Starting in September of 2023, my 2020 Subaru Outback began having issues with the battery. After replacing the battery, having the vehicle died, being left stranded in unsafe scenarios, paying for, and associated repairs, I was told the DCM panel was found to be faulty and causing repetitive battery drainage and failures. The DCM is trying to connect to an old network without success causing the battery failure. This occurred twice in September, once in December, and three times in January of 2024.

- Richmond , TX, USA

I have had to replace the battery 2 times. Dealer has replaced once ~1 year of purchase. I replaced the battery ~3.5 years after purchase.

- Chico, CA, USA

- Infotainment center freezes making controls inaccessible. I live in the desert where temps reach 120+ in the car and not being able to turn on the AC is dangerous. - Windows will not roll up once they are rolled down, especially after it has rained or after washing the car. - Driver side Door Sensor Switch broke. This would keep the interior lights and infotainment center from turning off.

- Cathedral City, CA, USA

The automatic braking system detection the RB system as it-??s identified on the Subaru Dash heater, failure airbag deployment, all disabled repeatedly removal of the battery connections for a period of 30 minutes reset it but failure has repeated

- Laporte , IN, USA

Automatic Braking system has almost caused a rear-end collision 5 times, because it thinks a shadow is an object. We-??ve brought the car to the dealership but they told us twice that they can-??t replicate the problem. That doesn-??t change the issue. I don-??t want to wait until we have a collision and have to go through physical therapy and repairs to address this. Front headlights are blinding other drivers causing them to flash their brights at us regularly on the freeway and local roads which then blinds us and causing us to slow down and break. The dealership say that the lights can be adjusted but this is a serious risk to us and something that happens every night. It-??s stressful to drive the car anticipating this all the time. We-??ve replace the starter last year and having issues again. The car struggles to start. Last year they said this was a known issue and also replaced the battery. But it-??s happening again. This indicates a more complicated issue in the electrical. I don-??t want to have to replace the starter every year.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

Per Subaru there is something wrong with the Cockpit Control Module (CCM) that is causing a constant / parasitic draw on the battery. This results in the battery being dead within 4 hours, leaving us constantly stranded. Because the CCM also controls the electrical system, many of the safety features (auto breaking, lane departure, etc) turn off randomly. This is the diagnosis from our local Subaru dealership: COCKPIT CONTROL MODULE IS DRAWING 2 AMPS. WITH COCKPIT UNPLUGGED THERE IS STILL A 1 AMP DRAW. WILL NEED TO REPLACED CCU THEN FIGURE OUT WHERE THE OTHER 1 AMP DRAW IS. UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE WITH MULTIPLE SYSTEMS DRAWING I have opened a case with Subaru of America, but with no resolution.

- Wilmington , NC, USA

Per Subaru there is something wrong with the Cockpit Control Module (CCM) that is causing a constant / parasitic draw on the battery. This results in the battery being dead within 4 hours, leaving us constantly stranded. Because the CCM also controls the electrical system, many of the safety features (auto breaking, lane departure, etc) turn off randomly. This is the diagnosis from our local Subaru dealership: COCKPIT CONTROL MODULE IS DRAWING 2 AMPS. WITH COCKPIT UNPLUGGED THERE IS STILL A 1 AMP DRAW. WILL NEED TO REPLACED CCU THEN FIGURE OUT WHERE THE OTHER 1 AMP DRAW IS. UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE WITH MULTIPLE SYSTEMS DRAWING I have opened a case with Subaru of America, but with no resolution.

- Wilmington , NC, USA

While we were at a speed of about 55 mph on a state highway, I had just selected cruise control when all the lights went on in the dash--including the warning lights for the brake, the check engine light--and power shut down in the vehicle as if we'd run out of gas. We were able to keep a very slow speed of about 20-25mph, but had to activate the 4-way flashers to alert other drivers that we were losing speed. We managed to get over to the shoulder and call for a tow. We feel this was a catastrophic failure of the vehicle, which endangered both of us. At least we still had power steering. At the dealer, the techs advised us that the issue was likely due to a failure of the electronic thermostat control. The car was in the shop for a week, and was repaired at no cost to us. The thermo control valve and all related parts were replaced. If not under warranty, this would have cost over $2K. We had no warning that this component was failing.

