After sitting, the car starts slowly. I had the battery replaced in February of this year, and now being told that the battery is needing to be replaced again. Not sure how long prior to this February we tolerated the issue, but it has begun again. Car still starts, but threatens not to.
When I took my vehicle in for an oil change, the technician stated the battery was suffering "hard starts." He felt it would be better if I replaced the battery immediately. He stated his concern that I could end up stranded. After replacing the battery, the "new" battery suffered more "hard starts" than the original battery. I was and am very disappointed in the Subaru family and their lack of truthfulness.
I left the car with the dealer for several days/weeks since I was going out of town. They tried to replicate the issue but were not able to.
the car just won't start reliably even though I am driving it more regularly than in 2020.
They send me home indicating they can't identify an issue and don't know what else to recommend.
Since then the issue has intermittently occurred. Most of the time it won't start and once I wait a while and try again it will start.
This is a huge issue since I take the car to the mountains into areas with no cell coverage or service options. Getting stuck at 7K ft with no ability to contact help is not ideal.
Bought 2015 Subaru Outback new. Loved the car. Had 30000 mile service in Oct 2018. Everything fine. Then in Feb, 2019, battery died suddenly. Had it replaced and paid for $304 for new battery. Then on April 27, it died again in my garage--with electronic parking brake on. Took two tow trucks with extended cable charges to get enough power to car to release the electronic brake. THERE IS NO MANUAL OVERRIDE (Not so smart Subaru techs). Then using screwdriver, was able to perform manual override on transmission to push out of garage. Had it towed to Subaru. They replaced battery again!
Now one week later, new battery died again. Stuck in my garage on a Friday night. Customer service said it could be the key fob draining the battery. I don't think so. No problems for 4 years, and now two bad batteries. After reading so many reviews, it is apparent Subaru has defective batteries, or bad sensors, or bad relays, or whatever. They should find a new manufacturer, increase the CCA, and issue a recall. I was such an advocate for Subaru after my 2015 purchase (having previously had a great Lexus RX 300 for 12 years). Now, I am expecting restitution and correction of this battery problem, or they will have lost what looked like a life-long customer. (Even convinced by daughter to buy a Subaru). Hope I don't regret it.
Two weeks ago, battery went dead. Tracked problem to rear hatch door locking issue (latch fouled by cargo netting). Recharged the battery, worked for a few days, then another dead battery. Recharged again, worked for one day. Recharged the battery again, but it would not take a charge, At no time during any of the recharges, did I notice any interior lights in the 'on' position. Called road service, who delivered the vehicle to the dealership. Dealership claimed they jump started the vehicle, and passed all the diagnostic tests. The battery retained a charge over the weekend. Brought it back home, and keeping my fingers crossed. Since I do not use the car on a regular basis, dealership advised I run the car for five minutes every few days. Wonder who will accomplish this task when I leave for an extended trip. May have to invest in a reliable battery booster kit.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
After sitting, the car starts slowly. I had the battery replaced in February of this year, and now being told that the battery is needing to be replaced again. Not sure how long prior to this February we tolerated the issue, but it has begun again. Car still starts, but threatens not to.
- Brian N., Kent, US