NHTSA Complaint #11416650 — 2016 SUBARU OUTBACK

I LEFT MY HOME TO GO GET GAS A FEW MINUTES AWAY. AFTER I FILLED UP AT THE PUMP, MY CAR WOULD NOT START. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES, AND ASKED A GAS STATION ATTENDANT FOR HELP. HE SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE THE BATTERY OR ALTERNATOR. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, AND HE PUSHED MY CAR BACK INTO A PARKING SPOT SO I COULD CALL SOMEONE FOR A JUMP. HOWEVER, WITHIN THE FEW MINUTES OF TRYING TO START MY CAR AND BEING PUSHED, THE BATTERY DRAINED SO QUICKLY THAT THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DEAD AND INOPERABLE. I COULD NOT GET THE CAR BACK INTO PARK, AND THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE DIDN'T WORK EITHER BECAUSE THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO ELECTRICITY LEFT IN THE CAR. THIS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HAVE BEEN ANY LONGER THAN A 5 MINUTE TIMESPAN. THE PARKING SPOT I WAS IN HAD A SLIGHT SLOPE TO IT, SO SINCE I COULDN'T PUT THE CAR IN PARK OR USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, I HAD TO KEEP MY FOOT PRESSED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL UNTIL SOMEONE ARRIVED TO HELP ME. I COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR TO EVEN CHECK UNDER THE HOOD. LUCKILY I HAD A PASSENGER THAT COULD GET OUT AND ASSIST, ESPECIALLY SINCE I COULDN'T OPEN ANY WINDOWS EITHER. WHEN HELP ARRIVED, THEY WERE ABLE TO JUMP THE CAR SO I COULD DRIVE BACK HOME. HAD I BEEN ALONE THOUGH, I WOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY OUT OF LUCK - I WOULD HAVE BEEN STUCK IN THE CAR PRESSING THE BRAKE, OR RISK GETTING OUT AND HAVING THE CAR ROLL AWAY. IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS SITUATION - I CANNOT BELIEVE THE POWER COULD DRAIN SO QUICKLY TO THE POINT THAT I COULDN'T EVEN PARK THE CAR. I PURCHASED A NEW BATTERY AFTERWARDS, BUT I'M NOT EVEN SURE THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I'VE NEVER SEEN A BATTERY DRAIN SO QUICKLY - IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE MORE OF AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE WITH THE CAR.