2017 Subaru Outback Electrical System

After I turn off the car the key will not come out of the ignition. Usually after I put the car in gear a few times it comes out. This seems like a common issue that gets worse over time based on my internet searches. This is a safety issue because I am stuck staying with my car in unsafe areas late at night. I think Subaru should recall the cars and repair the issue. I have not taken it to a shop yet but there seem to be many people that have and have had to replace the gear shift mechanism.

Battery - Subaru battery failed. Purchased a new aftermarket battery that failed after 5 months. No warning. Completely dead. Taking to dealership for "diagnostic" test on March 20, 2022. This is a known issue with a class action settlement. I was told I did not qualify for reimbursement of any kind. Subaru does not have any "fix" for this problem and numerous owners of these vehicles are having battery drain problems throughout the US and Canada.

I purchased my 2017 outback in 2018. Since owning the vehicle I have had to replace the battery 5 times in 5 years. It is about to be the 6th time as my battery is giving me problems already. I have been stranded twice because of the battery and both time were when I lived in a rural part of NV. I have brought this to the attention of Subaru in Henderson, NV and they said everything is fine. However, online there are a number of blogs and sites all with the same complaint and all say the same thing. Subaru does nothing.

ISSUE: Battery dies rather expectantly. Recently died in subzero temps here in Denver CO, on 1/30/2023. AAA was called, no issue with battery, rather there is a parasitic drain (0.46amps) occuring without any lights or visible signs of electrical on when the car is turned off. All signs lead to this being an issue with cars CPU draining the battery in a matter days. Becomes a major safey issue if you are stranded in cold weather as it sometimes the case here in the mountains of colorado after a day of skiing, for instance.

My 2017 Subaru Outback will not start after sitting all night I’ve had diagnostics ran on the battery and it shows 100% charge. After charging the battery it held until the next day it was drained again. It was snowing with winds 50 mph, and I had to jump my car to start it. The faun doesn’t work when the battery is dead and that causes the theft alarm to go off once the battery is charged. Now my check surroundings before backing up sensor stays on well after shifting into Drive and beeps incessantly while driving, the back up camera also stays on while in drive. Now I have to drive 2 hours to a dealer and pay $130 in diagnostics. I feel this is the same situation thousands of Subaru owners are experiencing and why they have filed a class action law suit. Subaru should be liable for my expenses to repair this known systemic issue in a product they manufacture that is not safe, it it leaves you stranded on the side of the road in the cold. Thank you

While driving, advance driver assist systems became disabled, car intermittently stopped and resumed responding to accelerator, power steering became inoperative, car eventually lost all power. Gear would not shift out of drive. Emergency brake would not engage. Fortunately, I was able to coast the car to the shoulder of the road. Had to keep foot on brake until roadside assistance arrived. Car was towed to repair shop where battery was replaced. Similar system failures occurred while my wife was driving a couple of weeks prior. She was able to coast car into a parking lot just off the road. In the past month, the dealer has replaced parts that diagnostics said created parasitic drain. The alternator has been replaced and the battery has been replaced twice in the last couple of months. Car had body work performed last week and the car will not start without being jumped. We are going to drive it to the dealer with fingers crossed that the electrical system will not shut the car down while in transit.

Battery drains completely when not driven for2 to 3 days

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The contact stated that the battery in the vehicle had been replaced three times. The contact stated that two batteries were replaced in one week and the last battery was replaced a week ago. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer however, the contact had spoken to a local dealer who suggested that the battery be replaced. The battery was replaced however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

I have had the battery replaced 4 times in less than 6 years. There seems to be something wrong with the electrical systems ability to keep a battery charged, or something draining the battery constantly.

Car has repeated failed to start due to drained battery. Battery is drained by system. This has occurred dozens of times since the car was purchased new. Date of most recent occurrence is listed below.

I have a 2017 Subaru Outback that has constant dead battery problems. I have purchased 5 batteries, the last one a month ago and today the car would not start again. Jumped it, drove it 30 min., and now it starts but don’t trust it to start tomorrow morning.

The battery consistently "dies". It doesn't matter how often I drive it. I never know when it won't start. In 5 years, I've had 2 batteries & about 6+ jump starts.

When the car is not driven the car battery is drained completely and requires replacement. I have replaced the car battery three (3) times in less than one year. Alternator is functioning properly. This costs $165 each time I replace a car battery. I cannot see mileage as car is dead (approx 12,000).

Battery dead and needing replaced within 2 months

The Vehicle's electrical system is actively draining the battery of power. This is a known problem by Subaru.

Battery has been replaced 3 times in two years.

2 June 2022 Incident started with tail gate issues (would not respond when the button was pressed, beeped straight about 3-5 minutes). Took car to the dealership, they did the parasitic drain test, and found that the battery no longer held a charge. Replaced the battery and then tested for a draw. Found that there was draw from the DCM (data communication module). That is scheduled to be replaced as is the back up battery. Of note, the car was purchased new in July of 2017, and returned to dealer with a dead battery 27 February 2019 (7556 miles on the odometer) at which point the battery replaced. The car was taken to the dealership again for battery issues 4 January 2020 (they charged the battery) and 27 March 2020 (battery tested fine, and they jump started the car). All work on the car has been done by either Briggs Subaru in Topeka Kansa, or Gallatin Subaru in Bozeman Montana.

We purchased a new battery on 12/21/21. During the latter part of February thru March 9, 2022 we have kept the car in our garage and twice during this time frame the battery was completely dead. Requiring us to put battery charger on battery, charging for period of time in order to start car. We have had battery tested at service center where battery was purchased and they say there is nothing wrong with the battery and have refused to replace it. We have seen where other Subaru Outback owners have experienced similar problems. There must be some type of electrical issue with these vehicles that causes a drain on the batteries. This appears to be a problem that should be investigated on these vehicles. We should not be stranded knowing car has a brand new battery!

Battery is not holding a charge, causing electrical issues (windows not working properly, locks not functioning) and for the vehicle to fail to start. The battery is brand new and this is still an issue. 45,000 miles on the vehicle, there were no warning lights indicating a bad battery. This has not been confirmed yet by a dealership/mechanic/insurance.

The battery constantly drains completely when the car is not used for several days. We have been replacing or recharging the battery several times.

I bought the car new. 2 years later the battery died. I had to replace the battery again this summer. That’s 2 batteries in less than 5 years. I just received the notification about the electrical problem Subaru knew about since 2017.

Battery discharged on multiple occasions, necessitating jump starts and eventual battery replacement.

Battery died prematurely. Also, there was a lot of corrosion on the battery that might have started a fire had the battery not died before further danger had happened.

I have had to buy 2 batteries since I bought the vehicle!! I have 60038 miles on it- One within 6 months of purchase Subaru Tyler Tx and the second roughly one year ago Patriot Subara Saco,Maine I’ve had to get jumped by AAA at least 3 times in past 2 years No one can give me a definitive answer to why my batteries don’t last…

The battery keeps draining. This is our second battery replacement. Had to jump start the car few times.