2017 Subaru Outback Complaint Log

The contact's friend owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery failed to retain the charge. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced the battery. The dealer informed the contact that she needed to drive the vehicle more frequently to keep the battery charged. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

My parked Car, engine off, has not started six times in the last 9 months. Battery is dead. Parasitic battery drain with this model car. Battery and Alternator has been checked by mechanics 4 times, both are good. Also checked by Interstate battery. They took the battery out and checked it overnight. The battery is less than 18 months old, all say it is good, not the problem. Six times I have had to have my car jumped to start. Dangerous for a older person to be stranded. Nothing was left on, no lights or utilities . Car also will not start if not driven for several days. This model 2017 Subaru has a mechanical problem, it has a parasitic power drain.

On January 24th, 2022, during a regularly scheduled maintenance services appointment at a Subaru dealership, the service technician discovered that the steering rack on my 2017 Subaru Outback needed replacement. At that time, I was advised it would be unsafe/dangerous to continue to drive my vehicle, unless I immediately replaced the steering rack. Therefore, at the guidance of the Subaru dealership, namely Freehold Subaru, I gave my consent for them to proceed with replacement of the steering components, which cost $2,223.86 (plus tax). Evidence of the cost is a copy of the detailed invoice and proof of payment is available upon request. At the time when the steering components were replaced, I was not aware of the Subaru Outback recall which involved steering components, nor did the Subaru dealership bring it to my attention, perhaps because they were also not aware of this specific recall. The recall I’m referring to is described under NHTSA Campaign Number 16V292000 (dated May 11th, 2016). As I paid for the steering rack replacement out of my own pocket, on November 29th, 2022, I contacted Subaru of America to seek reimbursement because this should’ve been covered under the steering components recall mentioned above. On December 15th, 2022, I received a message from Subaru of America stating that my particular Subaru’s VIN was not included in the recall. In my mind, this may have been an unintentional oversight on the part of the Subaru dealership by not including my Subaru’s VIN in the recall, when clearly other SAME Year Make and Model as my car (2017 Subaru Outback) were included in the recall.

Vehicle battery has failed for second time. Failure of battery to function and operate properly is a safety risk to the driver and other passengers in the vehicle for a number of reasons other Subaru owners have detailed in their vehicle complaints forms previously submitted. Original battery was replaced on 2 November 2020 under Subaru warranty. New battery has now failed on 22 January 2022, resulting in additional cost to owner to pay for towing service to transport vehicle to dealership for diagnosis and repair/replacement.

The battery in the vehicle completely drains if the vehicle is not started every day and run/driven for a period of time. I called the dealer where it was bought new by me and they told me it was a common thing that happens and just to make sure the interior lights went dark when the vehicle is parked. To me, that was a lame way to blow me off. I have talked to others that own these same vehicles and they have the battery drain issues as well. Being retired and owning 2 other vehicles, I do not drive the Subaru every day. On an average I have to jump start the vehicle at least twice a week. This is very discouraging to me since I paid so much for this car.

I am now on my SIXTH battery in my 2017 Subaru Outback, having had to replace it 5 times in the last 2 years. For a car that has less than 30,000 miles, is maintenanced regularly, taken care of and driven well, this is absurd. The dealership has acknowledged that there was a technical issue that was making the battery drain quickly, but even after reprogramming, the NEW battery still died a few months later. My research indicates there is a widely known issue with battery drainage on this model of car, and yet Subaru of America refuses to admit this or make it right, other than continuing to replace the battery again and again. I have been stuck in parking lots and away from my home, with two very small children, several times now and I worry about our safety as this continues to happen again and again.

The battery is continually draining and requires the car to be jump started. This has been happening for the couple of years.

Underlying and undiagnosed electrical issue is placing excessive load on battery to a point where battery can't recover. Have had issues on shorter drives and long drives. We are currently on 4 battery replacements in less than 18 month period. After a quick Google search is a common issue among other Outbacknowners. Best guess is something with a faulty design on alternator and/or electrical system which pulls power accelerating battery decay. Have taken to Subaru several times and they just say it is normal. This is not normal and very dangerous. We have been stranded several times. One time after a 7 hour drive on the other side of state (vacation).

