2017 Subaru Outback Electrical System

If the car engine does not run for more than 4-5 days, the battery is drained completely dead and the car needs to be jump started to get the engine to run and have the alternator recharge the battery. Ongoing issue.

Since purchasing this Subaru in 2017 there has been multiple incidents where the car battery drains overnight. Causing the car not to start due to a dead battery.

I'm the original owner, purchased May 2017, and have had to replace the battery five times. Online research indicates that the root cause is phantom draining caused by the DCM apparently searching for a no longer existent 3G signal. Subaru has not addressed the issue directly and has instead issued a technical service bulletin to AAA affiliates to advise their customers to go to dealerships for larger batteries, group 47, with higher cold cranking amps which will also require new battery trays, hold downs and an adjustment to the car's computer. My dealership in Carlsbad, CA informed me the cost might exceed $650 and would not be covered by Subaru. I strongly believe this is an issue that Subaru must address on their dime.

Repeatedly DEAD BATTERY Caused by a parasitic drain from a faulty DCM fuse, and an alternator programmed from the factory to NOT fully charge the battery.

battery drains consistently after a few days of not driving/

This has been a constant problem with this car. The battery is dead within 3 days. Has a constant battery drain. Subaru service can’t find it. Big safety problem in cold weather. Car leaves wife stranded. The problem is clearly evident on the web blogs.

The back lift gate is closed according to the dash display, but the computer detects that the lift gate is NOT closed resulting in a battery drain. The indication that I get is when I start driving I get a beeping noise. I reset the hatch by pressing the hatch button manually. It opens and closes but when you restart the car you get a hesitation as if the battery is dead. This is the 2nd time this has happened to me in the last month and the 3rd time in the past 5 months this year. April 19th I had to jump my car because the battery was dead. I took it to a mechanic and they checked the battery and they advised the battery is fine. It happened again on May 11th, where I put something in the trunk, I closed the trunk it was closed no indication that it was not. The car drove fine. I started the car and again the battery hesitation, when I started driving I received the same beeping, I had to get out the car and manually open the hatch to reset it. The computer needs to be adjusted to detect when the lift gate is actually closed. Having the lift gate not closed but no indication for the drive is a safety problem.

Battery drain kept on happening. The nth time after buying 2 batteries and getting battery recharge 2x, Subaru sent me a letter of notice of possible problems with car keeps on finding radio or gps signal thus drains the battery. Brought car to Subaru then they changed the signal unit and gave me a new battery as well.

DCM Parasitic Drain Lawsuit for 2016-2019 Subaru Battery consistently drains to where my vehicle will not start. Dealer has replaced the battery twice (2018 & 2019) I replace the battery in 2022 and will need to so it again soon. Vehicle will not start after sitting for more that 7 days. I've been stranded at night on dark roads. I just came across the link below on a Subaru Forum where others have complained about the the same issue. and this seems to be what is going on with my 2017 Subaru Outback. [XXX] ? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Cannot remove the car key when engine is off and transmission is in Park. Safety concern because I cannot leave the car with the key in the ignition.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Auto Cruise Control feature failed to function properly. The contact stated that the Auto Cruise Control feature only operated as needed 35% of the time. Additionally, the contact stated that the Lane Keep Assist message was displayed while attempting to use the Cruise Control feature. There was no warning light illuminated. The was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact stated that a software update was completed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

On multiple occasions, the battery has gone dead after car was garaged for over a week and car would not start. No lights were left on or doors left ajar. There is some hidden drain on the battery. Also, the battery is not charged sufficiently while idling such as when traffic is stopped for an accident or construction and the battery will die leaving the vehicle stranded. The battery has been replaced, same events continue to occur.

My car consistently is dead. Probably 25% of time I go to start it, it's dead. Battery tests fine, have spent thousands in repairs with Subaru to no avail. Have replaced battery a number of times. I know this is a huge problem among other owners. No warning lights. This has been ongoing since I bought the car new in 2017 until today. I do have most of my work receipts and I know the dealership has all the records.

