2017 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

RECURRENT BATTERY DEAD PROBLEM; THEN FINALLY NOT CHARGING AT ALL ; DESPITE OF BATTERY BEING FULL DEALER ALWAYS DOING THINGS TO THE SYSTEM WITH UPDATES ; AND NEVER ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM

THIS 2017 OUTBACK SUDDENLY LOST ALL ELECTRICAL POWER. EVEN JUMP STARTING THE VEHICLE WAS DIFFICULT. THEE SERVICE THAT CAME TO JUMP THE CAR SAID THEY HAVE SEEN A LOT OF SUBARU'S NEEDING TO BE JUMPED AND THIS WAS FROM A SUBARU'S ROADSIDE SERVICE PROVIDER. PUTTING THE BATTERY ON A CHARGER WOULD NOT HELP. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR. THEY SAID THE BATTERY WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY DID NOT CHECK THE CHARGING SYSTEM SAYING IT WAS DEFINITELY THE BATTERY. AT A COST OF $165.78 THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. THIS SEEMED VERY ODD TO ME THAT THE BATTERY WOULD ALREADY BE BAD AFTER THREE YEARS. I DID SOME INTERNET CHECKING AND FOUND OUT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE. NOTHING WAS LEFT ON IN THE CAR BUT IT WAS NOT BEING DRIVEN EVERYDAY AS IT ONCE HAD. SEEING HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE I WAS WONDERING WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS MODEL AND YEAR?

THE BATTERY DIED WITH LESS THAN 30K MILES ON IT. AFTER JUMP STARTING AND DRIVING THE CAR TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY, IT WOULDN'T HOLD A CHARGE. AFTER JUMPING, THE CAR HAD MULTIPLE FEATURES THAT WOULD NOT WORK -- WINDOWS WOULD NOT OPEN, HATCH WOULD NOT OPEN. I HAD A NEW BATTERY INSTALLED ON 4/17/20 (MILEAGE 29,554) AND THEY RESET THE WINDOWS & HATCH TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. IN JUNE, THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AGAIN, AND I HAD TO GET IT SERVICED AGAIN TO HAVE THE WINDOWS & HATCH RESET (MILEAGE 29,971). FINALLY, ON 8/30, THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DEAD, DESPITE SHOWING NO INDICATION OF LOW CHARGE OR RELIABILITY FOR SOME TIME. I COULD HEAR A CLICKING IN THE HATCH THAT MAKES ME THINK THERE IS SOME TRIGGER THERE DRAINING THE BATTERY.

ABOUT A MONTH AGO, I BEGAN HEARING A PERIODIC LOUD METALLIC CLACK-CLACK-CLACK WHEN MAKING A LEFT U-TURN, WHICH SOUNDED AS IF IT WERE TIRE ROTATION DEPENDENT. IT SOUNDED AS IF IT CAME FROM THE FRONT END. AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS I COULD HEAR IT RANDOMLY WHEN GOING FROM A STAND STILL, AND VERY SELDOM WHEN BRAKING. LAST THURSDAY, I NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL CENTER POSITION HAD MOVED TO THE LEFT, AND I DECIDED TO CHECK THE WHOLE FRONT SUSPENSION. TIGHTENED A BUNCH OF UNDER TORQUED BOLTS, INCLUDING THE 8 THAT HOLD THE ENGINE CRADLE TO THE BODY. LAST NIGHT THE NOISE WAS NOTICEABLE WHEN DRIVING OVER AND BUMPS, AND THE CAR BEGAN TO PULL TO THE LEFT WHEN BRAKING. A FINAL ROAD BUMP AND THE CAR SOUNDED AS IF IT WAS FALLING APART. WHEN STOPPING AT THE NEXT TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE CAR PULLED MORE NOTICEABLY TO THE LEFT, AND THE REAR END CAME UP. I MADE IT TO A GAS STATION, WHERE I INSPECTED BOTH FRONT AND BACK BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE ANYTHING. TRIED TO ROCK THE TOP OF ALL TIRES IN AND OUT AND THEY ALL SEEMED FIRM. DROVE 18 MILES AT 25-30 MILES PER HOUR, TRYING NOT TO USE THE BRAKES AT ALL. ONCE IN THE GARAGE, I GOT UNDER THE CAR AND VOIL... LEFT REAR TRAILING LINK COMPLETELY BROKEN. AT 74890 MILES. THE PICTURES SHOW ANOTHER CRACK STARTING ON THE UPPER BEND OF THE ARM. BY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CRACK, IT SEEMS AS IF THE PART HAD FATIGUED. THIS MORNING I CRAWLED THE CAR TO THE CLOSEST SUBARU DEALER, AND EVEN OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY REPLACED THE LINK FOR FREE, OF COURSE AFTER I GOT THE "NEVER SAW THIS KIND OF FAILURE BEFORE" INTERNET FORUMS HAVE MULTIPLE REPORTS OF THIS KIND OF FAILURE. PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED PICTURES.

