2020 Subaru Forester Electrical System

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the battery was continually being drained and needed to be recharged frequently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, a cause for the failure was not determined. The dealer recharged the battery. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure with electrical system defects which consistently drained the battery. The contact recharged the battery after each time the vehicle was driven. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the radio system malfunctioned, which caused the blind-spot detection system, headlights, and instrument panel to fail to operate as needed. Additionally, the eyesight system would inadvertently engage, which caused the vehicle to stop without warning. The contact restarted the vehicle to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and AutoNation Subaru Scottsdale (15678 N Northsight Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260) and diagnosed with radio software failure. The dealer replaced the radio on three separate occasions; however, the failure recurred. The dealer also reconnected the eyesight system and resolved the eyesight system failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

Battery constantly dying. Significant safety concern. Never no when the car is going to not start. Unreliable

The battery drains regularly, causing the vehicle to be inoperable. Battery is dead after 3 days of non use, leaving vehicle unable to be used.

Electrical defect in recent Subarus causes parasitic battery drain when the car is not in use. Our battery drained to the point that the vehicle couldn’t start without a jump due to this defect.

Battery draining requiring multiple charging.

The battery died after less than two years. There is a class action lawsuit related to recent Subarus draining batteries very quickly due to parasitic power drain because of a faulty electrical system. The 2020 Forester was included in the initial lawsuit, but this model was thrown out of the lawsuit by the judge since none of the plaintiffs owned a Forester. However, it is a known issue. Prematurely and unexpectedly dead batteries, as I experienced, can cause motorists to be stranded and face related hazards, as well as to incur unexpected costs. I spent more than $200 to replace my battery long before the minimum expected three-year battery life.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the battery drained quickly, and the vehicle had to be jumpstarted after three days. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

The battery on my 2020 Subaru Forester Premium /LFF14 drains within a week if not driven. There appears to be a parasitic battery drain problem. The car will not start. I replaced the original factory battery with a larger, after-market battery having been told by several sources that this problem is common to Foresters and is caused by defective batteries being supplied to Subaru. However, the new battery did not solve the problem. I regularly test the battery with a battery tester that indicates that the battery is OK, but is discharged and requires charging. I now keep a trickle charger on the car continuously. This seems to keep the battery charge up to 98%. I have retained the original battery which holds a charge indefinitely out of the vehicle. I am aware that driving the car to recharge the battery is extremely hard on the alternator and will cause it to prematurely fail. The car was purchased in August of 2020 and currently has less than 500 miles. This is a recurrent problem.

My car shut down while stopped at a traffic light. Several dashboard lights flashed or lit up, including the battery indicator, the EyeSight indicator said it was turned off, and many others I don’t know. It felt as if the battery had died. The car was in standby mode while stopped and the air conditioning was running. The car stalled and died when I took my foot off the brake to drive. The battery has died 6 times in the past year. If the door was ajar, the hatch left open, or the engine turned off while parked in drive, the battery was dead the next day. If it’s left overnight with the emergency flashers on, the battery is dead the next day. This is too many for a brand new car. I’ve already bought a brand new battery after the first one died. What do I have to do to keep the battery alive? I’m a Lyft driver, and thankful this issue didn’t leave a rider and me stranded many miles from home.

BATTERY WAS DRAINED FOR NO REASON AND CAR WOULD NOT START. WHEN TRIED TO START DASH LIGHTS ETC., WENT CRAZY. GAUGE FOR TACHOMETER AND SPEED WHIPPED FROM SIDE TO SIDE, LIGHTS FLASHED ON AND OFF. THE STARTER GAVE THE CLICKING NOISE YOU HEAR WHEN BATTERY IS DEAD. CALLED AAA TO JUMP AND THEY COULD NOT GET IT TO START. I CHARGED BATTERY OVERNIGHT AND THE ENGINE STARTED. TOOK CAR TO DEALER THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BATTERY OR CHARGING SYSTEM. THEY COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY THIS HAPPENED. I PURCHASED A BATTERY TENDER TO MAINTAIN CHARGE IN BATTERY. I ONLY HAVE 1 CAR AND IT NEEDS TO START WHEN I NEED IT. THIS HAPPENED ON DAY I NEEDED TO TAKE WIFE FOR COVID VACCINE SHOT.

