— A Subaru class action lawsuit alleges the batteries drain from defective electrical systems and components in these models.
- 2021-2022 Subaru Outback
- 2021-2024 Subaru Forester
- 2021-2023 Subaru Legacy
- 2021-2023 Subaru WRX
- 2021-2022 Subaru Ascent
- 2019-2023 Subaru Crosstrek
- 2019-2024 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid
- 2022-2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness
- 2019-2023 Subaru Impreza
Subaru Battery Drain Lawsuit — The Plaintiffs
New York plaintiff Christina Taylor purchased a new 2021 Subaru Forester in November 2021. She complains the vehicle had problems starting when it had 36,705 miles on the odometer in December 2023.
She also complains she had to jump-start her Subaru twice because the battery was dead, then paid a dealership $326.96 for a replacement battery. But in February 2026 and with 72,678 miles on the odometer the Subaru replacement battery failed. The dealer replaced it for free.
According to the class action, her Subaru still suffers from "rough starts."
New Jersey plaintiff Stuart Selis purchased a new 2022 Subaru Forester in March 2022 but in December 2023 problems began when the battery died at an airport. He had the vehicle towed to a Subaru dealer where the battery had a jump-start and the plaintiff was told the battery was fine.
But in February 2024 and with 55,000 miles on the odometer the battery died again, so the plaintiff had a dealer install a replacement battery at a cost of $428.01.
Even though he filed the Subaru battery class action lawsuit, he sold his Forester before he sued.
California plaintiff Beth Cusimano purchased a new 2021 Subaru Forester but in April 2025 problems began when the vehicle began stalling and shutting off. The plaintiff paid $340.18 for a replacement battery, traded in her Subaru in April 2026 then filed the battery class action lawsuit.
Texas plaintiff Karl Greissinger purchased a new 2024 Subaru Outback, but in October 2025 the vehicle shut down when it had about 51,000 miles on it. The plaintiff complains his vehicle blocked traffic and couldn't be restarted, so it was towed to a Subaru dealer where a larger replacement battery and bracket were installed for $434.88.
Subaru Battery Class Action Lawsuit
According to the lawsuit, a battery replacement supposedly does no good because the replacement will also fail from parasitic drain. The class action alleges this process will repeat as long as the electric systems are defective.
Electrical system defects reportedly fail to correctly manage power consumption when a vehicle is shut off. The plaintiffs claim at least one electronic control module fails to put the vehicle into a low power sleep mode which allows the parasitic battery drain. This can manifest out of nowhere and leave the battery too weak to function before it finally dies.
A dead battery equals a dead Subaru vehicle and unexpected expenses to a vehicle owner. Beyond stranding occupants, a Subaru owner may need to invest in roadside assistance, diagnostic costs, mobile battery jump-start devices and complete battery replacements.
The class action references several technical service bulletins but most concern earlier model year Subaru vehicles. However, in 2014 the automaker issued bulletin 07-85-14 to dealerships about the proper way to test for parasitic battery drain, also called "dark current draw."
Then in October 2025 Subaru issued bulletin 15-308-23R regarding how to properly test for parasitic battery drain.
"This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts. It addresses the tendency of technicians to prematurely attribute parasitic draw to the Data Communication Module (DCM), particularly Gen1 units known for excessive draw (120–140 mA, TSB 15-291-22, TSB 15-312-23R)."
The bulletin went on to say Subaru had "confirmed Gen3/Gen4 DCMs have no consistent parasitic draw issues, necessitating a thorough diagnostic approach to identify the true cause without assuming DCM failure. Customer parking conditions (e.g., low-signal areas like underground garages) may cause temporary DCM draw, which must be verified."
According to the class action, Subaru dealers typically tell customers the batteries are fine but just need to be recharged, all while the electrical systems are draining the batteries even with the vehicles turned off.
The Subaru battery failure class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey: Taylor, et al., v. Subaru of America, Inc., et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by Lite DePalma Greenberg & Afanador, LLC, and Sauder Schelkopf LLC.
Several Subaru battery drain class action lawsuits have been filed in the past that you can find here.