2018 Subaru Outback Electrical System

Battery intermittently drains and goes completely dead. At times I have heard what sounds to be an electric motor running at night when the car is off in the garage without the key in the ignition. The dealer has changed the battery but that did not fix the problem.

Battery intermittently goes dead without warning. When the car is off at times one can hear what sounds like an electric motor running. One time the tail gate was found up and the battery was dead. No one can remember leaving the gate up.

BATTERY DISCHARGES AFTER CAR SITS FOR A FEW DAYS OR AFTER SHORT TRIPS. THE PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED EVEN THOUGH I REPLACED THE BATTERY. HIGHLY ANNOYING. HAVE PURCHASED A PORTABLE JUMP STARTER SO I DON'T GET STRANDED. I HAVE USED THE JUMP STARTER TO START THE CAR AT HOME AND WHILE AWAY FROM HOME.

THE BATTERY KEEPS DRAINING WHEN NOT USED AND THEN THE CAR REFUSES TO START AND I NEED TO GET JUMP START. THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS IF THE CAR NEEDS TO BE MOVED URGENTLY

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN TWO WEEKS THAT OUR VEHICLE HAS FAILED TO START. A WEEK AGO IT LEFT US STRANDED AT A WALMART, AND TODAY IN OUR DRIVEWAY...THERE ISN'T ANY ELECTRICAL DEVICE IN THE CAR THAT WILL ENERGIZE. THE CAR WON'T EVEN RESPOND TO THE VEHICLE KEY FOB. WE CAN'T FIND ANY RECALLS ON OUR VEHICLE...BUT WE NOTICE YOU HAVE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS (401) WITH MANY BEING ELECTRICAL ISSUES ' FAILURES. THIS VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY DURING BOTH OF THE DESCRIBED ISSUES. I THINK THIS TIME TOTAL BATTERY FAILURE HAS OCCURRED. PLEASE NOTE THERE WEREN'T ANY INDICATORS WARNINGS THAT THE BATTERY WAS GOING TO FAIL. THIS VEHICLE IS LESS THAN THREE YEARS OLD, WITH JUST UNDER 18,000 MILES NEVER DRIVEN ANYWHERE IN SNOW AREAS WHILE DEICERS WERE IN USE. WILL BE CONTACTING SUBARU THIS AM FOR ASSISTANCE

THE BATTERY HAS DIED RANDOMLY OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS. WE FINALLY REPLACED IT AFTER BEING FED UP WITH BEING STRANDED IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. MOST RECENTLY, IT DIED TWICE WITHIN A WEEK. BOTH TIMES I DROVE TO WORK, PARKED AND 2 HOURS LATER, THE CAR HAD TO BE JUMPED TO START. I TOOK THE CAR TO SUBARU AND THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME $250 TO INSERT THE SAME BATTERY.

BATTERY IS COMPLETELY DRAINING WITHOUT CAUSE AND REQUIRES JUMP START. CAR BATTERY DRAINS AFTER NOT DRIVING FOR A LITTLE AS 3 DAYS. VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN A GARAGE AND ON THE STREET. SUBARU MAINTENANCE VERIFIED THAT NO LIGHTS WERE LEFT ON. STATES BATTERY IS GOOD AND I JUST HAVE TO START AND DRIVE EVERYDAY. *TR

BATTERY DOES NOT CHARGE AND REQUIRES REPLACEMENT EVERY 200-300 MILES.

PHANTOM LIFTGATE OPENING. THE LIFTGATE OPENS BY ITSELF WITH THE VEHICLE LOCKED, DRAINING THE BATTERY, AND DOES NOT SOUND AN ALARM. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES, AT RANDOM TIMES OF THE DAY, WITH THE VEHICLE PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY. SUBARU HAS REPLACED THE BATTERY BUT IT HAS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. SO FAR, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY OPPORTUNISTIC THEFTS FROM BUT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT SINCE LOCKING THE VEHICLE SEEMS UNRELIABLE.

