2018 Subaru Outback

PHANTOM LIFTGATE OPENING. THE LIFTGATE OPENS BY ITSELF WITH THE VEHICLE LOCKED, DRAINING THE BATTERY, AND DOES NOT SOUND AN ALARM. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES, AT RANDOM TIMES OF THE DAY, WITH THE VEHICLE PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY. SUBARU HAS REPLACED THE BATTERY BUT IT HAS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN. SO FAR, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY OPPORTUNISTIC THEFTS FROM BUT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT SINCE LOCKING THE VEHICLE SEEMS UNRELIABLE.

THE BATTERY HAS DIED RANDOMLY OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS. WE FINALLY REPLACED IT AFTER BEING FED UP WITH BEING STRANDED IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. MOST RECENTLY, IT DIED TWICE WITHIN A WEEK. BOTH TIMES I DROVE TO WORK, PARKED AND 2 HOURS LATER, THE CAR HAD TO BE JUMPED TO START. I TOOK THE CAR TO SUBARU AND THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME $250 TO INSERT THE SAME BATTERY.

2018 SUBARU OUTBACK, ONLY 10,500 MILES, BATTERY KEEPS DRAINING, AND FINALLY WOULD NOT CRANK THE ENGINE. THIS HAPPENED 10-24-2020 (SAT.) DEALER WHITE BEAR SUBARU WOULD NOT ANSWER HIS PHONE IN SERVICE DEPARTMENT. CALLED SUBARU ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, THEY WOULD NOT TOW TO A SUBARU DEALER, ONLY A NEARBY INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY. I REJECTED THAT, AND SINCE IT WAS THE WEEKEND, I HAD TO PURCHASE A NAPA AFTERMARKET BATTERY, EVEN THOUGH SUBARU WARRANTY WAS STILL IN EFFECT. COST ME OVER $160,00.

BATTERY DIED MANY TIMES. CAR IS JUST UNDER 3 YEARS OLD, WITH 18,000 MILES STILL UNDER WARRANTY. DEALER SAID THE CAR MUST BE LEFT THAT THEY NEEDED TO TEST. THE CCA RATING IS 300 SOMETHING. A FRIEND IN COLORADO HAS A 2019 FORESTER WITH A CCA OF 620! VERY SIMILAR ENGINE, BOTH MODELS ARE TOURING. COULD IT BE THAT VEHICLES IN LESS COLDER AREAS ARE FITTED WITH INADEQUATE BATTERY CCA SO SUBARU CAN SAVE A FEW DOLLARS? ALSO THE RAB LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. HOW IS THAT OK? THE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN HAS FROZEN MULTIPLE TIMES. WHEN IT DID THE VOLUME OF THE RADIO COULD NOT BE LOWERED..I WAS PARKED WHEN IT HAPPENED, (RADIO WAS LOUD) THEN STARTED DRIVING AND COULDN'T LOWER IT.. PLEASE NOTE: THESE ELECTRICAL ISSUES OCCURRED AT DIFFERENT TIMES ... I HAVE NO IDEA IF THEY'RE RELATED

THE BATTERY IN MY 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK HAS DIED 3 TIMES IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. THE FIRST TIME I WAS PARKED CLOSE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND AFTER JUMPING AND TESTING THE BATTERY HE DEEMED IT DEAD AND REPLACED IT. 2 MONTHS LATER, WHILE PARKED AND IDLING AS I WAITED FOR MY HUSBAND AT AN APPOINTMENT, THE CAR SHUT DOWN AND WENT DEAD. IT WOULD NOT RESTART, BUT AFTER I WAITED A FEW MINUTES IT RESTARTED. A MONTH AGO AS I WAS DRIVING ABOUT AN HOUR FROM HOME, ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT ON AND THE SAFETY (EYESIGHT) SYSTEM DISABLED. I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY AND ALSO TOLD THEM ABOUT THE DEAD BATTERY AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FOR A DRAIN. THIS MORNING (EXACTLY ONE MONTH SINCE DEALER SERVICE) THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AGAIN. AFTER JUMPING IT AND STARTING THE CAR I DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR LIFTGATE WILL NOT WORK. I HAVE TRIED FROM INSIDE THE CAR, OUTSIDE USING THE BUTTON ON THE LIFTGATE AND REMOTELY WITH THE KEY FOB, NOTHING. AFTER A A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH I SEE THAT THIS BATTERY DRAIN IS A COMMON COMPLAINT WITH THIS MODEL/YEAR AND THAT SUBARU JUST REPLACES THE BATTERY RATHER THAN ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER MY CAR WILL START EVERY TIME I GET IN IT.

ONE DAY IN APRIL, THE BATTERY WAS SPONTANEOUSLY COMPLETELY DEAD. AT THE TIME IT SEEMED THAT LEAF DEBRIS SHORTED THE CIRCUIT OF THE BATTERY CAUSING CONNECTIONS TO CORRODE AND THE BATTERY TO BE DESTROYED. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE BATTERY BECAUSE IT WAS WITHIN WARRANTY. THE NEW BATTERY NOW IS HAVING ISSUES WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF INSTALLMENT. WITHIN A 4 DAY PERIOD THE BATTERY HAS BEEN DRAINED 2X INEXPLICABLY (9/23/20 AND 9/26/20). THE FIRST TIME IT COULD BE JUMPED TO ALLOW VEHICLE USE, BUT THE SECOND TIME IT COULD NOT. THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP ADVISED IT IS LIKELY A BAD CELL IN THE BATTERY AND WANTS TO REPLACE THE BATTERY.

WHEN THE POWER TAILGATE IS LEFT OPENED FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD, THE BATTERY DRAINS. THE SHORTEST HOURS LEFT OPENED WAS 4 HOURS. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THE BATTERY WAS TESTED TO BE NORMAL (RATED 550 CCA, MEASURED 504 CA, VOLTAGE 12.74V, TEMPERATURE 90F). THE INSTRUCTION PROVIDED BY THE DEALERSHIP WAS TO RUN THE CAR EVERY DAY TO KEEP CHARGING THE BATTERY. THE CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH THE MEMORY HEIGHT TO KEEP THE HATCH OPEN, AND THAT FEATURE IS USELESS WHEN THE BATTERY KEEPS DRAINING.