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.
Battery drain issue. The battery was replaced by dealer twice, and it drains down after about one month to two months. The car won't start and I need to call roadside service for a jump start several times a week. The dealer ran tests and says there is no unusual electronic drain when car is off, but didn't diagnose what the issue is--just replaced battery, and now after about 7 weeks I'm having same issue again.
The infotainment system suddenly started playing random songs, started switching from maps to music, going through stations on the radio etc..escalated to not accepting any touch commands and totally took over doing its own thing like making random phone calls, etc which I could not stop because it won-??t accept touch commands. My husband thought I was in an accident because it kept calling him as I was driving on the highway and I couldn-??t stop it from calling him and I also couldn-??t answer it. Very dangerous as it gets loud at various times and suddenly will make a beep beep beep sound like it would if you were scrolling through stations. The service manager said this is a known issue in these cars and said it-??s coming from behind the screen. He said we can try to turn it off by pushing the volume and station buttons at the same time but this only works for a few minutes then turns back on. He said the fix is like $2200 and everything is on back order so we are looking at months. His advice was to go to Best Buy and get a new radio. This is a $39,000 car with 32000 miles on it-??but we followed his suggestion anyway and went to Best Buy and they said no way can they can do it because of the amplifier in the car. They said a new radio would not connect to the amplifier and Harman Kardon speakers and said it would be about $6000 to replace all of that.
Dcm / starlinks unit has a parasitic drain on battery that requires battery change every year. Car doesn't start unexpectedly. Not great for an outdoorsy car where we'd be more likely to be outside of cell signal.
Two batteries in my Subaru suddenly started draining completely within a few days of each other. One day my husband was on a busy street and the dashboard began flashing, the lights, dImmed, and the car started making an unusual beeping sound. Our mechanic called Subaru and was told that it could be a problem with a VCM fuse. He tested the car overnight and easily discovered the VCM fuse was the problem. The part to fix the problem has been back-ordered for two months and the local Subaru dealer says it will be at least two more months before the part arrives. Subaru has acknowledged that the car is not safe to drive. Subaru customer advocacy has told us that the repair is not covered under our power train warranty. The part costs $900. Plus, we have had to rent a car for over $1000 a month. Subaru wants us to bring the car to a dealer to confirm that the problem is the VCM. The dealership is quite a ways away and the cost of towing the car could be very expensive. I said that I would be willing to pay the cost of towing so long as Subaru agrees to reimburse me if the dealership finds that the problem is the VCM. Subaru will not pay the cost of towing and said they might not pay for the cost of repairing the VCM if that is the problem. They would decide that only after they saw the car. Although Subaru has known for years of the problems with the VCM, they have never issued a recall nor have they even informed us of the potential problem. (My daughter had the same thing happen a few years ago. At that time, the needed part was available and Subaru did not charge her). The defect with the VCM presents serious safety issues and now I will be without the car for at least two months and Subaru is not taking responsibility for the defect. I appreciate any help you can give me. Kathleen Engel
Car battery loses charge often due to parasitic DCM wire. Have been stranded often with my children despite buying new batteries. Battery, Alternator, everything tests fine. But there is an electrical issue. The radio and other electronics go on the fritz a week or two before each time the car needs a jump. it-??s unreliable and unsafe.
- Keaau, HI, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
There is a parasitic battery drain happening from somewhere in my Subaru Outback. I purchased a battery approximately 6 months ago because my previous one died. Today this one died. Nothing such as leaving lights on or anything else on my part precipitated this. It has not been inspected yet by the dealer. This seems to be a common thing based on research and needs to be a recall.
Battery failed to start vehicle. Jumped with another battery, checked that the charging system was operating. The next morning it would not start. Changed battery with a new one slightly larger, no problems. Found out later that there are so many functions that drain the smaller battery. I did not want to be on the road and unable to restart the vehicle. Others have had the same issues, there is a class action lawsuit with a settlement. Filed the required forms and was denied because I did not have a Subaru dealer replace the battery.
Battery drain. The vehicle battery will be dead after 2 days. I've needed charges over 15 times in 6 months. The battery was replaced twice and dealer said there was no parasitic drain when car is off, but offered no solution for fixing the car. I'm still having to call roadside services for a charge off and on. It's highly inconvenient and could be dangerous to not have any reliance on the battery. The car has less than 10,000 miles. I have been gypped into buying this car that isn't working properly. When will Subaru take these vehicles back or provide a solution for dealers to implement?
At roughly 57k miles, the infotainment system in my Subaru outback started flashing rapidly, thinking something was touching the top right corner of the screen. It changes the radio stations interrupts phone calls by transferring them off of the Bluetooth system, affects the navigation system by stopping the map, and eventually locks itself up and because unusable. Not only is this distracting to the driver, but it questions the integrity of all of the computer systems in the vehicle, including the Subaru EYESIGHT.
