My 2016 Subaru Outback has required 3 battery replacements between Jan 2020 and July 2022. I have been stranded with a dead battery on 4 separate occasions beginning around April/May of 2016, leaving me unsafe and vulnerable until help could arrive. AAA provided battery jump service twice and strangers helped twice. AAA has provided the 3 battery replacements and I have retained those receipts. Each time they confirmed that this is a highly unusual and likely due to an electrical issue and at some point they will no longer replace the battery under warranty. I have talked to the Subaru dealership about this issue 3 different times and had them test the alternator twice and each time they assured me there were no problems with my electrical system and that my driving habits were the problem. This is objectively false since I have now been informed that Subaru knew full well that the 2016 Outback model I purchased had this exact battery drainage problem due to a defective electrical system. the batteries failed without warning and despite the fact that I charged it at least weekly overnight when not in frequent use. the first battery failure occurred around April or May of 2016 just a few months after i purchased it new.
2016 Subaru Outback electrical complaints
Page 3 of 11: complaints 41 to 70 of 309, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Battery drains very fast. Speakers stop working, window won’t go up, audio system freezes
Replaced battery. Two and a half years after replacing battery, I had to replace the battery again. No warning, just didn't start one morning. Battery was dead.
Car failed to start five times. No cranking. No lights. No nothing. Four times required roadside assistance, jumper, from State Farm Insurance. One time, after a five-minute rest, it started with no problem. Three times battery was replaced. 12/21/18 @ $144.12----3/8/22 @ $167.38----9/16/22 @ $172.78
Battery discharges too quickly, leaving me with a car that won't start. I've already replaced the battery once - to the tune of over $300 because I needed roadside assistance - and I'm looking at having to do it again. I've been stranded multiple times and have had to find someone to jump start my car. I just ordered a $200 car jumper so I don't get stranded again.
This incident occurred on Friday July 29, 2022 @ 5pm. I was pulling into a parking space while my foot was on the brake I proceeded to put the car in park when the car suddenly lunged forward into the concrete patio of the Market/Store. I was in disbelief at what just happened. I would happily make my car available for inspection. I want to find out what is wrong with the car. I believe this could happen again and I am fearful for my life and the lives of others. I was so lucky that the table and chairs were roped off that evening for some reason. People could have been sitting or walking there at the time of this incident. This incident has not been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer or independent service center. I brought the car to the Subaru dealer for them to do a diagnostic test and any other things needed to give me some answers & repairs. I was told no issues were found. They also told me they would like to have my car for a week so they could drive it & do more test. I asked for a loaner and they said they could not do that. I can’t afford to rent a car for a week. And I feel they will come back to me with the same answer of not being able to find an issue. I have had this car for almost 3 years and I park by putting my foot on the brake and then shift into park. There was a malfunction! What it was I don’t know. But I do know something went very wrong with the vehicle. There was never any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to this failure.
Hello, Since February, we have replaced our battery 3 times. Eventually we discovered from a mechanic that the car had a parasitic draw that will drain the battery if the car is not driven every day. We put the battery on a trickle charger every night just in case. Two days ago, the car would not start after sitting in a parking lot for two hours. The AAA guy's first question was "is that a 2015 or 16?". When asked why, he responded "This happens all the time because the computer keeps self-checking and it drains the battery." So now we have a car that could leave us stranded at any time, and based on the number of lawsuits against Subaru for electrical drainage of batteries of their vehicles from 2015-2020, we have a terminal issue that Subaru is well aware of but refuses to acknowledge. This is unacceptable. Doesn't this qualify as gross negligence under some consumer law? Maybe instead of producing commercials with dogs driving their cars, they stand by their customers and fix their mistakes.
The battery keeps going dead for no obvious reason(s). The battery was tested at an auto repair shop and was determined to be fine but, nonetheless, continues to go dead.
My 2016 Subaru Outback has some kind of an electrical malfunction such that the battery drains rapidly. I have had to replace the battery in my car four times since purchase in 2016. I am now on my fifth battery in six years of ownership. Most recently, my battery died today 7/5/22, and required replacement.
Dead battery. Replaced battery twice since owning vehicle. Will not start even with trying to jump.
