Subaru Forester electrical problems

On Friday, December 15, 2023 I started my car, Subaru Forester Touring 2019. After starting these lights came on the dashboard: check engine, flashing S drive, no eyesight, RAB off. I was reading online that there have been complaints to NHTSA similar to my problem ( NHTSA ID # 11490232, 12479843, 11511658, 11490977, 11479843, 11499756, 11480952, 11491752, 11474804) to name a few reports.This has never happenedbefore. The mileage on my car is about 54,400 miles at time of incident. It seems to me that there is a pattern here that needs to be resolved and the owners informed so they can get if fixed before it happens and causes safety problems for Subaru Forester owners. I am kindly asking your office to seriously look into this specific problem and help us, the consumers, to inform Subaru to fix these issues. I thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

My vehicle has repeatedly required being jump-started after sitting for a period of time. Recently it has become a safety issue because the engine is designed to turn off at times in order to traffic to improve fuel efficiency. After research, Subaru has a known issue with the DCM system used to power the optional (subscription based) Starlink system. This system uses 3G signals to provide emergency assistance; however 3G signal has been decommissioned and the system is unable to connect to a tower and never stops trying. This creates a parasitic drain on the battery that can (and has) prevents the car from being able to restart from a stopped position.

Vehicle continuously suffers a total loss of power (engine shuts off) while driving, creating obvious hazard to the user of the car and other drivers. This continues to happen without warning and often while driving through intersections and other dangerous situations. No warning lights precede these events. We brought the vehicle to the Subaru dealership and, after testing/diagnosing the problem, they informed us the vehicle needs a larger battery (which also requires installation of a larger battery tray) than the one that came equipped with the vehicle from the manufacturer. No aftermarket modifications have been made to the battery or electrical systems and the current battery is the size and type recommended by Subaru in the owner’s manual; the dealership, however, advises that that battery is insufficient and needs to be changed for a larger-sized battery.

Concerned driver stopped me and said I had no brake lights , only the lights atop the hatch showed breaking. After returning home I checked all settings on light controls and none made lower break lights work when pedal depressed. This could cause someone not watching top of vehicle crash into my vehicle. If light on top malfunctions I will not have any brake lights. Running lights work fine but do nothing when breaking. At first though it had to do with setting on light controls. I think I’ve been told I had no tail lights only front running lights and had to turn control at dusk to have taillights of any kind.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the battery had drained and was replaced by an independent mechanic. A few months later, the vehicle received an oil change by a dealer. After leaving the dealer, the vehicle failed to startup while in a parking lot. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove back to the dealer. The contact was informed that the battery was defective, and the battery was replaced a second time. The old battery was taken back to the independent mechanic and tested. The contact was informed that there was nothing wrong with the battery. Several months later the battery failed. Upon investigation, the contact linked the battery failure to the STARLINK technology feature that came equipped with the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the DCM (Digital Control Module) needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 108,000.

On November 30th around 5:30 PM on [XXX] my wife struck and killed a 6 point buck. Thankfully a SC Highway officer was coming in the opposite direction saw the accident and aided my wife in getting out of the car as he had seen a fire in the engine compartment area. Shortly thereafter the car exploded and was engulfed in flames and totally destroyed. Neither the patrol officer nor the tow operator can remember an auto fire resulting from striking a deer. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the auto START/STOP feature was malfunctioning. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop, the engine turned off, but failed to restart after releasing the brake pedal. The message "Engine Disabled" was displayed. The contact depressed the brake pedal and pressed the Push to Start button and was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to manually deactivate the auto Start-Stop feature by pressing a button. The contact stated that she followed the dealer's instructions; however, the feature had been engaging independently and the failure had been recurring while at a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.

I own a 2019 Subaru Forester. Approximately 5 months ago, I experienced a failure in the auto start-stop feature. My car intermittently shuts down when stopped at traffic lights or in the middle of an intersection. Subaru conducted a diagnostic assessment to address the issue, but they couldn't identify any problems. This has happened about six times within the last five months. They claim to have never encountered this issue before. The temporary solution is to turn off the car and restart it, which is not safe when it occurs in the middle of an intersection. Following my dealership's recommendation, I replaced my battery with a standard EFB battery, However, the same issues persisted. Notably, the problem consistently occurs after driving on the highway for approximately 60-80 minutes and then coming to a stop at traffic lights. It is evident that the issue is not related to the battery. This issue raises significant safety concerns, especially when making left turns after coming to a stop at intersections. The sudden shutdown of the vehicle in the midst of an intersection can pose a substantial safety risk to both the driver and other road users. It not only creates a hazard in terms of traffic flow but also increases the likelihood of accidents and collisions. Given the critical nature of this safety concern, it is imperative that the problem be promptly addressed and resolved to ensure the safety of all road users.