2019 Subaru Outback Electrical System

Battery completely dead after 4 days of not driving; this is after I purchased a $210 brand new batteyr from Autozone. Looks like there is potential class action lawsuit based on the parasitic draw by the DCM unit. I need this repaired at Subaru's expense.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that after the vehicle was not started for approximately five days, the battery was completely drained. The battery was replaced two years previously because of the same issue. The vehicle remained at the residence and the battery was charged. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,000.

The car repeatedly drains the battery after being left for a short time (a day or 2). This has now happened at least four times and has destroyed multiple batteries. I have taken it to the dealer and complained multiple times. They check for software updates and sell me a new battery and then the same thing happens again. Because of this, the car is essentially unusable because I can't trust it to run. The problem seems to come and go, though that may simply be due to having a new battery for a while. There doesn't seem to be any indication before this problem occurs.

First battery --original to the car lasted about 3.5 yrs. Replacement lasted less than 2 yrs and was particularly weak in cold weather conditions. Third battery purchased in June 2024 and it was totally dead by Oct 2024 and was replaced. The Oct 2024 battery began to start slowly in Jan 2025 and today, Jan 12, 2025 failed to start. It was totally dead but was restarted with an emergency starter. I don't drive long distances often and most trips are short --3-5 miles almost every day. This seems to fit in with the electrical problems described for 2016-2020 Outbacks.

Delamination of the infotainment system. It delaminated and causes screen haunting. Which while I’m driving touches random things on the screen, which include vehicle safety settings, changing them at random. Also, it changes the radio, and disables the driver from being able to control volume which further distracts driver and puts driver at risk. A car that once had car play which allowed hands free phone calls, now puts people on hold, ends call, starts calls, and changes navigation directions, at no notice. The car was seen by the dealer, and confirmed as an issue, the dealer in turn asked for 2200 dollars to repair this problem.

Subaru settled a class action lawsuit regarding faulty battery and DMC component that drains the battery continuously. My dealer just replaced my battery and DCM under warranty (I'm assuming the warranty is a result of the lawsuit). However, this does not ultimately remedy the problem. The new DMC will continue to draw on the battery causing future reoccurring issues. Subaru needs to make good on this problem in a permanent way.

Repeated battery drain within 48 hours use of the vehicle, to the point the battery will no longer start the car. I believe this has come to be known as a parasitic battery drain, and has been traced to the Data Communications Module in these Subarus.

Battery draining fast. installed new battery last month. Car is dead and had to be towed to dealer. DCM issues. System prematurely drains battery because system is trying to connect to 3g even when car is off. There should be a recall. Not just an extended warranty that Subaru may not accept for rebuilt titled cars

Parasitic draw of the battery. (DCM) class action lawsuit.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact inspected the battery and determined that the battery needed to be charged. The contact stated that the battery needed to be recharged every three days due to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. Additionally, the contact stated the failure was persistent. The contact stated that the dealer had replaced the battery with a genuine Subaru battery three months prior to the failure. However, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,879.

Purchased 2019 Subaru outback June 2019. Have had multiple batteries replaced. Approximately every year at least the battery fails and I am left stranded. January 2021 the fuel pump was not working properly and they said that was from low drain on the battery but that when the car went to sleep, the draw was normal so they didn’t do anything. February 5, 2025 I was in for an oil change and everything was working well. March 17, 2025 battery going dead again. I got a jump and drove to the dealership. They said that they replaced the DCM and installed the new battery. It is now May 27, 2025 and my car will not start again not even with the jump. Called the dealership and they said I have to pay for a tow which is 45 miles away and I am not under Warranty any longer so I will have to pay for it. He also suggested that I call my local tow company and get them to try to jump it.

Every few days of car not being used battery is being completely drained. We replaced 3 new batteries with a span of a 1 year.

I am on my third battery for this car. It apparently has a known software issue of a parasitic battery drain that destroys the battery, leaving me stranded.

