NHTSA Complaint #11326586 — 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM issue reported to NHTSA

Check any vehicle history by VIN - Free vehicle history report

Complaint Details

ODI Number 11326586
Vehicle 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK
Component ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of Incident
Date Filed
Mileage 30,000 miles
Crash No
Fire No
Injuries 0
Deaths 0
Vehicle Towed No
State CO

Consumer Description

I BELIEVE THERE IS A PARASITIC DRAW ON THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OF MY 2017 OUTBACK (WHICH I PURCHASED IN 2016). IT HAS DIED REPEATEDLY AND RANDOMLY SINCE I PURCHASED IT, FAILING TO START AFTER BEING PARKED FOR A FEW HOURS. MORE TIMES THAN NOT NOW, IT HAS HAPPENED WHEN I'M IN THE BACKCOUNTRY (SUCH AS 05/28/2019), SOMETIMES AWAY FROM CELL SERVICE. INITIALLY, I BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG, SO I HAVE CONTINUED TO MONITOR IT. SOMETIMES, IT IS "JUST" A DEAD BATTERY THAT CAN BE JUMPED (LIKE 10/21/2018), BUT ON OCCASION, THE CAR WILL START MOMENTARILY BUT THEN THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WILL SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY (03/08/2020). SOMETIMES IT IS SO DRAINED THAT THE CAR FOB WON'T EVEN WORK. EACH TIME I TAKE IT TO THE SHOP (DEALER OR MIDAS), THEY CANNOT DIAGNOSE ANY ISSUE - "THE ALTERNATOR TESTS WELL, BUT SOMETHING IS DRAINING THE BATTERY." I HAVE EVEN PURCHASED A NEW BATTERY, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO LAST 5 YEARS, AND IT FAILED IN UNDER A YEAR. I KEEP MY INTERIOR LIGHTS OFF AND DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING EXTRANEOUS PLUGGED INTO THE CAR, YET THE PROBLEM PERSISTS - IT HAPPENED TWICE YESTERDAY (5/29/2020). I HAVE RECENTLY LEARNED THAT THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN ISSUE FOR OUTBACK OWNERS ON VARIOUS ONLINE FORUMS AND I HOPE THAT SUBARU IS ABLE TO DO SOMETIME TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM - THE REASON I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE WAS TO HAVE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION, WHICH, UNFORTUNATELY, IT MOST CERTAINLY IS NOT. *TR

Related Complaints for the 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK

Other ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Complaints

#11708730 If the car engine does not run for more than 4-5 days, the battery is drained completely dead and the car needs to be...
#11697044 battery drains consistently after a few days of not driving/
#11692082 Since purchasing this Subaru in 2017 there has been multiple incidents where the car battery drains overnight. Causi...
#11681710 Subaru was not willing to cover the cost to replace their faulty gear shifter. My key gets stuck in the ignition. Thi...
#11661627 I'm the original owner, purchased May 2017, and have had to replace the battery five times. Online research indicates...

Recent Complaints for the 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK

#11719746 UNKNOWN OR OTHER While driving, the car suddenly shut off while in motion. It came to a stop at the bottom of hill where we were able ...
#11715835 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH The contact's sister owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the hood unlatched,...
#11707487 UNKNOWN OR OTHER Driving on a flat dry road with cloudy conditions we heard what sounded like a shotgun. Pulled over and found our Mo...
#11704138 VISIBILITY/WIPER My Outback has been through 5 genuine Subaru windshields this year, and 7 since 2019. Only one was impact damage, th...
#11702736 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL While in a parking lot moving at very slow rate speed the car suddenly accelerated on its own. I had just slowly tu...
Check any vehicle history by VIN - Free vehicle history report