The battery on my 2020 Subaru Forester Premium /LFF14 drains within a week if not driven. There appears to be a parasitic battery drain problem. The car will not start. I replaced the original factory battery with a larger, after-market battery having been told by several sources that this problem is common to Foresters and is caused by defective batteries being supplied to Subaru. However, the new battery did not solve the problem. I regularly test the battery with a battery tester that indicates that the battery is OK, but is discharged and requires charging. I now keep a trickle charger on the car continuously. This seems to keep the battery charge up to 98%. I have retained the original battery which holds a charge indefinitely out of the vehicle. I am aware that driving the car to recharge the battery is extremely hard on the alternator and will cause it to prematurely fail. The car was purchased in August of 2020 and currently has less than 500 miles. This is a recurrent problem.

- Edgartown, MA, USA

My car shut down while stopped at a traffic light. Several dashboard lights flashed or lit up, including the battery indicator, the EyeSight indicator said it was turned off, and many others I don-??t know. It felt as if the battery had died. The car was in standby mode while stopped and the air conditioning was running. The car stalled and died when I took my foot off the brake to drive. The battery has died 6 times in the past year. If the door was ajar, the hatch left open, or the engine turned off while parked in drive, the battery was dead the next day. If it-??s left overnight with the emergency flashers on, the battery is dead the next day. This is too many for a brand new car. I-??ve already bought a brand new battery after the first one died. What do I have to do to keep the battery alive? I-??m a Lyft driver, and thankful this issue didn-??t leave a rider and me stranded many miles from home.

- Hayward, CA, USA

I tried to unlock my car but the remote didnt work- I had to use the blank key inside the remote to get in the car. I couldn't start the car- my husband tried to jump it- that did not work- I called AAA they tried jumping it - that didnt work-- AAA told me the battery was good but totally out of charge 0%-- I called the subaru salesman I bought the car from & he walked me thru alot of steps & we couldn't find anything wrong besides the battery!! he told me to have my husband try to give me a jump again & after 4 hours the car turned over! What caused it"???? no idea??" the next day (7/5/21) I took it to an auto parts store & they tested it out- alternator-perfect--- battery @ 550 with the max 620--- today I read an article about Subaru batteries failing! well mine did for no apparent reason--- maybe they should all be recalled!! I missed my 1st day of vacation due to this!!

- Floral Park, NY, USA

Battery is completely drained and I was unable to commute. Vehicle picked by Subaru roadside assistance to nearest dealer (Victor Subaru)

- Edison, NJ, USA

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" - The original battery on our 2020 Subaru Forester died after some repairs related to getting rear ended. The battery died for the first time in March 2021, 8 months after we purchased the car with around 5500 miles on it. That battery was replaced with a brand new Subaru battery. The battery has died 3 times since being replaced. The current battery is available for inspection. In addition to the battery dying, we have recently noticed two situations where the rear hatch has not properly latched. I have a video of the rear hatch trying to latch and popping back open over and over again. I've only noticed this twice, but the first time I noticed this I realize we had been driving with the rear hatch open and our dog could have been put in serious risk if the rear hatch opened. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Issues with the battery dying multiple times puts me at risk of being stranded. The issue of the rear hatch means that anything that is placed in the rear of the vehicle may not be properly secured and could potentially fly out of the vehicle if the unlatched rear hatch opens while driving. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The original dead battery was initially identified by a body shop. The dealer was not able to find anything wrong with the vehicle upon first inspection, but we are going to take it in again. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others" The vehicle was inspected by a body shop (recommended by our insurance) and the dealer. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The only symptom we are able to routinely detect is a low voltage on our battery, which we believe indicates a parasitic draw.

- Albany, CA, USA

purchased new vehicle 10/23/19, 1st battery failure 6/15/2 jumped and ok 2nd battery failure 12/4/20 jumped, Subaru replaced battery 3rd battery failure 2/16/21, Subaru said battery was "fine" 4th battery failure 3/31/21 Subaru replaced battery 5th battery failure 5/14/21, appt with Subaru on 5/21/21

- Denver, CO, USA

When attempting to leave our home driveway on Friday, April 2nd, 2021 (approximately 4pm local time), the ignition button failed to start the car. Initially, power was running to the dash. I called the Subaru eastside dealership in kirkland, wa where the car was purchased. They told me to call roadside assistance, which I did the following morning. When my wife and I moved our car seat and belongings to the other car in the driveway, the rear lift gate started to malfunction and would not open (resulting in a repeated 3 beep sound), blocking access to my jumper cables, which were in the trunk. Eventually, the electrical system stopped responding all together. When roadside assistance (sent out by Subaru roadside) eventually showed up the following morning, a jump start by the technician started the vehicle.