PARASITIC BATTERY DRAIN. I JUST BOUGHT THIS USED SUBARU OUTBACK IN JULY 2024. SINCE THEN, (WITHIN 8 MONTHS) THE CAR HAS HAD A DEAD BATTERY TWICE, IN 11/24 AND 2/25. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR JUMPED STARTED BY AAA SERVICES. THIS IS MORE THAN AN INCONVENIENCE NOW. IT HAS BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE IF MY CAR WON'T START IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. I HAVE TAKEN THIS TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND THEY DIAGNOSED A 6 DAY BATTERY DRAIN TIME. SEE UPLOADED INVOICE. THIS IS A KNOWN FAULT REGARDING THE DATA COMMUNICATIONS MODULE (DCM) PREVIOUS SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS ONLY REIMBURSED FOR COSTS OF BATTERY REPLACEMENTS, DIAGNOSIS UP UNTIL 2023. THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED

Parasitic battery draw - when left completely unattended for about 10 days, the battery is drained, leaving driver stranded and in need of a car jump. Has occurred twice on a new battery installed in late Nov.

The Radio has what looks like water spots under the screen, this causes the infotainment system to go crazy, no hands free and I’m afraid it won’t show the backup screen while it is like this.

Car screen is malfunctioning. Starts doing own things and can cause huge distraction to the driver. Beeping noise, blinking, calling and dialing phone numbers, raising volume. Becomes unresponsive and impossible to operate.

I feel unsafe driving my car. My car could break down in the middle of nowhere at night, or worse. 2019 Subaru Outback **2023** October 2023 - Battery drain begins; neighbor/Darrel jump-starts repeatedly. - **First battery replacement** (Advance Auto Parts). - Driver-side window switch/trunk latch malfunctions. - Subaru of Kennesaw fails to diagnose drain; advises "electronic reset." - Trickle charger purchased as temporary fix. **2024** - **[XXX]** - **DCM replaced** at Subaru of Gwinnett (confirmed drain from DCM). - Car breaks down hours post-repair; **second battery installed**. - Case opened with Kelly of Subaru of America (no resolution). - **July 2024** - Dashcam installed (later blamed by Troncalli Subaru for drain). **2025** - **[XXX]** - Car taken to Cumming Subaru for battery drain. - **Third battery installed**; dealership blames dashcam (issue predates installation). - **[XXX]** - Denise (Customer Advocate) opens Case promises update (none received). - **[XXX]** - Barb (Executive Inquiry Specialist) promises update by Feb 21 (no follow-up). - **[XXX]** - Troncalli Subaru (Stephanie) claims car is ready but provides no diagnostic details. - No communication from Subaru executives (Thomas Doll, Jeff Walters). ————————- DCM Settlement: I believe there was class action law suit, and Subaru does not honor the extended warranty. 3+ repairs, 30+ days out of service. - **Subaru’s Negligence**: Note shifting blame and lack of follow-up. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Battery not charging. Battery from 09/2024. Unable to turn vehicle over. After charging battery, it has happened again.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery was power was draining abnormally. The contact stated that the vehicle had to be jumpstarted on ten occasions and the battery was replaced. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure was due to a parasitic draining. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

Ongoing for several months. Battery will have parasitic drain that is causing me to have to jump start the car frequently. There are no warning lamps or light. I have not gone to dealer as I read on the internet it is a DCM module that costs several hundreds to fix. Apparently this is a widespread issue and this should be covered by Subaru because of defective equipment. Thank you.

The battery drained within a year. Battery functioning issues

Issue with bubbles forming on information/tech screen which then causes it to flick to different screens, and radio stations.

Battery drainage, I’ve had to replace my battery 3 times within 1 year time frame (10/13/23, 10/15/14 & 11/24/24). This is making my vehicle inoperable and unable to drive.

Infotainment unit failed. Battery died and was replaced with a larger capacity battery. Shortly after, the infotainment head unit became inoperable with ghosting of buttons. Then, the car would not hold a charge again and a bypass box for the digital communication center is being installed today under a recall. The ghosting/inoperable infotainment center remains non-functional and is apparently a separate issue? It randomly beeps and selects buttons, which is distracting. Unit has to be shut off to avoid this.