2020 SUBARU OUTBACK Electrical System Problems

The screen has gone out on several occasions since we purchased the car new. Most recent while using navigation the entire screen went blank and there was no voice or direction diagram. The screen did not return until the next day. Most recent the battery went dead for no reason while parked in line for a funeral. Embarrassed we had to abandon the car and ride with others. We returned later and had to jump start the car to get it home. (This incident was September 1, 2022.) we had to charge the battery for five hours before the charger showed it was charged sufficient to use. I took the car to Battery Wholesale and they advised they could not determine the batteries worthiness because the electrolytes were too low and the battery needed a hard charge to bring it up for testing.

We bought the car new in October 2020. In Nov 2021, the battery died while we we were stopped at a busy intersection. The auto start-stop system was on. We were lucky with a near miss accident with a driver than came up behind us. We had it towed to the nearest Subaru dealership who couldn’t find anything wrong. However, when we picked up the car the next day, the battery was dead again. They replaced with a new and better battery according the service center manager. Now August 2022, we find ourselves having to jump the battery 3 times in the last week when the car wouldn’t start. We have gone to another Subaru dealership who is telling us nothing is wrong. I’m fearful of finding myself in the same situation as last year.

Battery ran down too quick. Replaced battery in 5/2021. Supposedly did some adjustments to the electrical system. Worked okay until recently when the dead battery problem has begun again.

On multiple occasions, the center console has gone black and I have no control over any of the car's functions (e.g. climate control, navigation, radio, ability to turn on/off safety features, etc). This had been happening for several weeks before the more concerning incident. The auto-stop/start at a red light failed to work. The car shut off, but wouldn't restart for several seconds. Eventually it restarted and I was able to get it home Because I was afraid to drive it, the car sat in my driveway for aprox. 2 weeks before I could take it to the dealership. By then, the battery was completely dead and I had to get a jump start from AAA. I drove the car straight to the dealership. For at least 45 minutes after that jump, the center console wouldn't come back on. Because I had no means to turn off the auto start/stop...

Under warranty had to jump battery 3 times to start vehicle one time 300 miles from home Subaru put in new battery last week battery volts always below 12 volts. Put vote meter on battery after 30 minute trip read 11.9 volts had my wife step on gas volts drop to 11.5 volts . Repeated experiment again same result . Concern this winter will get stranded in cold wearher.at same time as this test I pulled my 1999 Subaru out of garage put meter on at idle read 13 volts upon acceleration read 13.5 volts dealer tells me he got 14 volts don't believe he is honest.many people on line having same prolem.

The car's battery keeps draining inexplicably, leaving the car unable to start.

The car set overnight (was fine) next AM no electrical. Everything locked except driver's door and passenger door. No battery charge at all. Everything DEAD.

We bought our 2020 Outback used in May 2022. I have had to get a jump three times in the past two weeks. I am traveling alone and not only had it involved me being late for work, but my safety as well.

My battery has been replaced three times by the dealer. Initially days after buying the vehicle and twice since then. After letting the vehicle sit for 3-7 days the battery is not able to start the vehicle. Each time I have taken it to the dealer for repair. The first time in 2020 it was just a battery replacement. Then in 2021 it was a relay and battery replacement. In 2022 it was a module and then another battery replacement. All without a comprehensive explanation from the dealer or service advisor.

Electrical system freezes/reboots spontaneously during operation; electrical system fails to power off after engine stops; electrical system stays on and drains battery, leading to car not starting; car has refused to start while away from the house due to battery drain from electrical system; car will sometimes start with all systems disabled (RAB, eyesight, cruise, etc.) due to electrical issue; car has current Virginia state inspection through December 2022; car was inspected by Sheehy Subaru in Fredericksburg, VA and "software update" was pushed 17 May 2022; problems persist even after software update on 17 May 2022.

The battery has had to be jumped 3 times in the last six months. And less than 29,000 miles. Took to dealership on July 5 and they said no issue and next time it happens would need to have it towed. Just worried it could happen in a remote place or in the evening.

TWICE now, once a year ago and then again today, my car battery is completely drained. I do not leave my FAB in the car and there were no lights left on in the vehicle. A year ago, the same thing happened and they replaced the battery with another OEM battery, thereby just temporarily fixing the issue. The service manager lied to me and told me he had no knowledge of a class action lawsuit in place to address this issue. He also commented, "well you haven't had an issue for over a year".

I bought my 2020 Subaru Outback in March of 2020. Since then I have had many instances of the battery dying. In one instance (May of 2021), it died and after jumping they had to repair something to the electrical system. On another occasion it was dying multiple times (jumped it and drove it 3 consecutive times only for it to die 12 hours later each time in December 2020) I had the vehicle towed to Subaru only for them to say they couldn't find anything wrong. I just got back from the dealership after my check engine light came on and they said I need a new battery. They were charging over $900 to swap the battery.

