10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
10,899 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2018 Subaru Outback electrical problems

electrical problem

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2018 Subaru Outback Owner Comments (Page 8 of 12)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #98

Jan 242021

Outback

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Battery discharged after map light left on overnight and it is supposed to turn off after 20 minutes. Vehicle had just been driven prior to the light being left on and is driven every day.

- Richmond, CA, USA

problem #97

Jan 062021

Outback

  • 66,000 miles
Battery died 2 times within 3 months of purchase (bought used, Nov 2020) first time with light left on overnight and second time after not driving for less than 1 week

- University City, MO, USA

problem #96

Jan 122021

Outback

  • 33,000 miles
Electric system fail. Repeatedly the windows wont work, blue tooth goes down. But more concerning when sitting waiting in a parking lot the whole car will shut off. Not a sign of life. Cant turn car on, no radio no lights, no use of key fob - nothing. Car can be jumped and back in action. Had the egi control replaced and other parts. But the very next day - again while waiting in parking lot - which we do a lot of in the pandemic - no windows operated, rear life did not work and then suddenly the whole car shut down again. Had to have dealer come jump car and back to shop

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #95

Jan 092021

Outback

  • 20,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Premature dying of battery at around only 20,000miles. We suspect flaws of the battery or electric issues. We did find lawsuit on 2016-2020 Subaru Outback on this matter.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #94

Jan 102021

Outback

  • miles
The battery keeps dying for no reason. Thr first time it occurred was in October 2020. We jump started the vehicle and drove it. It died again two days later. We replaced the battery with one from an auto parts store. Approximately 5 weeks later in December 2020 it did the same thing. We went to start it up and it wouldn't start. We jumped it and drove it for approximately 30 minutes. Went out the next day and it wouldn't start again. Took it to the dealership and they stated the problem was the battery so I paid for a replacement. Exactly a month later, January 2021, I went out to start the car and the battery is again dead. I will be taking it back in to the dealership this week.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

problem #93

Dec 202020

Outback

  • 36,400 miles
Battery discharges after car sits for a few days or after short trips. The problem has continued even though I replaced the battery. Highly annoying. Have purchased a portable jump starter so I don't get stranded. I have used the jump starter to start the car at home and while away from home.

- Twin Falls, ID, USA

problem #92

Nov 162020

Outback

  • 9,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The battery keeps draining when not used and then the car refuses to start and I need to get jump start. This can be dangerous if the car needs to be moved urgently

- Ridgewood, NY, USA

problem #91

Dec 192020

Outback

  • 17,715 miles
This is the second time in two weeks that our vehicle has failed to start. A week ago it left us stranded at a walmart, and today in our driveway...there isn't any electrical device in the car that will energize. The car won't even respond to the vehicle key fob. We can't find any recalls on our vehicle...but we notice you have several complaints (401) with many being electrical issues ' failures. This vehicle was stationary during both of the described issues. I think this time total battery failure has occurred. Please note there weren't any indicators warnings that the battery was going to fail. This vehicle is less than three years old, with just under 18,000 miles never driven anywhere in snow areas while deicers were in use. Will be contacting Subaru this am for assistance

- Zephyrhills, FL, USA

problem #90

Oct 032020

Outback

  • 40,000 miles
Battery consistently drains and car will not start. Battery is new, replaced in 2020. Car has been parked for less than 12 hours when it will not start. Car has been jumped, taken to dealer who state "nothing is wrong with it", then within 1-4 days usually happens again. Has happened multiple times since 10/03/2020.

- Burlington, NC, USA

problem #89

Nov 062020

Outback

  • 90,000 miles
Battery does not charge and requires replacement every 200-300 miles.

- East Helena, MT, USA

problem #88

Nov 132020

Outback

  • 8,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Phantom liftgate opening. The liftgate opens by itself with the vehicle locked, draining the battery, and does not sound an alarm. This has happened several times, at random times of the day, with the vehicle parked in our driveway. Subaru has replaced the battery but it has continued to happen. So far, we haven't had any opportunistic thefts from but we are concerned about that since locking the vehicle seems unreliable.

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

problem #87

Nov 062019

Outback

  • miles
The battery has died randomly over the last 2 years. We finally replaced it after being fed up with being stranded in different locations. Most recently, it died twice within a week. Both times I drove to work, parked and 2 hours later, the car had to be jumped to start. I took the car to Subaru and they wanted to charge me $250 to insert the same battery.

