NHTSA Complaint #11365793 — 2015 SUBARU OUTBACK

ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS HAVE CAUSED THE BATTERY TO FAIL SEVERAL TIMES IN FOUR YEARS. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED ON JUNE 5, 2015. CAR FAILED TO START ON 9/30/16 AND THE MAIN RELAY WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES BY THE DEALER: ON 12/5/16, 2/8/17, AND 1/30/19 (INCLUDING A SOFTWARE UPDATE ON 1/30/19 TO "INCREASE BATTERY LIFE.") THE LATEST BATTERY (84 MO. 490CCA) HAS FAILED RECENTLY ON THREE OCCASIONS: 9/29/20 (TWICE) AND 10/21/20, EACH REQUIRING A JUMP START. ON 9/29/20 THE CAR WAS JUMP STARTED, DRIVEN FOR TWENTY MINUTES, SAT WITH THE ENGINE OFF FOR 30 MINUTES AND DRIVEN FIVE MINUTES MORE, WAS GASSED UP (ENGINE OFF), DRIVEN FIVE MINUTES, SAT WITH THE ENGINE OFF FOR TEN MINUTES AND THEN REQUIRED ANOTHER JUMP START. THE DEALER HAS PERFORMED BATTERY PERFORMANCE TESTS (SOME FAILED, SOME PASSED) BUT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE HAS NOT CHECKED COMPONENTS FOR FAILURE TO SHUT OFF, WHICH COULD LEAD TO BATTERY DRAIN. AS INSTRUCTED, I KEEP THE KEY FOB AWAY FROM THE CAR WHEN NOT IN USE, SO THIS APPEARS TO NOT BE A FACTOR.