Vehicle is equipped with a Starlink system and this system no longer functions due to the Subaru Data Communication Module (DCM) that only has a 3G connection module system, since 3G was fazed out the Starlink doesn't function. Since the DCM is always on the car try's to connect to a cell tower that doesn't exist, the car continues to try and connect and eventually runs the battery completely dead leaving the owner stranded. I had to have the battery replaced on 9/15/23. I have contacted Subaru of America by email with no response as of this date.

Car regularly has electrical issues. Have replaced battery multiple times over 5 year period. Replaced again last week and already having problems. Power window failure, electrical restarts while driving. Don't feel safe with this car. Bought new from dealer.

11/06/23: During a routine oil change at the dealer a multipoint vehicle inspection was conducted. The inspection revealed an upper oil pan leak. The repair involved removing the engine and replacing various components (gasket, O-Rings and etc.). The vehicle was well maintained and had only 43,492 miles on it. The oil leak potentially could have caused an engine compartment fire (my opinion). Subaru paid $1,500 of the repair. A vehicle with only 43,492 should not have this type of issue. There was also a transmission leak detected that was covered by extended warranty. I was unable to upload any files on your system.

The battery goes completely dead I have gone thru three battery s I only have 18000 miles on this car and it has left me on the road more than once with dead battery.... the dealer has said nothing wrong OMG....I EVEN bought a $300 battery....and subaru will not fix this known problem I see on the internet that I am not alone with this problem. I am afraid this car will go dead while I am driving and cause a safety issue DO SOMETHING PLEASE..I see there is a class action lawsuit but have not received any notices and now all the time to respond has expired ....REALLY.. PLEASE HELP..this car was not cheap it was over $34,000...and subaru just lies and goes around the problem..

failure of battery within 24 months of last replacement, average battery life for this car is 24 months. Dealer claims that there is no maintenance bulletin related to premature battery failure. have found the following Subaru mc-10117535-9999 service bulletin but have no history of dealer utilizing this to resolve problem. Cannot leave car unattended for more than 3 days without having to jump start car in order to use.

My 2017 outback having problem removing the key from the ignition when turned off and in PARK. They changed the key cylinder and this didn't resolve the issue. When I went to pick up the car after the cylinder change the technician tried to show me that the problem was resolved and the KEY WAS STUCK. $648 spent with no resolution. There is a known warranty problem with the park switch BUT they cannot replace the switch unless the technician is able to have the diagnostics connected to the car while the problem occurs. With an intermittent problem, this is very unlikely. Dealer wants me to take car home but I want the problem resolved, cannot just leave the car in ACC when unable to remove key. They will periodically check the car with car jockeys and let me know when they find problem. I have their loaner vehicle.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would not start. The contact had the vehicle jump started. The contact replaced the battery, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000.

Vehicle has a chronic battery drain issue. I have replaced batteries repeatedly. If the vehicle sits undriven for a few days the vehicle will not start due to dead battery. It is unsafe to have a vehicle you cannot rely on to start. There is no warning when this occurs. This is happening every where for the 5th generation Subaru Outbacks, Foresters and was subject to a class action lawsuit. Subaru's response is to install a new battery, charging the customer a 'discounted' price without fixing the cause of the battery drain.

The battery on numerous occasions goes dead. Some thing causes the charge to drain. This has occurred while the car is parked overnight as well as when the car is on a long drive and stops at a rest stop.

Vehicle battery needed to be charged over 27 times because it is stone dead. Was told over a year ago vehicle needed a DCM module but there were non a viable..As of 9/5/2023 this module is still unavailable vehicle has only 8,800 miles. Cannot drive vehicle anywhere and be assured it will start and get you back home.Dealership have replaced battery 3 times. This vehicle needs to be recalled.

Batteries have very short lives. 3 batteries in 18 months years. They drain while vehicle is parked and not being driven for a week.

My 2017 Subaru Outback has a parasitic battery drain. The battery dies after one day of non-use. It has to be jump started. The battery is less than two years old and is the second battery since we purchased this car in 2019. Took it to a auto repair service to be checked and the technician found a parasitic draw that continually cycles between .05 mil amps to .14 mil amps. This may be the CAN system not going into sleep mode and draining the battery. This is a potentially hazardous situation and can leave me stranded in remote or dangerous locations. Subaru is well aware of this problem and yet has not addressed this problem.