Car back door won't open, despite 3 new batteries. Remained locked so that couldn't remove equipment from back--Dangerous. Have been through 3 batteries in 26,000 miles....all that the car has been driven since it's purchase, new, in 2017.

The SRS Warning light triggered on 1/12/2022. I took my vehicle to Hendrick’s Subaru in Hoover, Alabama on 1/13/2022. The service technician, using computer error codes, determined that the airbag control unit had failed. This repair will be approximately $1600.00 and I believe that my Outback should have been part of an airbag recall campaign WUX-09R. It was explained to me that the control module replacement will require the installation of a new passenger side airbag. This led me to investigate air bag issues on the NHTSA website.I feel that the scope of Recall Campaign WUX-09R should be expanded and I should not have to bear the cost of a known issue.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-t68632_ds1061822 I figured that out after reading all the previous threads on this site. Not happy! I will be getting back to them, and Subaru America as well. What doesn't seem to be clear from this thread is whether replacing the battery with a heftier one will make a difference if there is this parasitic draining going on. The dealer did the required software updates but that didn't make a difference. I understand that there may be some class action suits in progress.

The battery drains after not using the vehicle for 48hrs+. We've replaced the battery 3 times and have had to jump start the vehicle more than 10 times in the last 18mos. This causes a safety concern as there have been times where the vehicle wouldn't start in unsafe areas and late at night not to mention a major hassle to get transportation while stranded in the middle of an airport parking lot at night. This is happening temperature independent, cold and warm (60F+) with the only factor being if the car site for more than 2 days.

Windshield spontaneously cracked, twice. It just cracked, nothing going on. I heard it happen the first time. The second time, it was in the driveway. There was no evidence of anything hitting it. Just a new crack.

Battery continually found dead requiring frequent jump starts

I have just over 33,000 miles. I already had to replace the battery. Its 60 degrees out this past week and with a 1 year battery the car doesnt start. I have had to get my car jumpstarted 5 times in the past 5 days because the battery goes completely dead. Not even enough power to unlock the doors. I have to use the manual key.

The battery goes dead prematurely. This is a 2017 Outback and I am having to replace the battery for the third time already. Something is wrong with the electrical system.

If the car engine does not run for more than 4-5 days, the battery is drained completely dead and the car needs to be jump started to get the engine to run and have the alternator recharge the battery. Ongoing issue.

Noticed rust bubble in the inner and outer paint of the driver front door pillar December 2021. Noticed it was getting substantially worse and reported it to Subaru July 2022. They said there was no pinhole in the rust and would not be covered. Showed it to Subaru again in 2023, and said it is not covered under their 5 year rust plan. It is now January 2024, and the paint as well as base metal is peeling from the door. It is clear there is damage to the base metal, and represents a weakened location in the door/frame/pillar structure should there be a rollover accident. Bought this car for its safety reputation. Online forums have noted that Subaru has replaced doors for this same premature failure of the door in the same location on multiple vehicles.

I have had a number of unexplainable dead batteries. I have AAA and had battery jumped or battery replaced. In the last week I've had to call AAA assistance twice. Each time the battery and alternator test came back okay.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, a crack started forming on the driver’s side windshield and moved towards the center of the windshield. The contact stated that the windshield was not struck by an object to cause the crack to form. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,500. Subaru was made aware of this defective windshield and installed a NEW windshield at NO COST to the contact on December 27, 2021. The installation was accomplished by Don K Whitefish in Whitefish, MT on their R/O number 3602221/1. No further action is required.

Wife was in a Collison on the freeway in Phoenix. She believes none of the collision avoidance devices worked properly to help prevent the accident. She heard no alarms or dings associated with the avoidance systems on her outback. She didn't feel the brakes lock up like they normally would. She feels if this truly is an issue, can she trust any of these safety features, which if working, could help avoid hitting everything from a person to a vehicle and injuring or killing her or someone else. We have not tried to reproduce this issue since the car is damaged and out our house. We have also not taken it to a dealer for the same reason. We did call Subaru and all they cared about was being sued. Which we said we did not want. We just wanted to make sure all systems are working or if there is an issue. They would not help or even offer to inspect the car. They told us we need to hire a 3rd party investigator. Which we don't even know who or where that would be or how to find one. No known issues with the system prior to the accident.