BOUGHT 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK IN LATE 2019. IN MARCH 2020, AFTER LETTING THE OUTBACK SIT IN THE DRIVEWAY FOR THREE DAYS WITHOUT DRIVING IT, THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. JUMPED IT AND BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. DEALER REPLACED BATTERY. IN AUGUST 2020, OUTBACK SAT UNDRIVEN FOR FOUR DAYS AND THE BATTERY IS DEAD. JUMPED IT, DROVE IT AROUND TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY, AND AFTER LEAVING THE CAR OFF FOR A FEW HOURS IT WILL NOT START AGAIN.

8/28/20-WHILE PULLING OUT OF MY GARAGE, I NOTICED A REFLECTION OF A SMALL PINPOINT "CHIP" IN MY WINDSHIELD, ABOUT 4 INCHES FROM THE A PILLAR. OVERNIGHT THE "CHIP" GREW INTO A LARGE HORIZONTAL, VERTICAL AND THEN HORIZONTAL CRACK THAT INTERFERES WITH THE DRIVER'S LINE-OF-SIGHT. THE WINDSHIELD HAD CRACKED PREVIOUSLY ON 1/2/20 AND WAS REPLACED AT A SUBARU DEALERSHIP FOR OVER $1000. SEE NHTSA ID NUMBER 11297463 FILED ON 1/6/20.. THIS IS THE 2ND CRACKED WINDSHIELD IN LESS THAN 9 MONTHS!

WHEN PUTTING MY CAR INTO 'P' FOR PARK, AND TURNING MY CAR OFF WITH MY KEY, MY KEY WILL NOT TURN ALL THE WAY INTO THE OFF POSITION FOR ME TO TAKE MY KEY OUT. I HAVE TO TURN MY KEY INTO THE ON POSITION, SHIFT THE GEAR INTO EITHER 'N' OR 'D', THEN BACK INTO THE 'P' POSITION SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE I CAN GET MY KEY OUT. THIS IS SUCH A SAFETY HAZARD. THIS HAPPENS WHEN MY CAR IS STATIONARY AND PARKED, AND I AM ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE MY VEHICLE. APPARENTLY, MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE AND SUBARU DOESN'T CARE ENOUGH ABOUT THEIR CLIENTS TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THEIR $$$.

VEHICLE WOULD NOT START 8/25/2020. BATTERY DRAINED AND NEEDED TO BE RE-CHARGED. NO INTERIOR OR EXTERIOR LIGHTS WERE ON. THE BATTERY HAD BEEN REPLACED TWO YEARS EARLIER ON 7/19/2018 BY SUBARU OF WHITEFISH, MT. DEALER TESTED BATTERY ON GR8 TESTER AND TESTED BAD. IN BOTH CASES, VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN THE DRIVEWAY OR GARAGE.

MY CAR BATTERY CONTINUES TO DRAIN. I WAS GIVEN A NEW BATTERY DESPITE THE CAR BEING LESS THAN THREE YEARS OLD. THREE MONTHS AFTER THE NEW BATTERY WAS INSTALLED BY THE DEALERSHIP, THE BATTERY DRAINS OVERNIGHT TO THE POINT THE CAR BARELY TURNS OVER OR DOESN'T START AT ALL. EVEN AFTER EXTENDED PERIODS OF DRIVING, THE BATTERY BARELY TURNS OVER DESPITE SITTING OVERNIGHT FOR 12 HOURS IN THE DRIVEWAY IN AUGUST.

THE BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. THE FIRST BATTERY WAS REPLACED AFTER ONLY HAVING THE CAR FOR LESS THAN A MONTH AND LESS THAN 6,000 MILES. I'M HAVING TO REPLACE THE BATTERY AGAIN AFTER ONLY 8,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY AND HAD ONLY BEEN SITTING FOR A DAY. I'VE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO TWO MECHANICS. THE FIRST MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRICAL WIRING IN THE DOORS WAS FAULTY. THAT WIRING WAS REPLACED. THE SECOND MECHANIC CHECKED THE ALTERNATOR, BUT SAID THAT THE SYSTEM WAS FINE (WAS NOT ABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM OR DETERMINE ANY PROBLEM).