This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Was Backing up and car started excelling and the throttle stuck hitting 2 cars It was out of control I got it in drive and it took off forward running full throttle up over the pavers around a tree and ran up on the side of a BMW which was sitting on the side of The hostess paved driveway coming down the side of the car My car was on 2 wheels. Came off the BMW and slammed into a tree trunk which stopped it. I got out of my car in disbelief. It happened on private property and We did call the police. But since it happened on private property They did not come but told us to get each others info for insurance Purposes
While driving on highway using cruise control at 70 mph my car suddenly stalled -€¦. I was able to get to apron of road, but my steering locked and I had no brakes.. I could put car into neutral but had to -€œjam-€ it into park, trying to get it to stop rolling. It would not restart. I had it towed to an auto repair center as there was no Subaru dealer in the area. Because I had kept trying to restart it, my battery was dead. They recharged my battery and the car then started. I took it to a Subaru dealer where I was told they could find nothing wrong -€¦. Except I needed a new battery. This was NOT the reason that my car suddeney lost power ! It had happen once before while on the highway but I was able to restart it at that time. This could have caused a serious accident and I worry that it will happen again. I warning was indicated prior to episode. I have receipts from auto repair shop (In Lincoln, Illinois) and Subaru dealer ( in Columbia Missouri)
I have had to replace the car's battery three times in under 3 years. The most recent battery lasted for under a year. I am attaching paperwork from last year. I just a battery replace this week as well but am awaiting the paperwork on that.
- New York, NY, USA
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Parasitic drain after car left parked and locked for ~4 days. This has occurred since I purchased the car new in 2016. I have replaced the battery 4 times but it has not helped the issue. I am now forced to leave the car plugged in to a battery tender when parked.
The battery in my car continually dies. It all started about 2 years ago, we replaced the battery, but I have to charge it frequently. The car never dies while I-€™m driving it, but sometimes I will come to start my car and it won-€™t start. This happens about 1-2 times a month.
The Controller Area Network ("CAN") did not enter sleep mode when the car was turned off, resulting in a "parasitic battery drain." I replaced 3 batteries over a period of 24 months of ownership, and just paid $1355 to have the manufacturer-installed computer chip replaced to stop the battery drain and properly shut off the vehicle. This is a safety issue for several reasons - not knowing when my battery would be dead when the vehicle was needed, living in northern MN and having a dead battery in cold and potentially life-threatening conditions, and living in a rural area without ready access to businesses or others when support or a battery jump was needed.
Car-€™s battery/ electrical system seems to drain car battery excessively. Even with a new battery, car battery dies if car isn-€™t run at least every 2 or 3 days, meaning I can-€™t rely on car if I take a trip of any length and leave the car behind. There-€™s a risk of being stranded. Car is 6 years old, and already has had 4 batteries. Im concerned about being stranded
The battery drains quickly compared to my husband's car. I had to get a new battery every other year. Subaru has known issues with the CAN system and it hasn't been addressed. This is dangerous as my car wouldn't start. I didn't feel safe. Other people have posted similar situtations online and those have to be corrected. I would rather not waste money on a battery every other year. My safety is more important of course. The electrical systems need to have a recall put in so this can be fixed without money coming out of my pocket as this is a wide-spread issue for subaru.
In March 2020, I took my 2016 Subaru Forester to the dealership to fix the issues associated with the Subaru Safety Recall WUM-98 / NHTSA Recall 19V-701 (unstable electrical connections causing issues with the occupant detection system in determining the correct status of the right front seat occupant, which would prevent the front passenger-side airbag from deploying in the event of a crash). Service was performed and the ODS harness was replaced. In August of 2021, I took my Forester back into the Subaru dealership (where previous service was performed) because the -€œairbag warning-€ light and the -€œPassenger airbag off-€ indicator began to illuminate, however this occurred somewhat inconsistently. Sometimes both warning lights illuminate when someone sits in the front passenger seat, sometimes they do not illuminate at all and everything seems fine. Other times, the lights illuminate when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. Additionally, sometimes the seatbelt alarm sounds when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. However, this is also inconsistent. In August 2021, the Subaru dealership told me that the issue is likely caused by water damage (a spill) on the front passenger seat that has caused the sensors within the seat to malfunction. I told them that I did not recall spilling any liquids on the front passenger seat. Now the dealership is telling me to replace the passenger seat bottom assembly sensor for $1,211 USD.
