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.
On the 21st of December the battery in my Outback went dead. I took it into the local dealership and they recharged the battery. When I tried to start the car two days later, the battery was dead again. I have an appointment to take it back to the dealership on the 29th of December. Both times, the car was started 10-12 hours before.
The battery started failing after less than 8000 miles on the car that is less than a year old. It left us stranded multiple times and jump start was required. Once upon jump starting the car the power steering was not functional. Multiple times the airbag failure indicator stayed on for the entire trip. Initially it was not clear to me what is going on as the whole electrical system went haywire and the car was producing a clattering noise instead of the usual starting noise. Eventually I tested the battery and it became evident that it failed. There are many such reports on the internet and also class action lawsuits against Subaru due to their failure to address the underlying design flaws of the car. I hope that the NHTSA will force Subaru to properly analyze the problem, come up with a proper fix and issue a recall to address this issue with obvious safety aspects.
On October 11, 2020 the car battery died. I got a jump from Subaru service on 10/12/20 and brought it to Subaru stamford for service. The tailgate open/close switch was stuck in the on position and may have caused the battery to drain. The switch was replaced. On 12/6/20 the car battery died again. I got a jump from Subaru service and then drove the car for 20 minutes. One hour later the battery was dead. On 12/7/20 I jumped the battery and took it to Subaru stamford for service. The mechanic checked all electrical systems and found no issues. I asked to have the battery replaced which was done. Note that these two incidents occurred while I lived at 171 courtland ave, stamford, ct. I am moving permanently to longmont Colorado on 12/13/20.
When entering the vehicle and attempting to turn it on, the car would not start (November 20, 2020) the car required a jump to get the engine to start. Took it into the Subaru dealership who tested the battery and said the battery was fine & they charged the battery back up. (November 24, 2020). The following morning (November 25, 2020) the battery was dead again and had to jump the car. Over the following 36 hours anytime I drove somewhere, turned it off, it required a jump to start it again. Today (November 28, 2020) we took the car into the dealership again for analysis. They just put another oem battery back in the car and said they are not sure what the issue is.
- Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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I picked up my car, drive it home (227 miles) on 11/24/2020. The next morning the battery was dead and I was unable to open the hatchback. We charged the battery, showed fully charged but would not start. Jump started it, drove it 10 miles ( on ok from Subaru salesman) the entire time it showed engine light on and emergency brake on ( the brake has been released) and the safety options were disabled. This morning the car would not start again. So far, the inly response from the salesman and service dept is that they have no idea what the problem could be. I was promised they would research the problem and call us, so far haven't heard from them.
Vehicle purchased in March. Have been driving less due to covid. Last trip was October 15th for 6 month baby appointment. Found that car wouldn't start and electronics not working on November 26th. Suspect dead battery and read online about Outback electronic issues.
Car won't start. First time this happened was at 4000 miles. Changed position of shift lever to N and P until able to get started. Went to dealer to have battery checked but they said it was ok. Now at 6000 miles completely dead in garage. Car had not been driven for 3 or 4 days. Having it towed to dealer.
My 2020 Outback which is only 5 months old had the battery drain on two separate occasions. Both times I had to jump the car in order for it to start. This only seems to happen when the car sits for more than three days. If I drive the car every day, there does not seem to be a problem. I brought the car to the Subaru dealer to be checked out and they said 'what do you want me to do, I did not make the car'. this is a totally unacceptable problem. What good is a brand new car that cannot sit three days without a jump start.
We purchased our new 2020 Outback less than a month ago and have had the battery die 4 separate times already. I have had to jump start to revive. We've taken back to the dealership once and they were unable to diagnose any problem and nothing has been replaced yet.
I bought my 2020 Subaru Outback with 300 miles and currently only have 4000 miles in it and my car won't start I even got it serviced 2 weeks ago. It was sitting in my driveway as usual for a night and the next day it wouldn't start.
While interacting with the rear of the car while it was parked and shut off, I had accidently triggered the "hands-free power rear gate" feature and the gate began to open. Rather than wait for the tail gate to fully open, I gently pushed the rear tail gate against the automatic opening back into the closed position. At this point, the car beeped at me three times and the rear tail gate would no longer latch itself closed, even when closed manually. I was forced to drive the vehicle with the tail gate unsecured, it would open itself while driving because the latch would not engage and hold it closed.
I bought a 2020 Subaru Outback xt in March. It was the last special order from auto nation before they shut down for covid. I drove it very little as we were basically home bound and then for shopping, golf and meetings. It is now November and I have under two thousand miles driven. The car went completely dead on September 17th and now again on November 10th. It died both times inside my garage and the front drivers door was the only thing to open. It did jump and work in between those dates. I am now reading about all the class action law suits and battery and electrical problems with the Outback. Subaru suggested that I needed to drive my car every day to keep this from happening. That is a ludicrous idea and something I have never had to do with any other car I have owned. I have a cvt 2.4 engine with a turbo. Every time the battery dies all the loaded information like bluetooth, etc. Is also gone.
New 2020 Subaru Outback battery has gone dead. Only 2300 miles on vehicle. Car was last driven on Sunday. Would not start on Tuesday evening. All electrical systems dead.
Battery failed within 1 month of new car purchase. Technician initially said it was due to rear dome light being left on (did not think this was the case). After repeatedly returning to the car in the mornings to find drained battery, had to purchase back up jumping device to ensure I'd be able to use vehicle daily. The car was brought back to the dealership 2 more times (within weeks of the initial problem) after needing to jump the car to start it. No electrical problem was found and battery was deemed to be "ok" per their test. Then one morning while starting the car, the dash lights started all to flash, an audible clicking noise and hatch motor could be heard trying to open and remained stuck in that mode until the battery died (car never started). Car towed to dealership for 3rd time in a month and battery was deemed "to be defective" from the factory and was replaced in this 2 month old car. No other electrical system problem was diagnosed to explain what repeatedly drained the battery.
Batter is dead after 10 months, 7500 miles. Seems as if there is something faulty with the electrical system that is pulling power off of the battery when the car is off. I've gone out to the car 5 times now over the past few months to a dead battery. Progressively it's gotten worse with two of the times being just this week. This is consistent with what I'm reading about previous year models as well. Seems like they have an electrical bug that they're not addressing year over year.
Battery was replaced after 5,549 miles. Vehicle was parked for 4-5 days prior to 07/08/2020 and need to be jumped dealer could not find problem. Vehicle was again parked for 4-5 days prior to 10/09/2020 again the battery was dead & was unable to use fob to unlock car etc, jumped started contacted Subaru about problem
I just purchased a 2020 Subaru Outback ltd and while driving the entire infocenter went blank, and all safety features was disengaged. The screen remained blank for approx 10 seconds before rebooting. I called suabru America and was informned that there is a clitch in the program that they have been attempting to fix unsuccessfully. I bought this car due to its safety features. Shouldn't I have been informed of this potential computer crash that affects the safety of myself and my passengers, which includes my 85 year old mother?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Anchorage, AK, USA