- Mckinleyville, CA, USA

I purchased the lease for the vehicle in January 2020. I first notified Subaru in Austin of an obvious "glitch" with the computer operating system in April 2020. The "glitchy" OS challenges came and went, I would notify Subaru and they would remedy the issue with a "patch" update at the service center. On April 29 2022 a clear night and a suitably clean vehicle, the RAB system completely failed to recognize/notify/respond to a mailbox behind me, upon impact the mailbox broke the rear windshield. on June 28 2022 the vehicle fails to start, and is "surging" completely draining a new jumper box, and then promptly burning it out, the box will no longer operate. Put in a new battery(#1), make an appointment for service on the vehicle. The dealership replaces the battery(#2), computer updates are completed. Vehicle goes to the body shop for the rest of the work to be completed. 28 days later, I arrive to pick up my vehicle, all work is complete. However the vehicle will not start (again) Auto body shop replaces the battery(#3).on 9/23/2022 after dark, my Subaru Outback 2020 Limited, stops and puts its Parking break on., all dials spike, then dies, rear hatch signal goes off continuously, regardless of its actual state of open/close. The vehicle refuses to jump with a new jumper box. Outback 2020 is successfully jumped by a newer vehic. New battery installed(#4). 9/29/2022 another appointment at Subaru service center to look at my vehicle, they swap out the battery(#5) and update computer. Upon pickup vehicle is without trailer lights, 3 airbag lights on, ABS light on/off. 10/17/2022 appointment at a different service center for an Oil change service, 10/18/2022 diagnostic check appt, 3 blown fuses found. 11/16/2022 Austin service, found many lost comm. codes.- reprograms, engine control module. Outback 2020 intermittently has problems opening and closing hatch/windows, display loading issues, many warning/hazzard lights & signals on/off (from April 2022- present day.)

- Austin, TX, USA

Car lurches when put into gear, Transmission make loud chirping noise when place into gear from park, transmission shudders when turning. Car has had all recalls updated. Symptoms have been reported to dealer numerous times. Currently vehicle is at Subaru Dealer in Temecula Calif. Dealer states a know transmission problem is being addressed thru a Subaru Engineer. Have been without the vehicle for approx 3 weeks.

- Menifee, CA, USA

My vehicle stalled abruptly as I came to a stop while driving on a slope. Shortly afterward I determined that this was caused by a loose battery terminal; the battery had been replaced a day earlier. This much was the fault of the mechanic, not the manufacturer. My complaint is with respect to the state which the vehicle failed into: 1. The gear shift was stuck in drive and could not be moved into park. 2. It was not possible to engage the parking break, as it can only be controlled by an electronic switch. 3. The steering wheel column was locked. As a result of this, the only way to prevent the vehicle from rolling backward down the hill was to continuously keep my foot on the brake. It also was not possible, as a result of the locked steering wheel column, to guide the vehicle downhill safely. I was stuck holding the brake and unable to get out of my vehicle until another motorist stopped to give me a jump and enable me to engage the parking brake.

- Brookline, NH, USA

While driving my Subaru Outback, I encounter a problem where the Starlink Multimedia system abruptly goes black. Shortly after, the driver information center also goes black. Although the car continues to run, the cruise control, if engaged, and the EyeSight safety system shuts off as well. Both systems then undergo a reboot.

- Lexington, KY, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the battery was completely drained. The contact stated that he was able to jumpstart the vehicle and continued to operate the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become more frequent. The contact stated that he had not replaced the battery which was the original OEM battery. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that he needed to drive the vehicle more frequently. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure reoccurred and the contact took the vehicle back to the same dealer who advised that there were no electrical failures and that he should return after one month to reprogram the computer. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

- Millburn, NJ, USA

When we started vehicle, a wide array of systems shut down including cruise, Eye Sight, lane detection, auto high bean, adaptive light cornering - essentially anything -€œautomated-€ or assisted - along with the heating. The car ran at a higher RPM at idle - 2000 vs a usual 700-800 - and rough shifted at speed. Again, as if the automatic transmission lost its sync. The water temp gauge was also off. Have since learned this was the -€œthermo control valve-€ and somewhat of a known fault on Outbacks of this year. We were lucky to reach home from the long trip we were on and to the dealership. At the dealership, the service team did not admit this was wide spread. Nor did they tell us there is an updated part from Subaru available. They intend to install the OEM part, which concerns us that in another 40-50k we will face the same $2k problem. We are unlucky that we just went over 60k miles, so this will not be covered under Subaru-€™s 60k drivetrain warranty. That Subaru is covering a cooling system problem under the guise of being drive train tells me they know they have something to keep quiet.

