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.
Parking shifter sensor is failing intermittently. This prevents removing the key from the ignition. Seems to react better when you throw the shifter into park forcefully.
Battery drains - just goes dead. In the past six months it has happened @4 times. Checked twice at my garage and no problem found. Electrical system and battery checked out. After it is jumped it runs rough and not drivable until computer resets and windows have to be reset by hand. No warning lights of low battery.
We purchased this vehicle as a private sale in Nov 2018. In May 2020, the battery failed and was replaced, thinking it had reached end of life.. One month later, in June 2020, this new battery was dead, and was replaced under warranty under the premise that it was a bad battery. In addition, at the time of this 2nd battery replacement, the vehicle was inspected by our dealership to assess why the battery died, and though no direct cause was found, the battery cables were replaced. This July 11th, 2021, the battery was dead once again, and replaced under warranty, again thinking it was a defective battery. Yesterday, July 25th, two weeks after this 3rd new battery replacement, the battery was dead again. No user error was ever noted (no internal light left on, vehicle had been driven regularly every day of the week, etc.). Upon research online, there appears to be a class action lawsuit against Subaru regarding electrical problems that rapidly drain batteries in several Subaru models 2016-2020, which includes our 2016 Outback. We can never know when our battery could fail, and clearly cannot trust this vehicle to start on any given day, which is a serious safety concern. We have been unsuccessful in our attempts to communicate with Subaru customer support. Please investigate this complaint as appropriate. Thank you.
My Outback lost AC/Heat and even after repair at an Outback dealership, it still goes out intermittently. My car battery seems to drain for no reason at all, without any consistency to the drainage of power either. I have it looked at, and the dealership said there isn-??t a cause and there isn-??t anything that can be done. Back rear door doesn-??t lock and unlock with the key fob designation; sets off the alarm when we don-??t pay attention to it. Hatch door only lifts about 14 inches upon designation. Has to be manually lifted the rest of the way. Has been fixed once at a dealership, but since returned to the aforementioned diagnosis.
- London, KY, USA
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The adjustment of the passenger side side view mirror has malfunctioned. The mirror can not be adjusted properly for visibility of cars to the side of the vehicle. Only the driver-side window is operable. All other windows fail to open from the driver side control. The passenger window will no longer operate from the passenger side either. These windows would have to be broken in order to escape the vehicle in some situations (flooding). My mechanic says that this is a common problem in 2016 Subaru Outbacks. No warning lights were activated. A mirror not able to be adjusted for optimum sighting of other vehicles is surely a safety issue.
Battery has failed repeatedly, at least 4 or 5 times over the last year. Took to dealer who checked it out and said they found no issues. Please note no lights or doors were left open that would have resulted in a batter drain. Concerned as I have been stranded due to this issue.
The car drains the battery to the point of not being able to turn the engine on after >10 minutes of playing the radio while the engine isn't turned on. Happened three separate times where I had to request a jump. I replaced the battery with a new one but the problem persists.
The original battery drained when a door is left open for an extended period of time. We replaced the battery in 2019 and also bought a battery booster because of this issue. We thought replacing the battery would fix the, however, the draining issue still occurs from time to time. We didn't think to file a complaint, but saw an article in the news describing the same issue we're experiencing and that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Subaru for this issue, so we decided to file a complaint.
The battery keeps draining and needing to be replaced. I need a new battery every 18 months or so. Also, please note that there is not one incident. There is a pattern of the battery needing to be replaced.
original battery dead in less than 2 years, needing replacement in January 2018. Subaru dealer advised replacement, local repair store confirmed it was dead. Purchased replacement local as dealer quote was over $300. The battery was dead, and replaced again in 12/2019, and again in 10/2020. These issues have left us stranded, often in cold/freezing weather. No sign of wearing or issues occurs until the vehicle just does not start. All of our other vehicles have never gone through batteries this frequently. Additionally, with the many batteries (4 total so far, in 6 years, and 80k miles) from multiple sources, I do not believe that defective batteries are the case
My battery dies intermittently and will not start until I receive a jump start. it seems to occur after day trips in the mountains, , but no emergency lights come on to indicate a low battery while driving. we have had to get an emergency jump start an now must carry around a spare battery charger to jump start my car. I've had the dealership look at this and they find no issues. I've had both my battery and alternator tested and they are still good. I stopped using my phone charger, thinking that may be the issue, but it still happens. I worry I'll be stranded somewhere and the Jumpstart battery won't be able to give me a kick. This has occurred at least 10 times and is increasing in frequency.
after having the 2916 Subaru outback detailed, the car wouldn't start, apparently if a door is left open for 10 minutes or more the battery drains, Jump started the vehicle and it starts right
The electrical system drains the battery. It happened first in Feb 2020. Car was locked and could not be opened with manual key, so AAA Roadside Service had to use a bladder and bar to break in and open car, damaging the driver door. There is now constant road noise where it used to be a particularly quiet interior. The battery was completely drained and tested low so they replaced it. One year later, Feb 2021, the same thing happened despite the car being driven every day and the alternator working fine. Four months later it happened again, this time when the car was in long term parking at SFO Intl Airport June 29-July 5. Again they had to pry open the driver door to unlock, battery tested at 40%, alternator tested fine, and AAA replaced the battery still under warranty. We can no longer trust or rely on this car to start and I no longer lock the car in case the problem recurs - I have zero reason to expect it will miraculously stop happening. My wife wants to sell the car.
Unable to remove key from ignition when car is parked. I am unable to leave car without threat of it being stolen. An internet search indicates this is a common problem and repair cost can be several hundred dollars
Battery has died several times over the past few months. The last time (7/3/21) within 48 hours of being fully charged. Subaru replaced the battery several months ago, so it-??s a fresh battery. They did not mention the electrical system problems they know about and have known about since 2017.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Omaha, NE, USA