2017 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

THE BATTERY IS PREMATURELY DRAINING AND THIS HAS LEFT US STRANDED AND REQUIRING A JUMP START. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR MY FAMILY. THE OEM BATTER FAILED AFTER 18 MONTHS. THE NEW BATTERY (WITH A 5 YEAR WARRANTY) HAS NOW FAILED AFTER ANOTHER 14 MONTHS. THIS IS NOT DUE TO LEAVING A LIGHT ON OR A DOOR OPEN. THE VEHICLE IS NOT BEING LEFT PARKED FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. THIS IS A DAILY DRIVER VEHICLE.

MY NEW BATTERY WAS DRAINED TO A POINT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I MESSAGED SOME BIBLE STUDY FRIENDS AND ONE WAS GOING TO COME OVER AND JUMP MY VEHICLE. WHILE WAITING I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND PUSHED IT OUT OF MY GARAGE INTO THE DRIVEWAY. THE DRIVEWAY IS ON A STEEP SLOPE. ONCE IN THE DRIVEWAY I TRIED PUTTING THE CAR INTO PARK, IT WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK. IN FACT IT WOULD ONLY GO INTO DRIVE WHICH DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING BACKWARDS. I TRIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE BUT IT IS ELECTRICALLY OPERATED AND DID NOT WORK. THE BRAKES WERE VERY HARD TO HOLD SINCE THE HYDRAULICS WERE NOT KICKING IN, SAME WITH THE POWER STEERING. I AM A BIG STRONG GUY SO I WRESTLED THE CAR TO TURN IT DIAGONALLY IN THE DRIVEWAY AS IT ROLLED BACKWARDS, TRYING TO PREVENT IT FROM GOING INTO THE STREET AND FLYING INTO SOMEONE'S HOUSE OR VEHICLE. ONCE DIAGONAL IN THE DRIVEWAY I THREW A PADLOCK UNDER THE FRONT TIRE FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO PREVENT IT FROM ROLLING BACK. AT THIS POINT IT WAS BARELY HELD BUT STATIONARY SO I GOT OUT, CHALKED THE WHEELS WITH 2X4'S UNTIL BY BIBLE STUDY FRIENDS CAME OVER AND JUMPED MY CAR. I DID NOT HAVE MY CELL PHONE AND NO ONE ELSE WAS AROUND TO HELP ME. I LITTERALLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO JUST LET MY CAR ROLL DOWN INTO THE STREET AND LET IT GO BECAUSE I HAD NO OTHER OPTIONS. I CALLED SUBARU OF AMERICA AND THEY DIRECTED ME TO A YOUTUBE VIDEO THAT SHOWS ONCE THE BATTERY COMPLETELY DIES, THERE IS A SPECIAL TOOL YOU NEED IN ORDER TO GET THE CAR IN AND OUT OF PARK. BUT IT DOESN'T TELL YOU THAT IF THE CAR WON'T START AND THERE IS ENOUGH POWER TO GET IT INTO REVERSE, DON'T DO IT WITHOUT THE TOOL. WHAT IF THIS HAPPENED IN THE MOUNTAINS OR SAN FRANCISCO OR ANY HILLY OR MOUNTAINOUS LOCATION? I BELIEVE THIS IS A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR LIFE THREATING INJURY OR LOSS OF PROPERTY. E-BRAKES SHOULD NOT BE ELECTRIC IN MY OPINION.

THIS SUBARU OUTBACK WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR ALMOST NO REASON. WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE 2/28/21 WITH 19700 MILES. WHILE DRIVING FROM 4-5PM ON 5/7 I DID NOT NOTICE ANY AUDIBLE ROCK HITS OR IMPACTS ON THE WINDSHIELD. WE WERE RECEIVING RAIN IN MICHIGAN AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS DROPPING QUICKLY. I PARKED THE VEHICLE AT 5PM, AND THERE WERE NO CRACKS IN THE WINDSHIELD AT THAT POINT. WHEN I WENT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT 11PM THAT NIGHT, I NOTICED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS DEBRIS ON THE WINDSHIELD (I PARKED UNDER A TREE), BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE THIS WAS A CRACK DEVELOPING. I DROVE IT FROM 11-11:45. WHEN I PARKED THE VEHICLE AT ALMOST MIDNIGHT ON 5/7 I DIDN'T REALIZE THIS CRACK WAS GETTING LARGER. ON 5/8, I WENT TO USE THE VEHICLE AT ABOUT NOON, AND THE CRACK WAS NOW 10-12" LONG AND WITHIN THE DRIVERS LINE OF SIGHT. I CALLED SUBARU SINCE THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 23,000 MILES, AND THEY SAID TO CALL MY INSURANCE. NOW I HAVE TO PAY FOR A WINDSHIELD ON A NEARLY NEW VEHICLE FROM A CRACK THAT SEEMINGLY APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE. MOST OF THE DRIVING WAS ON A CLEAN AND NEW FREEWAY, NO DIRT ROADS. IN THE SECOND PHOTO YOU CAN SEE WHAT IS MAYBE A VERY SMALL ROCK CHIP, BUT I HAVE NUMEROUS SIMILAR CHIPS ON TWO OTHER VEHICLES THAT HAVE NOT DEVELOPED INTO A CRACK, ESPECIALLY SO QUICKLY. I THINK THIS IS A DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD ON THIS NEW SUBARU. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY.

