What 891 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Subaru Outback Wilderness

Battery/car died on new 2020 outback. Less than 35,000. Dealership cannot diagnose the problem. It has happened 4 times. 3 before. 1 after the dealership tried to diagnose.

NHTSA ODI 11441203

11/10/21 first incident: vehicle stalled in middle of dangerous busy road intersection: would not start. After about 15-20 min, it restarted. Drove to Dealer who reported: "battery low, taking too many short trips running down the battery. Many codes found. all referring to low battery". 11/16/21 second incident in remote beach parking lot. After a 30-45 min walk, vehicle would not start. solenoids clicked, engine turned over a few times, but would not start. 15-20 min later, was able to start. Drove to dealer and left vehicle. Tech wondered if problem was maybe not the battery, possible loose wire, but none found immediately. Left car with them. 11/17/21: Dealer called: "bad fuel pump overheating and stopping. once cooled down would run again." Ordered a new part will be here in 2 days. I am not sure of their explanation since the car had a long time in the cold for fuel pump to cool down. If they are right, then the fuel pump must be defective from manufacturer.

NHTSA ODI 11440782

In approx 2 years, the battery in my brand new 2020 Subaru Outback has died approx 8-10 times. The dealership claims it's Covid related (not driving enough); or the car has so many electrical systems that the battery is being drained as it sits in garage-the fix is me driving it more according to them.

NHTSA ODI 11440799

I have had 2 batteries replaced under warranty. Without warning, vehicle will not restart leaving myself or my wife stranded.

NHTSA ODI 11439592

Twice I The car is approaching one year old, and twice in the last 2 months the car would not start when I got in the car after it had been sitting in my garage for a number of days. I did not leave the light on or the door open. I had to call Subaru Roadside Assistance to jump start the car because the battery had died. There were no warning signs that the battery had drained. I am a 70 year old woman and it is extremely dangerous for me to be out somewhere, particularly at night, waiting for someone to arrive to give me a jump start. The dealer says the battery is O.K. after getting an appointment with them and having driven it for awhile, but obviously the battery is being drained when it is not driven for awhile.

NHTSA ODI 11438224

This is a new car and recently seemed to be having some mid software issues. However, when I went to start it this morning, it is completely dead with no battery power. It has been driven less than 12k miles and should not encounter this issues. I am aware there is a class action lawsuit related to faulty electrical systems in a range of years of this Subaru and I want to note this issue

NHTSA ODI 11436273

Issue started at 8,000 miles. Dealership blames my driving habits (about 15 miles a day for the most part, with more on the weekends) and states there are no issues with the battery. Walmart. Autozone, etc. tests indicate faulty battery. I've been stranded countelss times until I purchased a portable starter. Before a software update that allowed me to disable the auto start/off function, I got stranded a few times in the middle of the road, having to get out in moving traffic to jump the car.

NHTSA ODI 11436331

The battery on my outback keeps draining. I’ve had the car for about 2 years and we are on out third battery.

NHTSA ODI 11435887

Shortly after purchasing the car in 2019 the battery died and the car was unable to be jumpstarted. It was towed to the dealership and the battery was replaced. It happened again in 2021 and the battery was replaced again. Then, when driving the car in October 2021 the car completely died at a stop light and was unable to turn on, turn on hazard lights or even put in park for 5 minutes, where it then started again. The car is very dangerous.

NHTSA ODI 11435421

About 10 months ago, right after purchasing the vehicle, after only 12hrs of using it, the battery went completely dead and I had to call Road Side assistance and I was late for work. I thought it was just a glitch. Two months ago the same thing happened, missing another time at work. Last week after being away for month for work, upon return, the battery was yet dead again. We jumped started it and let it charge completely. Two days later, my wife was stranded in the middle of the night because the battery was dead again.

NHTSA ODI 11434473

I purchased the car new in the fall of 2020. In May, the vehicle did not start and the battery had to be jumped in order to get it running. I purchased a portable battery charger to keep in the car so that I would not be stranded again. Over the summer there were numerous times where the car would not start and I had to jump it………I became an expert. Recently, it got to the point where I was jump starting it on a daily basis! The Subaru dealership in a Norwalk, CT. replaced the battery under warranty last week. The car has about 5k miles on it. It is my understanding that multiple Subaru Outback owners have had similar battery issues that have required early replacement. Thank you!

