2019 Subaru Forester: battery drain or dead battery

Filed Apr 3, 2026 · Electrical · MI

We have replaced the battery twice and likely will need a third battery soon. I have learned that there is a known issue with the DCM trying to connect using 3G. This is causing a parasitic drain on the battery. The vehicle will fail to start. This has occurred many times over the last few years. We have just learned of the problem.

Filed Jun 12, 2024 · Electrical · WA

The battery on my 2019 Subaru Forester was replaced in September 2022. It was the best battery available offered at Les Schwab. But a few days ago, the battery was completely dead again and couldn’t even be jump started with my Jump N Carry after being parked in my garage for ~3 weeks. After taking out the battery and getting it fully recharged at Les Schwab, they also tested the battery saying it’s still in good shape. I suspect there is parasitic battery drain issue going on with this model.

Filed Jan 3, 2024 · NC

We were driving in 6 lane traffic in Atlanta and the traffic came to a stop. The Subaru Auto Stop Start turned off the engine. When the traffic started and I released the brake, the engine would not start and the battery died trying to start. This left us in the middle of 6 lanes of traffic with a dead car. It was a significant personal safety issue. Luckily were were on a slight down slope and was able to have the car start rolling forward while in neutral and made our way to the shoulder, with cars passing at 70mph and narrowly missing the car. Prior to this, the vehicle was working properly. This is the 5th time we have had issues with the Subaru restarting after the Auto Stop Start turned off the engine. All prior times we were able to start the engine but had to turn off the car and then turn it on again. There is no way to turn off the auto start feature permanently, having to remember to turn it off each time you get in the car. There is also to no built in feature to not have the Auto Start Stop not turn the engine off if the battery health is not 100% and there is a chance it will not turn on again. It is a significant safety issue not having a permanent way to turn off the auto on off feature or have the car disable the feature if the engine or battery are not 100%.

Filed Dec 15, 2023 · Electrical · UT

The original battery does not support the CAN system and replacing the battery does resolve the issue. The system will shut off while stopped at a light to save fuel, and turn back on when you press on the brake or the gas. There is an error where the vehicle will try to start itself when you’re not even cranking it. This can be dangerous if the car shuts off at a light and won’t turn back on because the feature drains the battery. This needs to be a recall as Subaru is aware of the issue and implemented a new battery for the vehicles and want to charge double. Why should the consumer pay for something that the company is aware is a problem? And came up with a solution to the problem, but is trying to profit off of it instead of fixing their mistake?

Filed May 30, 2023 · Electrical · NY

The Starlink Infotainment system started to continually reboot despite any attempts to reset it. With the car shut off, the CD player began continuously spinning up then winding down. This drained the battery. I had to pull a fuse labeled BACKUP to prevent this from happening. This has rendered the backup camera unusable.

Filed Feb 4, 2023 · Electrical · IN

Apparently the electrical system drains the battery when the car is not being used. If I let my car sit for 3 days the battery will be dead when I come out to use it.

Filed Dec 14, 2022 · Electrical · CA

Battery drain quickly. Overnight battery drain. Car driven for over 40 miles and the following day the battery is drained and won't start. Car left for one week with out driving - battery drained and won't start.

Filed Nov 25, 2022 · OR

BATTERY DRAIN ISSUE: WE purchased 2 batteries within 2022, and it keeps dying. We understand there may be some type of class action lawsuit related to this issue as it seems to be fairly common.

Filed Nov 3, 2022 · Electrical · MD

Car is continually draining battery, causing vehicle to fail twice now due to a completely dead battery, once was while parked, once while idling with car in drive on road.

Filed Sep 26, 2022 · Electrical · NC

In July my car kept dying and I had to jump the battery frequently. i Had it serviced at Hayesville firestone and was told it was ok. Problem continued. had a mechanic suggest I get another battery , whick I di at car quest. Has been fine since. I just received a notice of battery drains on Sub forester, so I am reporting this to you. No injury was involved

Filed Sep 5, 2022 · Electrical · PA

Battery constantly drains and fails to start the car almost from 2019 when I purchased the car. I’ve had to replace the original battery when the car was less than two years old and one year later the new battery has the same problem. No battery is able to hold a charge in this car and it continues to be a problem. Something seems to be draining the battery regularly. So that I won’t be stranded frequently, I needed to purchase a portable battery charger to start the car.

Filed Aug 10, 2022 · Driver assistance, Electrical · ND

I recently bought this vehicle (used) with ~1900 miles. After 1.5 months of owning the vehicle, I suddenly had several warning lights as well as systems disabled within the vehicle. The first time this occurred I was about 2 hours into a drive, and suddenly my eyesight disabled, check engine light came on, cruise control disabled, lane departure disabled, collision warning and automatic braking disabled. After pulling over to inspect, I also realized my trunk would no longer open. I took it to a dealership who said it was due to low battery voltage—despite there being no spectacular incidents to drain the battery since I purchased the vehicle. They recharged the battery and the problem was temporarily fixed. However, once I retrieved my vehicle from the dealership the check engine light and disabled features were still prevalent. I once again had them recharge the battery—despite there again being no events causing the battery to drain—to which the problem was solved. Again, about an hour into my drive back home, the check engine light and features suddenly disabled. This is detrimental to my safety as a driver—as every safety feature suddenly disables without warning during my drive.