BATTERY DIES..HAD NEW ONE INSTALLED THIS WEEK, SAME PROBLEM. NO RECALL? CANT USE CAR

THE DATA CONTROL MODULE FAILED AFTER ONLY 30,000 MILES. IT'S A 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK AND BECAUSE OF NOT DRIVING LAST YEAR (2020), THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY WAS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. WE ARE PAYING $1500, FOR A FAILED PART (DATA CONTROL MODULE) THAT CAUSED TWO CONSECUTIVE BATTERIES TO DRAIN. THE CAR WILL NOT START WITHOUT JUMPING IT.

>>>THIS INFORMATION IS IN ADDITION TO THE PREVIOUSLY FILED NHTSA SAFETY ISSUE ID 11415232 <<< IN MY PREVIOUS FILING, I DID FORGET TO INCLUDE ANOTHER ISSUE THAT I BELIEVE IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS I HAVE EXPERIENCED WITH MY 2017 OUTBACK 2.5I TOURING VEHICLE. SO, ALONG WITH ALL OF THE FAILURES EXPERIENCED AND DISCUSSED IN FILING #11415232, A HANDFUL OF TIMES, I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER-SIDE WINDOW WOULD NOT WORK WHEN ATTEMPTING TO OPEN OR CLOSE IT FROM THE DRIVER-SIDE CONTROL. BUT I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THE WINDOW WOULD OPEN AND CLOSE WHEN I USED THE WINDOW CONTROLLER LOCATED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO ADD-ON TO MY PREVIOUS COMPLAINT.

I BELIEVE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES TO BE CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM: DEC.31, 2020: CAR HESITATES TO START. IT NEVER TURNS OVER SO IT DOES NOT EVER START. WE INSTALL NEW BATTERY & CAR STARTS. MID-JAN.2021: CAR WON'T START FROM PUSH START, BUT DOES START WHEN I USE MY REMOTE START KEY FOB. AFTER THAT, CAR STARTS WITH PUSH START. FEB.-APRIL 2021: CAR HAS A SEVERAL TIMES WHEN IT HESTITATES TO START, BUT ULTIMATELY IT DOES START. MAY 1-3 2021: CAR HESITATES TO START, BUT ULTIMATELY STARTS. MAY 4-5 2021: CAR NOT ONLY HESITATES TO START, BUT NOW I HAVE ALL KINDS OF LIGHTS LIT UP ON MY DASH, INCLUDING CHECK ENGINE, EYESIGHT, X-MODE LIGHT IS FLASHING, AND SEVERAL OTHERS THAT I CANNOT GET TO TURN OFF. IN ALL INSTANCES, VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND TURNED OFF. I HAVE PHOTOS & VIDEO BUT CAN'T SEEM TO REDUCE FILE SIZE TO REQUIRED 5MB. SIDE NOTE: UNLESS I AM AT WORK OR RUNNING ERRANDS, MY CAR IS ALWAYS IN THE GARAGE.

I HAVE HAD THREE SIZABLE CRACKS IN MY WINDSHIELD SINCE 2017, WITH THE MOST RECENT FAIRLY LARGE WHICH WILL PROBABLY CAUSE ME TO HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. THE OTHER TWO CRACKS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED AT MY EXPENSE. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION IN ALL CASES, BUT THERE WAS NO DISCERNIBLE DANGER ( IE. FOLLOWING A TRUCK) . THEY ALL OCCURRED ON TWO LANE ROADS TRAVELING AT OR UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED, HE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A LARGE CRACK ON THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 44,000.

SOMETHING (ELECTRICAL ISSUE?) IS DRAINING THE CAR BATTERY AND NEEDS A JUMP IF NOT DRIVEN WITHIN A DAY OR TWO. WE REPLACED THE BATTERY TWICE WITHIN A YEAR THINKING WE HAD A DEFECTIVE BATTERY, BUT PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. WE TOOK THE CAR TO A MECHANIC THINKING IT COULD BE THE ALTERNATOR, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE ISSUE.