I have a 2017 Subaru Outback. It rained hard Monday night into Tuesday. When I got in my car Tuesday am to take my kids to school, there a small crack, maybe 3 inches, there was no crack previously. As I drove my kids to school we watched the crack grow larger and larger. There was no debris or anything near the windshield when we got it. It seems to me that a windshield should be able to withstand a hard rain. I googled it and it seems that Subaru's have problem with their windshields and it doesn't seem right. Thank you

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The contact stated that the battery in the vehicle had been replaced three times. The contact stated that two batteries were replaced in one week and the last battery was replaced a week ago. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer however, the contact had spoken to a local dealer who suggested that the battery be replaced. The battery was replaced however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that upon entering his vehicle, he noticed a horizontal, foot long crack had formed on the driver’s side windshield without incident. The contact stated that the crack obstructed his vision while driving. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

Several times, sometimes overnight, car battery is dead when attempting to start. So far, I have found a .03A leak in the STOP circuit.

while driving Transmission begins making a squeaking noise.. Rpms climb and car does not increase speed RPM climb with no movement. Until RPMs climb higher than normal. the car then launches forward. The hesitation caused by the transmission will lead to an accident very quickly, especially if turning into a business with on coming traffic.. Merging on the highway is severely dangerous. This car has 86,000 miles. There are no warning lights associated with this issue.

2017 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5 LIMITED HAS LOOSE STEERING IN THE RAIN AND GOING DOWN HILLS. DRIFTS A LOT WITH CROSS WINDS VEHICLE HAD ALIGNMENT AND TIRE INSPECTION AND SUSPENSION CHECKED AND ALL WAS FINE BUT CAR STILL IS UNSTABLE IN BAD WEATHER. FEELS LIKE IT IS SWAYING AND THE TIRES ARE NOT ON THE GROUND. TIRES HAVE 13K MILES ON THEM AND ARE IN GOOD SHAPE. SHOCKS ARE FINE. REPAIR SHOPS CAN NOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM

I purchased a used 2017 Subaru Outback Premium in January 2020 from Johnson Subaru in Raleigh, NC. It was a Certified car and had a brand new Subaru brand battery as part of the prep before the sale. That battery failed on Aug 23, 2021...less than 18 months old. A Subaru dealer agreed to replace it under the 2 year battery warranty. The free replacement Subaru brand battery that was installed in my Subaru Outback in August 2021 failed on November 28. 2021...less than 4 months old. The tests at O'Reilly Auto Parts on Nov 28th show the battery was delivering 0 volts. The alternator was tested, too, and it was providing 14 volts to the replacement battery. When Subaru installed this battery last August the Subaru Service Adviser told me that there was no warranty on a replacement battery because Subaru would only replace it once. Why aren't replacement parts guaranteed? They are brand new. Subaru batteries are defective and cannot supply sufficient voltage to the car's electrical system. They don't last as long as their 2 year warranty. I have pictures of the battery test and the alternator test below. Poor quality Subaru brand batteries are a known issue and Subaru should take action to provide better replacement parts and the replacement parts should also be warranted. I can't depend on Subaru brand batteries. I bought a battery from O'Reilly while I was there at a cost of $159.95 plus tax and core. I would like for Subaru to reimburse me for at least part of that expense.

Since purchasing this vehicle in May, 2017, I have had a dead battery 5 times. The original battery was replaced by Subaru in 2020 as it wasn’t holding a charge & a leak was found. I routinely drive my car a few times each week whether I need to or not as the dealership maintains that this is required to keep the battery charged. Today I attempted to start my car for another useless drive around town & it wouldn’t start. I cannot rely on my car being available to start when necessary.

