2016 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

Battery discharges too quickly, leaving me with a car that won't start. I've already replaced the battery once - to the tune of over $300 because I needed roadside assistance - and I'm looking at having to do it again. I've been stranded multiple times and have had to find someone to jump start my car. I just ordered a $200 car jumper so I don't get stranded again.

This incident occurred on Friday July 29, 2022 @ 5pm. I was pulling into a parking space while my foot was on the brake I proceeded to put the car in park when the car suddenly lunged forward into the concrete patio of the Market/Store. I was in disbelief at what just happened. I would happily make my car available for inspection. I want to find out what is wrong with the car. I believe this could happen again and I am fearful for my life and the lives of others. I was so lucky that the table and chairs were roped off that evening for some reason. People could have been sitting or walking there at the time of this incident. This incident has not been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer or independent service center. I brought the car to the Subaru dealer for them to do a diagnostic test and any other things needed to give me some answers & repairs. I was told no issues were found. They also told me they would like to have my car for a week so they could drive it & do more test. I asked for a loaner and they said they could not do that. I can’t afford to rent a car for a week. And I feel they will come back to me with the same answer of not being able to find an issue. I have had this car for almost 3 years and I park by putting my foot on the brake and then shift into park. There was a malfunction! What it was I don’t know. But I do know something went very wrong with the vehicle. There was never any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to this failure.

Hello, Since February, we have replaced our battery 3 times. Eventually we discovered from a mechanic that the car had a parasitic draw that will drain the battery if the car is not driven every day. We put the battery on a trickle charger every night just in case. Two days ago, the car would not start after sitting in a parking lot for two hours. The AAA guy's first question was "is that a 2015 or 16?". When asked why, he responded "This happens all the time because the computer keeps self-checking and it drains the battery." So now we have a car that could leave us stranded at any time, and based on the number of lawsuits against Subaru for electrical drainage of batteries of their vehicles from 2015-2020, we have a terminal issue that Subaru is well aware of but refuses to acknowledge. This is unacceptable. Doesn't this qualify as gross negligence under some consumer law? Maybe instead of producing commercials with dogs driving their cars, they stand by their customers and fix their mistakes.

The battery keeps going dead for no obvious reason(s). The battery was tested at an auto repair shop and was determined to be fine but, nonetheless, continues to go dead.

My 2016 Subaru Outback has some kind of an electrical malfunction such that the battery drains rapidly. I have had to replace the battery in my car four times since purchase in 2016. I am now on my fifth battery in six years of ownership. Most recently, my battery died today 7/5/22, and required replacement.

Dead battery. Replaced battery twice since owning vehicle. Will not start even with trying to jump.

I’ve had my Outback for almost 6 years. I’m on my third battery. Recently in the past 3 months the battery I’ve had since 2/21 keeps going dead. It will not hold a charge and goes dead at inconvenient times. I live 30 miles from Reno and driving there for a meeting after which I try to start my car and it’s dead. I can start it with jumper cables and then I drive home. With normal driving the battery has gone dead three more times recently. I’ve taken it to Les Schwab and they’ve checked their battery and its good and so is my charging system. This last time I took it to the Subaru dealer and they said there is nothing wrong with the car. So why is my battery failing me and leaving me stranded? I make sure that no lights are on, doors open and everything is off, but I still have a dead car that I have to use a jump to start. I’m afraid to go someplace with a car I can’t rely on to start. I have about 75,000 miles on my car. The battery draining issues are very difficult to fix when Subaru says there is nothing wrong with my car. I get no warning when the battery will just go dead and I can be stranded.

The battery constantly drains until dead when not driven for as short of time as one day. My wife has been left stranded at home and work multiple times and had to rely on strangers for assistance. The problem was inspected and confirmed by mechanics here in NC. Multiple car care businesses confirmed that the problem is not with the battery itself but that 2016+ Subaru Outbacks have this problem and for which Subaru of America is under lawsuit for. There were no warnings. The problem was identified as persistent in the fall of 2019 while it was not driven as frequently, but the car battery drained unexpectedly on occasion before then. We purchased a new battery once, but we do not have the invoice.

I’m on my third battery. Since date of purchase the car has a battery drain issue that cannot be resolved. Minimal electoral use while the car is not running causes the car to not turn over. It is a safety issue because this car could leave me stranded.

Battery drains quickly. Car will not start when it has been unused for as little as a day.