2020 Subaru Outback: start-stop system problems

Filed May 28, 2024 · Electrical · TN

As my husband & I were traveling to Augusta, GA on Memorial Day weekend with our niece, we approached the [XXX] outside Chattanooga, Tennessee in heavy traffic and heavy rain on Saturday [XXX] 2024 at approximately [XXX] When we stopped for a small accident ahead of us, the “auto stop-start engine” feature stopped the car engine as normal. However, almost instantly, all of the electronics in the car appeared to fail and the car would not restart. The dashboard indicated that Eyesight and RAB were disabled and to "check the owner's manual." Normal traffic quickly resumed around us, but we were stranded in the #2 lane with several close calls of a rear-end collision--not to mention the cars at risk swerving to avoid us. My husband is a retired firefighter & our niece is a nurse in Los Angeles. Frankly, we were terrified! We were stranded on the interstate in the #2 lane for about 20 minutes before being pushed into the "gore zone" between [XXX] & [XXX] by a TDOT truck. We spent about 40 minutes in the gore zone where we were nearly hit twice by cars driving across the zone. We were finally towed to Crown Subaru in Chattanooga, TN and arrived there about 11:40 a.m. The general manager of the dealership, Keith Aviles, told us there was a sudden, massive failure of a battery cell controlling the electronics of the car, and the battery was replaced. We never had any indication or evidence prior to this incident that there were issues with the battery. Also, we have never received a notice from Subaru about battery problems. However, we are now aware that Subaru settled a class action lawsuit to avoid a recall of these batteries. I have notified six friends who own Subarus. Three have had issues with their batteries, but were also unaware of the class action lawsuit. This is absolutely shocking for a vehicle manufacturer that touts safety to sell vehicles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Nov 29, 2022 · MN

This vehicle is equipped with an auto start/stop system. It is automatically enabled every time the car is turned on. While it can be turned off, it must be turned off manually every time the automobile is started. It is (candidly) both easy to forget to disable and also a nuisance to disable with every start. The incident occurred during fresh snow fall with ice coat, temperature around 24F. I was stopped at a traffic light and the auto stop turned the engine off. As I slowly started to accelerate with a green light, the auto on "kicked on" resulting in loss of control and the car fish tailing.

Filed Oct 15, 2022 · Electrical, Steering · TX

I was stopped at a light in a 3 Lane St. It was approximately 930 at night. The auto start stop feature had turned off the engine and when I removed my foot from the brake to begin moving forward the entire electrical system shut off. I tried switching into park and restarting the car but the car locked the steering wheel at this point and killed all of the lights inside and outside of the vehicle. This meant that I was in a car in the middle lane of traffic with no lights and I was not able to turn on the flashers either. I had to use the emergency neutral setting in order to unlock the steering wheel and roll the car to safety. While we were rolling the car I attempted to turn on the vehicle again and it began running. This is the second time that the car shut off when i released my foot from the brake. The first time I was able to shift into park and restart the car.

Filed Sep 3, 2022 · Electrical · OR

We bought the car new in October 2020. In Nov 2021, the battery died while we we were stopped at a busy intersection. The auto start-stop system was on. We were lucky with a near miss accident with a driver than came up behind us. We had it towed to the nearest Subaru dealership who couldn’t find anything wrong. However, when we picked up the car the next day, the battery was dead again. They replaced with a new and better battery according the service center manager. Now August 2022, we find ourselves having to jump the battery 3 times in the last week when the car wouldn’t start. We have gone to another Subaru dealership who is telling us nothing is wrong. I’m fearful of finding myself in the same situation as last year.

Filed Aug 27, 2022 · Electrical · OR

On multiple occasions, the center console has gone black and I have no control over any of the car's functions (e.g. climate control, navigation, radio, ability to turn on/off safety features, etc). This had been happening for several weeks before the more concerning incident. The auto-stop/start at a red light failed to work. The car shut off, but wouldn't restart for several seconds. Eventually it restarted and I was able to get it home Because I was afraid to drive it, the car sat in my driveway for aprox. 2 weeks before I could take it to the dealership. By then, the battery was completely dead and I had to get a jump start from AAA. I drove the car straight to the dealership. For at least 45 minutes after that jump, the center console wouldn't come back on. Because I had no means to turn off the auto start/stop feature, I had to put my car into park at every red light to avoid it shutting off. I don't know when it actually came back on, as that happened at some point after I dropped off my car at the dealership for service. Although the dealer did see that the center console wasn't working, they couldn't tell me why it happened. In addition, they were not able to reproduce the problem with the auto start not working. They indicated the battery checked out fine. (This is also the 2nd battery I've had in this car as the first died for unknown reasons - they indicated they thought a rear light was on, but that light is never turned on) Because almost everything happens via that center console, that is a major failure if that just randomly goes out. Failure of the auto start/stop could strand me in traffic. My car is available for inspection.

