ISSUE: Battery dies rather expectantly. Recently died in subzero temps here in Denver CO, on 1/30/2023. AAA was called, no issue with battery, rather there is a parasitic drain (0.46amps) occuring without any lights or visible signs of electrical on when the car is turned off. All signs lead to this being an issue with cars CPU draining the battery in a matter days. Becomes a major safey issue if you are stranded in cold weather as it sometimes the case here in the mountains of colorado after a day of skiing, for instance.
2017 Subaru Outback electrical complaints
Page 3 of 14: complaints 41 to 70 of 392, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The battery on numerous occasions goes dead. Some thing causes the charge to drain. This has occurred while the car is parked overnight as well as when the car is on a long drive and stops at a rest stop.
Upon turning off my 2017 Subaru Outback Touring, the engine turned off via the push start/stop button. However, when I went to use the vehicle later the same day, the car would not start (starter would not engage). I determined that the steering wheel was NOT locked. The transmission was in Park, and I could not move the shift lever out of Park. I attempted engage the steering wheel lock by moving the steering wheel back and forth, but without success. Vehicle now totally inoperative. Vehicle is available for inspection at my residence upon request. The safety of owner and others is compromised as follows: Because of living in a semi-rural area, I rely on this vehicle to safely transport me and my family members everywhere (grocery store, doctor appointments, emergency room visits, etc.); Failure of the vehicle to operate property could expose operator and/or passengers to extremely cold weather, such as that recently experienced in December 2022. This is the second occurrence of the same malfunction. First was in July 2022. Vehicle was serviced by Subaru of Georgetown who informed me that the problem (car would not start because steering wheel lock was not engaged) was "fixed", but that they could not duplicate. No other entity, other than the dealer, has examined the vehicle. No warning lights, messages or symptoms prior to either occurrence. Driving was normal, engine shutdown appeared normal, but subsequent restarts were not possible due to the steering wheel lock not engaging (which is what the dealer informed me was the problem at the first occurrence).
My 2017 Subaru Outback will not start after sitting all night I’ve had diagnostics ran on the battery and it shows 100% charge. After charging the battery it held until the next day it was drained again. It was snowing with winds 50 mph, and I had to jump my car to start it. The faun doesn’t work when the battery is dead and that causes the theft alarm to go off once the battery is charged. Now my check surroundings before backing up sensor stays on well after shifting into Drive and beeps incessantly while driving, the back up camera also stays on while in drive. Now I have to drive 2 hours to a dealer and pay $130 in diagnostics. I feel this is the same situation thousands of Subaru owners are experiencing and why they have filed a class action law suit. Subaru should be liable for my expenses to repair this known systemic issue in a product they manufacture that is not safe, it it leaves you stranded on the side of the road in the cold. Thank you
2 yo 2017 Subaru Outback was left untouched for 2 weeks. When trying to start, it had a dead battery. 2 years later, 2017 Subaru Outback was left untouched for 1 week. When trying to start, it had a dead battery. 2017 Subaru Outback was left untouched for 2 days. When trying to start, it had a dead battery with a 1 - and 8 month old battery. Basically, when this 2017 Subaru Outback hasn't been started every day, it will have a dead battery.
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to jump start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the battery was replaced; however, the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the contact would be notified of what the manufacturer was responsible to cover. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Despite a replacement and multiple visits from AAA, the battery in our 2017 Subaru Outback dies constantly and leaves us stranded. Mechanics insist the batteries (both the original and the replacement) are fine and there must be a greater issue with the car itself. We drive regularly, run the engine in the driveway otherwise, and still continue to wake up and find the car dead.
Battery goes dead, known problem with unusual drain on battery due to electrical issue. If car sits unused for a few days, battery dies.
I have had the battery replaced 4 times in less than 6 years. There seems to be something wrong with the electrical systems ability to keep a battery charged, or something draining the battery constantly.
Battery dead and needing replaced within 2 months
I have had to replace the battery multiple times since purchasing the vehicle in 2017. Each time the battery was determined to be unusable by qualified service staff. Battery replacements occurred on (1) 2019-10-18 at 34,877 miles and on (2) 2022-02-24 at 67,339 miles. The first occurrence left me stranded at a hotel on a sub-freezing day. The second occurrence left me stranded in a parking lot. Both required me to obtain commercial service to get on the road. Both occurrences were subsequently diagnosed by a reputable service shop (Les Schwab) as a battery failure and replacement was recommended. The battery failures occurred without warning from the vehicle (no lamps).
The battery consistently "dies". It doesn't matter how often I drive it. I never know when it won't start. In 5 years, I've had 2 batteries & about 6+ jump starts.
