2018 Subaru Forester: won't start

Filed Sep 17, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · TX

On July 31, 2026, I was driving with my daughter when the a/c compressor clutch seized up and experienced a catastrophic compressor failure that also blew out the expansion valve o-rings. The failure led to a total loss of engine power and control of the vehicle. The car would not start back up because the clutch was seized and the pulleys wouldn’t turn. Luckily, I was in a residential neighborhood and cars were able to safely go around me. If this had happened on a highway or faster speed limit zone there could have been fatalities. There were tons of lights all over the dash as I attempted to restart the engine. The engine wouldn’t turn over until I gave it plenty of pedal pressure. This extra power to the engine during ignition freed the seized clutch and I was able to drive home without air conditioning. I parked outside in the driveway due to a strong odor of burning metal (probably clutch) when we arrived home. Several years earlier I had completed a Subaru recall WRB-21 for the condenser, and I believe this is directly related to the failure. Subaru of America denied my request for goodwill repair claim under claim 260810-210789 and won’t recognize this as a serious safety issue. There are hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube videos of complaints that the a/c compressor fails prematurely and SOA has only acknowledged the condenser failure. My vehicle has less than 70,000 miles and it has been verified by the dealership (North Park Subaru Dominion) as a “faulty” compressor and leaking expansion valve o-rings. I have requested the dealership to use tracer dye and ensure that metal shavings and debris are not in the closed loop system before replacing the a/c compressor and o-rings which will cause another failure of the entire system. I will also request that they save the compressor for inspection.

Filed Aug 9, 2026 · Fuel system · NC

Discovered (06/08/26) that the engine would not turn over without the accelerator being pushed down when warm from driving after resting 30-60 minutes. Car was taken to Capital Subaru. No codes were triggered. The throttle body was cleaned. No change. The Crankshaft Position Sensor was replaced, the ECU was reprogrammed, then the EVAP Purge Valve was replaced. A bottle of fuel injector cleaner was added to the gas tank by the dealership mechanics. No improvement. Then both CAM sensors were replaced. No improvement. All with no effect. Finally the injectors were pulled and a rail pressure test was conducted. The injectors were not holding pressure for more then 2-3 minutes. The warm start issue was fixed when the injectors were replaced on July 31, 2026.

Filed Feb 3, 2026 · Electrical · WA

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 but in order to replace the DCM to the 4G it will cost upwards of $2000.

Filed Nov 1, 2025 · Electrical · ID

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. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 29, 2023 · Electrical · PA

I purchased the car CPO June 2021 Battery replaced December 2022 Battery replaced January 2023 Between these replacements, car was consistently dying/would not start, required frequent jumps. Left me stranded numerous times. Each time the car was serviced (at different dealer locations), no mention was made of known issues with batteries being drained. This issue was known by Subaru, as evidenced by class action suits filed and won. At this time, the car engine is dead and will not respond to a jump. This has cost me thousands in car rentals/ride shares.

Filed Jul 4, 2022 · Electrical · CT

Multiple episodes of car not starting, most similar to dead battery scenario. These incidents have occurred after car was parked in my driveway for 24-48hours. However, AAA responded on three separate occasions and tested battery which always was “green” or “good” and alternator was also “fine, not a problem”. On fourth occasion, I went ahead and replaced battery as recent Subaru scheduled service at a Subaru dealer yielded “no problems” on electrical survey when I told them of these incidents. Now, one month after having purchased a completely new battery, my car again will not start and AAA says battery is “good” and alternator is also fine.

Filed Mar 28, 2022 · Electrical · IN

1. The car battery failed on six separate occasions within a 12 month time frame. First on May 8, 2021, August 21, 2021, September 9, 2021, November 5, 2021, February 5, 2022, and on March 28, 2022 2. The drivers safety was placed at minimal risk on one occasion since cars were lined up behind in a parking lot when the car would not start. 3. Yes, the problem has been reproduced due to the number of different times the battery died and the car would not start. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. 4. No, to date the vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. 5. No, there were not any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to failure. They first appeared on May 8, 2021.

