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.
- I have been stranded multiple times waiting on a jump because the battery has drained and died for no apparent reason. - OEM Battery on my 2017 vehicle was replaced under warranty at the end of 2019. At the end of 2020 (one year, and less than 10,000 miles later) I was stranded in a parking lot waiting on a jump after sitting in the car with the radio on for 45 minutes. I took the car to an auto parts store for testing and it "failed." - In May of 2021 I went to get in the car after 3 days of not driving it and the replacement OEM battery was completely dead. To the point that it wouldn't even unlock the car doors using the key fob.
Battery completely drained. Replaced with new compatible battery that drained completely again in two days. Can jump start but otherwise no power to anything (locks, dash, etc). Nothing left on in car to drain battery.
The battery keeps needing to be replaced. The battery dies in 1.5 years or less. This is not good. The dealer says they gave me a bad battery and the system looks fine, but this has happened twice now, Something is wrong with the system.
The electrical system regularly drains the battery. I have replacement the factory battery TWICE with an aftermarket high end battery and the issue still occurs. Car will be completely dead.
I have had to replace battery twice. Battery from factory had a bad cell and it wasn't quite 2 years old. Dealership replaced it in macon, ga. Less than a year I was at a service place for oil change. Car wouldn't start and had to replace battery. Dates: 10/22/18, 7/15/2019
Vehicle suffers from unknown electrical problems that cause frequent battery drain, without something obvious like a dome light being left on. Despite battery replacement, dead batteries are a common problem leading to not being able to start the car in potentially unsafe areas (off hours, far away from assistance, etc). Seems like a new car shouldn't have to replace its battery this frequently.
Battery has fully drained at least five times. Took it to dealer and they "found nothing". I have purchased a mobi power cell for jumping this Outback.
Rear backup camera remains on after shifting from reverse to drive. Screen has severe burn in with "Z" pattern across entire display. Making it un-viewable.
I am on my 4th battery in 4 years. The battery goes dead very quickly and the service department can't tell me why. There also seem to be other random electrical issues that go crazy at random times. The cruise control when trying to set the speed higher will go lower. The windows will occasionally not roll all the way up.
I bought my car in 2016. I had a job that made it necessary to drive 44 miles daily five days week. Now I have retired and do not drive every day. My car battey would not hold a charge. I bought a new one, it can't stay charged either. Something in the car is draining the battery. I turn everything off and still cannot hold a charge over 1 day. This is happening to a lot of Subaru Outback owners. Years 2017 to 2020. My car is a 2017. I have had to buy a charger and must leave it attached to the whenever I'm not going to drive for a day or two. I have a $40,000 car and I cannot trust it.
Sometimes the battery goes dead for no reason. This has happened multiple times in the last 2 years, with the most recent event occurring today (May 10, 2021). It could occur after I haven't driven it for a day or in the midst of a road trip after I've stopped for lunch and it won't restart. I have replaced the battery 2 times since purchasing my car (used) in 2019.
We have experienced multiple, ongoing battery drain incidents, replacing the battery twice in one year (most recently). We are left stranded repeatedly and must jump the car for it to start. I understand this is an ongoing issue with this model and others. The incidents happen seemingly randomly. It is working fine, then you go back to get in it and it won't start. Sometimes, when you are attempting to start it, the back hatch will make a sound/motion. We have been stranded more times than I can count! after 4 years of this, we are beyond frustrated. I do not feel safe on the road by myself. Most owners have taken to keeping a battery jumper with them at all times. Ridiculous.
My battery has seemed weak for over a year. On a routine service, I had asked Subaru of Santa Fe to inspect my battery. It checked out as good. Yet, every time I started the car, it would seem like the starter was laboring with a drained battery. Of late I have had to jumpstart the car a few times, even. I took it for inspection today to auto zone, to see if I needed a new battery. They checked it and said the battery was fine and did not need replacement. I looked up the internet to see if others had similar problems. Sure enough, I discovered that there is a legal suite regarding an identical issue for the same year mske and model car as mine. The battery has never died while the car is in operation or moving, but only when the car is started. This could be a safety issue if the vehicle is stranded in a remote or unsafe location. To my knowledge,
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Nashville, TN, USA