The touch screen display, which is used for many vehicle functions, is failing - forming internal "bubbles" causing random ghost touch events. The display is constantly changing and making noises on its own, and not responding to any user entries. There is no way to turn of the display or the sounds. The frequent, unstoppable sounds are a distraction. The loss of features, including reliable backup camera, is also a safety issue. This issue has been well documented in this vehicle, resulting in a class action settlement, but that settlement has ended and this issue continues to occur in this model vehicle. Subaru is refusing to repair the screen under warranty.
2018 Subaru Outback electrical complaints
Page 3 of 10: complaints 41 to 70 of 267, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The back lift gate is closed according to the dash display, but the computer detects that the lift gate is NOT closed resulting in a battery drain. The computer needs to be adjusted to detect when the lift gate is actually closed. Having the lift gate not closed but no indication for the drive is a safety problem. Items may fall out and the drive would have no indication that the lift gate is open.
On 9/28/23 I was driving in a 2-lane construction zone with my daughter. While going through the construction zone, my car lost all power and just shut off completely. No warning signs just went completely dead. I almost got rear ended, thankfully the car behind me went to the left of the center, but almost had a head on collision into oncoming traffic. Thankfully, no wrecks were involved. It did eventually start back up and has yet to happen again. However, back in July/August of 2021, I received a recall notice on my vehicle the federal safety agency Campaign #21V587000. When I called to check on the recall it was stated that my vehicle did not have a current recall. I believe this is inaccurate to the fullest. When I bought the vehicle, I took my outback in several times to the dealership with what I thought was transmission and some electrical issues. They could find nothing wrong, how convenient for them, they weren't the ones almost killed because the vehicle would stall at intermittent times during acceleration. I took it in on 1/24/19, 4/26/19, 10/24/19, and 7/27/20. The mileage range was from 1K to 55K, now at 111K my car just has a complete system failure. Honestly, they didn't seem enough to care and treated me like I didn't know what I was talking about. I drove it 7 days a week and they drove it for 15 minutes and said there were no issues. That is not a fair assessment. I would like to resolve this matter before someone gets killed because of a defective issue on Subaru's part that was documented several times. I have the receipts and work orders to support the evidence. I have notified my family of the issues in case something does happen because of the vehicle, and I am, or others are injured or killed in an accident. Like I said, I have all the documentation to support any claim henceforth. I bought a Subaru because of its safety ratings. Now, I'm afraid to have passengers or my grandkids ride with me out of fear for their safety and others.
Sunroof drainage blocked causing water to enter dashboard and fuse box area causing electrical damage. Unable To drive vehicle.
The STARLINK multimedia touchscreen system screen started delaminating July-2022; April-2023 it developed a ghost glitch & changes all settings/info on its own - it doesn’t recognize any true touch on the screen & after multiple hard resets (holding down sound/tuner/cd buttons all at once), it rarely ever actually resets the touchscreen; however, it may pause the glitching for 5-10mins.
My vehicle just dies and leaves me stranded after turning off the car and leaving it overnight. This has happened many times, and I worry everytime I go camping or to some remote place where I may not have cell signal to get a tow truck to jump me. If I don't carry water and food, medicine, at all times, I fear what will happen to me if I am stranded and cannot get help on time. My car is 5 years old, I am on my 3rd battery. In every case, the battery should have been very well charged because it happens after highway driving for several hours. Suburu and the dealers try to deny that anything is wrong; but one of the rescue mechanics told me that the alternator seems to overcharge. Yes , I took the vehicle in for all inspection while it was under warranty. I reported these events to no avail. NO WARNING LIGHTS COME ON. I need to be able to get this fixed. How do I do that?
Vehical infotainment system constantly beeps and changes formats, including randomly dialing phone numbers while driving. turning volume down does not control the distraction and system cannot be turned off. beeping is so load, it can be heard from 20 feet away from the car (outside of vehicle). the distraction is a safety problem for the driver. problem is in effect over 6 monthes and unit cannot be replaced due to product unavailability.
The touchscreen on the Starlink head unit is delaminated and there is a “ghost touch” whenever the screen is on. You can visibly see bubbles under the screen. While I was driving my kids to daycare the other day, the navigation system activated and said that “you cannot change the volume at this time” repeatedly for no reason. It also changes driving directions mid-trip. It’s very distracting while driving and makes the car information system and radio unusable. My dealer said that this is a known problem and that they would fix it; however, the part is back for months. They said they could not turn the screen off without disabling other safety features such as the back-up camera.
