NHTSA Complaint #10074710 — 2004 SUBARU OUTBACK

I PURCHASED A NEW SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK, ON 4/28/04. [XXX] ON MAY 26, I ENTERED THE CAR USING THE KEYLESS ENTRY, BUT I COULD NOT START THE CAR AS THE BATTERY POWER WAS LOW. SO I TRIED TO EXIT THE CAR BUT THE DOOR ON THE DRIVER SIDE WOULD NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE EVEN WHEN I TRIED TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOOR. THE OTHER FRONT DOOR AND THE BACK DOORS COULD NOT BE OPENED EITHER. I WAS TRAPPED INSIDE THE CAR WITH NO AIR OR POWER. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO CALL A PASSERBY'S ATTENTION AFTER 15 MINUTES AND HE COULD OPEN THE CAR FROM THE OUTSIDE WITHOUT PROBLEMS. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS ONE COULD ASPHYXIATE INSIDE THE CAR IF HELP IS NOT EASILY AVAILABLE. LATER THE CAR COULD BE STARTED BY JUMP STARTING IT SUGGESTING THAT THE BATTERY POWER WAS LOW. BUT WHAT WAS OF MAJOR CONCERN WAS THAT THE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN FROM INSIDE MANUALLY IF THE BATTERY WAS NOT ACTIVE. I THINK THIS PROBLEM MAY BE UNIQUE TO MY CAR AS SUBARU SAYS THAT THEY SHOULD OPEN MANUALLY AS WELL. YET, CONSIDERING THE POTENTIAL DANGER OF THIS FLAW, IT IS WORTH TRACKING AND CHECKING WITH THE PUBLIC AT LARGE FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH SUBARU CARS. ALSO SURPRISINGLY, THE HATCH TOO DOES NOT HAVE ANY METHOD OF OPENING FROM INSIDE THE AUTO IN CASE ONE IS TRAPPED. I THINK THIS IS A MAJOR FLAW AS EVEN TRUNKS CAN NOW BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE AND ALL HATCHBACKS SHOULD HAVE A INDEPENDENT WAY OF OPENING FROM THE INSIDE IN CASE ONE IS TRAPPED INSIDE THE CAR. *JB UPDATED 07/25/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)