I’ve had my Outback for almost 6 years. I’m on my third battery. Recently in the past 3 months the battery I’ve had since 2/21 keeps going dead. It will not hold a charge and goes dead at inconvenient times. I live 30 miles from Reno and driving there for a meeting after which I try to start my car and it’s dead. I can start it with jumper cables and then I drive home. With normal driving the battery has gone dead three more times recently. I’ve taken it to Les Schwab and they’ve checked their battery and its good and so is my charging system. This last time I took it to the Subaru dealer and they said there is nothing wrong with the car. So why is my battery failing me and leaving me stranded? I make sure that no lights are on, doors open and everything is off, but I still have a dead car that I have to use a jump to start. I’m afraid to go someplace with a car I can’t rely on to start. I have about 75,000 miles on my car. The battery draining issues are very difficult to fix when Subaru says there is nothing wrong with my car. I get no warning when the battery will just go dead and I can be stranded.
The battery constantly drains until dead when not driven for as short of time as one day. My wife has been left stranded at home and work multiple times and had to rely on strangers for assistance. The problem was inspected and confirmed by mechanics here in NC. Multiple car care businesses confirmed that the problem is not with the battery itself but that 2016+ Subaru Outbacks have this problem and for which Subaru of America is under lawsuit for. There were no warnings. The problem was identified as persistent in the fall of 2019 while it was not driven as frequently, but the car battery drained unexpectedly on occasion before then. We purchased a new battery once, but we do not have the invoice.
I’m on my third battery. Since date of purchase the car has a battery drain issue that cannot be resolved. Minimal electoral use while the car is not running causes the car to not turn over. It is a safety issue because this car could leave me stranded.
Battery drains quickly. Car will not start when it has been unused for as little as a day.
Experienced intermittent starting problems, with other odd warning light behaviors, including unable to turn them off to try again. I know another 2016 Outback owner that was given a new battery at no charge. I paid $203.60 for new battery on 03/02/2022
I bought this used 2016 Subaru Outback about a year and a half ago from McCords Vancouver Dealership. I've had the battery dying problem ever since I got it. I have had to call AAA for jump starts. I took the car into my mechanic because the "change warning light" had been on when I turned off the ignition the night before, and it was still blinking the next morning when I came out to start the car. He suggested that I go to Costco to get the battery replaced because it was down to only 22% efficient. They declined for several reasons. It wasn't the battery fault, it was the car! I am 92 years old and disabled. I can't get stuck on a freeway with a dead battery. I am still looking for someone to fix it. I bought this car because I assumed that a newer car would be more dependable. Boy was I wrong! I have already spent a lot of money trying to fix it. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
2016 Subaru Outback, original owner, the battery constantly drains in this car. I have come out to a dead battery many times, and have had to jump and service my battery several times a year. I have had my battery replaced at least once as well. This seems to be a constant issue, and after reading up on other owners of same and similar models, it looks like it is a software and electrical system issue. I am looking into the class action lawsuit, but think that this should be a recall and repair of these systems, as I must jump and service my battery several times a year. Thank you.
Complete electrical failure after battery completely drained during normal driving conditions. Car has required 4 battery replacements since ownership when car was brand new. Subaru has denied warranty claims for this. Battery continues to drain causing car to become inoperable until battery is replaced.
Car will repeatedly will not start. This has happened many times. New battery and with in weeks would not start again. Had battery checked and alternator both work fine. This is a safety issue if you need your vehicle for and emergency and it will not start.
When trying to put the vehicle in park, the key will not release from the engine. After 10-15 minutes of trying, finally it will release, but in reading forums, thousands of customers have had similar issues. It seems to be a very known problem.
This is the 4th battery in my 2016 Outback limited. Three battery replacements in 6 years. See mechanic's report that the charging system tested good but the battery was bad. He found that there is a constant draw on the battery of .726 amps after 20-30 minutes after shut down of the car. There should not be more than .05 amp draw. He said he'd have to test every line of electrical draw on the battery in order to see what is drawing power and not shutting off. That would cost 2 hours of additional labor. I did not want to spend $250 in labor to find out why Subaru malfunctions. I bought a subaru for safety and reliability, not to be isolated with a dead battery. I have needed to jump the dead batteries many times when the car would not start.
My vehicle battery died and I replaced it. The next day the new battery was found to be dead. I check the car battery terminals and found a parasitic drain of the battery. I have tried charging the battery several times and within 30 minutes the battery is dead. This issue can cause the driver of the vehicle to be stranded and put them in a dangerous situation.