I purchased a used 2017 Subaru Outback in December 2020 from a friend whose mother had owned the car before her death in Nov. 2019. That owner purchased it used from dealer in Sevierville TN in 2019 and had to replace a battery at least once according to records. The battery has failed three times since Dec. 2020, totally drained and would not recharge so a replacement was needed. I replaced the first battery then took it to dealer for other two replacements. The previous owner had a garage under her mountain house. She was found dead in her den chair. After her burial the family later found the 2017 Subaru Outback parked in her garage underneath the house was totally empty of gas. I believe from reading issues other Subaru owners have had that this car did not turn off and this lady died from carbon monoxcide poisoning. This is an issue well documented over many years and it is way past due for a recall by the manufacturer. Since it continues even to 2020 models there should at least be a stop production order until this issue is corrected. It is not just an inconvenience but a very real danger for owners who park in a home garage. As the government agency trusted to oversight of manufacturing defects presenting a danger to the safety of the public it is way past time for you to act.
When the car is not driven the car battery is drained completely and requires replacement. I have replaced the car battery three (3) times in less than one year. Alternator is functioning properly. This costs $165 each time I replace a car battery. I cannot see mileage as car is dead (approx 12,000).
While driving, advance driver assist systems became disabled, car intermittently stopped and resumed responding to accelerator, power steering became inoperative, car eventually lost all power. Gear would not shift out of drive. Emergency brake would not engage. Fortunately, I was able to coast the car to the shoulder of the road. Had to keep foot on brake until roadside assistance arrived. Car was towed to repair shop where battery was replaced. Similar system failures occurred while my wife was driving a couple of weeks prior. She was able to coast car into a parking lot just off the road. In the past month, the dealer has replaced parts that diagnostics said created parasitic drain. The alternator has been replaced and the battery has been replaced twice in the last couple of months. Car had body work performed last week and the car will not start without being jumped. We are going to drive it to the dealer with fingers crossed that the electrical system will not shut the car down while in transit.
The Vehicle's electrical system is actively draining the battery of power. This is a known problem by Subaru.
The battery constantly drains completely when the car is not used for several days. We have been replacing or recharging the battery several times.
Battery is not holding a charge, causing electrical issues (windows not working properly, locks not functioning) and for the vehicle to fail to start. The battery is brand new and this is still an issue. 45,000 miles on the vehicle, there were no warning lights indicating a bad battery. This has not been confirmed yet by a dealership/mechanic/insurance.
Battery discharged on multiple occasions, necessitating jump starts and eventual battery replacement.
Battery died prematurely. Also, there was a lot of corrosion on the battery that might have started a fire had the battery not died before further danger had happened.
I bought the car new. 2 years later the battery died. I had to replace the battery again this summer. That’s 2 batteries in less than 5 years. I just received the notification about the electrical problem Subaru knew about since 2017.
I have had to buy 2 batteries since I bought the vehicle!! I have 60038 miles on it- One within 6 months of purchase Subaru Tyler Tx and the second roughly one year ago Patriot Subara Saco,Maine I’ve had to get jumped by AAA at least 3 times in past 2 years No one can give me a definitive answer to why my batteries don’t last…
Battery was defective.
Our car battery does not hold a charge. One year ago January we had Triple AAA replace the battery after several problems starting. This year we have had 3 calls to Triple AAA to charge the battery. It starts right up when they apply the charger--alternator tests as working properly, battery tests OK once charged--but the problem keeps happening. I am now afraid to take it anywhere where I might be stranded. Got a card about a class action lawsuit against Subaru regarding battery drainage issues. I mentioned this to the Triple A tech who mused, "You know, I have had a lot of dead battery calls in the last year for Subarus." Since AAA changed that battery a year and a half ago, he said if it happens again, they will replace the battery because it is under their warranty. The Subaru dealership has not sent us a recall notice. It seems they are not accepting responsibility for this defect. What is an owner to do?
The battery keeps draining. This is our second battery replacement. Had to jump start the car few times.
Multiple battery failures with regular usage. Had to replace battery with AAA on a weekend evening. 10/6/2019 new battery cost $148.42, plus hours of waiting time. In 2021, two calls to AAA to jump start dead battery from regular usage.
Battery constantly drains. New battery (8/22) will not hold charge.
My battery has died on multiple occasions and it has not been user error. It dies about every 2 months if I haven't driven it long distances. I got a new battery and have the same problem. When I get it charged, I'm told it was completely drained.
the federal safety agency report We purchased this vehicle used on 9/11/2019 from Subaru of Spokane in Spokane Washington. The car has failed to start and required towing to the servicing Subaru dealership Carter Subaru of Ballard, WA where they have replaced the battery, (twice) and fuses. In three years, this car is on its third battery and has failed to provide reliable use, required towing, and two weeks of lost use. This is apparently a well-established issue--Subaru of America has lost at least one class action suit in NJ, as well as a Lemon Law case in California. However, these two dealers in Washington State are behaving as if they have never heard of the issue and are not forthcoming in fixing the problem so it does not reoccur.
I had a battery that was about 1 year old that died suddenly. I called Triple AAA and they replaced it, and 1 week later, the new battery died and the car wouldn't start, so AAA came and replaced it again. 3 days after that the 3rd battery died. AAA confirmed both times that there was nothing wrong with the alternator and everything looked fine. Looking online it seems that this has been a common issue with Subaru Outbacks.
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