NHTSA ODI 11434425

Lane Departure feature malfunction at higher speeds: will reactivate a few seconds after physically deactivating the control; spontaneously activates and inactivates or activates on one side only - pulls aggressively to one side or the other, even though vehicle is centered in highway. Will not stay inactivated but fluctuates on/off. It is dangerous and causes fatigue in wrestling with the steering.

NHTSA ODI 11433894

BATTERY WAS COMPLETED DEAD AFTER SITTING FOR 2 WEEKS IN MY GARAGE. THE SUBARU 24 HOUR ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE CAME AND JUMPED THE CAR, AND TOLD ME TO DRIVE IT FOR 15 MINUTES. ONCE I TURNED OFF THE CAR, DID MY ERRANDS, AND RETURNED, THE CAR WOULD NOT START AGAIN. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO MY DEALERSHIP AND SUBARU REPLACED THE ENTIRE BATTERY. THIS CAR IS ONLY 15 MONTHS OLD WITH 3200 MILES ON IT. I WAS TOLD THAT I WASN'T "DRIVING IT ENOUGH" -- BUT WITH THE PANDEMIC, WHERE WOULD I BE DRIVING? SHOULD A CAR THAT IS SO NEW EXPERIENCE THESE KINDS OF PROBLEMS ALREADY?

NHTSA ODI 11432415

VIN [XXX] there is a problem with the electrical system. The auto will not keep the battery charged sufficiently to start the car reliably. The battery has enough power to illuminate the control panel of the vehicle, but it will not start the engine. Overnight, he battery drains to a point that it will not turn the engine over. The dealer had the car for about five hours to diagnose the cause of the discharge. They found no trouble with the electrical system and said the battery and alternator functioned normally. The dealer found no adverse electrical leaks causing the battery to discharge overnight. The dealer suggested that we weren't driving the vehicle enough. They sold and installed a trickle charge device to alleviate the problem. The trickle charger has not helped. Safety concerns: we have to jump start the car EVERY day. We have to remember to disable the auto stop/start option to prevent the car from shutting the engine off during idle while waiting for a stop light to change. On numerous occasions we must exit the vehicle, attach a jump start battery pack to the car's battery and start it as traffic is whizzing by. We have been in remote areas where mobile/cell service is unavailable to call for help and only because we have the jump start battery pack are we able to start the the car. The dealer was unable to reproduce or verify the trouble. They were only able to state there was no problem found. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else. No warning of any kind is exhibited leading to the trouble. This problem is a hazard. It puts the occupants in harms way if the car shuts off in traffic. Having to start the car in bad weather is another risk. This problem has been going on since January of 2021. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11432149

The battery has drained 6 times: there are no lights on or doors open, etc. I have been stranded, alone. The car has under 8000 miles. It doesn't matter what distance I drive. The first time was the day after a 200 mike trip, daytime. Next morning, dead battery. Other times, it was a trip to the store, 15 Mike's, when I came out after an hour, battery was dead. There is no pattern, I cannot rely on this car.

NHTSA ODI 11431637

Auto is mainly garaged since purchase 1-1/2 years ago. Battery went totally dead and car became inoperable in 2020 after non-use for approx. 4 weeks, requiring lengthy re-charge. Subaru checkup showed no malfunction, according to company. This month (Aug, 2021) battery again went totally dead, this time after non-use for approx. just 2-3 weeks, again requiring lengthy re-charge. This renders auto unusable for any form of travel when car must sit unused, perhaps in a garage or parking area, without possibility to periodically run car to maintain battery charge.

NHTSA ODI 11431153

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery failed. The contact stated that after the vehicle was driven for over one hour, the contact parked the vehicle turned the engine off. When the contact attempted to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start-up due to the battery failure. The contact stated that the battery failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 15,700.

