2017 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

HAVE THE CAR 5 YEARS, HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY NOW TWICE. ONCE AT 2 YEARS AND ONCE A YEAR AND A HALF LATER. I OWN A 2014 VW BEETLE AND STILL HAVE NOT HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY.

THE HEADLIGHTS (HID WITH AUTO-LEVELING) ARE POINTED DANGEROUSLY LOW. THEY DO NOT ILLUMINATE THE ROAD AHEAD FAR ENOUGH. A DRIVER WOULD HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME TO REACT, GIVEN THIS LIMITED ILLUMINATION DISTANCE. SUBARU DEALERSHIPS ARE ADAMANT THE HEADLIGHTS ARE ADJUSTED TO SPECIFICATIONS. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE ALL OVER THE INTERNET FROM OWNERS, AND THE DEALERSHIPS I'VE MENTIONED THIS ISSUE TO HAVE EXPLAINED THEY ARE AWARE OF THE COMPLAINTS, BUT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. I AM VERY WORRIED FOR OUR SAFETY AND FOR THE PEDESTRIANS/VEHICLES WE WOULD NOT SEE IN TIME TO STOP. WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW, AND THIS IS NOT A NEW ISSUE. I HAVE TRIED TO ADDRESS IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS ACCELERATING FROM A STOPLIGHT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE HEADLIGHTS ARE BASICALLY FINE (GIVEN THE SHIFT OF WEIGHT TO THE REAR WHICH HAS THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AIMED A BIT HIGHER), BUT AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE LEVELS OUT, THE ISSUE IS VERY EVIDENT. THE AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAM FEATURE SIMPLY DOES NOT COMPENSATE, AS THE AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAMS ARE NOT INTUITIVE ENOUGH TO PERFECTLY ACTIVATE AND STAY ACTIVATED EVERY TIME (IT MISREADS SURROUNDING STREET LIGHTS, FOR EXAMPLE, AS ONCOMING HEADLIGHTS VERY EASILY.

THIS CAR HAS HAD REPEATED ELECTRICAL ISSUES. THE CAR IS ON IT'S THIRD BATTERY IN 4 YEARS. SUUBARU PAID FOR THE LAST "AFTERMARKET" BATTERY BASED ON MY REQUEST AND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OTHERS. THE SAFETY ISSUE CAME UP FROM THE LAST PROBLEM: THE KEY WAS STUCK IN THE IGNITION. THIS TOO IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SENSOR IN THE GEAR SHIFT MECHANISM TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS OWNERS ARE POSTING WORKAROUNDS ON LINE TO GET AROUND THIS PROBLEM. THE WORKAROUNDS GET AROUND THE ISSUE. HOWEVER, BY DISCONNECTING WIRES THE KEY CAN BE REMOVED IN ANY POSITION, INCLUDING WHILE THE CAR IS IN GEAR AND MOVING. THAT IS CLEARLY A POTENTIAL PROBLEM. THIS REPAIR WAS MADE APPROXIMATELY THREE WEEKS AGO. TWO DAYS AGO THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DEPLETED AND THE TAILGATE WOULD NOT FUNCTION. I BROUGHT THIS TO SUBARU'S ATTENTION. THIS TIME THEY SAID I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST (I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY ON THE IGNITION SWITCH AND BATTERY ISSUES). I BELIEVE THERE IS A FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IN THIS GENERATION OF SUBARU'S THAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. A SIMPLE SEARCH OF THE SUBARU OUTBACK FORUM FOR KEY RELEASE PROBLEMS WILL VERIFY MY ASSERTION. SUBARU NEEDS TO COME CLEAN ON THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEFICIENCIES IMPACTING SAFETY AND RELIABILITY.

BATTERY KEEPS DRAINING EVEN AFTER BEING REPLACED KEY SENSOR ALSO ALWAYS GOES OFF THAT KEY IS NOT IN CAR WHEN DRIVING

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED FROM A DEALERSHIP ON 02/09/2021. ON 03/31/2021 WHILE DRIVING THE CAR, I NOTICED A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD NEAR THE TOP CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. UPON FURTHER EXPLORATION, I NOTICED THE CRACK EXTENDED FROM THE TOP-CENTER, DOWN ABOUT 4 INCHES AND THEN ANOTHER 6 INCHES TOWARDS THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY CRASH OR ACCIDENT IN THE SIX WEEKS I HAVE OWNED THE CAR. THE CRACK SEEMS TO HAVE APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE.

