Subaru Trailseeker battery drain problems

Filed Aug 24, 2026 · Electrical · PA

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.

Filed Aug 21, 2026 · Electrical · NV

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.

Filed Aug 18, 2026 · Electrical · FL

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.

Filed Aug 16, 2026 · Electrical · MO

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.

Filed Aug 6, 2026 · Electrical · VT

We purchased the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker Limited in April, 2026. We have used it regularly (every few days since purchase). I experienced a display of "Low Battery", on the heads up display prior to charging. Once the traction battery recharged I did not see the warning. I subsequently installed a ANCEL BM200 battery monitor after hearing of parasitic drain on the 12 volt battery resulting in inability to start. Since monitoring, I have measured said drain and continued to operate the vehicle almost daily to recharge the 12 volt battery and compensate for the drain. I have no third-party apps interfacing with the DCM that I am aware of. I have to leave the car unattended for two weeks, and have installed a trickle charger to minimize permanent damage to the undersized 12 volt battery. This is unacceptable.

Filed Aug 3, 2026 · Electrical · SC

ELECTRCAL SYSTEM - Low Battery; DEAD Battery. My Subaru Trailseeker was purchased on 1st June 2026. During the first two months I noticed the comment "Low Battery" as I started the vehicle. (It is possible that I missed some "Low Battery" alerts as these flash on the dash screen momentarily as I press the Start Button). Then on 2nd August 2026 I could not start the vehicle at all and my battery tested DEAD. I jump started the vehicle and recharged the 12V DC Lead battery to 99%. Next morning the battery had drained to 26%. Besides being a pain and a cost, the low battery could cause problems with the various safety alerts in the vehicle. I would not know if the various safety alerts are working or not. I have read many accounts of Trailseeker owners having similar problems so its highly probable that this is a manufactures problem – most likely a parasitic electrical draw.

Filed Jul 20, 2026 · Electrical · MD

Vehicle charged to 87% of traction battery capacity on 6/18, early morning. Vehicle only used Saturday morning for about 2 miles. 12V battery dead today, Monday June 20 at 12PM

Filed Jul 20, 2026 · Electrical · GA

On multiple occasions, my vehicle's 12v battery has completely discharged presumably from parasitic drain from connected services communications. The first time the 12v was completely discharged was on 6/10/26 following between 24-48 hours of sitting idle without being driven. It was recharged and the following day had discharged almost completely, giving a warning that it needed to be charged back up. This was after ~24 hours without being driven. I ultimately brought it to the dealership on 6/17/26 where they were unable to replicate the issue initially and cleared the vehicle to be picked up on 6/19/26. Upon my arrival to pick up the car the following day (6/20/26), the 12v battery was dead on the lot. My vehicle then remained at the dealership for continued investigation before ultimately being returned to me after resetting the vehicle software and recharging the battery. At the point that I picked the car back up on 7/15/26, I installed a battery monitor device (Ancel BM200) and since then I have observed a cyclic pattern of voltage decline in a sawtooth pattern that begins 3 hours after turning the vehicle off and continues until the vehicle is driven again. I have also observed - via an outdoor security camera with IR capability at my home - a corresponding constantly repeating cycle during the sawtooth draining pattern where there is an IR light (presumed the driver monitoring camera) that turns on and off every 65 seconds. Although it has not fully discharged again, it is only because I have monitored the voltage and recharged or driven it every time I note the voltage getting too low ( 24 hours without recharging it, the battery would completely discharge again. My safety and the safety of my family have been put at risk due to the risk of being stranded without the ability to operate the vehicle due to a fully discharged 12v battery in the vehicle.

Filed Jul 19, 2026 · Electrical · CO

The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker, Subaru Solterra, and the Toyota Equivalents have a parasitic battery drain issue that will leave you stranded. Something causes the DCM to continue to pull from the battery when the car is off and after a few days will completely drain the 12V Battery System. This can damage the 12V Battery system and poses a safety issue as that is the computer system that maintains the traction battery system along with all the safety features.

Filed Jul 17, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · MI

I went to start my 2026 Trailseeker and the 12 volt battery was dead. I contacted Subaru Roadside Assistance to jump the vehicle. After they jump started the vehicle I received the following warnings on the dash.."Brake Override Malfunction..Visit Your Dealer".."Braking Power Low..Visit Your Dealer." "Braking Power Low Stop in a Safe Place See Owners Manual." The car was un-drivable as I was unable to release the brake. I disconnected the battery cables and those warnings went away but the EV malfunction light remains on. The car was towed to the dealership and in their possession, the battery was dead again and had to be jumped by them. They said they found nothing wrong with anything. I requested a new battery and they said it would not be approved by Subaru as they found nothing wrong with the battery. I took the car home and connected a battery monitor and found..if I have the Subaru Connect app connected to the car, it drains the battery overnight. If I disconnect the battery, the battery does not drain. I did get a bad battery notification from my battery charger as I charged the battery because I would not be driving it for a couple of days. Subaru was made aware of the bd battery notification and just instructed me to take the car back to the dealership which I don't want to miss another day of work.