— Subaru has been sued by vehicle owners based on the discontinued 3G wireless network service that was phased out in early 2022.
The class action lawsuit alleges these Subaru models suffer from drained batteries caused by Subaru's mistakes.
- 2016-2019 Subaru Forester
- 2016-2019 Subaru Legacy
- 2016-2019 Subaru Outback
- 2016-2019 Subaru Impreza
- 2016-2019 Subaru Crosstrek
- 2016-2019 Subaru WRX
The eight owners who filed the Subaru battery drain lawsuit complain their telematics equipment was rendered useless when wireless carriers phased out 3G. Subaru vehicles purportedly lost these important internet-based features:
- Automatic Collision Notification
- Enhanced Roadside Assistance
- Emergency Assistance Button
- Stolen Vehicle Locator
- Bluetooth Hands-Free Calling
The plaintiffs complain Subaru installed 3G telematics but didn't make it adaptable to the next generation of wireless networks, namely 4G and 5G. Subaru allegedly needed to install equipment that could be upgraded from 3G to 4G wireless but failed to think ahead.
Subaru did offer complimentary wireless network upgrades for vehicles with active STARLINK Safety and Security subscriptions which allowed vehicles to access all the features. But the lawsuit says the STARLINK subscription was cancelled if a vehicle owner did not update their vehicle before the 3G connectivity was phased out.
The 3G class action lawsuit further alleges Subaru’s complimentary upgrade with regard to STARLINK did not fix the problems because out of about 820,000 Subaru vehicles with 3G telematics, only an estimated 110,000 vehicles had STARLINK subscriptions.
Then there are the reported problems about drained batteries.
The class action says the data communication modules (DCMs) connect the vehicles to wireless networks and the internet. But the DCMs in 2016-2019 Subaru vehicles still try to communicate with a 3G network that no longer exists. This causes parasitic battery draw which drains the battery.
The 3G lawsuit alleges the DCM will try to communicate every few hours while a Subaru vehicle is shut off, causing battery drain and a vehicle that won't start.
According to the class action, some 2019 Subaru models are different because they use Generation 2 data communication modules that should try to connect to a 4G network if 3G is not detected.
"However, Subaru’s 2019 vehicles do not reach their 4G capabilities because the same issue that occurs in its 3G-only vehicles occurs in the multi-network systems. The 2019 DCMs attempt to communicate with the 3G network and get stuck in a “logic loop” while doing so, resulting in a battery draw." — Subaru 3G battery drain lawsuit
The plaintiffs say battery drain can be stopped by removing the DCM fuse, but this also removes the Bluetooth microphone capabilities. This leaves a driver without the hands-free calling feature.
According to the class action lawsuit, the plaintiffs want Subaru to provide refunds for overpayments or for a loss of vehicle values. Additionally, Subaru should replace the telematics features that were lost when 3G was phased out.
The class action was filed by these Subaru customers:
- James Garrett / Michigan / 2019 Subaru Legacy
- Christopher Roach / New York / 2019 Subaru Outback
- Demaris Martz / California / 2017 Subaru Outback
- Marcum Martz / California / 2017 Subaru Outback
- Kimberly Rohrberg / Washington / 2019 Subaru Legacy
- Taylor Paddock / Florida / 2019 Subaru Outback
- Robert Donnelly / New York / 2016 Subaru Outback
- Juan Fuentes / California / 2019 Subaru Outback
The Subaru 3G battery drain lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey: Garrett, et al., v. Subaru of America, Inc., et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by Dilworth Paxson LLP, Wexler Boley & Elgersma LLP, and Wallace Miller.
