2018 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

ONE DAY IN APRIL, THE BATTERY WAS SPONTANEOUSLY COMPLETELY DEAD. AT THE TIME IT SEEMED THAT LEAF DEBRIS SHORTED THE CIRCUIT OF THE BATTERY CAUSING CONNECTIONS TO CORRODE AND THE BATTERY TO BE DESTROYED. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE BATTERY BECAUSE IT WAS WITHIN WARRANTY. THE NEW BATTERY NOW IS HAVING ISSUES WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF INSTALLMENT. WITHIN A 4 DAY PERIOD THE BATTERY HAS BEEN DRAINED 2X INEXPLICABLY (9/23/20 AND 9/26/20). THE FIRST TIME IT COULD BE JUMPED TO ALLOW VEHICLE USE, BUT THE SECOND TIME IT COULD NOT. THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP ADVISED IT IS LIKELY A BAD CELL IN THE BATTERY AND WANTS TO REPLACE THE BATTERY.

WHEN THE POWER TAILGATE IS LEFT OPENED FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD, THE BATTERY DRAINS. THE SHORTEST HOURS LEFT OPENED WAS 4 HOURS. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THE BATTERY WAS TESTED TO BE NORMAL (RATED 550 CCA, MEASURED 504 CA, VOLTAGE 12.74V, TEMPERATURE 90F). THE INSTRUCTION PROVIDED BY THE DEALERSHIP WAS TO RUN THE CAR EVERY DAY TO KEEP CHARGING THE BATTERY. THE CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH THE MEMORY HEIGHT TO KEEP THE HATCH OPEN, AND THAT FEATURE IS USELESS WHEN THE BATTERY KEEPS DRAINING.

BATTERY IN MY 2018 OUTBACK CONTINUES TO BE DEAD WHEN I GO TO START IT AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT. JUST TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY CALLED AND SAID THEY DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THEY ARE KEEPING IT OVERNIGHT TO SEE IF IT IS DEAD IN THE MORNING. IN THE PAST WEEK I HAVE HAD TO JUMP START THE CAR 5 TIMES BECAUSE IT WAS DEAD. JUST CALLED SUBARU AND FILED A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THIS IS MY 4TH SUBARU AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM LIKE THIS.

WHILE DRIVING A ROCK.. NOT A LARGE ONE, CRACKED MY WINDSHIELD WHICH ULTIMATELY PROGRESSED THROUGH OUT THE WINDSHIELD. ONE OTHER TIME A SIMILAR SITUATION OCCURRED WHEN A SMALL ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD CAUSING DAMAGE TO IT. I ALSO HAD A ROCK HIT THE PASSENGER SIDE ON THE SECOND ROW WINDOW WHICH COMPLETELY SHATTERED IT. THE CAR WAS IN MOTION FOR THE WINDSHIELD ON A DIVIDED HIGHWAY OCCURENCE BUT STATIONARY ON A CITY STREET WITH PASSENGER WINDOW DAMAGE.

A LONG CRACK FORMED FROM THE TOP LEFT SIDE WINDSHIELD HAS FORMED. WE GOT THIS CAR FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING HOME A CRACK HAD FORMED. NO INDICATION OF DEBRIS HIT. WE HEARD A SMALL POPPING SOUND AND NOTICED THE CRACK WHEN WE GOT HOME.

THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OF THE CAR DRAINS THE BATTERY AFTER A FEW DAYS OF NOT USING THE CAR. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN JULY, 2018. THE CAR HAS A BATTERY PROBLEM FROM THE BEGINNING. FIRST TIME WHEN THE BATTERY DIED I CHARGED IT MYSELF AND I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. AT THE DEALERSHIP THEY COULDT FIND ANY ISSUE. SINCE THAT TIME THE CAR'S BATTERY DRAINED COMPLETELY SIX TIMES PREVENTING THE CAR FROM STARTING. IF THE BATTERY WAS NOT CONNECTED TO A BATTERY TENDER IT WENT COMPLETELY DEAD AFTER A FEW DAYS. LAST TIME WHEN THE BATTERY DRAINED IT COULDN'T BE CHARGED WITH A CHARGER AND ALSO THE CAR COULDN'T BE JUMPED. AFTER INVESTING IN A NEW BATTERY AND INSTALLING IT ON THE CAR THE BATTERY DRAINED AGAIN COMPLETELY AFTER A FEW DAYS WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE AND NOT USED.

MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO APPARENT REASON ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE CAR HAD NOT BEEN HIT BY ANYTHING, BUT HAD BEEN SITTING IDLE OVERNIGHT. THERE WAS ONLY A 15 DEGREE TEMPERATURE CHANGE SO IT WASN'T THAT.