- Foboro, MA, USA

problem #86

Mar 052019

Outback

  • 8,000 miles
Battery dies prematurely, if vehicle is not driven for a few days, or if parked and rear hatch is opened and closed a few times. Dead battery left me stranded five times since 3/5/2019. Battery tested well at dealership three times, so was not replaced under warranty until it failed a draw test.

- Franconia, NH, USA

problem #85

Oct 242020

Outback

  • 10,500 miles
2018 Subaru Outback, only 10,500 miles, battery keeps draining, and finally would not crank the engine. This happened 10-24-2020 (sat.) dealer white bear Subaru would not answer his phone in service department. Called Subaru roadside assistance, they would not tow to a Subaru dealer, only a nearby independent repair facility. I rejected that, and since it was the weekend, I had to purchase a Napa aftermarket battery, even though Subaru warranty was still in effect. Cost me over $160,00.

- Cottage Grove, MN, USA

problem #84

Oct 212020

Outback

  • 40,000 miles
Car lights came on after sitting not running. Went to start the car, but not enough power to start it. Battery light was on. The next day, the battery was completely dead. I had to jump start it so I could go buy a new battery.

- Madison, NH, USA

problem #83

Sep 122020

Outback

  • miles
Battery died many times. Car is just under 3 years old, with 18,000 miles still under warranty. Dealer said the car must be left that they needed to test. The cca rating is 300 something. A friend in Colorado has a 2019 forester with a cca of 620! very similar engine, both models are touring. Could it be that vehicles in less colder areas are fitted with inadequate battery cca so Subaru can save a few dollars" also the rab light came on while driving at highway speeds. How is that ok" the infotainment screen has frozen multiple times. When it did the volume of the radio could not be lowered..I was parked when it happened, (radio was loud) then started driving and couldn't lower it.. please note: These electrical issues occurred at different times... I have no idea if they're related

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #82

Apr 212020

Outback

  • 18,268 miles
The battery in my 2018 Subaru Outback has died 3 times in the past 6 months. The first time I was parked close to a local mechanic and after jumping and testing the battery he deemed it dead and replaced it. 2 months later, while parked and idling as I waited for my husband at an appointment, the car shut down and went dead. It would not restart, but after I waited a few minutes it restarted. A month ago as I was driving about an hour from home, all the dashboard lights went on and the safety (eyesight) system disabled. I took the car into the dealer the next day and also told them about the dead battery and asked them to check the electrical system for a drain. This morning (exactly one month since dealer service) the battery was dead again. After jumping it and starting the car I discovered that the rear liftgate will not work. I have tried from inside the car, outside using the button on the liftgate and remotely with the key fob, nothing. After a a quick internet search I see that this battery drain is a common complaint with this model/year and that Subaru just replaces the battery rather than address the underlying problem. This is not acceptable, I should not have to worry about whether my car will start every time I get in it.

- Northport, NY, USA

problem #81

Sep 252020

Outback

  • miles
One day in April, the battery was spontaneously completely dead. At the time it seemed that leaf debris shorted the circuit of the battery causing connections to corrode and the battery to be destroyed. The dealership replaced the battery because it was within warranty. The new battery now is having issues within 6 months of installment. Within a 4 day period the battery has been drained 2X inexplicably (9/23/20 and 9/26/20). The first time it could be jumped to allow vehicle use, but the second time it could not. The Subaru dealership advised it is likely a bad cell in the battery and wants to replace the battery.

- Rockville, MD, USA

problem #80

Sep 162020

Outback

  • 31,000 miles
When the power tailgate is left opened for a prolonged period, the battery drains. The shortest hours left opened was 4 hours. Took the vehicle to the dealership, and the battery was tested to be normal (rated 550 cca, measured 504 ca, voltage 12.74V, temperature 90F). The instruction provided by the dealership was to run the car every day to keep charging the battery. The car is equipped with the memory height to keep the hatch open, and that feature is useless when the battery keeps draining.

- Dekalb, IL, USA

problem #79

Sep 122020

Outback

  • 54,000 miles
Battery in my 2018 Outback continues to be dead when I go to start it after sitting overnight. Just took it to the dealer and they called and said they did not find anything wrong. They are keeping it overnight to see if it is dead in the morning. In the past week I have had to jump start the car 5 times because it was dead. Just called Subaru and filed a complaint about the problem. This is my 4th Subaru and never had a problem like this.

- Bucyrus, OH, USA

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