Subaru Outback 2018 windshield cracked & spread in one day. Lower left corner, spreads like a large “S”. Approximately 10” high & 10” in the curve of “S”. At driver’s eyesight.

1) the car accelerated without any change in my driving. My car is available for inspection. 2) My safety and the car in front of me were at risk since the car was accelerating and removing my foot from the gas didn't reduce the speed. 3&4) I haven't had the car inspected by anyone and it can't be reproduced. 5) There were no warning signs. My car is well maintained and I follow manufacture recommendations for maintenance. The first time it happened was in the morning on my way to work in Phoenix, AZ going the speed limit, when it accelerated and removing my foot from the gas didn't reduce the speed. My first thought was I was going to smash into the car in front of me at full speed. Luckily, my brakes did work and I didn't hit the car that was quickly approaching. The second time it happened, it was early morning in Chandler, AZ, I was going the speed limit and the car accelerated as I was taking the onramp for the freeway. Once again the only way to get the car out of the accelerated mode was to hit the brakes. It has not occurred again within the last 3 weeks.

My battery is constantly dying. I upgraded the battery to a much larger one yet it keeps dying. If the car sits for more than three days it dies. If the car is driven for a very long time then it will stay working for about three days, then die. Today it is dead. It was dead yesterday. I jumped it yesterday, drove it around, restarted it to make sure, drove it around some more and then parked it. Today it is dead. The battery voltage is fine (a bit low, perhaps) at 12.8V, when charging at 14V. If I jump the car in my driveway, run it for a while, it essentially does not charge the battery. It is almost like the car is designed not to actually charge the battery unless you drive it a lot, which seems counter-intuitive. Engine RPMs doesn't seem to affect the charging ability even though it should. I have one after-market device installed: a remote car starter, built and installed by Subaru. Otherwise, this is a stock, 2017 Subaru Outback. All interior lights are switched off, the head lights are left in the Off position, yet the car continually dies. When I do drive it on a daily basis, it usually is fine. However, I did have it die one time while doing a bunch of errands. Basically, drive 10 minutes, stop, run the errand, drive 10 minutes, stop, run the errand, etc. After the fourth or fifth errand the car was dead. As this is a continual problem I have a lithium power pack designed to jump the car, so that provided the rescue I needed. But I should not need this type of rescue!

I am experiencing frequent battery drain and have already had to replace the battery once since purchasing the product as a new vehicle. I'm now on my second battery and experiencing the same battery drain issue. This issue has left my family stranded.

In five years, we have needed 3 batteries. On two occasions we were stranded. Car would not start. Dealer changed battery on first occasion. New garage had to replace twice. The first occasion was during a service where battery was tested and failed. Third occasion found me stranded in a parking lot. There were no warnings. Car just failed to start without a jump. Something seems to be draining the battery and a solution has not been found. Car has approximately 41,000 miles. Doesn't feel reliable at this point. Thank you.

2 battery failures… First failure 15 Mar, 2018 (4,381 miles) and the second of which was 26 Oct 2021 (16,237 miles). Batteries were completely drained. The first battery actually failed when I attempted to start the vehicle. Instead of engaging the starter, the accessories light went out along with a strange audible sound. Because of this I had the vehicle towed to the dealership where they replaced the battery. Second….went to start the vehicle and battery was completely dead. No accessories…nothing. Jumped vehicle and drove for about 30 minutes. Noticed that window controls were not working correctly on the drivers control panel for the drivers and front passenger windows.

Battery is draining at a faster rate than expected. Replaced 2 batteries with 3 year warranties in 5 year time.

Driving on highway, noticed a chip on windshield, has run approx 12" since then. In 35 years of driving, I have not experienced a windshield crack run like this.

When I put the car into park, it does not recognize that the car is in park and will not release the key.

