2018 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

I bought this Outback new back in June of 2018. I just purchased the 3rd battery for it today 8/11/22. I’ve noticed that the past 2 batteries have been corroded and barely last 1.5-2 years. It sounds like this is an issue with many other owners as well where the battery either doesn’t fully charge or continues to deplete when the car is off and parked. The battery gets so low and is so corroded that it can’t get jumped by remote starters and requires a jump from a started car. The shop I took it to to replace the battery said they couldn’t get a read from their battery checker because the terminals had so much acid on them.

SEVERE, HEAD-ON IMPACT TO DRIVER'S SIDE, OTHER CAR WAS TOTALED. POLICE EXPECTED BOTH CARS TO BE TOTALED, AND WERE SURPRISED THAT DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED, HOWEVER, SHE TOOK A HARD HIT TO HER HEAD, NECK AND SHOULDER. DEALER, INDEPENDENT SERVICE CENTER HAVE NOT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, NOR HAS PROBLEM BEEN REPRODUCED. AIRBAG HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY THE MANUFACTURER, OR INSURANCE REP., POLICE AND REPAIR FACILITY ONLY. NO WARNING LAMPS, ETC. WERE KNOWN TO HAVE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE AND AIRBAG ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION.

Gas Gauge is not working correctly. This problem was supposedly fixed in a previous recall.

car battery dies if tailgate is opened for several minutes. Had to replace battery in January 2022 and still have issues with the battery.

Normal vehicle start. While leaving shopping mall parking lot, vehicle suddenly shut down; no electrical, no accelerator, no power steering, no engine. Was able to steer vehicle to safe location out of traffic path. Waited approximately 10 minutes, tried vehicle again, and it started / drove normally. Vehicle inspected afterward by dealer, who found no issues, and returned vehicle with no repairs made. Driver is 86 year old widow, who is terrified of being stranded in an unreliable car.

The electrical system in our Subaru is draining the battery prematurely, which could cause us to get stranded.

The battery loses its charge so that the car will not start if I don’t drive the car at least once or twice a week. The battery and electric system of the car was checked July 11, 2022 at the Bay Ridge Subaru dealership in Brooklyn, NY and all systems were found to be normal and good, including the battery. The battery is only 1 year old and is under a 30 month warranty. The Subaru service technician said that the car needs to be run for 45 minutes twice a week or this problem will keep happening and will lead to the battery needing replacement much sooner than normal. He also suggested I buy a portable battery jumper or a stronger bigger battery for $500-$750. So he acknowledged that this model has issues with the battery draining. He said the newer Subaru electrical system in Subaru Outbacks was first tested on this car model and year, and that was the cause of the problem, that they hadn’t figured out an efficient electrical system for the newer Subaru Outbacks by the time they started selling the 2018 Subaru Outback. The system is available to look at upon request. The problem was confirmed by the Subaru dealership service technician. The safety hazard is that I or my family might get stuck somewhere that is remote or dangerous due to weather or temperature with a car that won’t start. Or if I need to escape a bad situation quickly and my car won’t start. There were no warnings before the battery died. This has happened 3 times in the past two months. Today is July 11, 2022.

The car battery will drain completely when the car is not being driven. This has happened to us numerous times while camping leaving us in a remote area with a dead battery and no cell phone service to call for help

MESSAGE TO SUBARU OF AMERICA BEFORE REPAIR Hi there, our 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R was parked in a covered parking garage for the last week. When we entered the vehicle, we noticed the windshield was cracked all the way from the passenger edge to near the rear view mirror. The windshield was not cracked after prior use of the vehicle. No object has struck the windshield during the time it was parked in the garage. There are no marks on the windshield to indicate any impacts. We have requested Earl Duff Subaru to order an OEM replacement and will make an appointment with them within two weeks. VIN = [XXX]. We would like to discuss the matter with you before / after the dealer inspection and replacement of windshield. AFTER DEALER REPAIR Earl Duff Subaru inspected the windshield and indicated to Subaru of America that there was no impact mark. The windshield was replaced at the owner's cost. Subaru of America provided $500 to Earl Duff Subaru on behalf of the owner. This covered approximately 50% of the repair. The owners insurance policy did not cover any of the repair costs. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

The Brake, ABS, and traction control (VDC) lights all came on a couple of weeks ago. I brought the vehicle into the Subaru dealership and they diagnosed a failed Vehicle Dynamics Control board as the problem. I've requested to receive the old VDC board. That there were brake issues was clearly indicated by the dash lights, so my safety risk was low. There seemed to be no impact to regular brake function and because we weren't driving on any ice/snow/rain slick roads I didn't encounter any issues with not having VDC working. Problem was confirmed by dealer and a replacement board is being requested. They're charging me for it since I'm outside the terrible 36,000 mile warranty that's become standard in our anti-consumer country. The replacement board will only carry a 12 month/12K mile warranty because, again, our federal government is worthless at protecting consumers.