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.
Frequent problems with car starting due to run down battery. We have had battery related service calls from aaa on 7/29/19, 5/23/20, 6/4/20, 12/2/20, 1/23/21, and 2/10/21. Today (2/19/21) the car only started on the third attempt after pumping the gas a bit. We did not call aaa but made an appointment with the Subaru dealer. This will not be our first appointment with them. Previous appointments with dealer related to difficulty starting car were on 6/9/20 (when battery was replaced), 12/22/20, and 1/15/21. We have also had replacement of a fuel pump that was the subject of a recall, replacement of power steering gear box, and a brake issue. All of the above were when car was on warranty, as it is still is as of this writing. The car currently has about 15,500 miles on it.
The car frequently does not start when following conditions occur: 1) few days of non-use, 2) after several short drives, and, 3) hatch is kept open for 2-3 hours. The issue was first noticed 8 months after the start of the lease. Since then, it has occurred more frequently. The car needs to be jump started suggesting the battery is drained. I have mentioned this issue to the dealer numerous times and few months back the dealer replaced the battery under warranty. The issue has started again.
I requested many times to have our car checked for nhsta campaign : 19V493000. The dealership said our car was not included in that case. Our lane assist was too aggressive from the first day we drove the car. The dealership said the steering was speed sensitive and we were driving too fast. We explained that we could not keep the car in the lane when driving over 40 mph. In the first 24 months we carried the car to the dealership 20 to 30 times for the unsafe steering issue. Twenty four months later we had a rock chip the windshield and the chip ran into 3 cracks each over 8 inches long that afternoon while the car was in our home garage. After we paid a $500 deductible and the dealership replaced the windshield, the car drove better. The battery has been replaced three times, the fuel pump replaced, all the sensors on the tail gate have been, the passenger side window would stick 1/2 up, and many other problems. A scan of the car shows 10 modules failed with many active codes. The codes are the same as before the third battery was installed. Many of the codes are safety issues.
We purchased our 2019 Subaru Outback brand new. We didn't have any problems until 1.5 years into the purchase. We have approx 8,800 miles on it and now every time we go to drive it, the battery is dead. Dealer has tested the battery twice and says it is fine and that we need to keep the car plugged in to a battery tender. Even though we drive it a few times a week, including on the highway.
- Golden Valley, MN, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Battery's keep discharging. In dealership for the second time with dead battery. Last battery is only 1.3 mets old. Dealership says to have car towed and not charge battery so they can troubleshoot problem. Read about the class action lawsuit and to contact nthsa.
Battery on vehicle is constantly and consistently losing charge. Just replaced 2nd replacement battery. Vehicle has less the 5000 miles. Dealership installed remote starter that they stated was causing excess draw on battery so in November they disconnected it. Three months later, they just replaced 2nd battery.
Woke up this morning and the rear door was open and the car wouldn't start. This is the second time the battery failed for seemingly no reason and the 1st time the rear door was open. Car was parked and hadn't been started for a couple of days.
Vehicle has been dead on 4+ occasions. Stationary, in garage. Vehicle is driven as little as once per week at times but the battery or electric draw has caused the car to fail in as little as a couple days or even trunk being open for 15-20min. I've had to tow this vehicle 3times for service. Dealer is brushing this off without responsibility. Saying the car has to be driven for more than 20minutes to receive full charge. Also, the vehicle has a number of electronics that require the vehicle to be driven more. They refuse to replace the battery unless it checks bad. The issue is an electrical draw. Most likely seems related to the rear hatch. Battery should be replaced with a larger capacity and these vehicles should be recalled and diagnosed for electrical draw failures.
Battery dead with no explanation. Cold outside (17 deg F), car not driven for 2 days before attempting to start. Car was driven for about 4 hours on Friday, would not start on Monday.
We had an oncology appointment, parked as normal. After the visit about 90 minutes later, we attempt to drive home and the car wouldn't start, horn won't blow and we're presently awaiting a jump from aaa. The car was undriveable as no systems worked without the battery.
We have had several battery issues. Now something is causing the key fob to stop working, dome lights won't turn on and tire pressure sensors don't work. It's been fixed once by Subaru and broke again within a week. They said it had to do with a fuse in the computer biu or something but the car is unsafe and Subaru won't do anything about it. The has had problems since we bought it brand new. Currently has 29K but started having problems with the battery within weeks of purchase.
Tailgate has opened, on its own, on 4 separate occasions. In 2 instances it had remained open and unnoticed long enough to kill the battery and required tow service to charge it. I first reported this to my Subaru dealer in spring 2020. In all 4 cases the car was parked in the garage when it happened, most recently on christmas eve to christmas morning, and again just 5 days later.
My 2019 Outback (bought in Sept 2019) has been experiencing dead battery issues. I have had to jump start it twice in the last few months. I am only driving primarily one time per week due to covid, but I don't feel that I should have these issues with a new car/batttery. Reading that others experience the same issues as I do. I just drove on Wednesday and purposefully drove an extra time (total drive time was probably 25 minutes, stopping once) and on Saturday the battery was dead again. I don't want to keep experiencing this. Was going to change my battery but I don't know that it will solve the problem from what I am reading. I want to report it so that it can be investigated and potentially fixed.
Since we purchased the car 6 months ago we would find the doors unlocked and occasionally the trunk gate ajar. The gate was found ajar this morning, and had apparently been so all night, and the battery is now dead. This seems like a serious malfunction of the electrical system in the car. The trunk opening at random has drained our battery and may lead to further issues in the future.
The vehicle has less than 12000 miles on it. Battery keeps dying. We carry a jumper cable and a battery charger all the time. Dealer refused to change the battery in June 2020 (in fort collins, Colorado), dealer simply charged the battery. We don't know if it is an alternator problem, a battery problem, or other electrical systems components that keep draining battery when the vehicle is parked. This had made the car most unreliable. This is an ongoing problem, persisting for over the past 8 months.
Vehicle will not start on numerous occasions. We replaced the battery, but problem continues. Several attempts to get problem corrected by dealership service department have failed. Problem has occurred for more that 5 months now.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Swampscott, MA, USA