Battery drain quickly. Overnight battery drain. Car driven for over 40 miles and the following day the battery is drained and won't start. Car left for one week with out driving - battery drained and won't start.
COMPONENT SPOTLIGHT
Subaru Forester electrical problems
791 distinct owner reports with an electrical-system component in this snapshot.
Includes the electrical-system component and its detailed subcategories. Related recalls and investigations must also name this component; they are not linked by narrative keyword alone.
Reports by model year
Recall and investigation columns show each year’s full history. A report naming several years can appear in more than one row.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
332 reports with mileage · 459 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What owners actually said
791 reportsThe battery was completely discharged overnight when the car was only 4 months old. We had a flatbed tow to a dealer who charged the battery and performed tests which all checked out ok. Said we weren't driving the car often enough. This same battery discharge happened 3 more times, approximately 30 days apart each time. Aug…
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The battery was completely discharged overnight when the car was only 4 months old. We had a flatbed tow to a dealer who charged the battery and performed tests which all checked out ok. Said we weren't driving the car often enough. This same battery discharge happened 3 more times, approximately 30 days apart each time. August 20 was the first time, September 19, October 13 and November 16, all in 2022. Car was purchased new in April 2022. Took it into the dealership where we bought it; they did tests also saying everything was ok, not being driven enough. The 4th time the overnight discharge happened was about a week after our dealership tested it. Every time this has happened the car was driven the previous day. Car is driven 4-5 times a week for local errands. Currently has 1,100 miles and is 8 months old. We are senior citizens and need a dependable car.
Car stalls out sometimes when running while stopped. This is not the stop/start system. Also, driver door power window will sometimes raise and lower on its own.
I parked my car in the Walgreens parking lot while shopping, less than 30 minutes. When I returned, the car would not start. I called AAA for what I thought was a battery jump. When the AAA technician arrived, checked the battery and said his equipment said to replace the battery. After several attempts he was able to finally ge…
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I parked my car in the Walgreens parking lot while shopping, less than 30 minutes. When I returned, the car would not start. I called AAA for what I thought was a battery jump. When the AAA technician arrived, checked the battery and said his equipment said to replace the battery. After several attempts he was able to finally get the car started. I drove my car to the dealer where I had just had the battery and terminal replaced five months earlier. The service person checked the battery and charged it for more than an hour after having me call a Subaru warranty line and tell them how many times the battery had to be jumped - once. Yesterday, 12/6/2022 I was attempting to leave my home to take my husband to a cancer treatment clinic for an appointment and the car would not start. I called the Subaru technician who told me to bring the car in before 5 pm, which I could not do. Today, 12/07/2022, after several attempts I was able to start the car and take it to the service center. The technician could not find evidence of the battery purchase June 22, 2022. I showed him my paid receipt and he was able to locate the purchase. He told me the service manager wanted him to test the battery before doing anything. This is my only vehicle and I can’t keep going back and forth to the repair center whenever the new battery and connector , still under warranty, do not work. Today the technician told me the recall for coil replacement needed to be done. I was told it was done in June, but the service center has no evidence in their system that it was done. I never received any notice from Subaru that it was recalled.
While driving 45mph on an icy road (approximately 25 degree(F) outside temp) the car suddenly lost power as if the CVT transmission was in neutral. However, it was still in drive. Pressing the accelerator only raised the RPMs but no power was sent to the wheels. There were cars behind me and my car was slowing down due to no pow…
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While driving 45mph on an icy road (approximately 25 degree(F) outside temp) the car suddenly lost power as if the CVT transmission was in neutral. However, it was still in drive. Pressing the accelerator only raised the RPMs but no power was sent to the wheels. There were cars behind me and my car was slowing down due to no power. I was fortunately able to pull off to the side of the road, stop, put in park. I put back into drive, power returned, and car drove normally for the remaining ~10miles of my trip. No warning lights from vehicle occurred during this event. This sudden loss of power could have been very dangerous especially given the road conditions. If drivers behind me were not following at a safe distance the sudden reduction in speed could have caused an accident due to the icy roads. I have not yet taken the car to be inspected, but will do so as soon as possible.
Check engine light, service emissions, dash lights blinking and loss of power!!! I was pulling out into a busy intersection and warning lights started to flash and i lost power to cylinder #2 (per the technician at Van Subaru, he told me the alternator was sending bad info to the computer) and i was almost T-BONED as i limped th…
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Check engine light, service emissions, dash lights blinking and loss of power!!! I was pulling out into a busy intersection and warning lights started to flash and i lost power to cylinder #2 (per the technician at Van Subaru, he told me the alternator was sending bad info to the computer) and i was almost T-BONED as i limped through the intersection.
Engine shuts off when coasting into a turn when car is moving at less than 5mph. Causes loss of steering. Will restart if gas pedal is pumped. Dealer can find no problem. Does not happen predictably and can not always be replicated. Very dangerous.
I have had to replace my Subaru Forester battery at least 4 times since I have owned it. The battery dies within a few days of replacing and I am forced to jumpstart the vehicle every time I want to drive. This has been happening since the day I bought the vehicle...
Car is continually draining battery, causing vehicle to fail twice now due to a completely dead battery, once was while parked, once while idling with car in drive on road.
Failed thermo control valve assembly, Subaru part #21319aa010 Subaru is aware of the problem but new parts are backordered, with delivery perhaps weeks away as this is apparently a common problem. The local dealer indicated Subaru will pay for parts and labor (this is a verbal offer only), which again suggests this is a known p…
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Failed thermo control valve assembly, Subaru part #21319aa010 Subaru is aware of the problem but new parts are backordered, with delivery perhaps weeks away as this is apparently a common problem. The local dealer indicated Subaru will pay for parts and labor (this is a verbal offer only), which again suggests this is a known problem. The failure led to automobile not performing and a two to service location. As a known deficiency, why has this not incited a recall or other notice?
Related Official recalls
219V297000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch
Apr 11, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
16V738000 · Electrical System
Oct 13, 2016
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
Related NHTSA investigations
0No component-matched exact-year investigations in this snapshot.