1.car accelerated on its own—very scary. (Took the car to Cochran Subaru of Monroeville, but they said nothing was found wrong.) 2. The very next day, the real door would not latch and car would not lock. I reported these two issues to 1-800-SUBARU3. My case # is: 220610-163479 3. we did a “software” update bc we received a recall notice—it was completed at Cochran Subaru of Monroeville sometime in the fall of 2021, in March of 2022 while on vacation in Fla, the radio BLARED on its own, then stopped working altogether for a week or so—then just started working again.

Battery died and will not hold a charge. Air bags were not engaged due to the elctrical system being impacted. Battery was charged and left overnight and the battery was fully drained in the morning and the car would not start. Battery was charged again and driven to the Subaru Dealer. The dealer fully charged the battery and left it over night and the same thing happened the next morning. The battery was drained and the car would not start. The dealer replaced the battery with a new battery and performed a software update. Next morning the battery was fully drained and the car would not start. The dealer as of today does not have a solution after have the car for 3 days. The dealer has told me they have all the diagnostic tests they can think of and nothing is showing up as being wrong or that identifies...

Starlink Head System/software malfunctions while driving. This shuts down all safety systems, back up camera, radio. Heating system cannot be controlled while shut down. System restarts automatically after a few minutes but settings, etc may need to be restored. This creates a distraction that could lead to a collision or loss of vehicle control. Investigation reveals that many have this problem with the 11.6" Starlink display. A recall should be initiated for repair/replacement of problem components. Note that two software updates have been completed at the dealer to correct this problem to no avail.

Battery died multiple times 7-8 times within last 1 year Car stopped in the middle of the road while waiting a a crossing. The cars coming behind bumped into each other. The emergency lights also died. The problem has been reproduced multiple times and I have taken the vehicle to ‘Premier Subaru Fremont’ at Fremont , CA location. I have battery failed even after the fix. I do not get any warning lamps or indication that battery is at low level and that I need to stop the car at safe location before the issue happens. It’s very dangerous and the car is completely unreliable.

Since we have owned the car since Feb 2020, we have had many dead batteries and the Subaru dealership 100+ miles away has replaced our battery at least 4 times. We live in rural Wyoming and need a reliable car for driving in the winter months when it can get below zero. We have jumped the battery numerous times but sometime the electronics don't work correctly like cruise control, dash warnings, windows, airbags, etc. We are always taking a chance driving it the 100+ miles from our residence to the nearest Subaru dealership in Ogden, UT. Even after driving it over 100 miles the battery will not charge up because it is damaged and we have to get a new battery from the Subaru dealership. We are averaging about 12,000 miles yearly travel; however, sometimes the car is not driven at all for a few days. If we don't drive...

Three times for no apparent reason the battery has drained completely after car was sitting fir a day. Subaru replaced the battery after 2nd time but now it is happening again with new battery.

For the third time this Spring, my 2020 Subaru Outback has failed to start. It appears that something within the electrical system of the car is draining the battery. Each time I have been unable to start the car the car has sat unused for 3-4 days. Fortunately I have not been stranded ... yet. I have had to call road service each time. The car has only 23000 miles on it and the car has been garaged most of the time when not in use. I have sought more information about this defect online and see that I am not alone in experiencing this problem.

2020 outback with just over 2,000 miles. Batteries (two) have completely fails twice. Six times we have had to jump these batteries. My wife had to be given a ride home from the “Y” once. I am now on my 3rd battery. Dealer says there is nothing wrong with this car. They say I need to disconnect battery if car is not to be used for a length of time. This is unacceptable, however, there seems to no no recourse.

Car is 2 years old. Battery has died twice already. Dealership cannot find any issue other than dead battery. Dealer told me that dead batteries in short timeframes is a known issue with this car. Batteries draining for no apparent reason is a safety risk as it indicates a larger problem, namely a possible parasitic drain on the battery and/or faulty electrical components. Dealer cannot replicate the issue in the few days they have had the car for repair. There was no warning of a battery failure. Car was driven earlier in the day with no issue. Tried to start it about 4 hours later and it was dead. Jump started it to take it to dealer for repair a few days later. Opened an incident report with Subaru of America on 5/2/22.

My 2020 Subaru Outback has had starting issues since shortly after I purchased the car on 1/31/2020. If I do not drive the car for more than two or three days the car will not start without a jump. On one occasion the battery was completely drained so that the fob key would not even unlock the car. Not long after I purchased the car I spoke to a mechanic at the Subaru dealership regarding the battery drain issue. He offered me no solutions except to say that there are many computers in the Subaru Outback and together they draw a lot of current. I do not know if I received a defective battery or if there is some electrical defect causing excessive battery drain when the car is off.