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE OUR HOME DRIVEWAY ON FRIDAY, APRIL 2ND, 2021 (APPROXIMATELY 4PM LOCAL TIME), THE IGNITION BUTTON FAILED TO START THE CAR. INITIALLY, POWER WAS RUNNING TO THE DASH. I CALLED THE SUBARU EASTSIDE DEALERSHIP IN KIRKLAND, WA WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED. THEY TOLD ME TO CALL ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, WHICH I DID THE FOLLOWING MORNING. WHEN MY WIFE AND I MOVED OUR CAR SEAT AND BELONGINGS TO THE OTHER CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY, THE REAR LIFT GATE STARTED TO MALFUNCTION AND WOULD NOT OPEN (RESULTING IN A REPEATED 3 BEEP SOUND), BLOCKING ACCESS TO MY JUMPER CABLES, WHICH WERE IN THE TRUNK. EVENTUALLY, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM STOPPED RESPONDING ALL TOGETHER. WHEN ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE (SENT OUT BY SUBARU ROADSIDE) EVENTUALLY SHOWED UP THE FOLLOWING MORNING, A JUMP START BY THE TECHNICIAN STARTED THE VEHICLE.

Battery is completely drained and I was unable to commute. Vehicle picked by Subaru roadside assistance to nearest dealer (Victor Subaru)

WENT TO START CAR AFTER BEING PARKED FOR 3 HOURS. DOORS OPENED WITH FOB BUT KEYLESS IGNITION WOULD NOT START CAR AND ALL IDIOT LIGHTS CAME ON LOCKING STEERING WHEEL, BRAKES, GAS PEDAL, ETC. SUBARU SERVICE CAME AND JUMPED CAR; NOT SURE IF FOB HAD DIED; CAR ONLY 11 MONTHS OLD, UNDER 9000 MILES. TEMPERATURE IN HIGH 20'S, LOW 30'S. KEYLESS IGNITION HAD BEEN WONKY EARLIER IN WEEK AND CAR HESITATED TO GET STARTED. EYESIGHT TURNED OFF BRIEFLY ON DRIVE HOME AFTER CAR WAS STARTED BY JUMPSTART.

WIRING HARNESS, TRANSMISSION, SOY BASED - DESTROYED BY RODENTS AT 600 MILES, 9 MONTHS. VEHICLE ON HOME DRIVE, DAYLIGHT, AS OUR BASEMENT WAS REPAIRED FROM FLOOD DAMAGE. 1 WEEK ON DRIVEWAY.

POWER LIFT GATE OPEN WHILE PARKED DURING ALL-DAY SPORTING EVENT (TOTAL OF 8 HOURS). NO OTHER DOORS OPEN, NO AUXILIARY USE OF BATTERY WAS IN USE, BATTERY WAS DEAD AND I WAS LEFT STRANDED IN PARKING LOT.

BATTERY DIED 3 TIMES AND THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 5000 MILES THE VEHICLE WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY AND USUALLY DRIVEN AT LEAST EVERY OTHER DAY ALSO, IT SEEMED LIKE IT JERKED FORWARD A FEW TIMES WHEN I STARTED IT. IT HAS A PUSH BUTTON START. *TR

VEHICLE IGNITION IS OFF AND IN PARK. THE SAFETY ISSUE OCCURS WHEN THE REAR TAILGATE IS LEFT OPEN. AFTER 20 MINUTES OF LEAVING THE REAR TAILGATE OPEN, ALL THE INTERIOR LIGHTS TURN OFF CORRECTLY AS A PUBLISHED SAFETY FEATURE TO HELP PREVENT A DEAD BATTERY UPON DEPARTURE. THE USER THINKS EVERYTHING HAS SHUT OFF WHEN THE LIGHTS TURN OFF, HOWEVER, THE REAR TAILGATE ECU DOES NOT TURN OFF OR GO TO A LOW POWER STATE AFTER THE INITIAL 20 MINUTES CAUSING A HIGH DRAIN ON THE BATTERY. THE HATCH ECU CONTINUES TO DRAW IN EXCESS OF 4 AMPS WHILE THE HATCH IS LEFT OPEN, CAUSING A DEAD BATTERY IN AS LITTLE AS A FEW HOURS. THE USER CAN UNKNOWINGLY BE LEFT STRANDED WITH A DEAD BATTERY CAUSING A SAFETY ISSUE. THIS IS A SERIOUS OVERSIGHT AND ENGINEERING ERROR THAT WILL LIKELY LEAVE MANY PEOPLE UNKNOWINGLY STRANDED WITH A DEAD BATTERY.