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.
After approx. Two weeks of inactivity, battery was completely dead. Required a jump start. Took to auto shop; battery and alternator both tested as "good". car started normally during daily use for several days. Then, after 7 days of inactivity, battery was completely dead again. Car stored on street parking. Weather typical for spring months in Washington state (I.e. intermittent rain; temps of 40-60 degrees). Online search reveals several sites where numerous customers report experiencing the same faulty electrical issues. Example: Https://www.cargurus.com/cars/discussion-T58701_ds833514 or https://www.torquenews.com/1084/Subaru-hit-new-lawsuit-over-Outback-wagon-dead-battery-issue.
Key sticks in ignition when parked and turning off the vehicle. Key turns, but not to the point where it reaches the position of removal. It often takes several starts and turn off's to achieve removal of the key. Often requires very firm forces of the shift lever in the park position to achieve release of the key.
The battery of the vehicle(Subaru Outback 2016 3.6 R) failed several times. The battery drains very quickly. Especially when the car ran for several short trips, the battery was suddenly dead. The battery has been dead 10 times from 2016 to 2020.
Battery died after driving 10 miles and parking for an hour. Couldn't move shift lever or release electronic parking brake. Someone finally jumped the car for me Y and I immediately bought a new battery (battery $151.19 and jumper cables $26.99 at pepboys, dbpower jumpstarter $74.59 at amazon). 3 months later the same thing happened after being in the garage overnight. No lights were left on or any obvious source of electrical drain. I could have been stranded somewhere.
- Rochester, NY, USA
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Experienced repeated dead battery after not using the car for a week. First I thought I was leaving lights on or a door open, so I would call roadside assistance to get a jump, but the problem started getting worse. On the third year of ownership, after one or two days of not using the car, the battery was completely dead. Getting late to work and meetings just became unsustainable. The car is always garage kept. I always make sure to turn off everything. I previously owned a Toyota corolla from 1998 and for the 12 years of ownership only experienced a dead battery once.
Car was purchased brand new in March 2016. Battery died August 12, 2017 during a trip from houston, Texas to Nebraska while sitting/eating at a sonic drive-in in edmond, Oklahoma. Manufacturer reimbursed me for replacement battery cost which I purchased from walmart while on an out-of-town trip. Since it was Saturday afternoon the closest dealership service department was closed. The replaced battery then died in February 2020 and I replaced it myself with an agm style battery.
The battery on our 2016 Subaru Outback keeps discharging and car won't start. It is in the garage. Drove it to the store yesterday. Bought a new battery 4 months ago, has happened 5 times in 6 months.
Irregular battery and electric issues. When car was 3-1/2 years old we drove 2 highway hours for a meeting. After the meeting (while still in the parking lot) the car was dead. We jumped it were driving toward a nearby Subaru dealership. The car acted irregular on the highway. It had limited power and was lurching. We limped into the Subaru dealership about 20 miles away. They couldn't find or diagnose an issue. But, eventually re-charged the battery and it held. At age 4, the car died in my driveway. We jumped it and the charge held. The driver side controls can no longer open the front passenger side window.
Since vehicle was purchased, the vehicle's battery does not remain charged if the car is not started for a period longer than two days. The vehicle is only four years old with 50,000 miles and the battery has been replaced three times. This has caused the vehicle owner to be stranded while away from home, which could have led to unsafe conditions.
About a year ago, my Outback occasionally would not start, especially after I returned from a trip. My car's battery was dead. However, my wife's car would start right up. I took my car to the dealer and they installed a software update and a new battery. Less than a year later, the car would not start and the battery was dead again. I had not driven the car in about 5 days because of another problem with the ignition (I could not turn the key in the ignition). I returned the car to the dealer. After the dealer inspected the car, I was told they could not find a problem and they gave the car a clean bill of health. Something is wrong--is it the electrical system? my car was in our driveway.
Parked on a city street and private driveway on numerous occasions, and occurring more frequently, I was unable to remove the key from the ignition; and sometimes the key would not turn in the ignition. Dealer repaired at a cost of $535.38 on Feb 28, 2020. Since the repair, I have driven the car very infrequently. On April, 13, 2020, I put the key in the ignition and it would not turn.
Battery runs down often. I've had the battery checked multiple times and no problem with the alternator either. I know it will run down during loading or unloading that lasts more than 30 minutes, so I manage that situation. But it is starting to run down more often while parked. This has left me stranded multiple times over the last 6 months.
Intermittently unable to remove keys from ignition, as though the electrical system is not detecting the car is in park. Work-around is usually to pump brakes, move from drive back to park, sometimes restarting ignition and then trying again. Sometimes this requires several attempts. Found service bulletin #16-112-18R, but Subaru is not covering costs of repair if vehicle is out of warranty. Based on the number of vehicles impacted, this should truly be a recall.
Difficulty turning the cars ignition into the off position to remove key. Key stocks in ignition and car stays turned on in accessory mode. Often takes up to 6 times restarting and stopping to get key to release. Dealer claims it is the computer relay that isn't recognizing that the car has been put into park. This is when the car is stopped.... this has been going on since approximately may of 2019 to current. At first it was only occasionally but reached the point where it happened 9 times out of 10.
Once parking the vehicle and placing it in park, the key stays locked in the ignition. This isn't related to the steering wheel being locked in place, the key is stuck. Shifting in/out of park needs to happen multiple times. Looking into this online, there are multiple reports of this happening. This is a safety issue because we are unable to get out of the car with our kids because the key is stuck in the ignition.
My Outback has around 42,000 miles on it. I am having trouble getting the key to come out of the ignition after putting it in park. So far about half the time I turn the car off I need to shift it into reverse and then jam it back into park in order for it to unlock the key from the ignition.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Seattle, WA, USA