I am on my 3rd car battery. One was replaced under warranty, one was paid for out of pocket under 31,000 miles.

- Hickory, NC, USA

Approximately 26 months (38K miles) after purchase, the vehicle would no longer start. The issue appeared to be a bad battery which was then replaced. The manufacturer stated that trips shorter than 45 minutes result in a net loss of electrical energy in the battery and it was therefore my fault.

- Trenton, FL, USA

The vehicle's original battery died after only 30 months of use. I tried to start the car one morning, and it would not start. A new battery fixed the problem. This happened during a period when the car was driven for short trips only a couple of times a week, during the early part of the covid-19 pandemic shutdown. I am reporting this because of other reports of a possible electrical problem in Subaru that has caused batteries to fail earlier than they should have failed.

- Williamsburg, VA, USA

Unexplained battery drain after several short trips and/or after car is not driven for several days.

- Scappoose, OR, USA

Quick 3mi trip for fast food run. Car would not re-start after drive-thru, engine off (to save gas). Vehicle was stationary and parked in all instances. Weather was 50F, light rain. Incidence on 12/31/2020; 2/14/2021; 2/22/2021. Resolution was simple jumpstart not longer than 10S connection for ignition to work again. Without which, car simply stalled. Speculation for cause of dead battery was low mileage driven daily.

- Houston, TX, USA

Battery replacement after less than 2 years

- Melbourne, FL, USA

Twice in the past 12 months my Subaru Outback has left me stranded with a dead battery. The first time I drove to the grocery and the battery was dead after I finished shopping. Second time I drove to church and the battery was dead upon leaving.

- Albany, OR, USA

Battery was completely discharged at least 3 times. On one occasion I was in a very remote location and I was fortunate to find someone who provided a jump. The other two times were in my garage. For all three of these occasions I looked for a cause like a light left on or some obvious battery drain and I found none. This has always been a mystery to me. I grew up in an auto repair shop and was a mechanic in the us army so I'm not exactly a novice or inexperienced about these sorts of issues. All of these events happened when the car was parked.

- Cross Plains, WI, USA

Tthe battery has gone dead several times. The dealer replaced the battery one time under warranty. It now indicates a weakness in cranking power after the car sits without driving for a few days. It needs to be replaced with a new and more powerful battery.

- Saint John, WA, USA

My Subaru 2018 Outback has had one episode of the battery dying while under normal use while stationary. I had only the electrical system on (no gas) for approximately 20 minutes while listening to music, using the bluetooth phone function for approximately 10 minutes, and with the fans on. I was subsequently unable to start the car after completing these activities. There was no indication that the battery was low prior while driving, and no errors were on the dashboard indicating any alternator or battery issue. I had to seek assistance from strangers to get my car jump started. The issue has not recurred but I have been trying to not place strain on the electrical system since, fearing being stranded.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

Batteries drained spontaneously while vehicle was stationary. Old battery replaced with new one and the new one was dead 24 hours after replacement

- Oceanside, CA, USA

Drove the vehicle for a short period of time and the battery keeps going completely dead, after we turned if off, for this reason this car has been to the dealership 3 times. The first time they said it was the dcm or something that controls the electrical current, than 2nd time they said it was the battery they installed a new one, than the 3rd time they couldn't find out why the battery was draining they used a parasitic draw test to find out, but they just recharged the battery and give us the car back.

- Hendersonville, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after driving to the store and parking the vehicle, upon return, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact's husband jump started the vehicle and the vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The contact stated that the failure later recurred. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic nor an authorized dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 16,660.

- Snoquilme, WA, USA

Dead battery issues - if doors or liftgate is open for even short amounts of time the battery goes dead. Have had to had it jumped 6 or 7 times since we bought it 3 years ago. That leads to issues with liftgate and passenger windows, requiring deal resets. Issue started at less than 10,000 miles.

- Woodinville, WA, USA

Within the first year of owning the Outback I had to have the infotainment head unit replaced twice. I am still having issues where the radio will come on but there is no sound, the radio will turn on full blast after a hanging up from a call, back up camera will be black upon backing up, screen will freeze, steering will lock up when backing out of my driveway, and after my 36K mile maintenance now my car is making a strange humming noise. There are so many complaints about this car and nothing is being done about it. Subaru needs to provide more than a puny extended warrenty. This car is a lemon and they know it.

- Shawnee, KS, USA

Battery on car just goes dead. Put 3rd battery in car before it was 3 years old. Several times, we noticed that rear hatch motor does not shut off - just keeps running. Then if you start car again & immediately turn it off - rear hatch motor stops running. Been to dealer multiple times & sent letter to Subaru customer advocacy dept - they refuse to acknowledge car has a problem. Offered to pay for extended life battery. First time it happened, car was parked in our garage overnight - having been loaded the previous night to leave early the next morning on vacation - car wouldn't start and battery couldn't even be recharged. One time backed car out of garage, turned it off, then when tried to start it 5 minutes later, battery was dead. We were able to recharge it, but subsequently took it to dealer where it failed the battery test and they replaced the battery. Vehicle deemed unreliable and unsafe to us, as you never know if it will start. Been to dealer several times about this issue and they are doing nothing to get to root cause of problem - just put another battery in car. Car has 25,000 miles and warranty expired on 2/24/2021. Attached are details from 2 dealer visits and letter to customer advocacy dept. First time battery failed, we replaced battery because it was impacting our vacation. We had expressed concerns about battery on 7/19 dealer visit, and battery then died on 10/19. Subaru refunded us the cost of the battery.

- Reisterstown, MD, USA

Chronic dead battery. Replaced 4-year-old completely dead battery with a brand new battery, which was also dead within 3 days. Research shows there is a know problem with Subaru battery drain, possibly with regard to a fault with the rear lift gate. Have tried to contact local Subaru service but was sent to voice mail and have not received a call back.

- Casper, WY, USA

Battery failed at 9,000 miles

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

Battery failing to start car, received new battery from schomp Subaru summer 2019 after repeated jump starts, towed to dealership twice, continuing with same problem and today I am stuck at home waiting for my schumacher portable charger to recharge.I am araid to drive the car because I don't know when it will stop working.I was told it was because I didn't drive it enough. I leave the car idling

- Centennial, CO, USA

The battery seems to drain very quickly and without apparent reason. The dealer recently replaced the battery under warranty but did not explain why it has gone bad so quickly. I was stuck a number of times with a suddenly dead battery. I am concerned that the actual cause of the draining has not been addressed and I go off the warranty in another month. I have read that this problem has occurred with other owners of this year Outback. This occurs after the car has been sitting for a while.

- Portland, OR, USA