In the past 6 months, the electrical system of my 2018 Outback has completely shut down on at least 4 occasions. I required several jump starts with the car parked in the garage, no doors left open, and no lights left on. I took it to the dealership where I was basically accused of lying because I “must have left something on”. I tried to assure the staff that I did not. They gave me a new battery and 4 weeks later I walked out to a dead car again today. I started searching online and found that Subaru is well aware that this problem has been a frequent occurrence with Outbacks dated 2016-2020, and there is a class action lawsuit against the company because they have failed to issue a recall. After my husband figured out that something must be pulling on the battery, we turned off all the safety features of the car. Within 7 days of turning them back on, the battery was dead. I specifically bought this car for safety reasons. What good is it if I can’t use the safety features?
Battery died prematurely and failed to hold a charge had to be replaced 4 DEC 22, for 194.63 from Advance Auto parts, Battery had failed to hold a charge in the past and Subaru roadside assistance had to be called on a previous occasion to issue a jump start.
My 2018 Subaru Outback battery is draining practically every day now. There must be something in the car that drains the battery constantly so in the morning I am unable to start. I needed to jump start the battery on multiple occasions now.
Battery drainage Have had to have vehicle jumped twice now. Battery totally dead when I tried to start car and return home after appointments. Afraid this may happen while driving which happened to a friend of mine! Very dangerous situation!!
There is a known issue with certain Subarus where it is phantom draining the battery. I replaced battery in 2021 with AutoZone after being stranded. It too doed in June of 2022. I replaced it again. In Dec 2022 it started to die and found out about the class action lawsuit. I went to Subaru and they said since I already replaced the OEM battery, they couldnt help me. This should be a recall. I called Subaru of America who told me they couldnt help me and there is no fix as of today for the draining of the battery. They know about the issue. Why isnt there a recall?
In early September 2022, my friend, who owned a 2019 Subaru Outback, needed a AAA tow because the battery died. He told me that battery failure is a common problem with Subaru 2016 - 2020 Outbacks. I researched that assertion and found it well documented. Because my Outback was 4 years old and my family was planning a trip, I decided to replace the battery at my mechanic's shop (Sept. 14, 2022). On the night of December 29, 2022, upon exiting a restaurant with my wife, my car would not start. A patron of the restaurant came to my aid, and we jump started my car. My car ran for 30 minutes but would not start the next morning (December 30, 2022). I then jump started my car using my wife's car battery, and let the car run for an hour. It would not start immediately after shutting it off. My wife called Subaru, and the representative she spoke with gave her a case number to use at the Subaru dealership. The dealership gave me a January 2, 2023 appointment, and after jumping my car again, I brought it to the dealer. Later that day, by telephone, I was informed: 1- there is no fix for the problem in the 2018 Outback; 2- I was not due any compensation for the 3 month old dead battery because I did not purchase it at Subaru, and 3- that battery was barely holding a charge after a few hours on Subaru's charger. I was advised to go back to my mechanic to see if the battery is under warranty. It is, but that is not the issue. Whatever is causing the battery drain in the Outback will drain the next battery. I was lucky this time-- I was not stranded. But who knows the next time? Who knows how many people are paying for new batteries only to have them ruined by the Subaru electric system malfunction? Who knows what kind of dangerous predicaments this malfunction might cause? Subaru is aware of this widespread problem, yet they are unwilling to publicly recognize it and issue a recall. There is something unscrupulous about this situation.
The infotainment system freezes randomly causing screen to freeze including while backing up. This causes it to appear as though the back up camera is working when in reality it is not. Serious safety concern if cross traffic or children are not seen.
Battery keeps draining. I replaced the original battery 6 months ago and it just drained again
Premature battery drainage. This problem is well documented in existing class action lawsuits. My original battery was replaced under warranty on 9/10/19, Invoice #19682 from Van Bortel Subaru of Rochester NY. 17264 miles on odometer. MY wife and I were recently stranded with this replacement battery failing with less than 10k miles on it. There was no pre-warning of the problem. According to the internet, battery drainage is a problem with 2017-2019 Outbacks and Ascents.
After purchasing my 2018 Subaru Outback, I experienced 2 instances where my battery died in the first 2 yrs of ownership. After the second instance, where it had died while I was eating at a restaurant, I contacted the dealership right away. They replaced the battery with a new manufacturer battery saying the previous battery failed the testing. I paid $176 for a new one. This was in March 2021. While preparing to return from my summer home in the mtns to my permanent home on the coast, I spent at least an hour packing my car and trying to keep the door and hatch openings at a minimum. Well, my car battery was dead while trying to start my car for my trip home. I had previously purchased a portable battery pack at the cost of $100 with me, and was able to get it started. One should not have to go such lengths when traveling as doors and the hatch are almost always being used. My car is going in for service at the dealership for this particular issue, but they are only going to replace the battery of which I have been informed. My car has 35,000+ miles and is only 4 yrs old. I traded in my previous car because it had over 100,000 miles on it. But I never had these kinds of issues with it. Now I am hesitant to travel anywhere unless I have that battery pack as it is deemed not reliable! This is ridiculous!!