Date: March 25, 2022 - While driving to work, the car shut off. The RAB and eye technology features were disabled. The car indicted the battery was drained. The same day I got the car towed to the dealer. I stayed with the vehicle to find out what was wrong. After a two hour inspection, the Bay Ridge Dealer/Mechanics in Brooklyn, New York indicated that I left something on that drained the battery. I said sir "I did not." He said well the battery is ok and there is no indication that anything is wrong. The next day (March 26,2022) when I was about to start the car - the car couldn't start. I had to get it towed to the dealer and am left without a car.

Head unit shuts off while driving with no warning, and no clear cause. All safety features shut off including Eyesight and rear brake assist (shows as off in instrumental panel). It has happened multiple times in the past several months ( at least seven times) Head unit then appears to restart while underway, as if I had just entered and started the vehicle. Contacted dealer who said “the radio sometimes shuts off”. I explained that it was the entire head unit and safety features. It was simply left with them saying they have know of it happening, but no action or follow up was recommended. Time of incident is an estimate. Electronics seem to be slow to start when vehicle is first started. Was not able to get photos while driving.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery would drain with the engine off. The contact had to jump start the vehicle to resume normal operation. The contact also stated that the tailgate would independently open while driving due to a defective latch. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they could not determine the cause of the battery failure; however, the tailgate latch was replaced. Despite the visit to the dealer, the failures persisted. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and offered to provide a cash incentive towards another vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

For the third time in a week I have went out to the garage to find the lift gate up and the battery dead. I talked to the dealers service dept. and they said the fob button had to have been pushed which opened the lift gate and the open lift gate drained the battery. Their recommendation was to make sure the fob button doesn’t get accidentally pushed. I have never had any vehicle with this problem before. Doing an internet search I found that a number of Outback and Ascent owners have had this same problem and it was recommended that it be reported here.

Within 2 months of purchase 2020 Outback the car's Infotainment center has continually malfunctioned including times when the car's backup camera is displayed while the car is in drive and moving forward. Eye-sight constantly disabled as well is infotainment center constantly blacking out and then resetting itself while car is in motion. Constant beepind telling driver to look at road - all especially in inclement weather. Car is unsafe. I have multiple videos showing this but they are too big to upload here.

The Bluetooth hand-free function stopped working. Callers can be heard by the driver, however, the callers can not hear the driver speaking. It failed on both the Subaru calling system and Apple Carplay. It was taken in to the dealer with no resolution. This failure creates a dangerous situation when trying to place or receive calls and violates the legal requirement for hands-free calling.

Car is affected by a known issue with Subaru Outbacks. Almost 100% of the time, when opening the car window(s), they can not be rolled back up. There is a reset function that fails in most instances. This forces the driver to be on the road in driving rain and snow with the driver's window down, creating an extremely dangerous condition.

Issue started when one day my battery was dead. I thought I left the door or light one but that was not it. Dealer visit after dealer visit it’s the same thing. Keep getting the battery replaced with the same OEM. Works for a while and then it’s dead. Luckily I have not been stranded but I have been trying not to drive my Outback to avoid it. All the complaints about this battery is a shame since it’s an excellent vehicle. We need a higher quality replacement instead of spending money for another brand battery when the vehicle is under warranty.

Battery Failure. Auto-start would shut engine off at light and no restart car. Took 3 trips to Subaru to fails their test. Once replaced car is fine now.

I have a 2020 Subaru outback that I purchased brand new one and a half years ago. It has 31,472 miles on it on December 28, 2021 and then again on January 31, 2021 my car would not start on the battery had to be replaced.

my subaru has 12,ooo miles on it and in the past week has died on me. When you try to start the car and depress the brake, the brake locks and you cannot push it anymore, in addition, the battery does not turn over. On the first occasion, we tried to jump start the car but the battery read as normal activity and the car would not start after that. The car just started up for no apparent reason the following day. thankfully we were at home when this happened and we have a 2nd car. The second time, same thing with the brake when we tried to start car and no turnover with the battery but and the car still will not start on the following day but this time it looks like the battery has died. Taking it in to Subaru dealership where supposedly the have never heard...

Battery draining and constant jump starting. If the car is not driven for a few days the battery is drained out. This has happened on more then one occasion. The vehicle has only 11,339 miles on it. Take it to the dealer and they claim dome lights were left on. Well a fully charged battery leaving a led dome light on won't drain the battery beyond starting. Of course they do a battery test and nothing is wrong. Well, after you drive it of course it will test good. This issue needs to be looked at or at least addressed in some form

The battery on the vehicle began dying repeatedly. At first, the service provider said there was nothing wrong, however the vehicle died again the next day after inspection. Subaru replaced the battery after I brought it in a second time and the vehicle died again the next day. I brought it in a third time, and It turned out that there was a problem in the electrical system that was draining the battery. Subaru has since fixed the issue but I had heard that lots of other Subaru Outbacks were having the same problem so I wanted to report this.

