Subaru Outback electrical problems

ON THE 21ST OF DECEMBER THE BATTERY IN MY OUTBACK WENT DEAD. I TOOK IT INTO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY RECHARGED THE BATTERY. WHEN I TRIED TO START THE CAR TWO DAYS LATER, THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AGAIN. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ON THE 29TH OF DECEMBER. BOTH TIMES, THE CAR WAS STARTED 10-12 HOURS BEFORE.

MULTIPLE TIMES THE TAILGATE HAS SPONTANEOUSLY OPENED WHEN WE WERE NOT IN THE VEHICLE. ASIDE FROM ISSUES LIKE RUNNING THE BATTERY DOWN, INCLEMENT WEATHER DAMAGING THE INTERIOR AND THE THEFT OF CONTENTS OF THE CAR ARE ISSUES. THUS FAR, THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN IN MOTION WHEN IT HAPPENED, BUT THERE WAS A LEAST ONE INCIDENT REPORTED WHERE A VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WHEN THIS HAPPENED (SEE ATTACHED COMPLAINTS OF OTHER OWNERS.)THIS IS NOT A CASE OF ACCIDENTALLY ACTIVATING THE KEY FOB - IT HAS HAPPENED WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND SOMEONE WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE ONLY KEY WAS IN A PURSE IN THE BACK SEAT. THE PASSENGER WITNESSED THE CAR TAILGATE JUST SPONTANEOUSLY OPENING. IT HAS HAPPENED WHEN WE RETURNED TO THE CAR AFTER BEING AT AN APPOINTMENT, WHILE STAYING AT A MOTEL, AND WHEN THE CAR WAS PACKED FOR A TRIP THE NIGHT BEFORE. WE ARE VERY CONCERNED THIS COULD HAPPEN WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION, CREATING A DEADLY HAZARD FOR OTHER VEHICLES. WE HAVE FOUND THIS PROBLEM REPORTED BY NUMEROUS OWNERS OF THIS MODEL. THE LOCAL DEALER INITIALLY DISMISSED THE PROBLEM AS A CASE OF ACCIDENTALLY PRESSING THE KEY. WE DISPUTED THIS AND THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR TWO DAYS TO SEE IF IT WOULD HAPPEN AND IT DID NOT. SOMETIMES IT IS TWO MONTHS BETWEEN INCIDENTS. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND SAFETY HAZARD THAT SUBARU NEEDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND CORRECT, PERHAPS NECESSITATING A RECALL. THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ANY CONVERSATION AMONG SERVICE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE RECEIVED SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. IT'S JUST A SINGLE ISOLATED CASE AS FAR AS OUR LOCAL DEALER IS CONCERNED. I AM SUBMITTING A DOCUMENT THAT SHOWS MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS (AND NOT ALL) THAT OTHER SUBARU OWNERS HAVE BEEN REPORTING FOR YEARS.

MY 2019 SUBARU OUTBACK BATTERY HAS DIED MULTIPLE TIMES ON ME. I PREVIOUSLY HAD A 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK AND HAD NO ISSUES AT ALL WITH THE BATTERY. THE FIRST TIME THE BATTERY DIED, MY NEIGHBOR WAS ABLE TO JUMP START THE BATTERY. IT HAS HAPPENED 4 MORE TIMES AND HAD TO CONTACT SUBARU ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO GET MY BATTERY JUMPSTARTED. IT SEEMS THAT THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM IS WITH THE LIFTGATE. A COUPLE OF TIMES I'VE COME OUT TO START MY CAR AND THE LIFTGATE IS UP, BATTERY IS DEAD. THE LIFTGATE ALSO MYSTERIOUSLY OPENED ON ME ONCE DURING A ROADTRIP TO GATLINBURG WITH MY VEHICLE LOCKED. OTHER TIMES WHEN THE LIFTGATE IS CLOSED AND BATTERY IS DEAD, AFTER JUMPSTARTING, I CAN HEAR THE CAR TRY TO PULL THE TAILGATE TIGHT LIKE IT THOUGHT THE TAILGATE WAS OPEN. THE LAST TIME THAT I HAD MY BATTERY JUMPED, I WAS OUTSIDE THE CAR. AS SOON AS THE CHARGER WAS CONNECTED TO THE BATTERY, ALL THE INTERIOR LIGHTS AND RADIO CAME ON. (INSTRUMENT PANEL, DOME LIGHTS, ETC.) ALL THE DOORS WERE SHUT, AND I HAD NOT PUSHED A BUTTON TO GET THIS TO OCCUR. THAT, TO ME, DEFINITELY POINTS OUT AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN ON THE INTERNET, IT SEEMS THAT SUBARU HAS AN ISSUE WHERE THE COMPUTER CONTINUALLY SENDS A REQUEST TO THE TAILGATE TO ENSURE THAT IT IS CLOSED. THIS SEEMS TO BE WHAT IS KILLING THE BATTERY. THERE HAVE BEEN CAMPERS STRANDED WITH A DEAD BATTERY DUE TO TAILGATE OPEN AND TENT ATTACHED TO THE CAR. THIS SEEMS TO CONTRADICT SUBARU OUTBACK'S BUILD FOR OUTDOOR ADVENTURE. I'VE CONTACTED ROMAIN SUBARU IN EVANSVILLE MULTIPLE TIMES ABOUT THIS ISSUE, AND THEY CAN'T EVEN FIND MY NAME IN THEIR RECORDS, CLAIMING THAT MY VIN BELONGS TO SOMEONE ELSE. IT'S REALLY ODD BECAUSE I'VE PURCHASED 3 VEHICLES FROM THEM. I'VE YET TO GET THEM TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. I DON'T WANT THEM TO REPLACE THE BATTERY SINCE THIS WILL NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE.

