2019 Subaru Forester

12/6 - 3:30pm. My dashboard warning lights all came on as I turned right into my driveway, the car stalled so I turned it off. Next day 12/7 - 9:00 am all the warning lights came on when I turned the key. I called Subaru and described all the lights and was told it was safe to drive. I made an appointment for the next morning. At 12:00pm the Lights on dash went out and stayed off, but then they all came back on again at 4:05 pm. A minute later I took a right turn onto a side street and the car stopped suddenly and stalled in the middle of the road. I tried to start it back up 3 times. The Engine would turn on and then shut down again. After 2 hours we turned the car on and drove it 2 car lengths off to the side of the road and kept it idling to get warm, but it overheated after a while and we had to shut it off. We stayed there until 8:30pm (3.5 hours later) waiting for Subaru Roadside Assistance, but ended up walking home because they never came. Apparently they arrived sometime after 11:00pm and towed the car to Subaru dealer.

On at least 4 or five occasions my car has been dead in the garage of my home. So far I have been lucky and it has not gone dead while I was out. After the first three dead issues, I had the AAA come and they replaced the battery. I brought it to Subaru then and was told a light was left on. This was a lie. I wrote a letter to Subaru regarding the dead battery and associated costs and they refunded my expenditures. Using the vehicle with the new battery was ok for awhile but now this issue is starting again. Looking online at various pieces of information I discovered that I am not the only one with this issue. There is currently a class action lawsuit in New Jersey although I am not sure if it includes Foresters. This site explains about the CAN system in the affected vehicles and in laymen's terms says that after the car is turned off it is supposed to go to sleep but it is not. It is draining the battery continually. Of course Subaru is fighting this. It will cost them money to recall all these vehicles. But how safe are you when you are out, perhaps in a remote area, and your car is dead? One woman stated that in her vehicle she was stranded overnight. This is NOT safe. Subaru service is telling me I don't drive the car enough. Who are they to tell me when and how much to drive?

For the third time my battery has died. After the second time I had them replace the battery. And now it has died again. In the past week (this being Friday) I had driven almost 400 miles, the previous Friday 70 miles, Saturday slightly over 300 miles, and Tuesday 20 miles. It had not been driven for the past two days. The lights were NOT left on. I have purchased a battery charger, and this time started the car myself, but it should not happen.

Repeated SUDDEN BATTERY DRAIN when car sits overnight, car is disabled. Note that Key FOB is kept away from the car when not in use, no accessories are left on (i.e. lights, door ajar, etc.) and car is only sitting for one night. There were no warning lights or messages or other symptoms prior. No indication as to cause each time after car battery is jumped by road service. Incidents began on March 11, 2019 (car was purchased Nov. 15, 2018); repeatedly occurs approx. every 4-6 weeks without any noticeable time elapse patterns. Began recording occurances regularly since August of 2020 (more incidents prior), total of 21 times to date; and 12 times in 2021 alone. Problem was reported frequently (and once towed) to Hodges Subaru (Ferndale, MI) dealer service dept. Battery & electrical systems were inspected by them several times since 2020. Dealer service claimed there were no problems with electrical system at each check, however Battery was replaced 2 times: 10/20/20 (as a "courtesy") and 5/24/21 (claimed defective battery). The same sudden battery drain continued to occur 9 times after it was first replaced; and an additional 4 times to date since the latest replacement on 5/24/21. Latest incident on Aug. 1, 2021.

Was at the cemetery unloading mulch bags for family gravesite, with rear gate up, for about 30 - 40 minutes total late May 2021. Battery was dead. Had to have someone come and jump start. No problems after that. Had a previous time before that in the cemetery the previous year (2020) where rear gate was up and battery was slow to turn over after 20 minutes.

Dome light left on overnight. Battery was completely drained, not even the doors would unlock. Called a jumpstart service, they could not jumpstart it without getting thicker jumper cables. Store-bought cheap jumper cables would not work. Second jumpstart service worked, I left it running for 1hr before cutting engine and parking for the night. The next morning, battery was dead again. Called tow, took it to dealership, they replaced the battery. One month later, dome light was left on again, battery was completely dead again. Once again, store-bought jumper cables would not work. Jumpstart service came with thicker cables and got it started again. Dome light has not been left on since then.

Battery hesitated when starting engine within 7-9 months of ownership. Spoke to mechanics and service staff several times then and later and was told I need to drive it every 2-3 days to keep battery charged. By 18 months of ownership it was completely dying by fourth day of not driving so I took it into service. After 9 days in service and then service not waiting my advised 4 days to cold start it, they said it’s fine and drive more or get a battery tender. (And that the battery compartment will not accommodate a larger, more powerful replacement battery!). So I purchased a battery tender and keep it attached at all times, just in case. And, I had to purchase a portable charger to keep in my car because an outlet isn’t always available and I could get stranded somewhere. I bought this car upon retirement as my forever car but I do not feel safe or comfortable owning it. I shouldn’t be forced to drive my car every 2-3 days. And should I really be going through all this when purchasing a new car?