Battery replacement 2 died November, 2020; battery replacement 3 (another new battery) was installed by Subaru.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Portland, OR, USA