THE BATTERY IN MY 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK HAS DIED 3 TIMES IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. THE FIRST TIME I WAS PARKED CLOSE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND AFTER JUMPING AND TESTING THE BATTERY HE DEEMED IT DEAD AND REPLACED IT. 2 MONTHS LATER, WHILE PARKED AND IDLING AS I WAITED FOR MY HUSBAND AT AN APPOINTMENT, THE CAR SHUT DOWN AND WENT DEAD. IT WOULD NOT RESTART, BUT AFTER I WAITED A FEW MINUTES IT RESTARTED. A MONTH AGO AS I WAS DRIVING ABOUT AN HOUR FROM HOME, ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT ON AND THE SAFETY (EYESIGHT) SYSTEM DISABLED. I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY AND ALSO TOLD THEM ABOUT THE DEAD BATTERY AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FOR A DRAIN. THIS MORNING (EXACTLY ONE MONTH SINCE DEALER SERVICE) THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AGAIN. AFTER JUMPING IT AND STARTING THE CAR I DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR LIFTGATE WILL NOT WORK. I HAVE TRIED FROM INSIDE THE CAR, OUTSIDE USING THE BUTTON ON THE LIFTGATE AND REMOTELY WITH THE KEY FOB, NOTHING. AFTER A A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH I SEE THAT THIS BATTERY DRAIN IS A COMMON COMPLAINT WITH THIS MODEL/YEAR AND THAT SUBARU JUST REPLACES THE BATTERY RATHER THAN ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER MY CAR WILL START EVERY TIME I GET IN IT.

2018 SUBARU OUTBACK, ONLY 10,500 MILES, BATTERY KEEPS DRAINING, AND FINALLY WOULD NOT CRANK THE ENGINE. THIS HAPPENED 10-24-2020 (SAT.) DEALER WHITE BEAR SUBARU WOULD NOT ANSWER HIS PHONE IN SERVICE DEPARTMENT. CALLED SUBARU ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, THEY WOULD NOT TOW TO A SUBARU DEALER, ONLY A NEARBY INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY. I REJECTED THAT, AND SINCE IT WAS THE WEEKEND, I HAD TO PURCHASE A NAPA AFTERMARKET BATTERY, EVEN THOUGH SUBARU WARRANTY WAS STILL IN EFFECT. COST ME OVER $160,00.

CAR LIGHTS CAME ON AFTER SITTING NOT RUNNING. WENT TO START THE CAR, BUT NOT ENOUGH POWER TO START IT. BATTERY LIGHT WAS ON. THE NEXT DAY, THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. I HAD TO JUMP START IT SO I COULD GO BUY A NEW BATTERY.

BATTERY DIED MANY TIMES. CAR IS JUST UNDER 3 YEARS OLD, WITH 18,000 MILES STILL UNDER WARRANTY. DEALER SAID THE CAR MUST BE LEFT THAT THEY NEEDED TO TEST. THE CCA RATING IS 300 SOMETHING. A FRIEND IN COLORADO HAS A 2019 FORESTER WITH A CCA OF 620! VERY SIMILAR ENGINE, BOTH MODELS ARE TOURING. COULD IT BE THAT VEHICLES IN LESS COLDER AREAS ARE FITTED WITH INADEQUATE BATTERY CCA SO SUBARU CAN SAVE A FEW DOLLARS? ALSO THE RAB LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. HOW IS THAT OK? THE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN HAS FROZEN MULTIPLE TIMES. WHEN IT DID THE VOLUME OF THE RADIO COULD NOT BE LOWERED..I WAS PARKED WHEN IT HAPPENED, (RADIO WAS LOUD) THEN STARTED DRIVING AND COULDN'T LOWER IT.. PLEASE NOTE: THESE ELECTRICAL ISSUES OCCURRED AT DIFFERENT TIMES ... I HAVE NO IDEA IF THEY'RE RELATED

