NHTSA Complaint #11545464 — 2021 SUBARU OUTBACK

The 2021 Outback XT which we purchased new on April 15, 2021, would not start on September 15, 2023. My spouse had a medical appointment that morning. On September 18, 2023, the vehicle would not start again. My spouse had a medical appointment that morning as well. This same problem occurred several months earlier. On the morning of May16, 2023 I called the dealership's service department for a service appointment. This was the first such incident and caught me totally by surprise. Here is a direct quote from the Service's Manager's May 19, 2023 email. " The tester/charger determined that your battery was healthy, had a good state of charge and accepted a good rate of charge and also held the charge. The battery has no fault, the drain was the issue determining replacement of your battery was unnecessary and not warrantable." The dealership service department manager went on to state "it (battery)required 3 hours and 45 minutes of charging". Following the May 16, 2023 service appointment the vehicle performed as expected until the morning of September 15, 2023. On September 19, the vehicle was again taken to the dealership for servicing. During this visit, a "new battery" was installed by the service department because they determined the existing battery failed their test. The service rep stated the “new” battery will fix the problem. Also, the service rep stated, when asked, that the Electronic Control Module was updated but the Data Communications Module was not replaced. Additionally, the rep stated, when asked, the “new” battery did not carry the normal warranty because it was installed under the vehicle’s existing 3-year warranty which expires on April 15 2024. This limited battery warranty makes no sense. Since the May 16, 2023 incident, we experienced emotional tension every time we have driven the vehicle, dreading it would not start when we needed the vehicle the most. We are 70+ and believed that we were purchasing a safe vehicle.