At least a couple of times a week, the key gets stuck in the ignition. I can turn the car off, but I can't remove the key. If I start the car back up and shift it into Drive, and then slam it back into Park, after several tries, I can remove the key. I searched the Subaru forum and found this is a long-existing issue for all Subaru models with the key ignition. All with the stuck key issue here is the TSB 16-112-18R info https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10153178-9999.pdf and the P/N for the select lever (shifter) mechanism 3511AL00C.
Per Subaru's TSB 16-112-18R, it appears that my 2016 Subaru Forester XT is experiencing a failing Park-Range switch. Starting around July 26, 2021, I started having issues trying to take the key out while in Park. It started as intermittent but slowly has grown to where I having issues almost everyday now. Currently, there is not an official recall but there really should be given the number of folks I have read on internet forums having this occur from all makes, models, and years of Subaru vehicles. The unofficial workarounds present a safety hazard because the workaround disables the safety mechanism for the ignition key.
The ignition key has started getting stuck in the ignition after turning the motor off. It takes several tries, involving turning the motor back on and pulling the key out as I-€™m turning the motor off and pushing the stick back into PARK really hard per Subaru.... Subaru has acknowledged it-€™s a faulty part and lots of complaints online...they even did a tech bulletin # 16-112-18R but say its a customers problem....
The battery drains quickly if the engine is not running and the key remains in the ignition even for a short period of time. From what I can tell even if you shut off the car completely, you cannot leave the key in the ignition or something is still drawing power. You must physically remove the key from the ignition. The issue stranded my family on two separate occasions requiring a jump start. Once was late at night in a secluded area, the other in a parking lot. We have two other cars from different makes and have not had this issue. In one case the car was off in a parking lot with my wife waiting for 15 minutes. In the other my daughter was listening to the radio while parked for less than 10 minutes. This Forester has the stock radio with no after market mods. The Forester drives great and feels very safe in all other respects. We truly love the car. But I have to make sure that we do not park the car and leave the key in the ignition or the battery will die. I asked my mechanic to check the battery, but he said that the battery itself tested fine. Seems like this problem has been reported elsewhere. Thanks
Car turns itself off soon after starting when you try and put it into gear. Even after a tune up the car just stalls out when starting or low idle while sitting at light
The oem battery in this vehicle has failed Multiple times (dozens of times), upon sitting for a few days. Nothing in the vehicle was On, it was just sitting. A couple of times it was towed to the dealership in Bozemanwhere I bought it (Gallatin Motors) for diagnosis and repairs (bad/dead battery). The battery was replaced Once per Subaru's policy. Then I was on my own for repeated, totally unexplained DEAD battery upon trying to start the car after a couple/ few days/ nothing left on. I finally bought my own new recommended Interstate Battery after repeated dead out non starts. I bought a Duracell battery maintainer/ conditioner to install in my garage, which I use when the vehicle sits for more than 2 or 3 days to be sure the darn battery will start the car. It's obvious to me there's a parasitic battery drain in this smart car, but no one from any dealership will acknowledge/ has any advice about this! This is discussed in multiple online forums. I love the car and it's smarts, but not turning Dead Off after I'm finished driving it - and draining the battery making it impossible to start again without a jump - is totally not acceptable for a "vehicle."
The battery died on several occasions. I had to purchase a portable jump starter to keep in the vehicle for times that the vehicle would not start. I had the battery replaced by the dealer, but the same issue happened again. In the winter of 2020 I ended up purchasing an after market AGM (Advanced Glass Mat) battery for the vehicle.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hightown, VA, USA