- Sammamish, WA, USA

Battery was drained for no reason and car would not start. When tried to start dash lights etc., went crazy. Gauge for tachometer and speed whipped from side to side, lights flashed on and off. The starter gave the clicking noise you hear when battery is dead. Called aaa to jump and they could not get it to start. I charged battery overnight and the engine started. Took car to dealer they could find nothing wrong with the battery or charging system. They could not explain why this happened. I purchased a battery tender to maintain charge in battery. I only have 1 car and it needs to start when I need it. This happened on day I needed to take wife for covid vaccine shot.

- Hudson, OH, USA

Multiple dead batteries over past year. When rear lift gate is left open for less then an hour with all lights including interior off it drains battery. 2019 lift gate module recalled due to 'dark draw' but didn't include earlier 2020 models which did not have new module incorporated yet. Please investigate to include the early 2020 models in recall. This is happening to many people and is a hazard to be left stranded over such an easy fix that has already been incorporated in the 2019 models with the recall... my car is in that 'grey area' only cause it is not a 2019 but before the fix was addressed on the 2020 year.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

I was driving up an empty Suburban road at 25 mph when the brakes suddenly went off, causing the car to skid to a stop. The dashboard screen said the pre-collision emergency braking system was activated. There was nothing in the road and no reason for the car to stop suddenly. Thank god I wasn't on the highway - this is extremely dangerous.

- West Hartford, CT, USA

Went to start car after being parked for 3 hours. Doors opened with fob but keyless ignition would not start car and all idiot lights came on locking steering wheel, brakes, gas pedal, etc. Subaru service came and jumped car; not sure if fob had died; car only 11 months old, under 9000 miles. Temperature in high 20's, low 30's. keyless ignition had been wonky earlier in week and car hesitated to get started. Eyesight turned off briefly on drive home after car was started by jumpstart.

- Stoneham, MA, USA

Vehicle has some electrical issue with the TPMS that less than a year in, one of them is seems to be going out. Thee head unit (infotainment sys) also had connection issue that was aware and known by subura dealer rep when called and as to bring in for maintenance. Blinds pot monitor on the right has tendency to not flash or alert every so often.

- Upland, CA, USA

One day I looked up at my windshield and there is a scratch/crack visible on the inside. Nothing hit it.

- Chesterton, IN, USA

Wiring harness, transmission, soy based - destroyed by rodents at 600 miles, 9 months. Vehicle on home drive, daylight, as our basement was repaired from flood damage. 1 week on driveway.

- Midland, MI, USA

Power lift gate open while parked during all-day sporting event (total of 8 hours). No other doors open, no auxiliary use of battery was in use, battery was dead and I was left stranded in parking lot.

- Lake Villa, IL, USA

Battery died 3 times and the car has less than 5000 miles the vehicle was in my driveway and usually driven at least every other day also, it seemed like it jerked forward a few times when I started it. It has a push button start.

- Hulmeville, PA, USA

A change in some 2019-2020 Subaru models causes an incompatibility between obd-II devices and the Subaru starlink system (which is used to dispatch emergency services in the event of an accident, and for other purposes). Subaru service bulletin 15-257-19 11/11/2019 recognizes the problem, but does not offer a solution other than tell the customer not to use the obd-II device. Since the starlink system prior to model year 2019 was compatible with obd-II devices, it seems likely that a Subaru initiated change is causing this incompatibility. As stated in the bulletin, in order to avoid having the car notify the dealer every 3 days of the problem, they have changed the notifications to once every 10 days. This is not solving the problem, but merely pushing it down the road. Some consider starlink a safety system, and pay extra to have it available. Copy of service bulletin attached. This is a continuing, repeated problem starting on 3/11/2020 and is a continuing intermittent problem. First dealer service on 3/17/2020 found no problem because the issue had temporarily resolved itself. The service bulletin was not found by the owner until 4/2/2020 after several back and forth emails with Subaru customer service before then.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

Vehicle ignition is off and in park. The safety issue occurs when the rear tailgate is left open. After 20 minutes of leaving the rear tailgate open, all the interior lights turn off correctly as a published safety feature to help prevent a dead battery upon departure. The user thinks everything has shut off when the lights turn off, however, the rear tailgate ECU does not turn off or go to a low power state after the initial 20 minutes causing a high drain on the battery. The hatch ECU continues to draw in excess of 4 amps while the hatch is left open, causing a dead battery in as little as a few hours. The user can unknowingly be left stranded with a dead battery causing a safety issue. This is a serious oversight and engineering error that will likely leave many people unknowingly stranded with a dead battery.

- Lomira, WI, USA

When driving the driver heated seat puts out low heat even if the switch is in the off position. At 15 minutes sitting, heat can be felt on the buttocks skin and caused minor skin burn at around 30 minutes.

- Fort Washington, MD, USA