The car fails to start in cold conditions (~20 degrees F). This behavior started less than 18 months after taking possession of the vehicle and ~6000 miles.

Battery inexplicably drains overnight. 1st occurrence was on 21 December 2021 and second occurrence on 25 December 2021. Car is stored in garage, located in Ponte Vedra, FL and is used daily. Mileage is 31,000 miles.

The left and the right front windows won't roll up when you push the button to roll up the driver side, it goes up and goes down and doesn't shut at all you have to turn off the car to stop it, super dangerous, and the right passenger window doesn't go down or up at all with the driver control on the door. You know what else is INCREDABLY DANGEROUS? THE LED LIGHTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY RETINA BLINDING! THEY BLIND ME AND I'M IN MY OWN CAR, THE OTHER SUBARU LIGHTS ARE BLINDINGLY HIGH AND SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL!

Battery drains when car sits idle for more than a week. No lights were accidentally left on. Had to jump start the car four times in less than a week. Subaru dealership attempted to tell me the battery was fine but the service advisor noted it was starting up sluggishly. Service did a full charge. Subaru's own website recommends driving the car at least a couple times a month, which is what I've done, but the battery still drains within two weeks. The Subaru dealership further told me that the battery has a memory and "learned" my driving habits (I purchased the car prior to the pandemic) and that is why the battery is not keeping a charge since I'm not driving it as often as they think I should. They also told me that I should disconnect the battery if I have to leave the car at an airport,...

The car battery is draining faster than it should. The battery had to be jumped this morning to get me to work. I work 10 miles away from my house and I drive the car around 200 miles a week. I do not use the start stop feature so the battery only starts the car at the beginning of a trip.

My Suburu Outback's battery has gone dead 4 times in a year and a half, the first time at 6 months. I took it to the dealer at a year and a half and they said it didn't show a drain on the battery, the battery was good, and was told I should be sure to start it daily to keep the charge up. After driving 180 miles, the car battery was dead 2 days later. I have never had a car that needed to be turned on daiuly just to keep running. At close to $30,000 purchase price, I would expect dependability. The car is not dependable and is defective.

Parked car, engine fan stated (very fast) and did not stop running until battery died. Could not start the car. One other Outback 2020 owner told me she had the same problem. Jumped battery. Subraru could not find any reason for the fan to go on and drain the battery. Car had under 9,000 miles, under 15 months old.

My wife purchased this car last Dec. It was a demo with only 2811 miles (but the odometer showed 3411 when delivered). As we have 2 other autos, the Subaru is used sparingly and mostly on longer trips. The car now has 7100 miles. Since we owned it we noticed that it was often difficult to start and my wife claims that when cornering, it hesitates like it is going to stall. This week she was visiting a client and the car was TOTALLY dead...no electrical activity at all. No door locks, no lights, no seat adjustment, no driver identification....I thought it was a dead FOB so when I went to pick her up I brought the spare FOB. It did not work either. We live in a rural community and if the car is not able to be operated, there is very little in the way of support at...

Returned to vehicle and battery was dead. While at work, received notification through Subaru app that alarm was triggered. Same thing happened last week. Tailgate was making clicking sound like it was trying to open. Once battery was jumped, the tailgate continued clicking. Researched online and found that this is a known issue for Subaru Outback and Ascent vehicles of certain years.

The sixth time the car has failed to start due to dead battery. 3 of the 6 were times when the car was driven less than 5 miles and only turned off for a short duration.

Battery/car died on new 2020 outback. Less than 35,000. Dealership cannot diagnose the problem. It has happened 4 times. 3 before. 1 after the dealership tried to diagnose.

11/10/21 first incident: vehicle stalled in middle of dangerous busy road intersection: would not start. After about 15-20 min, it restarted. Drove to Dealer who reported: "battery low, taking too many short trips running down the battery. Many codes found. all referring to low battery". 11/16/21 second incident in remote beach parking lot. After a 30-45 min walk, vehicle would not start. solenoids clicked, engine turned over a few times, but would not start. 15-20 min later, was able to start. Drove to dealer and left vehicle. Tech wondered if problem was maybe not the battery, possible loose wire, but none found immediately. Left car with them. 11/17/21: Dealer called: "bad fuel pump overheating and stopping. once cooled down would run again." Ordered a new part will be here in 2 days. I am not sure of their explanation since the car had a long time in the cold for...

In approx 2 years, the battery in my brand new 2020 Subaru Outback has died approx 8-10 times. The dealership claims it's Covid related (not driving enough); or the car has so many electrical systems that the battery is being drained as it sits in garage-the fix is me driving it more according to them.

I have had 2 batteries replaced under warranty. Without warning, vehicle will not restart leaving myself or my wife stranded.