Door seals allow significant dust infiltration.
The worst 2026 Subaru Trailseeker problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical28
- Body1
- Brakes1
- Driver assistance1
- Fuel system1
- Lights1
- Transmission1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Technical service bulletins for the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker 34
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This is an update announcement regarding the TechShare & NorthStar Integration
- This announcement provides information on the connected services platform for Subaru EVs.
- This bulletin provides a step-by-step diagnostic procedure for resolving Remote Engine Start (RES)...
- This Service Information Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but...
- This announcement provides information on DCM replacememts due to a parasitic draw.
- This announcement provides information on an outage affecting the Subaru Select Monitor 5 application.
- This Service Information Bulletin announces the availability of ThreeBond 1216J (SOA868V9640) designed for...
- This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
- This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a...
- This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
What 2026 Subaru Trailseeker owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Since owning the vehicle at the end of April 2026, there has been a phantom drain on the accessory system that causes the 12-volt battery to drop below the minimum operating voltage, requiring a jump start in order to get the vehicle to operate. The first event happened within weeks of owning the vehicle and after leaving the car turned off, including all lights, and doors locked for around 72 hours. Even after a jump start and getting the 12-volt battery charged up a bit, the drain caused the battery to require a jump-start soon after. There was enough voltage in the 12-volt battery to unlock the vehicle via the key fob and attempt to get the vehicle into READY mode, before cutting out. The dealer ran tests on the 12-volt battery to find no issues. The second event happened a few weeks after the first event, but the drain had depleted the battery enough that the driver-side door had to be unlocked using the physical key. A jump start as required. The third event, in which the vehicle had been off for less than 24 hours, had the 12-volt battery was badly depleted requiring a jump start. Immediately drove the vehicle to dealer to have them investigate. They had the vehicle for 3 weeks with a Subaru tech investigating the issue, but said that a software update would be required and I could not use the SubaruConnect app nor able to have profiles configured.
When not driven in multiple days in a row the 12V battery will be dead, requiring a jump. If driven regularly the battery remains charged. If 12V is extremely low driver assist sensors are offline until battery voltage is restored. The connected app will push error codes to mobile device, of invalid conditions when battery is near death. Some messages included stating doors open, windows are open, doors unlocked; all of which were not true. Dealership inspection after second dead battery in a month, resulted in no electrical drain found and 12V was healthy. No lights or other devices were left on to drain the battery. Two times in three months of ownership is too high. Being an EV if 12V fails while driving it could result in inability to drive the car.
I bought a new trailseeker mid July 2026 and after owning the car for less than 4 weeks with about 400miles on the odometer I came out to a dead car after not driving the car for 2.5 days. The car had been parked with the windows up, doors locked, unplugged from charger, and charger port door closed. The traction battery SoC was over 60%. I had to use the mechanical key to get into my car and had to jump the 12v battery. After jumping the 12v battery, the car began to function normally. I have since deregister the car from all connected services to avoid any parasitic drain from connected services, as all connected services, except for AT&T hotspot, were active at the time of the battery dying. No third party apps were connected to the car, only Subaru Connect.
I have had the Trailseeker for about 7 weeks and have noticed low battery messages and on one occasion when I hadn't driven it for 3 days the car was completely unresponsive until I put the 12 V batter on a charger. I have a Level 2 charger at home for the traction battery. I do use the Subaru Connect add to check on the Level2 charging progress.
12 Volt battery dies frequently leading to the vehicle becoming inoperable. Subaru has so far provided little information regarding a permanent fix other than to discontinue all use of mobile apps that connect to the vehicle and to move any key fobs away from the vehicle as far as possible. The issue occurs on average one a month from my experience, and requires the car to get towed back into service.
I purchased a new 2026 Subaru Trailseeker on 06/22/2026. On 07/30/2026, the vehicle became completely inoperable because of a discharged 12V battery. The vehicle would not enter READY mode. Pressing the brake pedal and the START button had no effect. The interior lights would not turn on, and the vehicle was completely without power. Before the vehicle was jump-started, I measured the 12V battery voltage at 7.4 volts. Roadside assistance was required to jump-start the vehicle. After the jump start, the vehicle immediately entered READY mode and became operational again. I then monitored the battery voltage and recorded the following readings after overnight parking: * 12.25 V * 12.03 V * 12.11 V * 12.27 V * 12.48 V The vehicle was taken to an authorized Subaru dealership for warranty service. The dealership kept the vehicle for several days, performed battery testing, checked for parasitic current draw, and consulted an EV field engineer. The battery test report showed: * Battery voltage: 12.06 V * State of charge: 50% * Rated battery capacity: 45 Ah * Available capacity: 41 Ah (90%) * Test result: “Good - Recharge” The dealership reported that no abnormal parasitic draw was found and that the battery passed testing. However, the vehicle had already experienced a complete loss of electrical power and required a jump start. At the time of this complaint, the odometer reading is 1,562 miles. I am submitting this complaint because a complete loss of electrical power in a new electric vehicle creates a potential safety concern. The vehicle became completely inoperable without any warning.
The 12V battery drains and is out of charge on my 2026 Trailseeker when it is parked over several days. I am unable to rely on the car to start after multiple days of being parked in the garage.
Since buying the vehicle, the 12-volt battery has been consistently losing charge unless I connect it to a trickle charger. I took the vehicle to the dealer for evaluation, but after testing they told me they found nothing wrong with the charging system. Despite that, the problem continues. At present, the battery state of charge is below 20 percent, which is very concerning on a newly purchased vehicle. I am worried about the reliability of the vehicle and the risk of the 12-volt battery failing unexpectedly. I would appreciate it if Subaru could open a case, review this issue, and advise me on the next steps. If needed, I can provide additional details such as dealer visit information, dates, and battery monitoring data.
The vehicle auxiliary battery keeps discharging and has to be jumped all the time. First time the car was towed to the dealership at 800 miles on it and on August 7th had to jump the car after getting off work and on August 8th had to jump the car after getting off work to get home. First time the battery had 89% charge on August 7th it had 73% charge and August 8th it had 68% charge. Total miles on the car 2475 miles and the car was purchased on May 19th 2026.
Compare the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker
Other model years
2026
Questions about the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker
Is the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker reliable?
Owners have filed 30 complaints about the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker, close to a typical Trailseeker model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker?
Electrical system, with 28 complaints. Next is body (1).
How many recalls does the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker have?
No recalls on record.
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