NHTSA Complaint #11389782 — 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK

WE HAVE HAD REPEATED ISSUES WITH THE CAR DYING, THE BATTERY BEING TOTALLY DEAD, AND BEING STRANDED BECAUSE OF IT. IN MAY 2018, 3 MONTHS AFTER WE BOUGHT THE BRAND NEW CAR, THE CAR'S ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. IT WAS THERE FOR AWHILE, AND ULTIMATELY WE WERE TOLD IT WAS A BAD BATTERY, AND THEY REPLACED THE FUSE BOX. THERE WAS NO DIAGNOSIS FOR WHAT OCCURRED. THEN IN JULY 2019 AT 23,000 MILES, THE CAR CONTINUED TO HESITATE TO START. THE DEALER TESTED THE BATTERY, IT FAILED, AND IT WAS REPLACED, AGAIN. ON JANUARY 19, 2021, AT 45,000 MILES, THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND WE WERE STRANDED IN A PARKING LOT. THE LIGHTS AND RADIO WERE ON BUT THE CAR'S ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. AGAIN, THE DEALER SAID THE BATTERY WAS THE CAUSE AND REPLACED IT. WHEN I INQUIRED HOW LIKELY WOULD IT BE THAT WE GOT A BAD BATTERY THIS MANY TIMES, WE WERE TOLD IT HAPPENS FREQUENTLY. AGAIN, WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS NO WAY TO DIAGNOSE WHY THE BATTERY CONTINUES TO FAIL. THERE MUST BE SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON WITH THE VEHICLE; THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. AT OTHER POINTS IN TIME, THE VEHICLE'S ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM WOULD NOT WORK, WOULD NOT TURN ON OR OFF, AND CARPLAY WOULD NOT BE RECOGNIZED. THIS HAS OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND HAS NEVER BEEN DIAGNOSED. WE ARE AWARE FROM INTERNET RESEARCH THAT WE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE, AS IT SEEMS OWNERS OF 2017-2020 OUTBACKS AND SUBARUS HAVE HAD THESE SAME ISSUES, AND HAVE BEEN TOLD IT IS A BAD BATTERY EACH TIME.