2020 Subaru Crosstrek Electrical System Problems

Beginning one year after buying this used 2020 Subaru Crosstrek base trim the starter failed and battery fully died after failing to start from a stop. The engine was OFF due to the auto-stop system and failed upon lifting my foot from the brake on a slight incline, causing a constant warning beep and a starter system failure message on the dash display. Immediately after failing to start the brake pressure significantly dropped causing my car to roll into the front of the car behind it. The car was stranded in the road and required a jump start. Since this event the issue has occurred twice more on two brand new batteries on no incline, and I now fully disable the auto-stop feature before driving to avoid an accident. The car starts properly with no battery damage if started from the full ignition off position, even if auto-stop originally stopped the engine, pointing to a failure of the auto-stop system specifically. Importantly, I have also personally seen this exact failure occur to a separate 2020 Subaru Crosstrek, with the sport trim.

Car is a Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid Car was connected to its electrical charge cable The connector is a type SAE J1772 When the connector is connected to the car, the ignition is supposed to be disabled, and the car is not supposed to be able to be removed from Park. Neither safety system was operable. When the car was moved, it broke the connector, exposing the bare pins. Hazard - potential exposure to electrocution or fire There is a small orange indicator on the display when the cable is connected. It should be RED, and it should inhibit the operation of the car.

Battery drains quickly.

If car sits unused for 2 or 3 days, the battery will have slowly drained down to the point where the car won't start. It seems that the car's internal electronics drains the battery down, even if the car isn't being operated. Even if the car is being operated, the battery is only charged up to about half of a full charge which contributes to the battery drain problem. The dealer says that the car should be started up every day to keep this problem from occurring, but that doesn't seem reasonable, and is practical if the car needs to be parked a few days at the airport.

MY CAR WOULDN'T START AFTER STOPPING TO VISIT A FRIEND. THE FRIEND WATCHED UNDER THE HOOD WHEN I PRESSED THE START BUTTON. HE SAW SPARKS FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I HAD DRIVEN OVER 27 MILES THAT DAY BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS BECAUSE I MADE TOO MANY SHORT TRIPS. THEY OFFERED TO INSTALL A BATTERY CHARGER WHICH I DON'T FEEL SHOULD BE NECESSARY ON A BRAND NEW CAR.

WE HAD A REMOTE START INSTALLED BY THE DEALERSHIP PRIOR TO ACCEPTING DELIVERY OF THE CAR. TWO DAYS LATER, THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY UNABLE TO START. THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP (SPORT SUBARU SOUTH IN ORLANDO FL) SENT A TECHNICIAN TO REPAIR THE CAR, RATHER THAN TOWING IT TO A DEALERSHIP AND REPAIRING IT THERE. THE TECHNICIAN CONFIRMED THE REMOTE START WAS DEFECTIVE AND REROUTED THE STARTING PROCEDURE. SINCE THEN, THE CAR MAKES A HORRIBLE NOISE ON COLD STARTS. THE CAR WAS TAKEN IN TO HAVE THE REST OF THE REMOTE START COMPONENTS REMOVED, BUT THEY CLAIMED TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE SOUND. WE FEEL THESE REMOTE STARERS ARE UNSAFE AND LIKELY DAMAGING THE VEHICLE'S STARTER, AND POSSIBLY OTHER ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. WE HAVE VIDEO OF THE CAR NOT STARTING AND THE ENGINE NOISE.