NHTSA ODI 11430111

The Outback had a complete loss of power, cause still not identified. In the process of attempting to get to my portable power unit I discovered a significant safety concern that could result in the death of any rear seat passengers.If there is no electrical power there is NO MEANS OF UNLOCKING THE REAR PASSENGER DOORS. The mechanical door handles do NOT work. I checked the child safety locks and they were not engaged. In the event of an accident/ front end collision that damaged the battery the occupants of the rear seats are trapped. If they needed to vacate the car for any reason they could not. Parents can not get to their children. Please investigate and make Subaru modify the back doos so the mechanical handle will operate when there is nor electrical power.

NHTSA ODI 11429369

The car only has 7500 miles on it, the battery has gone dead 3x, with the third time not possible to jump start. I had to have it towed to Subaru dealer, they replaced battery with another Subaru battery. From what I have read this one will likely go dead also.there has to be a better solution.

NHTSA ODI 11428123

I bought my Subaru Outback in July 2020, it’s barely one year but I already had two major problems happened to the vehicle. 1. The transmission was broken, it’s confirmed by the dealership and they were able to replace the whole transmission system for me. But this concerns me a lot, from safety perspective, if I wasn’t able to identify the issue in early stage it could cause malfunction while I’m driving and I always have my daughters in my car. 2. It’s a barely one year car but my battery drained twice. I have to call road side assistant to jump start. I always make sure to shut all my lights and I don’t understand why this keep happening. There was one night I have to drive to the grocery store and my battery died within that 20 minutes while I’m in the store. I was waiting for road side assistant for 45 minutes while it’s getting dark and my kids are home by themselves.

NHTSA ODI 11425767

My 2020 Subaru Outback has had to be towed to service a battery that failed to start the car even after is was jumped by AAA and driven for 20 miles. Subaru assured me that the battery was simply not properly charged and the car was returned. Then a couple of months later I left my car unproven in my driveway while I was out of town for 2 weeks and my car would not start. I again had it towed to my Subaru dealership where Subaru ran the same test and told me that they replaced a bad battery. They also told me that when they jump started the car in their shop they discovered that the interior dome light had been left on while I was out of town. The later is inconsistent with my experience as I loaded my Subaru Forester sitting right beside my Outback in the dark before leaving town. Had the dome light been left on, I would have noticed the light as I packed my car. In addition their test of this battery later showed this battery to need to be replaced. My safety concern is I cannot trust this car to start. Had I driven my 2020 Outback to the airport for a 14 day trip rather than my 2020 Forester, I would have found myself on the 4th level of the terminal parking lot with a dead battery upon my return. This is the second time that I have had to have this car towed to the Subaru dealership to have the battery serviced under warranty. I cannot simply purchase and install a 3rd party battery under warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11425059

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the contact heard a minor ding on the windshield. The ding was a small pebble that hit the windshield which caused a crack to form from the driver’s side to the passenger’s side of the windshield. The crack obstructed his vision while driving. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the windshield was replaced out of pocket. Eight months later, the same failure occurred again while driving, at the exact spot on the replacement windshield. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and denied knowing any information about failures with windshields in similar vehicles. The contact also stated that several electrical failures had occurred in the vehicle such as the infotainment screen and eyesight system not operating as designed. The contact made an appointment with the same dealer however, the vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

NHTSA ODI 11424936

With in the first few months of ownership it would not start. I used roadside assistance to get a jump. A couple of moths later same thing. Same driver from road side assistance jump started me and stated, " all I have been doing lately is jumping Subarus". It soon died again, the dealership tested battery and found it defective and had to wait for a new "stronger" battery. 4 days later I get it back. It was still under warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11424671

2020 & 2021 model Subaru Outbacks, as well as Accents come with a battery that apparently are unable to power the vast electrical components contained within the car made by Subaru. Subaru service states the auto has to be continually driven, not just running, for the battery to recharge. They do not give a straight answer and place the issue on the vehicle owner usage habits.

NHTSA ODI 11424196

My battery has died multiple times this summer, most often when the rear liftgate is open. I have 17,000 miles on this car and would expect the battery to last longer.

NHTSA ODI 11424242