Departed home and haven drive say 100 yards roughly, car came to a full stop. Car would idle, I could shift into park drive, reverse etc.. There was NO reaction to pressing accelerator. I was stuck. I was in a slow traffic area so I was not concerned. If i was in a a fast speed four lane highway I could have been rear ended and harmed or killed. After say 15 minutes of fiddling with ignition, shifting in various modes, the engine came to life and I proceeded to my destination. The problem happened again say one month later. A duplicate of first incident. I Immediately took vehicle to Gerald Jones Subaru in Martinez GA. Diagnostics and test drive found nothing wrong. Wrote to Subaru headquarters on 9/24/2021 with complaint. To date I have received no reply. This has to be a safety issue with Subaru. I note other folks on internet with same problem so its not just me. Lastly. I note that when i bought my Subaru I also bought same model for my wife. We are both senior citizens (I am 89) and fearful of driving these cars.

Battery Dies often if vehicle not driven for couple of days, or short trips

Car has 22,000 miles on it and we are on our third battery. Just replaced second battery last week. Hopped in car to go run errands and car is completely dead. Second battery was bought in June 2019, third September 2021. Taking car to Subaru next week to have it diagnosed. Battery was dead with in three days.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - The battery failed and car was inoperable. this happened after 2 years of purchase. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Me and family including children were left stranded in cold outdoors until help arrived. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - Yes the battery problem was reproducible and Dealer confirmed the issue and replaced the battery that was under warranty. The replaced battery also failed after 2 years and they replaced again with similar battery, which is prone to fail at any moment, according to my experience. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - The dealer inspected the battery and found unusable. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - Intermittent lock-outs and needing jump starts. Then it failed totally. Second battery was a sudden failure. One morning the car was found inoperable. Upon towing to the service center, they discovered the battery was dead.

Windshield just started cracking across from drivers side to center. Windshield would craxk further just sitting in garage overnight. Looks like a river running across Windshield. No apparent rock or chips as cause.

While driving on 9/14/21 at about 40 mph, we heard a loud crash and the sound of broken glass. I pulled off the road shortly after to inspect my vehicle and found that the sun/moon roof had literally exploded. The shade was closed and no broken glass entered the passenger compartment. Upon closer inspection, the remaining hole in the sun roof (measuring approx. 14 in. wide by 8 inches deep) indicated that the force breaking the glass had come from the inside rather than the outside as the rim around the hole was convex rather than concave. Also there was very little glass resting on the outside surface of the closed shade inside the cavity, with the majority of it on the roof toward the rear of the vehicle. I am now in discussion with both my insurance company and the dealer that I bought the vehicle from. I did take 3 pictures but am unsure how to send them with this report.

Battery totally dead. No sounds or lights came on. The battery tested 500 miles before and was good. The car was functioning 7 hours earlier and then was totally drained the next morning.

My windshield has had a Crack in the lower left side to the lower middle for about 9 months and just recently the right lower side has a Crack about 10 inches. I have not been in any accidents since I have owned my car or have had any thing happen that would make a Crack on it. I cannot afford to replace it.

Windshield has cracked for the second time without any specific incident noted. Just started cracking from the bottom up.

The battery constantly drains completely when the car is not used for several days. We have been replacing or recharging the battery several times.

Bought this car after having oil consumption issues with another outback Bought from another dealer that wasn't care for properly. Within 6 months of have this new one from an actual subaru dealership started to have oil consumption issues as well. Have gone through many of their "test" and pass. But within 2200 miles of 5k on an oil change I'm down over a qt. My mechanic has gone over the car and no leaks and states it is burning oil at a high rate. Paperwork from subarus test states as have their techs stated they put 6.1 qts in. The manual and my mechanic both state and put in 5.1qts. I have to put at least 1 qt in between oil changes and have to always have oil in the car so I don't get caught without oil to put in. I do know there is a lawsuit for this issue on 2016 models. My car was also placed on the road 12/2016. I've tried to have the owner of the dealership to deal with the issue of either fix it or buy back and haven't heard anything and can't get a response to text, call, or emails.

Driving home from church Sunday when I heard a loud cracking sound. Sounded like something on the roof, so opened up the cover to the sunroof and saw nothing. When I pulled off to look, I found a long crack in the windshield passenger side running from the bottom of the windshield up to the left just shy of the middle of the passenger seat. There was no one in front of me, so no rock got kicked up and no bird strike. Today the crack lengthened to about the half-way point on the windshield.