Filed Sep 8, 2021 · Electrical · WA

VIN [XXX] there is a problem with the electrical system. The auto will not keep the battery charged sufficiently to start the car reliably. The battery has enough power to illuminate the control panel of the vehicle, but it will not start the engine. Overnight, he battery drains to a point that it will not turn the engine over. The dealer had the car for about five hours to diagnose the cause of the discharge. They found no trouble with the electrical system and said the battery and alternator functioned normally. The dealer found no adverse electrical leaks causing the battery to discharge overnight. The dealer suggested that we weren't driving the vehicle enough. They sold and installed a trickle charge device to alleviate the problem. The trickle charger has not helped. Safety concerns: we have to jump start the car EVERY day. We have to remember to disable the auto stop/start option to prevent the car from shutting the engine off during idle while waiting for a stop light to change. On numerous occasions we must exit the vehicle, attach a jump start battery pack to the car's battery and start it as traffic is whizzing by. We have been in remote areas where mobile/cell service is unavailable to call for help and only because we have the jump start battery pack are we able to start the the car. The dealer was unable to reproduce or verify the trouble. They were only able to state there was no problem found. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else. No warning of any kind is exhibited leading to the trouble. This problem is a hazard. It puts the occupants in harms way if the car shuts off in traffic. Having to start the car in bad weather is another risk. This problem has been going on since January of 2021. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Filed Jun 25, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · NJ

Battery died at only 10months old. Left stranded for over 4 hours in remote area since we were camping when it happened. Nothing had been left on in the vehicle. Was able to eventually get a jump start and get vehicle to dealer for check. They found battery deeply discharged and recharged but battery died again 2 weeks later. Battery replaced that time. Fear this could happen while driving if i forget to turn off the auto stop/start system or even cause the car to stall while driving and result in loss of braking or control.

Filed May 15, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · 7,000 miles · NY

My 2020 subaru outback is equipped with the “auto-start-stop “feature. From the beginning this feature would routinely not function, displaying the icon indicating auto start stop was disengaged. When attempting to utilize this feature I learn two more deliberately hold down firmly on the brake pedal and I could engage this feature at times. Nine times out of 10 the auto start stop feature does not engage when I stop in drive with my foot on the break at a traffic light or at a stop sign. Very often, the feature turns off my engine and immediately restarts with a rumbling of the engine and an abrupt “kick“ to the steering wheel. Even when the feature engages and shuts off the engine as expected, the duration of stop mode is a limited to no more than 20 seconds which defeats the original intended purpose of fuel consumption and emissions reduction. Occasionally at a traffic light, such as when waiting to make a left in front of oncoming traffic, the feature does not engage at first stop and after inching forward and ready to make the turn this feature well abruptly stall the engine and strand me momentarily in front of oncoming traffic.

Filed Apr 12, 2021 · Electrical · 7,000 miles · TN

We just bought this car. Used, less than 7k miles. I haven't even made a payment yet. My wife called me from the turn lane of a busy intersection with hundreds of cars speeding past. She was driving and stopped to turn left at a red light. When she went to go, the car turned off and would not start - although it appeared there was power; radio, lights, all working. A police officer and a passer-by pushed her into a parking lot after 20 minutes. When I arrived, it appeared the battery was not cranking the starter. I had her get jumper cables and yes, it started right up. No indication that the battery was having issues, no warning lights. I turned the auto stop-start off while I drove it to the dealership who couldn't even talk to me because they were to busy. Fortunately, it started up and made it home. Took my son to his baseball game and after sitting for 3 hours, would not start, got a jump. Took it home, let it run a bit, in the morning, would not start. The internet is full of people complaining about subaru and this exact issue. This sould not be happening in basically a new car.

Filed Sep 29, 2020 · Electrical · 5,000 miles · VA

I was driving to the dealer because I had difficulty starting the vehicle because of a low battery. I stopped at a stop light in a busy intersection, and the auto stop-start system shut off the engine. When the light changed to green, I pressed the accelerator and the engine did not restart. I was left with no power, in an unsafe situation, with cars and trucks having to swerve around me. I received roadside assistance to jump-start the vehicle and they drove it to the dealer. I have since learned that the battery had completely failed and will be replaced under warranty. We don't yet know if there are any other electrical issues that contributed to the battery failure.

Filed Aug 24, 2020 · Electrical · 294 miles · VA · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2020 subaru outback. The contact stated that upon approaching his driveway, the contact had depressed the brake pedal and completely stopped his vehicle. The stop start feature activated automatically and the contact exited the vehicle to check his mailbox. Upon retrieving his mail, the contact turned around to enter his vehicle and the vehicle was gone. Upon looking for his vehicle, the contact discovered that the vehicle had independently driven 280 feet and had collided into a tree. The air bags deployed upon impact. The sheriff's department was notified but no police report was filed due to the accident happening on private property. No injuries were reported as a result of the failure. Due to the accident, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The dealer nor the manufacturer have yet to be notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 294.

Filed Aug 20, 2020 · Brakes · 1,869 miles · NY

While traveling at about 35 to 40mph approaching a stopped intersection (red light) I tried to slow the vehicle by braking and could not locate the brake petal. I put my foot on the accelerator and moved it to the left at the same level in an effort to find the brake petal. My foot did not hit the petal. I again moved my foot from right to left higher than lower and still did not find a brake petal. I could not stop the vehicle from moving forward. While I was approaching the stopped lines of traffic the vehicles' (eye-sight) feature failed to operate and warn me or start braking the vehicle as I swerved around them to avoid a collision. Having avoided an accident, I immediately pushed the vehicles' (starter push button) to such off the vehicle. The vehicle shut off and coasted to the side of the road and came to a stop. I noted immediately that the brake petal had reappeared. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership. The vehicle had 1860 mi of use at the time. The (active curse) was set for 40mph, but not engaged. The (auto start/stop) function was turned off. The (auto vehicle hold) function was turned on. After a review of the black box data and the physical vehicle, the dealership and subaru america investigations, they determined nothing was wrong with the vehicle. They could not account for the missing brake petal or why the (eye-sight function) did not engage and warn me to brake or start applying the brakes itself.