10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 4,235 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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« Read the previous 20 complaints
The battery has continued to discharge and today it was dead. Accepted a jump to start however I'm not sure it will hold a charge. I understand that battery drain is a common problem. I am also on my third windshield and this seems strange, unon investigating a see where other owners have reported windshield problems.
- Sioux Falls, SD, USA
I purchased this car in 2019 and I have brought into into the dealership because it keeps dying and I have to jump it. It will die several times a day and this has been a consistent problem since I purchased the car. I have made the dealership aware and they have inspected the car 4 times and I am always told that there is no issue that they can find with the car.
- East Meadow, NY, USA
The battery dies often. Liftgate opens spontaneously. Dealer replaced battery, issue persists. Vehicle is available for inspection; it isn't going anywhere right now! Battery failed 3 times in 2 weeks, and is dead right now. The vehicle is useless. No warnings. This has been a problem for the last year.
- Blue Bell, PA, USA
Bought car November 2019. New battery April 2020. Losing charge February 2021 got another battery. Reliable Subaru, Springfield, MO recommended trickle charge every night. Car losing charge June 2021. Reliable Subaru put in new battery. Again recommended trickle charge every night. August 2021 car dead and would not start. Reliable Subaru towed in and put in another new battery. December 2021 car was not started in four days and was dead, had to be jumped. 1/17/22 within four hours of drop off, Auto Nation West, Golden, CO determines the DCM unit which is connected to the Starlink system was, in fact, a parasitic drain. It is drawing more than it should. Fixed 1/20/2022 2/1/22 parked car n garage at 8:33 pm. Returned to vehicle at approximately 7:30 pm on 2/4/22. The key fob produced no response from the car. The car was dead-?" no lights, nothing. Called roadside assistance. The car was jumped the following morning.
- Brunswick, GA, USA
The battery keeps draining, leaving us without a vehicle. After numerous jump starts, the dealership replaced the first battery. Within a few months, the new battery has the same issues. So back to the dealership, now with the knowledge that many Subaru owners are experiencing the same issue with their Outbacks.
- Columbus, OH, USA
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, the battery was inadvertently drained, and the vehicle would not start. After recharging the battery, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who indicated that the battery was not faulty. The battery was recharged but the rear hatch door would not open while pressing the open button on both the key fobs, the driver-??s side seat panel button, or while attempting to use the hatch button at the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the only way to open the rear hatch door was by using the emergency release inside the hatch space. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000
- Greenville, AL, USA
I am leasing a 2019 Subaru Out back which has a battery drain issue. The most recent incident occurred on Jan. 21st 2022 when the battery failed after having been at the dealers for the 2 days prior to fix this problem. This was the fourth time the battery has gone dead in the past year. I have read articles that say the electrical system is draining the battery which is inadequate to handle the demands. I don't know that Subaru has a solution to this problem. Being left in a parking lot or remote location is a dangerous situation during these Winter months.
- Silver Spring, MD, USA
Sudden Acceleration Defect has occurred several times with last incident Friday 21Jan2022. Each time I have had the brake pedal engaged, yet vehicle fails to stop, and accelerates on it-??s own, causing me to go through stop signs with potentially dangerous outcomes for pedestrians, other vehicles, barriers. Dealer appointment rescheduled for Monday 24Jan2022. No inspections to date. No warnings- the first time I thought I may have caused it by accidentally touching the accelerator, but now I know that is not the case. First occurrence was in Dec 2021, exact date not known, happened in a parking lot.
- Northford, CT, USA
Battery keeps draining. We jumped it two days ago and already it's dead again. We've checked all lights and other systems for user error--it's not us, it's the car! I'm scared to go anywhere remote for fear of getting stranded, especially now that it's winter in New England!
- Charlestown, MA, USA
We left our Outback at the airport and went on a 4 day vacation. When we came back on December 5,2021 the car would not start and the battery was in a deep failure. The battery had approximately 32,000 miles on it and was the original battery. Took home, put on charger and on December 7, 2021 the vehicle still would not start and had to be jumped. The Subaru dealer replaced the battery under warranty with a larger cranking battery. Fail Code L0XXF4Q-3J8KGD1. A month later and less than 1,000 mile later, the battery failed again. It was jumpted and taken to the dealer. They said they found no problem and replaced it with a "courtesy" battery as a ONE TIME only fix. I had to buy a portable jumper because I'm afraid the car will fail again. There are many instances on the Subaru website of other owners having this problem due to electrical failure. I did notice that my "welcome chime" only turns on some of the time, which leads me to believe that the vehicle is not shutting down properly every time.
