What 11 owners told NHTSA about the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker

6 week old car had battery die in a remote location without cell service.

NHTSA ODI 11750499

On 3 occasions my 12v battery has been completely drained by a defect in the DCM/software that causes it to ping for hours at a time. I was able to jump start the car, but this issue may leave drivers who don’t carry a jump pack stranded. The depleted battery state may also affect electrical systems even when the car is started

NHTSA ODI 11750530

12 volt battery dead after 45 hours of the car sitting locked, not in use. Subaru roadside service called and dispatched to jump start the vehicle

NHTSA ODI 11750555

I purchased my vehicle brand new on June 6, 2026, with only 13 miles on the odometer. After driving home (about 44 miles) and another 10 miles the following day, the vehicle sat for just two days. When I tried to start it, the 12-volt battery was completely dead. The dashboard displayed a Parking Brake Malfunction message, multiple warning lights flashed, and then everything went black. I contacted the dealership, and Subaru Roadside Assistance responded. The driver recommended jump-starting the vehicle instead of towing it because it couldn't be shifted into neutral with a dead 12-volt battery and would need to be dragged. After the jump, he noted the high-voltage battery still had about 70% charge and suggested driving the vehicle to recharge the 12-volt battery. The dealership tested the battery and told me everything checked out fine. About a week later, after moving the vehicle the night before, it was completely dead again the next morning. My brother-in-law jump-started it so I could make my scheduled Subaru Love appointment. Once again, the dealership tested the battery and said everything was normal. Just a few days later, after sitting for only one day, the vehicle was dead for a third time. I've since found numerous reports from other owners experiencing the exact same issue. The recommendation to use a trickle charger is not an acceptable solution for a brand-new vehicle. I've never had to keep a daily-driven vehicle on a battery maintainer just so it would start after sitting for one or two days. I also can't carry a trickle charger with me or plug it in if I'm traveling. I'm asking that the root cause be identified and repaired rather than masking the problem with a battery maintainer. A brand-new vehicle should not repeatedly leave its owner stranded after sitting for only one or two days.

NHTSA ODI 11749458

The 12v Lead Acid Battery is draining prematurely solely due to the first party Subaru Connected services application. My vehicle does not have any 3rd party applications, and yet every night there is a sawtooth drain occurring on the battery bringing it from 12.4v down to 11.7v. The vehicle is pinging/uploading or transmitting data at an excessive rate every night - [XXX] It is further evidenced by the driver monitor alert activating multiple times in the middle of the night. With this rate of drain, the 12v battery would die within 48-72 hours without being recharged by the traction battery when the vehicle is operating. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11748410

The day before that all these issues started popping up my battery was completely dead, and I had to jumpstart the 12 V battery the next day while I was driving down the highway I started getting all these error messages and also the video from the Ford camera started glitching with my navigation.

NHTSA ODI 11748377

Hi. Simply went out to start my 2 week old Trailseeker and the battery was dead. This is a major safety concern to me. What if the battery randomly dies while I am driving or what if I am in an area that I want/need to leave but my car won’t start.We are high fire danger here in [XXX] . I am a single older woman and this really concerns me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11748380

I purchased this vehicle in April 2026. Using it vehicle normally results in the 12V battery becoming discharged leaving the car unable to start with me stranded. This has happened 3 times. Jump starts are successful and keeping the car active partially recharges the 12V battery. A dealer has replaced the 12V battery under warranty, but this has not fixed the problem. I'm now taking steps to keep my 12V battery charged by using a trickle charger most nights. This should not be needed with a new vehicle!

NHTSA ODI 11748298

Car bought new April 2026. At 1700 miles the 12v battery drained completely overnight after having been driven not 8 hours earlier. Car parked in garage, windows down and car left unlocked. Car was charged to 95% and did NOT have the charging cable on. Woke up to drive it and it wouldn’t start. Totally dead. Had to have it towed. Jumping the car did by tow truck did start the car to allow me to get windows up and car in neitral

NHTSA ODI 11746487

2026 Subaru Trailseeker, purchased new May 19, 2026. The 12V auxiliary battery failed completely after 3 days parked on June 17, 2026. Traction battery was at 65% charge at time of failure. All vehicle systems were unresponsive. Couldn't open doors, do anything. When the 12V drains fully on this platform, the wheels lock and the vehicle cannot be moved by a standard tow truck, creating a stranding risk in any location where jump-starting is not possible. Since the incident, I have installed a Bluetooth battery monitor. Data collected June 22, 2026 shows consistent parasitic drain throughout the day, with voltage declining from ~12.2V at rest and recovering only briefly when the DC-DC converter cycles (~14V spikes). The battery does not hold charge between cycles. No warning lamps appeared before or during the failure. This issue is documented across the shared Toyota/Subaru EV platform. The 2023-2025 Solterra and bZ4X are currently subject to class action litigation (Wade v. Toyota Motor North America, E.D. Cal., filed June 2025) alleging defective 12V charging systems. Warranty battery replacements do not resolve the problem because the parasitic drain continues. In October 2025, Subaru issued a service bulletin on parasitic drain testing, confirming the issue is systemic. Multiple 2026 Trailseeker owners report the same failure within weeks of purchase on trailseekerforum.com. Dealer inspection has not yet occurred. Battery and monitoring data are available for inspection. Requesting investigation into whether a safety defect exists in the 2026 Trailseeker 12V battery management system

NHTSA ODI 11745797

Vehicle has an excessive headlight unit shaking which causes light beam to oscillate at night time while driving, very distracting and dangerous for upcoming traffic.

NHTSA ODI 11743953