2019 Subaru Crosstrek: battery drain or dead battery

Filed Nov 9, 2026 · Electrical · CO

From February 2025 to June 2026, I’ve had to have my car battery replaced 3 times. Before the battery dies, I normally lose all of my pre-programmed radio stations, have to increase the volume, and my car will take longer to start. I’ve brought this attention to a Subaru Dealership (where I go for all of my repairs) and was told that if this keeps occurring, they will have to send an engineer out to look at my vehicle as it passes the parasitic draw test.

Filed Jun 17, 2026 · Electrical · WI

2019 Subaru Crosstrek; Battery is drained even when car is fully turned "off". If the car is not driven every day, battery may drain completely and car won't start. If not driven for several days, battery will discharge so low that it is damaged, in which case it may not have sufficient charge to start the car after sitting overnight. After battery is discharged to the point of damage, it must be trickle charged anytime the vehicle is not driven, and even short periods and distances of driving will leave the battery at 25% (or less) of fully charged. Battery replacement is the only way to restore normal operation, but the replacement battery is gradually degraded and ruined just like the original. SOA has not recognized this parasitic battery drain problem in this vehicle. Jump starting the car with auxiliary battery is possible, but this does not reduce the risk of battery insufficiency. Subaru instructs me to have dealer diagnose the problem (at a cost of about $200) and then it might consider a gratis contribution to full cost of diagnosis and repair (estimated at $1,662 including cost of diagnosis). No warning, visual or aural, alerts the driver to this problem.

Filed Sep 4, 2025 · Electrical · IL

Subaru owners have reported experiencing premature parasitic battery drain in vehicles equipped with Starlink in-vehicle technology. The defect presents itself when the equipped data communications module (DCM) attempts to communicate with 3G cellular networks. As 3G networks within the U.S. are no longer functioning, the call will continuously fail even after the vehicle has been turned off, draining the battery and resulting in a no-start safety risk for drivers. According to those familiar with the issue, the only solution to the battery drain defect is to remove the DCM fuse, thus disabling vital safety features such as hands-free calling. This issue is happening to me specifically, as I have had to jump my car multiple times within a week long period if in a bad cell range area. I have brought this into the dealership multiple times, under warranty, and presented this to them. They refuse to fix, even though multiple online threads and lawsuits point to this issue being known.

Filed Aug 27, 2025 · Electrical, Lights · MN

Vehicle had a parasitic draw, was in the shop for an extended amount of time, I believe wiring issues were caused from this as well, I had to replace my driver side window switch, buy an optima battery, and drive 3.5hrs to a Subaru dealership in the middle of the winter hoping I’d make it safely and without stalling, the DCM was found to be at fault similarly to other vehicle owners included in another recall that somehow excluded 2019 Crosstrek drivers and included other MY variants such as the Outback and Forester of which also had a bulletin posted about this parasitic draw and how to go about warrantying the costs associated with the repair. I incurred many costs travelling, horrible gas mileage during this time, and a battery replacement. Additionally I lost My workstudy position the following semester due to the unstable vehicle issues and attendance concerns when shuttling the car to the dealer for these warranty repairs (if even covered at all)

Filed Jan 31, 2024 · Electrical · LA

Battery drains rapidly and completely, sometimes overnight. Five times in less than one year. After a full charge only lasts a few days. Battery replaced but still happens. Others tell me it is a parasitic drain caused by "DCM" and/or faulty Starlink software. Dealership cannot seem to fix this after repeated attempts.

Filed Jan 2, 2024 · Electrical · NJ

The digital communication module (DCM) on this Crosstrek is faulty and is leading to parasitic drain on the car battery. This defect is consistent with other Subaru models such as the Outback. However, this specific model and year was not included in the class action suit and order but the issues are similar.

Filed Nov 20, 2022 · Electrical · NY

Battery Drain problem. Subaru had to replace the battery in January of 2022. That did not resolve the issue. My battery started dying again in June of 2022 & I have to constantly jump start my car. I complained to Subaru & brought my car in for servicing but all they did was test the battery immediately after it was driven on the highway for approximately 20 miles. The issue is not the battery, it is the electrical system that drains the battery.

Filed Oct 27, 2021 · Engine · WI

Battery continually does not hold charge over any time longer than a few days parked. Even after long drive from Wisconsin to Ohio, car sitting for 6 days in cool weather (never under 40 degrees) caused dead battery. Battery has been replaced by Subaru dealer 3 times previously, each time dealer said they could not detect a problem. In winter, battery is dead each night, even with normal daily use each day.

Filed Jun 24, 2021 · Electrical · NJ

I’m having continuous problems with my car not starting or a dead battery. It has been in for for service 3x for this issue abc one of those times they replaced the battery. On 6/24/21 I picked up my car from the service department after leaving it there for several days only for them to tell me nothing is wrong with my car. 20 minutes later and my car won’t start which I captured on video. This car seems to have an electrical issue that no one wants to admit to.

Filed Apr 18, 2021 · Electrical · 7,000 miles · VA

I've had repeated problems with the 12v battery in my 2019 subaru crosstrek hybrid. The vehicle has some sort of electrical "leakage" issue that drains the battery after sitting for a few days. When this happens, the vehicle is completely inoperative; car will not start, you cannot even unlock the doors. In 18 months of ownership, the car has stranded me several times. One incident just required a jump start, but during the latest incident the car was completely dead and had to be towed on a flat bed truck to the dealer for a new battery and other repairs. In all of these cases, all accessories, lights, or anything else that could drain power was off when the car was parked. Unfortunately, there is something in the car that is drawing power when it is off and drains the battery within days.

Filed Dec 21, 2020 · Electrical · 2,000 miles · NJ

For the third time, the battery on this car needs to go back for service - the car is housed in a garage on our property and is turned on every 3-4 days. This morning and twice before the car doesn't start. In the previous 2 times the car was completely dead and I had to jump start it and take it to the dealer where they said they replaced the battery. This morning when trying to start the car, the lights were flashing but the engine did not turn over. The same thing happened with our last subaru a 2015 subaru impreza. We feel the car should not need to be started every day nor should we need to put on a trickle charger as suggested by jeff at paul miller subaru who I understand is the service manager there in parsippany, nj where we bought the car. The car was parked inside the garage. Also whenever we were able to turn on the car, the radio comes on immediately. I think something else is draining the battery and is probably a design defect. We last started the car and drove it on wednesday evening. The had this problem yesterday.

Filed Aug 30, 2020 · Electrical · CA

The car was purchased in november, and the battery failed in april after multiple dead batteries and jump starts. The battery was replaced as 'defective.' the car was jumped again for a dead battery in june. The battery died again in july, and the tech said that the reason was that the car had to be driven every 5 days or the battery would be dead. In august, the car was taken in and again the diagnosis was a defective battery, and it was replaced, though they also said that the car needed to be started and driven once a week.