2017 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

NHTSA report We purchased this vehicle used on 9/11/2019 from Subaru of Spokane in Spokane Washington. The car has failed to start and required towing to the servicing Subaru dealership Carter Subaru of Ballard, WA where they have replaced the battery, (twice) and fuses. In three years, this car is on its third battery and has failed to provide reliable use, required towing, and two weeks of lost use. This is apparently a well-established issue--Subaru of America has lost at least one class action suit in NJ, as well as a Lemon Law case in California. However, these two dealers in Washington State are behaving as if they have never heard of the issue and are not forthcoming in fixing the problem so it does not reoccur.

I had a battery that was about 1 year old that died suddenly. I called Triple AAA and they replaced it, and 1 week later, the new battery died and the car wouldn't start, so AAA came and replaced it again. 3 days after that the 3rd battery died. AAA confirmed both times that there was nothing wrong with the alternator and everything looked fine. Looking online it seems that this has been a common issue with Subaru Outbacks.

Started car and all warning lights on dash were flashing. Turned car off and car would not start and there was a loud ticking noise coming from the engine bay.Contacted AAA and technician checked battery and verified that it was dead and he was not able to start the car and this time there was a different loud ticking noise with all dash warning lights flashing. Installed higher quality battery and the car would not start with the same result. Had car towed by AAA (9/12/2022) to our local Subaru dealer for diagnosis. After 5 days the Joint Box or BIU part #82201AL20A was defective. These are the Subaru code defects from the dealer are B1578, B1401 and B1411. Cost to repair including diagnosis is $956.02. Previous battery/electrical issue in 2018. Battery drained by electronic brake fixed under warranty.

1st battery failure within 3 years of purchase of vehicle. Jumped 3 times in 2 mths. Purchased new battery (interstate)10/7/2020 Today 09/12/2022 same issue began. Car shows no issues with battery failure. Drove on Sun. to church and around for a little drive, no issues. Left home Monday afternoon, gone couple of hours, not stop and go traffic. Turned off ignition. After about 30 min went to start car and nothing. Just complete nothing. 8:36 p.m. AAA .comes to jump battery - drove home. AAA man said the battery was totally dead and that I needed a new one

This is the same issue we are seeing with our other Subaru where we come out to drive and the battery is dead. We would jump the battery and be able to drive for the day and the next day the battery is dead in the morning. I replaced the battery several times over the last few year and the battery would die with a less than 2 month old battery. I was driving around in both cars with jumper cables permanently. After taking it to the dealer, the battery was in great condition, the alternator was charging properly and there is a known electrical issue with this model and year that is part of a class action lawsuit. I had to replace my rear gate module electrical unit because it was going on and off in the night and draining my battery. I will be looking to get re-eimbursed for this company issue.

While driving at full speed on Interstate 80 through Sacramento CA while the outside temperature was 116 degrees, most of the more advanced systems of the car failed. I should have taken a picture of the control panel. I stopped the car and pulled out the user manual. Indicators illuminated included Eye Sight, Check Engine, tire pressure, and many many others. In fact, there were symbols on the dash that I could not find in the manual after extensive investigation. I attempted to drive the car after letting it cool down. The alerts persisted. I did check the tire pressure in all wheels and they were normal. The following day I checked the car in the morning (the temperature had subsided substantially) and the condition was still present. I made arrangements to go to the dealer, and upon getting into the car at about 2pm the indicators were all normal again. I did not go to the dealer. This may or may not be related to a prior issue which is covered in NHTSA complaint #11480372.

My battery is constantly needing to be jump started even after replacing it twice. The battery tests are always good. If I open my trunk while the car is not running, I have to get it jumped. I’m currently unloading groceries and what not with the car running to save myself from having to get jumped.

Battery drains completely when parked for a week. Replaced the battery after it happened twice. After replacement, battery still drains after being parked for a week resulting in the vehicle having to be jump started.

Since I purchased this car, I had the battery drain to the point the lift gate would not open and kept beeping as if something was wrong with the car. I replaced the battery and the problem corrected itself. I am now having lights in the dashboard go out and the power windows stop working. There appears to be an issue with the electrical system.

My car had it's third transmission installed in October 2021 at 42,730 miles. The car currently has just under 52,000 miles. The current transmission is exhibiting symptoms of slipping and delayed gear engagement. The slipping is most concerning due to the unpredictable and non-linear acceleration when I press the accelerator. I don't know if a light accelerator application will give the expected acceleration or a 1-2 second delay followed by either weaker than expected acceleration or a surge in engine RPMs (up to 3,000 at times) with significantly more acceleration than expected. I also don't know if the acceleration will decrease or increase if I keep the accelerator position the same. This is especially problematic in stop and go city driving where light on/off pedal application is required. The more I'm on/off the accelerator, the less predictable the acceleration becomes. My fuel economy is also down from ~25.5 MPG lifetime average to less than 20 MPG the last few tanks. Subaru dealers have not been helpful or receptive to my concerns. All the loaners I've driven behaved as expected and had smooth, linear acceleration.