THE BATTERY STARTED FAILING AFTER LESS THAN 8000 MILES ON THE CAR THAT IS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD. IT LEFT US STRANDED MULTIPLE TIMES AND JUMP START WAS REQUIRED. ONCE UPON JUMP STARTING THE CAR THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT FUNCTIONAL. MULTIPLE TIMES THE AIRBAG FAILURE INDICATOR STAYED ON FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP. INITIALLY IT WAS NOT CLEAR TO ME WHAT IS GOING ON AS THE WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WENT HAYWIRE AND THE CAR WAS PRODUCING A CLATTERING NOISE INSTEAD OF THE USUAL STARTING NOISE. EVENTUALLY I TESTED THE BATTERY AND IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT IT FAILED. THERE ARE MANY SUCH REPORTS ON THE INTERNET AND ALSO CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AGAINST SUBARU DUE TO THEIR FAILURE TO ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING DESIGN FLAWS OF THE CAR. I HOPE THAT THE NHTSA WILL FORCE SUBARU TO PROPERLY ANALYZE THE PROBLEM, COME UP WITH A PROPER FIX AND ISSUE A RECALL TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH OBVIOUS SAFETY ASPECTS.

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN TWO WEEKS THAT OUR VEHICLE HAS FAILED TO START. A WEEK AGO IT LEFT US STRANDED AT A WALMART, AND TODAY IN OUR DRIVEWAY...THERE ISN'T ANY ELECTRICAL DEVICE IN THE CAR THAT WILL ENERGIZE. THE CAR WON'T EVEN RESPOND TO THE VEHICLE KEY FOB. WE CAN'T FIND ANY RECALLS ON OUR VEHICLE...BUT WE NOTICE YOU HAVE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS (401) WITH MANY BEING ELECTRICAL ISSUES ' FAILURES. THIS VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY DURING BOTH OF THE DESCRIBED ISSUES. I THINK THIS TIME TOTAL BATTERY FAILURE HAS OCCURRED. PLEASE NOTE THERE WEREN'T ANY INDICATORS WARNINGS THAT THE BATTERY WAS GOING TO FAIL. THIS VEHICLE IS LESS THAN THREE YEARS OLD, WITH JUST UNDER 18,000 MILES NEVER DRIVEN ANYWHERE IN SNOW AREAS WHILE DEICERS WERE IN USE. WILL BE CONTACTING SUBARU THIS AM FOR ASSISTANCE

SUBARU OUTBACK 2019 IS UNDER WARRANTY - PURCHASED 4-6-2019 12/3/2020 CAR WHICH IS IN THE GARAGE WOULD NOT START. BATTERY WAS DEAD/DRAINED,INDICATOR LIGHT WAS ON. WENT BACK OUT AND TRIED IT AGAIN AND JUST CLICKS WOULD NOT START. 2. CALLED SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY RECOMMENDED THAT I CALL ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO JUMP AND START THE BATTERY GOT CAR STARTED, LET IT RUN FOR 40 MINUTES. THEY DID NOT CHECK THE ALTERNATOR BUT WE ASKED THEM TO. TURNED THE CAR OFF AFTER 40 MINUTES AND PUT THE CAR BACK IN THE GARAGE.- 12/4/2020 - MORNING - CAR STARTED, WENT TO MY DESTINATION. RETURNED HOME, TURNED OFF THE CAR NOTICED CLICKING SOUNDS FOR 5 MIN WHICH I HAD NEVER HEARD BEFORE. 12/4/2020. CALLED CAR SERVICE DEPARTMENT: THEY RECOMMENDED TO BRING THE CAR TO CHECK THE BATTERY ETC. WHICH I DID.. NOTE: BETWEEN DEC 4 AND DEC 13 HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR REGULARLY. DEC. 13, 2020 - SUNDAY - 2ND TIME CAR WOULD NOT START DROVE CAR TO GROCERY STORE. CAME OUT OF STORE .. CAR WOULD NOT START. CALLED ROADSIDE ASSIST. JUMP START MY CAR. AFTER JUMP START CAR, I DROVE CAR AT LEAST 1/2 HR TO 45 MIN AND CAME HOME, LEFT THE CAR RUNNING IN THE DRIVEWAY FOR AT LEAST 45 MI . CAME HOME AND SET UP AN APPOINT AT SERVICE DEALERSHIP FOR 11:30 ON DECEMBER 14. DEC. 14, 2020 - MONDAY -DROVE HOME FROM DEALERSHIP, CONTINUED TO DRIVE CAR FOR A F ABOUT 25 MILES. ARRIVED HOME - TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. WHEN I TRIED TO START CAR TO PARK IT IN THE GARAGE, CAR STARTED BUT THE STARTER MOTOR WAS VERY SLUGGISH AT THE ONSET. DEC 16, 2020 - TRIED TO START THE CAR WHICH IS IN THE GARAGE AND IT WOULD NOT START, TOTALLY DEAD ..NO LIGHTS. SEND ATTACHED LETTER TO MANAGER OF SERVICE. NO RESPONSE YET.