Filed Mar 19, 2022 · Electrical · TN

This is the latest time in a series of incidents where the SUV would not start due to a problem with the main battery. New batteries drain very quickly after a series of electrical problems. So far, we have noticed keyless entry FOB says battery in the FOB is low and stops connecting (but then connects if we remove the key from it without us holding it to the button that turns the car on and off), we replace this battery but continue to have the same issues, front passenger side window is not able to be rolled down or up from driver side, as the battery continues to drain, gas gauges stop correctly registering amount of gas in the car, different warning lights light up on control panel without any sense of rhyme or reason, and overhead lighting gets dim. For a few weeks, the SUV blames the problems on the battery in the key FOB being low, even though it was replaced on December 15, 2021. When replacing the FOB battery did not work, we learned it was the actual main SUV battery that had been drained. It is now March 19, 2022, and we are having the same issues despite having only a moderate amount of miles put on the SUV and only 3 months of time passing since we purchased and installed a brand new car battery. We will have to spend money on batteries again.

Filed Feb 3, 2022 · Electrical · CO

There is a parasitic drain on the electrical system, including when the vehicle is turned off and nothing is left running. As a result the vehicle will not start. aI replaced the battery and experienced the same problem with a month. This is most problematic when the vehicle has not been used for at least 2 days or it's very cold outside. It's happened at least 10 times in the last 2 years. The most recent incident was yesterday. When I called dealership they denied any electric so issues with the 2018 Forester and want to charge me $75:to check the electrical system even though there's a lawsuit in Canada due to this same exact issue. Everytime this happens aI and my passenger s are put at a safety risk by stranding us because until help arrives.

Filed Jan 25, 2022 · Electrical · CO

I'm filing a complaint regarding a battery drain issue in the 2018 Forester Limited. After sitting idle and not being started for 1.5-2 weeks the battery is fully drained. Fully drained is defined as the car won't start with a portable jumper. The power source car needs to be running and connected to the battery of the dead Forester for upwards of 20mins to give it a partial charge prior to the battery dead Forester being able to start. I've been told various reasons from various dealers and cannot get a straight answer. [A] one subaru dealersip said it's normal to have a dead battery in 3days. [B] another subaru dealership said it was because I had a bad battery, but after replacing it the issue still persisted. I have made sure to manually shut off all lights including making sure the running lights are in the off position, not the automatic on/off position. This incident has occurred multiple times when traveling for week at a time and upon returning to the car to try and start it and it won't start. The same dealership [B] claimed that the parasitic draw was because I kept a cigarette lighter car charging adapter plugged in even though the car was off. I have read several other complaints about this issue regarding this car and hope there can be a recall/legal claim filed against subaru for this issue so they resolve it.

Filed Dec 13, 2021 · Fuel system · CA

At around 35,400 miles on the odometer, the vehicle first started backfiring as I was driving. I began an uphill climb through low mountains and the check engine light began flashing, the "emissions control systems" warning light came on the screen, the engine began seriously sputtering and lost a lot of its power, all occurring at the same time. Luckily I have a standard transmission and was able to downshift through gears to regain some power and was able to drive 10 miles, seriously sputtering the whole time, to a safe location. I turned off the engine and it wouldn't start back up again, therefore, I had to have it towed home. The next day I had it towed to a Subaru dealer. It took them 5-6 days to diagnose the cause and fix. I was told it was a VERY rare occurrence; it was pinpointed to the fuel injector and coil, they went bad in cylinder #1. The parts were replaced with new ones and a new spark plug was installed as well. ALL codes are gone and the problem was completely fixed. Thankfully, the service was covered by manufacturer's warranty of 5yrs/60,000 miles power train. For being such a fairly new engine, this problem should not of occurred. A defective fuel injector. However, I can understand that there can always be some sort of flukes. As of this writing, I have not gone to the dealership to pick up the vehicle.

Filed Oct 21, 2021 · Electrical · CA

I left my car for 19 days while on vacation in my garage and the battery was dead when I returned. I charged the battery after jumping it with our other car. Now, 14 days later, the car would not start again and needed to be jumped. I have read about the battery drain. My care only has 21K miles.