- Shelby Township, MI, USA
2019 Subaru Outback. Two failed batteries in the space of one year. The first was on 2/11/21 with 21,520 miles on the car. We were on vacation in Florida and the local dealer (Bert Smith Subaru) in St. Petersburg confirmed that the battery failed and installed a new one. On 11/28/21, newer battery died. Local Dealer (Dean Team Subaru) performed a battery test, confirmed that the battery was bad and replaced it (with the same type of battery, 36000 miles). Being repeatedly stranded with a battery that is not working is a safety issue. We have a concern that there must be a larger electrical issue or that something is draining these batteries. We also have a concern that the battery is large and powerful enough for the vehicle. I have read of many Subaru Outback owners with similar issues.
- Ballwin, MO, USA
2019 Subaru Outback purchased 7/10/19 during that fall and following winter had the battery die multiple times. We keep it in a garage where it does not freeze in the winter. Had to jump it to start each time. Finally took it to the dealership 4/29/20 with 4,669 miles on it to complain to dealership. They said that there was nothing wrong with the battery. They told us that it needed to be driven every couple of days to keep the battery charged to prevent the parasitic electrical draw from draining the battery. This was during the heart of the 'Stay at home/COVID' so we did not use it everyday. It continues to have the battery drain problem. Just this weekend 1/15/22 we had to jump the battery in our driveway to leave and drove 30 minutes to the store and expected the battery to keep the charge but after leaving the store found the battery dead again. Luckily we found a nice guy who offered to give us a jump. This is a continual problem.
- Eaton Rapids, MI, USA
The battery failed for no apparent reason. After getting it jumped, it would fail to keep a full charge. Starting the car, it was always a gamble as to whether it would start-up or not. This lasted a month or so until the car battery was completely dead. I then had a tow truck come from my insurance to replace the battery.
- San Francisco, CA, USA
In Feb, 2021, I went to start my car in the garage. It was totally dead. It had just been in for 6 month svc 2 weeks earlier. I called dealership, they sent a tech to my home to get the car started. He said it was totally drained, left and came back later with a jumper system and got it started and drove it to the dealership. They installed a new battery and the tech said they were having trouble with original equipment batteries but this one should not have the problem. Now, Jan, 2022, the car is dead again. I am 79 and the sole caregiver to my wife who has dementia and cannot talk. At this moment, I have left a message for dealer service manager but have not received call back after 5 hours. It is just like the information posted on line about this Subaru issue.
- Bonney Lake, WA, USA
Parasitic Battery Drain left battery dead and unable to start vehicle. This was caused by a defective DCM (Data Communication Module). This problem first surfaced within weeks of new car purchase and took about 6-months and several visits to dealer to remedy. I also replaced the oem battery with a new upgraded battery at my own expense. Recently the problem reoccurred as the DCM module again failed and created a parasitic drain. This has probably damaged the new battery which is only a year old as it was completely discharged. The dealer again fixed the problem but as before was initially skeptical that it was caused by user error or letting vehicle sit too long between use; both of the most problematic failures occurred when the vehicle was left parked for 2-weeks at parksleepfly hotels while on trips and returned to find dead battery.
- Lansing, NC, USA
The battery will drain in under a week if the car is not driven. Subaru dealer gave me 3 batteries in 6 months. The battery tests fine, but discharges if the car sits for a week. Subaru USA gave $350 to go buy a top of the line battery and the issue persists with an Optima yellow top.
- Cornelius, NC, USA
I have had battery failures in the last 34 months 3 times. I have reported this problem before. The dealer replaces my battery and gives advice about not driving enough. not keeping my fob the proper distance from the car. This is casing me to be concerned about safety issues. I know there is a class action 2020 for this problem but subaru needs to solve this issue. It is a computer on wheels and I realize that uses a great deal of electrical power but you should not be stranded because subaru refuses to solve their issues. My next step is to contact subaru but I doubt they will take any action. So I guess next step is to change cars. Its a shame as they charge a great deal of money for this car. I owned the first outback when it came out and had no problems. I am extremely disappointed in their cars now.
- Ocala, FL, USA
Battery Drain....3 different times, car will not start, kills the battery 89 year old lady left to call for help with starting the car.
- Mcleansville, NC, USA
The battery of my Subaru Outback appears damaged. My car's battery has died or shorted two times over the past two days. It had to be jump started for it to work, only for it to stall again. This puts I and my passengers at risk because the vehicle could've stalled while in motion. This problem has been confirmed by an independent service provider, the towing company. There were no warning signs or symptoms prior to this problem.
- Maple Grove, MN, USA
- Jenkintown, PA, USA