We are original owners. Starting a month ago, after car sat for a couple of days, battery was 100% discharged. Jump started and drove for 30 minutes, then parked. Two days later, battery 100% discharged. Since original battery, had tested and shown to be weak. Bought and installed new battery. Three days of not being driven later, new battery 100% discharged. Unsafe in that, we could be left stranded if were to occur if car left at airport while on short trip, when camping, etc. This is a widely reported problem that Subaru is being sued for. There appears to be an unknown parasitic charge.
2016 Subaru Outback (purchased new) with severe electrical problems in the form of (frequent) battery discharge/non-start. This has been a reoccurring issue since early 2017 and is still a problem, even after replacement of the previous battery. I've had the replacement battery tested on several occasions after recharging and the result has always been that the battery is in good operating order. Subsequent alternator tests show the alternator is charging within manufacturer specifications. I've performed multiple tests after fully recharging the batter on several occasions, making sure all electrical accessories have remained (off) for extended periods of time, and the battery continues to discharge. The electrical system has been tested with a professional scan tool, on multiple occasions, and has yielded no adverse results. There has never been any vehicle warning indicators activate to indicate a problem. Today (2/25/2022) I had to have my Outback jump started 3 times in route to my home 65 miles away. The car died on the road shortly after the first jump, and again after turning the car off to refuel. I looked online to see if anyone else has had similar issues and found the battery discharge/non-start issue to be widespread....and Subaru seems to have been aware of the issue as early as 2017 according to a TSB Subaru sent to all dealers alerting of a potential electrical problem, but providing no solution. This is a SAFETY ISSUE. If access to an operable car were ever needed in an emergency situation (or) a vehicle lost power while in operation causing an accident resulting in injury or death due to a documented issue Subaru was aware of, but neglected to address, would be tragic. Not only for owners of the affected automobiles, but also any other parties involved. This issue should be immediately investigated & addressed by the federal safety agency. thank you.
The battery dies and needs a jump start very often. Got the battery tested and there is no issue with the battery. My observation is when the vehicle is parked and the parking brake is ON then the battery discharges.
I Had to jump start battery on several occasions, leaving myself and my family stranded. I took the car to my dealer on 12/3/2018. Dealer (Glanzmann Subaru) could not identify problem, performed two software updates. I received no information or explanation of the nature of the problem. A month later the problem repeated. I took the car to dealer on 1/16/2019 (mileage 25,941).They tried to tell me that the battery was leaking, but it was not. They replaced the battery and I had to pay the cost for a new battery, $123.97. On 1/27/2021 (mileage 39,172) the new battery failed in a similar manner. The dealership insisted that there were no problems with the charging system. They replaced the battery ( no cost) and performed an ECM update. They were insistent that there were no systemic issues with the electrical system. After the fact, I discovered that this is a universal problem with a number of Subaru vehicles. During a recent visit to my Subaru dealership I inquired as to whether a solution has been determined and will my car be fixed before the new battery also fails. They were very vague and non-informing. I am hesitant to venture far from home with this vehicle since I cannot trust the car or Subaru's support. I can provide dealer service records in support of this issue.
In January 2020 my Outback failed to start. Battery was totally discharged and had to be jumpstarted. Took the car to dealer where technician tested battery and said it was good.I had him recharge the battery and test it again. It failed and they installed a new exact same battery under warranty. I was very pleased. However, the battery failed several more times over the year and had to be jumpstarted every time.I am returning to the service dept on 01/18/22, when I am demanding a new stronger battery or fix the parasitic draw which I discovered is causing the problem. I will return here later to inform you of outcome. Thank you for providing a place to report this.
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, her vehicle would fail to start up without warning. The contact had taken her vehicle to the dealer numerous times and had several battery replacements performed; despite each replacement, the failure persisted. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.
I'm having continuing issues with premature discharging of the battery even though I now have a heavy duty battery and also carry an emergency jump start battery in case. My Outback is equipped with Onstar so it does draw power at all times, my relatively new Optima battery has shown being drawn down to 25% charge on the Optima battery charger after only 24 hours. Of non use.
Replacement battery in under 35,000 mile Subaru discharged while sitting in garage for several weeks. There have been zero earlier problems with electrical system other than the original battery dying after about three years. When jump started the charging system seemed to work and the car started after sitting overnight. We are in a very cold northern environment and if the vehicle will not start it could strand us in an unsafe setting. Coming back to a parked car that may have been left at an airport parking lot to find it would not start would be very inconvenient and expensive to remedy.
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