2019 Subaru Outback: won't start

Filed Jul 3, 2026 · Fuel system · CA

Car wouldn't start in parking lot, 40k miles. I never took the car in to the dealer and received a notice about a fuel pump replacement/recall/repair. I diagnosed this problem myself. The VIN lookup on subarus website says that the problem was addressed/repaired when it clearly was not and I never received any paperwork or verbal statement from subaru saying they performed that work when I went in for an oil change or to repair the battery problem. The battery still drains extremely fast as well. So neither the battery charging work, or the ***supposed and unverified*** fuel pump work have been done on this car. Not good. Also - the original subaru el cajon dealership closed and then reopened with "new ownership" as a subaru dealership. This all appears extremely crooked.

Filed May 27, 2025 · Electrical · SD

Purchased 2019 Subaru outback June 2019. Have had multiple batteries replaced. Approximately every year at least the battery fails and I am left stranded. January 2021 the fuel pump was not working properly and they said that was from low drain on the battery but that when the car went to sleep, the draw was normal so they didn’t do anything. February 5, 2025 I was in for an oil change and everything was working well. March 17, 2025 battery going dead again. I got a jump and drove to the dealership. They said that they replaced the DCM and installed the new battery. It is now May 27, 2025 and my car will not start again not even with the jump. Called the dealership and they said I have to pay for a tow which is 45 miles away and I am not under Warranty any longer so I will have to pay for it. He also suggested that I call my local tow company and get them to try to jump it.

Filed Mar 4, 2025 · Electrical · CT

Parasitic battery drain. I just bought this used subaru outback in july 2024. Since then, (within 8 months) the car has had a dead battery twice, in 11/24 and 2/25. I had to have the car jumped started by aaa services. This is more than an inconvenience now. It has become a safety issue if my car won't start in an emergency situation. I have taken this to the dealer where I bought it and they diagnosed a 6 day battery drain time. See uploaded invoice. This is a known fault regarding the data communications module (dcm) previous settlement agreements only reimbursed for costs of battery replacements, diagnosis up until 2023. The underlying problem is not fixed

Filed Sep 28, 2024 · Fuel system · OH

After driving approximately 240 miles since our last stop, we stopped for gas. The car would not start. It sounded like it was trying to turn over but couldn't. Even when we let up on the start button the vehicle was still trying to start until we hit the button again (this is not normal). All battery functions were still working. The car only had about 38,500 miles on it. After trying multiple times to start it and googling, we suspected a fuel issue. We had the car towed to a local Subaru dealer. The dealer confirmed the fuel pump was the problem and replaced the part. More research revealed a fuel pump recall for certain production dates of the 2019 Subaru Outback, but ours is not currently part of the recall. We contacted Subaru and reported the issue. They opened a case for it. When we picked up the car, Subaru had paid for the repair. In hindsight, we are lucky the car did not stall while driving on the interstate at 70mph as that could have caused serious issues and injury to ourselves and/or others. There were no warning lights or other symptoms on that day. There had been some starting issues approximately 1-2 months earlier, but we had replaced the battery and thought that fixed it. We asked for the part but the Subaru dealer where the repair was made kept the part. In addition to the safety concerns, this incident also resulted in personal financial burden as we were around 600 miles from home enroute to a vacation destination and had to uber to a car rental place, rent a car and pay for one night in a hotel. We believe the recall needs to be expanded to include more production dates. By expanding the recall, we hope this would prevent others from having to go through this situation and be at risk. We also hope Subaru would be required to reimburse us for the out-of-pocket expenses that resulted from this issue and provide an extended warranty.

Filed Aug 26, 2024 · Electrical · TN

Battery drains where car will not start. Apparently connected with Subaru Starlink system and Apparently has been a continual problem with Subaru without recall action. People could be stranded without any assistance available. Real safety issue to families. Experience a non-Start situation 4 times within the past month.

Filed Mar 24, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · ND

3rd battery in 2019 Outback. Park car and next day battery is dead. And fully dead. Does not even want to take a charge at times…. 39000 on vehicle. Dealer could not find anything. Coincidently the passenger front window quits working also. There is no warning to this just next day vehicle will not start. All work is done at the Mandan nd Subaru dealership.

Filed Jan 31, 2024 · Electrical · MI

Battery failure! Something is draining the battery constantly causing it to fail and the vehicle will not start without a jump. We have owned the vehicle since it was new and have been dealing with the battery failing ever since. We have gone through several new batteries and the batteries continue to get depleted and fail...

Filed Dec 4, 2023 · Electrical · MO

There is a persistent battery issue that, after repeated periods of short-trip-driving, results in a dead battery. There is a parasitic drain on the battery. We've had the battery replaced twice, and the issue still continues. We're worried that this will leave us stranded somewhere with a vehicle that won't start.

Filed Nov 4, 2023 · Electrical, Fuel system · CA

At this point I dont know what to do. This has been a reoccurring problem since I initially purchased the car. - Electrical Issues have been a problem since the day we purchased the vehicle. Initially thought it was our toddlers fault. Raised multiple times at multiple dealerships. I have yet to find a service center that can tell me why my car will not start other than they can tell something is draining the battery. No warnings. Safety is of concern, because one never knows when the issue will occur. For example, brand new battery died in parking lot of my kids school. - Fuel pump issues - took car on drive from LA to Las Vegas, with child. Car struggled to maintain speed. Exited in Barstow, CA. Parked at a Midas, which was closed, and was stranded with a toddler. After 3 hours of waiting in parking lot, was able to get car started. Drove to closest hotel. The following day, was able to get car back to midas where it was determined the fuel pump broke. Safety was at risk as my 3 year had to sit in 110 degree weather heat. Subaru did tow the car back to the closest dealership and fixed the fuel pump, and reimbursed me for the rental car. Car was in shop for over 2 weeks. Was not reimbursed for hotel or midas diagnostics.

Filed Oct 17, 2023 · NV

The 2019 Subaru Outbacks have a Data Communication Module (DCM) which allows hands-free access to audio features of the car. The DCM (Generation 1) was designed to work on 3G networks and also provides access to Starlink which could be used in an emergency. With the deactivation of the 3G network, the DCM drains the car's main battery. Thus the car will not start if left unattended for any length of time. If the DCM is disabled by pulling the fuse, the hands-free features of the car are also disabled as well as Starlink. There is a class action lawsuit regarding this problem, however, it only covers the batteries that are damaged due to being drained and does NOT address the root cause of the problem.

Filed Aug 21, 2023 · Electrical · CA

Battery drain issue. The battery was replaced by dealer twice, and it drains down after about one month to two months. The car won't start and I need to call roadside service for a jump start several times a week. The dealer ran tests and says there is no unusual electronic drain when car is off, but didn't diagnose what the issue is--just replaced battery, and now after about 7 weeks I'm having same issue again.

Filed Aug 16, 2023 · Electrical · CA

Dcm / starlinks unit has a parasitic drain on battery that requires battery change every year. Car doesn't start unexpectedly. Not great for an outdoorsy car where we'd be more likely to be outside of cell signal.