- State University, AR, USA

On Friday Feb 24, 2023 our Subaru suffered a complete loss of electrial power leaving us stranded in very cold weaher here in northeastern Ohio. We were finally able to get one door open only to find nothing else in the car would work. We contacted Subaru roadside assistance and they dispached a Lift car & a tow truck to our location. The tow truck driver determined the battery had a complete failure. He told us this was a very common problem they see on the Subaru cars. He was successful in getting the car started via jumper box. Later in the day we received a follow up call from Subaru roadside assistance to confirm our safety. I asked if this battery failure on new Subaru vehicles was common he said more than 90% of the rodaside assistance calls are related to this issue of early battery failure. As I called my dealer to schedule an appointment on this issue I was told Subaru has placed strict inspection rules before replacement is allowed. Does it take a genius to know a car with 8000 miles should not experience a complete battery failure. My previous experience with Subaru is that they only respond to correct an issue when forced. Had this failure occured under different circumstances it could have been more dangerous.

- Avon Lake, OH, USA

Multiple battery failures. Original battery failed at ~2 years, then a new battery failed 6 months later. First failure July 2022, second failure Dec 2022

- Medford, MA, USA

On Dec. 20, 2022, my Outback totally stopped working while sitting at a red light, causing traffic to be forced to maneuver around my car. A kind policeman put out flares until the tow truck arrived. I could not shift into park, nothing electric would work, except the radio continued to play and the flashers worked until it all died. I could not turn the radio off and the seat would not adjust. The electronic screen flashed on and off until it went totally black, after about an hour. This vehicle only has about 21,000 miles on it and was under warranty until 3 weeks prior to the incident. Every time I took it to the dealership, I explained that the electronics had glitches. They always said it was fixed but it never was right. The TomTom navigation system was totally unreliable from day one; the screen went blank and the radio would not work at all, as well as all the screen functions, without warning. The screen would read out that I should keep my hands on the wheel, although both hands were on the wheel. Over and over it had problems which were not resolved.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

For one, my windshield cracked out of nowhere, I didn-€™t know that windshields were having issues at the time, so I had to replace it on my own without contacting the dealership. Other issues include the front windows not going up all the way from time to time. The info system crashes and shuts down from time to time too, which leads to the Eyesight to shutdown temporarily too. And from time to time, the hatch buttons lag where I have to push on the buttons multiple times to get it to close

- Monterey, CA, USA

-€¢Driver-€™s window failing to properly and completing retract. This has been particularly troublesome in the bitter cold of Northern Minnesota. On each visit to Subaru I have requested that the window be repaired. All efforts have been unsuccessful. -€¢Battery failure without cause or prior warning signs. On previous visits the Service Center failed to address and resolve the battery problem that I brought. In my most recent visit they referred me to a Legal Settlement action which prevents them from further addressing the battery issue. I brought the vehicle in twice for repair/replacement of the battery. Not resolved. -€¢Eyesight Driver Assist malfunction. Upon presenting the issue, the Service Manager suggested that the cause was sunlight hitting the sensors and he did not work on the issue. Even when I noted that the problem happened in the evening as well as during the daytime, no response. -€¢Check Engine Warning Indicator signifying any number of important malfunctions while also causing Cruise Control, Eyesight, RAB, and other critical, electronic systems to deactivate. More importantly, the Subaru Service Center informed me that there is a life-threatening risk associated with the underlying cause of this Check Engine light appearing, and, consequently, they would not permit me to drive the car from the Service Center until necessary repairs and part replacements were made. I have been waiting over two months for the automobile to be repaired and returned to me. I had previously brought the vehicle in specifically for this issue. At that time the Service Center failed to correct the problem and suggested it would disappear on its own (the warning light would turn off after a number of ignition starts). When I requested that they clearly understand the problem and fix the lighlight warning, the manager refused to continue to work on the vehicle.

- Warroad, MN, USA

My car has a defective battery or a paracytic leak that the manufacturer (Subaru) acknowledges but selectively addresses. The problem is described at subarubatterysettlement.com. I have had to return my 2020 Subaru Outback to the dealer five or six times with a dead battery that has trouble recharging and maintaining a charge. Each time this occurs, I have to have the car towed to the nearest dealer for extensive (like days) testing. Under some magic circumstance, the battery is either returned-recharged or replaced. I have had to return my car with a dead battery to my dealer four or five times. Each time it is the same. "yes, your car battery is warranted (first for 3 years, now for 10 years)," but the reliability of the car's battery is never resolved. Again the catch is I cannot replace the battery myself without voiding a 10-year warranty on the engine, but to keep the contract, I must have my car taken to my Subaru dealer for them to test it to make sure that the car battery is dead...or something. This is a safety problem because the car often doesn't have the cranking amps to start. And the vehicle is designed to shut the engine off at a stop and auto start when your foot is taken off the brake. This means my car could arbitrarily die at an intersection. I have disabled the auto-start feature but I cannot leave my car at the airport for fear that when I return I will have to have it towed to my Subaru dealer for testing.

- Spring , TX, USA