PURCHASED THIS CAR IN FEB 2018. DESPITE THE PANDEMIC OF 2020, MILEAGE IS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR, DRIVING TRIPS ARE SIMILAR SINCE GETTING THE CAR. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN DYING OVER AND OVER SINCE EARLIER THIS YEAR (FEB/MARCH 2020) FOR NO APPARENT REASON. ON MANY OCCASIONS, AFTER SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY FOR A FEW DAYS, A WEEK, A DAY - THE BATTERY WOULD BE DEAD. BROUGHT IT TO SUBARU AND THEY TOLD ME SOME CRAP ABOUT NOT DRIVING IT FOR PERIODS OF TIME COULD CAUSE THIS (A WEEK?!). THEY TESTED MY BATTERY AND SAID IT WAS BETTER THAN PERFECT. NOW IT'S GOING BACK IN TO THEM BECAUSE IT IS STILL HAPPENING AND NOW THEY ARE CLAIMING IT'S DUE TO LOW MILEAGE. THEY KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS THAN THEY ARE LEADING ON AND ARE BLAMING THE VEHICLE OWNERS' DRIVING HABITS INSTEAD OF GETTING TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.

2018 SUBARU OUTBACK DEVEOLPED A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD THAT ORIGINATED ON THE LOWER LEFT CORNER IN THE DE-ICER REGION. THE CURIOUS LOCATION OF THIS CRACK LED ME TO SEEK OUT WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. I FOUND A SERVICE BULLETIN FROM SUBARU IN 2015 SUBARUS THAT SPECIFICALLY STATE "THESE TYPES OF DAMAGE WOULD ONLY BE COVERED BY THIS WARRANTY EXTENSION IF THE WINDSHIELD IS IDENTIFIED AS HAVING THE ABOVE OUTLINED CONDITION AND THE DAMAGE ORIGINATES IN THE AFFECTED WIPER DEICER AREA. OTHER FORUMS AGAIN AND AGAIN MENTION RECURRING PROBLEMS ORIGINATING IN THIS DE-ICER AREA AND QUICKLY PROPAGATING THE REST OF THE WINDSHIELD. CRACKS IN SUBARU WINDSHIELDS OFTEN RENDER EYESIGHT UNUSABLE. ADDITIONALLY THE COST TO REPLACE THESE WINDSHIELDS IS VERY HIGH AS YOU HAVE TO FACTOR IN RECALIBRATING THE EYESIGHT EQUIPMENT. I SPOKE TO SUBARU OF AMERICA AND THEY STATED THAT "THIS WAS FROM OUTSIDE INFLUENCES/IMPACT AND THERE ARE OTHER IMPACT AREAS ON OTHER SPOTS ON THE WINDSHIELD." THE REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THIS SERVICE BULLETIN/NUMEROUS OTHER SUBAR OWNERS FORUMS/UNUSUAL ARE FOR A ROCK TO HIT OR CRACK TO FORM. ALSO, THE VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS SAFETY HAZARD AS OCCURRED AND SUBARU NOT ONLY REFUSES TO AUTHORIZE REPLACEMENT, BUT THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELDS CRACKING.

TL* THE CONTACT'S WIFE OWNS A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT'S WIFE HAD NOTICED AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE, WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HUGHES SUBARU (3010 ATLANTA HWY, ATHENS, GA 30606) TO HAVE THE BRAKES INSPECTED AND THE DEALER FOUND NO FAULTS WITH THE BRAKES. AS THE FAILURE PERSISTED, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE SAME DEALER WHERE THEY DISCOVERED A FAILURE WITH THE TWO FRONT TIRE WHEEL BEARINGS AND THEY REPLACED THE TWO FRONT BEARINGS UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER ALSO SUGGESTED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE WHEEL BEARINGS. THE CONTACT THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE HE INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES WERE CHOPPED. HE STATED THAT THE TWO FRONT TIRES WERE WORSE THEN THE REAR TIRES. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE COULD LEAD TO SUSPENSION ISSUES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 26,000. *DT CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO HUGHES SUBARU TO ADDRESS CONCERNS ABOUT THE CHOPPED TIRES AND POTENTIAL SUSPENSION ISSUES. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT THE CHOPPING ON THE TIRES WERE NOT A RESULT OF FAILURE OF THE WHEEL BEARING HUBS. HE ALSO SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE NO SUSPENSION ISSUES BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE. HE SAID THAT THE TIRES DID NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THERE WAS 6+ TREAD STILL REMAINING ON THE TIRES. *DL