Dead battery. Needed jump start for 4 days. Called dealership. Battery in stock $250.00 “because it’s a stop/start battery.â€
Got in to have it replaced. Technical Bulletin said to replace it with another battery + new pan + new anchor bolt + new battery holder. Total cost for a new Subaru battery at only 23,000 miles: $320.00. That’s absurd. Subaru should cover it.
After finding the vehicle wouldn't start again after only two weeks since the new battery had been installed I was done with it. The Dealership was talked into offering me a buy-back option by my daughter-in-law. Southern Oregon Subaru came and picked up my 2020 Subaru Outback and gave me a check for 84% of the purchase price.
December 26, 2021, two weeks after having a replacement battery installed, the vehicle would not start again. I was unable to attach a battery tender to it because there was no access to electricity at the curb in front of my house. The solution, as I see it, is to install a heavy duty battery. Cost for installation by a local repair shop of a higher quality battery would be $280.00. Subaru should pay for it because a functional battery is still under warrantee.
Car would not start; battery dead; individuals from Southern Oregon Subaru came to my home on December 8th, 2021 and started the vehicle with a portable battery; they drove it to the Subaru Service Department in Medford, Oregon. A replacement battery of the same type (SOA821B700) was installed on December 10th, 2021. I was told because I didn't drive the vehicle almost daily that I needed to keep it on a battery tender. Service department gave me an electric battery tender free of charge. Vehicle was picked up from the dealership December 13th.
- Dianne K.,
Ashland, US
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Battery dying from not driving or using the car on a daily basis. Third incident for a new vehicle with 6,000 miles.
Dead battery is a chronic problem with this 2020 Subaru Outback Onyx XT vehicle. Annoying and dangerous for a senior citizen. Battery goes dead after a couple days of not starting or driving the car. First solution was to get a battery tender. Why? Environmentally wasteful by a company that prides itself on being environmentally friendly. Neither is replacing the battery endlessly each time it dies. Nor buying a NOCO 50 to jump start the vehicle each time the battery dies.
Worst yet, Subaru does not inform nor warn the buyer that the battery dies if the car is not driven daily or that a battery tender is necessary. And if you leave the hatch door up, the battery will be depleted while you take the groceries inside your residence. Really?! Or sitting on the tail gate while having lunch that leaves you stranded somewhere or in a remote location.
Compounding the problem is the alternator is not designed to recharge the battery but only to trickle charge it after starting the car.
Covering up the problem with band aids is wasteful and environmentally destructive.
Finally, this is not the first time the battery has died on me. It is the third time. Good thing I have AAA Roadside Assistance. Nothing is available in remote areas!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Dead battery. Needed jump start for 4 days. Called dealership. Battery in stock $250.00 “because it’s a stop/start battery.â€
Got in to have it replaced. Technical Bulletin said to replace it with another battery + new pan + new anchor bolt + new battery holder. Total cost for a new Subaru battery at only 23,000 miles: $320.00. That’s absurd. Subaru should cover it.
- Matt M., Moneta, VA, US