VEHICLE HAS 17,000 MILES, BATTERY HAS DIED AT LEAST 6 TIMES. BATTERY HAS BEEN FOUND DRAINED IN THE AM AFTER BEING PARKED IN GARAGE. DEALER REPLACED BATTERY AT 16,000 MILES. BATTERY PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. SUBARU TRIES TO EXPLAIN PROBLEM BY STATING INTERIOR LIGHTS ARE LEFT ON OR KEY WAS LEFT TO CLOSE TO CAR. TESTS SHOW THERE WAS NO PARASITIC DRAIN ON BATTERY. SUBARU DOES NOT WANT TO FIX OR ADMIT THE PROBLEM.

ONE DAY IN APRIL, THE BATTERY WAS SPONTANEOUSLY COMPLETELY DEAD. AT THE TIME IT SEEMED THAT LEAF DEBRIS SHORTED THE CIRCUIT OF THE BATTERY CAUSING CONNECTIONS TO CORRODE AND THE BATTERY TO BE DESTROYED. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE BATTERY BECAUSE IT WAS WITHIN WARRANTY. THE NEW BATTERY NOW IS HAVING ISSUES WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF INSTALLMENT. WITHIN A 4 DAY PERIOD THE BATTERY HAS BEEN DRAINED 2X INEXPLICABLY (9/23/20 AND 9/26/20). THE FIRST TIME IT COULD BE JUMPED TO ALLOW VEHICLE USE, BUT THE SECOND TIME IT COULD NOT. THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP ADVISED IT IS LIKELY A BAD CELL IN THE BATTERY AND WANTS TO REPLACE THE BATTERY.

WHEN THE POWER TAILGATE IS LEFT OPENED FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD, THE BATTERY DRAINS. THE SHORTEST HOURS LEFT OPENED WAS 4 HOURS. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THE BATTERY WAS TESTED TO BE NORMAL (RATED 550 CCA, MEASURED 504 CA, VOLTAGE 12.74V, TEMPERATURE 90F). THE INSTRUCTION PROVIDED BY THE DEALERSHIP WAS TO RUN THE CAR EVERY DAY TO KEEP CHARGING THE BATTERY. THE CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH THE MEMORY HEIGHT TO KEEP THE HATCH OPEN, AND THAT FEATURE IS USELESS WHEN THE BATTERY KEEPS DRAINING.

BATTERY IN MY 2018 OUTBACK CONTINUES TO BE DEAD WHEN I GO TO START IT AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT. JUST TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY CALLED AND SAID THEY DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THEY ARE KEEPING IT OVERNIGHT TO SEE IF IT IS DEAD IN THE MORNING. IN THE PAST WEEK I HAVE HAD TO JUMP START THE CAR 5 TIMES BECAUSE IT WAS DEAD. JUST CALLED SUBARU AND FILED A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THIS IS MY 4TH SUBARU AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM LIKE THIS.

THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OF THE CAR DRAINS THE BATTERY AFTER A FEW DAYS OF NOT USING THE CAR. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN JULY, 2018. THE CAR HAS A BATTERY PROBLEM FROM THE BEGINNING. FIRST TIME WHEN THE BATTERY DIED I CHARGED IT MYSELF AND I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY COULDT FIND ANY ISSUE. SINCE THAT TIME THE CAR'S BATTERY DRAINED COMPLETELY SIX TIMES PREVENTING THE CAR FROM STARTING. IF THE BATTERY WAS NOT CONNECTED TO A BATTERY TENDER IT WENT COMPLETELY DEAD AFTER A FEW DAYS. LAST TIME WHEN THE BATTERY DRAINED IT COULDN'T BE CHARGED WITH A CHARGER AND ALSO THE CAR COULDN'T BE JUMPED. AFTER INVESTING IN A NEW BATTERY AND INSTALLING IT ON THE CAR THE BATTERY DRAINED AGAIN COMPLETELY AFTER A FEW DAYS WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE AND NOT USED.