I RECENTLY STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH REMOVING MY KEY FROM THE IGNITION. I COULD REMOVE IT MOST OF THE TIME AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AND MESSING WITH THE SHIFTER AND STEERING WHEEL ETC. BUT THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE TIME THAT I HAD AN APPOINTMENT AND COULD NOT AFTER 10 MINUTES, REMOVE THE KEY. I HAD TO LEAVE THE KEY IN THE IGNITION WITH THE CAR IN THE PARTIALLY "ON" SETTING. I TOOK THIS INTO SUBARU DEALERSHIP TO GET IT FIXED ON 25MAR2021. I DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE, BUT THAT SUBARU DECIDED IT WASN'T A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAD TO PAY ABOUT $500 TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE. I BEG TO DIFFER THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. LEAVING THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION BECAUSE I COULD NOT REMOVE THEM IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE 1) AN UN-LICENSED DRIVER OR YOUNGSTER COULD HAVE GOTTEN IN THE CAR AND STARTED DRIVING IT; OR 2) A CRIMINAL COULD HAVE GOTTEN IN THE CAR AND WAITED FOR ME TO RETURN WITH MALICIOUS INTENTIONS AND 3) OR THE CAR COULD HAVE SIMPLY BEEN STOLEN. I ALSO CONTACTED MY INSURANCE REP AND FOUND OUT THAT IF A CAR IS STOLEN WITH THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, THAT THIS WOULD BE A NON COVERED CLAIM. EVEN IF IT WAS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO REMOVE THE KEYS.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE CAR BLEEDS THE BATTERY. VEHICLE PURCHASE: OCT 2016 I HAD MY OEM BATTERY REPLACED DUE IT IT DYING IN < 3 YEARS. (SEPTEMBER 2019) I REPLACED IT WITH DURALAST GOLD AND THAT ALSO DIED IN 2.5 YEARS. (FEB 2021) DURING THE COLD WAVE IN TEXAS, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I CHALKED IT UP AS COLD WEATHER AND WENT ON. BUT THIS PAST WEEK IT DIED ALL OF A SUDDEN AND I HAD TO GET IT REPLACED VIA WARRANTY. I RAN A BLUE DRIVER REPORT AND IT SHOWS LOW VOLTAGE ERRORS FOR SOME COMPONENTS. THIS SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME ONGOING LAWSUIT FOR BATTERY DRAIN ISSUE.

IN HOME DRIVEWAY, CAR WON'T START, BATTERY DEAD. TOWED TO DEALER, BATTERY GOOD BUT NEEDED CHARGE. DEC11, 2020, IN DRIVEWAY, CAR WON'T START, AND CLICKING NOISE IN REAR POWER GATE, TOWED TO DEALER. BATTERY TESTED BAD, REPLACED. ALSO REPLACED PRG MODULE FOR REAR GATE. MAR 8, 2021, IN DRIVEWAY AT HOME, WON'T START. JUMPED AND DROVE TO DEALER...(THIS NEW BATTERY) CHARGED AND TESTED, FAILED, SO THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY, AGAIN. "PARASITIC DRAW TEST FOUND 45MA OF DRAW, BELOW MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE DRAW SPECIFICATION OF 70MA. VERIFIED CORRECT AND NORMAL OPERATION. TEST CODE:. K1GKF40-2FCL091"

WHEN THE CAR IS SHUT OFF, SOMETHING IS DRAINING THE BATTERY SO THAT IT VERY OFTEN DOES NOT START IN THE MORNING.

AFTER 2 YEARS OF USE, THE OEM BATTERY WAS NOT KEEPING THE CHARGE OR WAS DRAINING DUE TO AN ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR JUMPED A COUPLE OF TIMES TO GET IT STARTED. BROUGHT THE CAR TO SUBARU DEALER AND THEY DID NOT FIND ANY ISSUES BUT REPLACED THE BATTERY WITH ANOTHER OEM BATTERY, QUITE UNUSUAL UNTIL I READ AN ARTICALE ABOUT A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST SUBARU. IN 2020, THE NEW OEM BATTERY WAS HAVING ISSUES REQUIRING I JUMP IT SEVERAL TIMES. I WAS AWAY FROM HOME AT THE TIME AND BROUGHT THE CAR TO ADVANCED AUTO PARTS. THEY TESTED THE 2ND OEM BATTERY AND ADVISED THE BATTERY WAS BAD AND NOT HOLDING THE CHARGE. AT THAT TIME I PURCHASED A DIEHARD BATTERY AND HAVE HAD NO ISSUES IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS. AS I STATED ABOVE, I HAVE READ THAT SUBARU IS IN A CLASS ACTION SUIT FOR THE EXACT ISSUE I HAD AND WANTED TO HAVE THIS ISSUE RECORDED.