2018 Subaru Outback

VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AT HOME IN MY GARAGE. BATTERY WAS DRAINED. AAA HAD TO BE CALLED TO BOOST. BROUGHT TO DEALER ON JUNE 3, 2020. THEY CHECKED BATTERY. BATTERY TESTED FINE. SITUATION OCCURRED AGAIN ON (SUNDAY) JUNE 7, 2020, AGAIN AT HOME IN MY GARAGE. DEALER IS CLOSED ON SUNDAY. WILL CALL ON MONDAY TO DISCUSS PROBLEM. NO ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES WERE LEFT ON TO CAUSE THIS PROBLEM ON EITHER DAY.

1. DEFECT IN WINDSHIELDS OR FRAMING AREA. I'VE HAD 4 WINDSHIELD CRACK IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT AND HAVE REPLACED 3 SO FAR SINCE I BOUGHT IT. ADDING MY NAME AND CAR TO THE COMPLAINTS SAYING THE WINDSHIELDS IN THEIR SUBARU VEHICLES ARE DEFECTIVE AND ARE SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKING, AND BREAKING, SOMETIMES 'WITHIN WEEKS OR A FEW MONTHS OF PURCHASE.' I USUALLY NOTICE UPON RETURNING TO MY CAR IN THE MORNING TO LEAVE FOR WORK OR RETURNING FROM BEING AWAY FROM IT ALL DAY. MY CAR INSURANCE HAS COVERED ALL BUT $100 OF THE BILLS OVER THE SPAN OF 2 YEARS, LUCKILY. BUT MY TIME IS VALUABLE. 2. RADIO/MULTIMEDIA SCREEN SOMETIMES DOESN'T COME ON WHEN I START THE CAR AND WON'T WORK UNTIL I TURN THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON LATER. 3. CHINCY MATERIAL, SEEMS TO DENT VEEEERY EASILY, DOES NOT LIVE UP TO HIGH STANDARDS AND DURABILITY THEY RAVE ABOUT. I'M NOT SURE WHAT ALL HAS DINGED MY CAR BUT IT IS WAY MORE FREQUENT THAN ANY OTHER CAR I'VE OWNED. I USUALLY NOTICE WALKING UP TO IT FROM BEING PARKED. COULD BE FROM DRIVING DOWN ROAD THOUGH. 4. BATTERY LIFE IS SHORT. CAR WAS NOT RUN FOR 5 DAYS AND BATTERY WAS DEAD. CLAIMS TO BE AN OUTDOORSY CAR SO WHY WOULD IT BE SET UP TO KILL THE BATTERY SO QUICKLY? MY DEALERSHIP UPDATED THE SOFTWARE AND GAVE ME A BIGGER BATTERY TO HELP "FIX" THAT ISSUE. *TR

MY RELATIVELY NEW SUBARU FAILED TO START, AND HAD NO ELECTRICAL POWER AT ALL. THE OEM BATTERY WOULD NOT CHARGE WITH A HOME CHARGER, BUT WAS ABLE TO START WITH A JUMP FROM AAA. AT SUBARU OF BEND, THEY STATED THE BATTERY HAD NOT FAILED, BUT THAT SUBARU'S ARE PROGRAMMED NOT TO CHARGE THE BATTERY BELOW 40 MPH. THEY INSTALLED A SOFTWARE CHANGE THAT REMOVED THAT "FEATURE" SINCE WE USE THE VEHICLE PRIMARILY, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY, FOR AROUND TOWN DRIVING. THIS NON-CHARGING IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THE FAILURE TO START OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING, NOR WOULD ANY REASONABLE PERSON EXPECT A CAR NOT TO CHARGE THE BATTERY WHEN DRIVING PREDOMINATELY ON LOCAL TRIPS. THERE WAS NO WARNING OF THIS "FEATURE" AND IF THE CAR FAILED TO START IN A REMOTE LOCATION, THIS COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE. WE DO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO TRAILHEADS IN THE NATIONAL FOREST AND WILDERNESS AREA'S, AND SUBARU ADVERTISES ITS PRODUCTS, SUCH AS THE OUTBACK, AND BEING SUITABLE FOR BACK ROADS DRIVING. *TR

THIS MODEL HAS SEVERE BATTERY DRAIN ISSUES. I HAVE HAD TO REPEATEDLY JUMP OR CHARGE THE BATTERY AFTER JUST A SHORT PERIOD OF THE LIFT GATE OR SIDE DOORS BEING OPEN. THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF BUT THEY STILL DRAIN THE BATTERY. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE IN AN "OUTDOOR" VEHICLE. YOU CANNOT TAILGATE, USE THE LIFT GATE TO MAKE A TENT, KEEPS DOORS OPEN WHEN UNLOADING. SUBARU GIVES YOU AN UNDER-POWERED CHEAP BATTERY AND HAS THE DRAIN ISSUE. I CANNOT USE THE CAR AS MARKETED. I FINALLY GOT FED UP WITH THE ISSUE SO FAR AND PURCHASED MY OWN LARGER BATTERY. SOA HAS AGREED TO PAY FOR THIS, BUT THE UNDERLYING ISSUE NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED. I SUSPECT ON THE LIFT GATE THERE IS POWER CONTINUALLY FLOWING TO IT WHEN OPEN SO IT IS READY TO CLOSE WHEN YOU PUSH THE CLOSE BUTTON. THIS NEED A KILL SWITCH. MY BEHAVIOR WITH THIS CAR IS NO DIFFERENT THAN OTHER CARS IN THE PAST AND THEIR BATTERIES DID NOT DIE. THIS IS NOT USER ERROR, BUT A BAD DESIGN. THE WEB IS FULL OF SIMILARLY FRUSTRATED OWNERS. I'LL PUT THE LAST DATE I HAD TO CALL AAA, BUT THIS HAS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY SINCE I HAVE OWNED IT. EVEN AN HOUR OF THE LIFT GATE OPEN SEEMS TO SEVERELY DRAIN THE BATTERY. MY PARENTS HAVE A 2016 AND I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE THIS ISSUE? THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IF YOU GET STUCK SOMEWHERE IN THE WILD WITH A DEAD CAR. *TR

THE CAR HAS 19065 MILES AND WILL NOT START BECAUSE THE BATTERY IS DEAD. THE CAR WILL START WHEN JUMP STARTED FOLLOWING THE MANUAL PROCEDURES. HOWEVER THE BATTERY IMMEDIATELY DISCHARGES WHEN ENGINE IS TURNED OFF. WHEN THE BATTERY IS DISCONNECTED FROM THE CAR THE VOLTAGE IS 12.65 BUT WHEN THE BATTERY IS RECONNECTED TO THE CAR THE VOLTAGE DROPS TO 5.75 INDICATING THERE IS A LOAD ON THE BATTERY WHEN THE CAR IS IN THE OFF MODE. WHEN RUNNING OR DRIVING THE BATTERY WARNING LITE IS NOT DISPLAYED. *TR