THE TOUCH SCREEN ON MY RADIO/HEAD UNIT INTERMITTENTLY FREEZES. WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP SERVICE IT IS LIKELY DUE TO BLUETOOTH, AND TETHERING INTERFERENCE BECAUSE THEY BOTH TRY TO CONNECT. DEALER RESET THE RADIO, AND I HAVE NOT CONNECTED THE BLUETOOTH AT ALL AFTER THE RESET. YET AGAIN SAME PROBLEM. THIS HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE DUE TO THE RECALL AND CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. IT STILL HAS ISSUES. THERE ISN'T ANY REAL TIME FRAME WHEN IT DOES THIS JUST RANDOMLY TURNS NON-RESPONSIVE ON THE MAIN TOUCH SCREEN. THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED, AND HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER 2 OR 3 TIMES NOW.

PARASITIC BATTERY DRAIN - PREMATURE BATTERY FAILURE RENDERING VEHICLE INOPERABLE. VEHICLE CAN NOT SIT OR IDLE FOR LESS THAN DAY WITHOUT BATTERY FULLY DISCHARGING, REQUIRING JUMP START OR ROADSIDE ASSIST. BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE IN LESS THAN 3 YEARS AND LESS THAN 10K MILES ON 2018 VEHICLE PURCHASED NEW (THROUGH DEALER-- UNDER WARRANTY) . BATTERY REPLACEMENT HAS NOT CURED DEFECT, AND VEHICLE CONTINUES TO FAIL. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN IN ACCIDENT, AND IS USED CUSTOMARILY. *TR

BATTERY DOESN'T HOLD CHARGED WHEN PARKED OVER NIGHT. CAN'T START THE ENGINE AFTER A FEW HOUR DRIVE AND PARK OVER NIGHT. NOW I HAVE TO LET THE CAR ENGINE RUNNING FOR A FEW HOUR EVERYDAY TO KEEP THE BATTERY CHARGED UP ENOUGH TO START THE ENGINE. HAS TO JUMP THE CAR MANY TIMES ALREADY. GONNA CALL THE DEALER AND ASK WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS TOMORROW.

DEAD BATTERY OVERNIGHT AND LIFTGATE RANDOM OPENING WHEN VEHICLE IS PARKED IN THE GARAGE.

MY SUBARU OUTBACK 2018 TO DATE IS ON ITS THIRD BATTERY, THIRD BATTERY REPLACED 8-7-2020 IS DEAD TODAY (8-13-2020). VEHICLE PARKED IN DRIVEWAY.

THE CAR HAS 19065 MILES AND WILL NOT START BECAUSE THE BATTERY IS DEAD. THE CAR WILL START WHEN JUMP STARTED FOLLOWING THE MANUAL PROCEDURES. HOWEVER THE BATTERY IMMEDIATELY DISCHARGES WHEN ENGINE IS TURNED OFF. WHEN THE BATTERY IS DISCONNECTED FROM THE CAR THE VOLTAGE IS 12.65 BUT WHEN THE BATTERY IS RECONNECTED TO THE CAR THE VOLTAGE DROPS TO 5.75 INDICATING THERE IS A LOAD ON THE BATTERY WHEN THE CAR IS IN THE OFF MODE. WHEN RUNNING OR DRIVING THE BATTERY WARNING LITE IS NOT DISPLAYED. *TR

SECOND OCCURRENCE OF THE PROBLEM IN LESS THAN A WEEK. REPLACED ORIGINAL BATTERY ON 7/24/2020 (SEE COMPLAINT NUMBER 11341827). BATTERY DRAINS FOR NO REASON, LEAVING BATTERY DEAD AND CAR INOPERABLE. CAR WAS STATIONARY ON DRIVEWAY. COULD NOT START IT, SO CHECKED BATTERY WHICH WAS DEAD 0 VOLTS.