Battery draining issue. Jump starts required
I bought a 2018 Subaru outback in January of 2022 from a Subaru dealership. Approximately 3 months after purchase the car battery died suddenly with no prior warning, so I jumped it, it started fine and I drove it to work. When I took my lunch break 3 hours later, my car was dead again. I jumped it, it stated fine and I drove home. same thing happened when I tried to go back into work, and when I tried to leave work for the day. During my lunch break on the way into work the dash light and display screen shut off completely while I was driving this happened a second time when i left work on the way to an auto shop. At the auto shop they ran diagnostic on the battery and declared it dead, unable to hold a charge any longer. I then payed 250$ bought a brand new battery and got that installed. Here I am 6 months later and I am having the same issues with the battery. This is a safety issue what am I to do if the battery dies while I'm driving and leaves me stranded in the winter.
Entertainment Unit Defects Car Battery Fast Drainage
The battery has drained twice in the time that I have owned this vehicle. Once I was able to recharge the battery by jumpstarting and letting it run. The second time it required a battery replacement. This was approximately 12 months after the first incident. The electrical system also has unpredictable quirks related to the window functions and lighting. I am uncertain to other resulting irregularities that may be occurring under the hood. Currently, my car is being serviced for a radiator fan and motor replacement for the cooling system. The estimate for repair is $1747 + tax. This is potentially related to the electrical quirks related to the battery irregularities.
Battery failed and had to be replaced Wheel Bearing replacement
The battery in my 2018 Subaru Outback has been replaced three times since I purchased it. I am the sole owner. The original battery was replaced within seven months of purchase due to continual battery drainage. The dealership replaced it with the same type of battery and I was not charged. When I went into the dealership expressing concern with the second battery also having to be jump started frequently when the battery was barely two years old, I was told that is the typical life of a battery for the newer electronic vehicles and because the area I live in has excessive heat, that also lowers the battery life. I have had to jump start my vehicle so many times, I stopped taking my vehicle on long trips for fear of being stuck somewhere. In August of 2021, during a cross- states road trip, the battery died mid-trip. I jumped it and had it replaced at my own cost, but not at a dealership. They gave me a 5-year warrenty on the battery. When I took the car into the dealership and had them run diagnostics, they told me that, "Yes, there was some kind of power draw, but then it couldn't be duplicated, so we don't know what the problem is. That will be $117.00." I think Subaru makes great products and my dealership has wonderful employees, but there is currently a Class Action Suit going on, and I wanted to support those who are filing. Subaru needs to acknowledge and fix the issue. And reimburse me the $117.00 plus the $169.56 for my third battery.
Battery is dying pre-emptively. Have gone through 2 batteries in one month.
Subaru Starlink system flickers, selects apps and does all of this without ANY touching. At times, the backup camera is not working. Having a phone connected does not improve the problem.
Persistent battery drain. Car was jumped a week ago because it wouldn't start at all. It has been sluggish to start (turns over a couple times before catching) since and had a major error with the rear hatch today despite starting up. Power rear hatch will alarm as open but then cannot be opened with key fob, button in car, or button on hatch. The rear alarm will ring consistently until car has been running for 10 min/reached 60 mph but restarts again at stop lights. It is currently scheduled to be looked at in 4 days, if it is able to be safely driven to the dealership.
I bought this Outback new back in June of 2018. I just purchased the 3rd battery for it today 8/11/22. I’ve noticed that the past 2 batteries have been corroded and barely last 1.5-2 years. It sounds like this is an issue with many other owners as well where the battery either doesn’t fully charge or continues to deplete when the car is off and parked. The battery gets so low and is so corroded that it can’t get jumped by remote starters and requires a jump from a started car. The shop I took it to to replace the battery said they couldn’t get a read from their battery checker because the terminals had so much acid on them.
Normal vehicle start. While leaving shopping mall parking lot, vehicle suddenly shut down; no electrical, no accelerator, no power steering, no engine. Was able to steer vehicle to safe location out of traffic path. Waited approximately 10 minutes, tried vehicle again, and it started / drove normally. Vehicle inspected afterward by dealer, who found no issues, and returned vehicle with no repairs made. Driver is 86 year old widow, who is terrified of being stranded in an unreliable car.
The electrical system in our Subaru is draining the battery prematurely, which could cause us to get stranded.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2018 Subaru Outback?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history