The head unit of the vehicle is experiencing delamination which is causing "phantom inputs" where the screen registers touches on without any user input. This causes constant audio sound effects to be played which causes driver distraction. The only way to resolve this is to turn off the head unit completely. The delamination also causes "bubbles" to appear on the touch screen interface which renders the backup camera near inoperable due to the video from the backup camera being obstructed; this effect is further compounded in sunny conditions since the "bubbles" exacerbate the glare. Subaru is aware of the problem and has issued a warranty for the 2018 model year vehicles as outlined in Service Bulletin 15-263-20. However, Subaru has failed to correct the problem in subsequent model years.
Power Rear lift gate does not work on a consistent basis. It will work normally for several days, then without warning, not work. Will not work with remote or interior opening mechanism. Only the manual release in the rear will unlatch the rear gate, which is quite heavy to lift and not designed to be done so in a manual fashion. Unable to duplicate issue at Subaru dealer. Obviously, this is a know issue after reviewing similar complaints here.
MY19 Subaru Outback 3.6R. Battery died after being a vacation for about one week. Replaced with a brand new battery. About one month later went on vacation again for about 4-5 days, the battery was again completely dead. The car has an issue in which it is draining the battery when parked - this could result in unexpected failure of critical vehicle electrical systems due to operating in a low voltage state or potentially leave someone stranded. A new vehicle like this should not be draining a new car battery because it is not being ran for a 7 day period. Subaru needs to issue a recall to fix this battery draining issue.
Since Oct-Nov -??22 I-??ve had 3 batteries drained; the latest June 10 -??23. Last replacement was a new battery and a new communication unit; drained battery still occurring - chronic problem. No long term solution
Replaced battery 3 months ago due to battery dying repeatedly after vehicle would sit for a short amount of time. Old battery was less than 2 years old. Problem has persisted even with the new battery. This issue risks leaving me stranded anywhere I park the car, including in the middle of the highway if the car were to die there. Looking online this appears to be a common issue with this model and other owners have reported a parasitic drain from the circuit containing the Starlink/DCM module (I have not confirmed this myself).
Car dies unexpectedly leaves you stranded when you lease expect it. Died on 9/1/22, 9/16/22, 9/25/22, 9/26/22 - took to dealer and issued a new battery. Most recently died on 5/24/23.
I own a 2019 Subaru Outback. In the past month, the battery drained in <15min while the car was turned off and locked (happened twice during a quick lunch and a grocery run). Dick Hannah Subaru Vancouver has diagnosed a chip malfuction (the chip keeps running while car is off and drains the battery). Autozone has verified independently that the battery itself is perfectly fine. It happened again while I was out hiking this past weekend and I almost got stuck in the wilderness which can be very dangerous. AND, I couldn't start it the next morning either! What is worse, Subaru of America has no ETA of the replacement chip due to shortage. So far, Subaru of America has not approved my request for free repair, free loaner vehicle, and extended warranty, despite multiple phone calls. I am extremely upset about their level of customer service and willingness to acknowledge the issue. In my opinion, there should be a recall as this can put consumers in a dangerous situation of being stuck somewhere.
Display screen for radio, navigation, status has failed and is flashing on/off. Radio, navigation and other functions are not operable. First occurred in Fall 2022, dealer examined and diagnosed in Jan 2023. Repair replacement parts are indefinitely unavailable. There is not a committed schedule to repair/replace. This appears to be a widespread problem/defect with no known schedule to deliver parts for repair. The result is a vehicle that is dangerous to drive at night with flashing lights at this display panel. I write about this to add to the field of data and information about this problem with this model vehicle. Any assistance in expediting manufacturers attention to this is appreciated
My car which is a 2019 Subaru ourback started having main computer display showing bubbles which then started randomly activating a touch and activating different menus of the car July of 2022. This pretty much renders the the main computer display useless which controls many of the car controls, through which the rear view camera is displayed and through which the phone connects for hands free calling. Because of the random touches, we can no longer pair a phone with the car as it would randomly call people due to the random activation of the touch sensors on the car. After researching this, I found out that this is called delamination and has been affecting all prior model years for which, apparently there is a nation al recall up to but not including my year car. I went to the Subaru dealer ship who informed me that up to a 1/3 of the cars they are seeing are there for the same reason. They asked me to contact the Subaru of America. After multiple visits to the dealership and the dealership sending pictures to the Subaru of America, I got an Email with a voucher for 1200$ towards replacement of the computer system. The problem is that I have been waiting since October of 2022 with a defective computer and there are no parts available for repair. Subaru can not even tell me when they may have a part and there is not intention of even giving a timeline. I am now driving a card who's computer is constantly activating touches which is one very distracting and is not doing any of the function that it is supposed to. The rear view camera is as if I was looking though fog and limits visibility. Doing a google search proves that this is a widespread problem. I am contacting you for help in resolving this issue and possible helping others with the same issue please.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Oakland , CA, USA