2017 Subaru Outback complaints

In February of 2020, while in lock down for the pandemic, my windshield started to crack on the passenger side below the seal in the black area. It continued to spread. I took my car into the dealership once lockdown had lifted and I could get an appointment. I was aware of the issues with the windshield and they did a pin test confirming it was not due to a rock but rather the windshield itself. I was informed they would not replace the windshield and I would need to pay for it myself. My car warranty expired during COVID and the dealership was closed for much of that Spring due to local enforcement.

The contact owned a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while reversing, the vehicle accelerated backward. The contact pumped the brake pedal and was depressed aggressively several times however the brakes failed to respond. The vehicle collided with a pillar of bricks causing the vehicle to stop. No airbag deployed and no one was injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center where the insurance deemed the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 41,806.

Rear bearing/hub assembly failure. Appears to be a known problem per information readily available online. Failure occurred at 40,746 miles. Replaced at dealership at my personal cost, out of warranty period. Hubs and bearings should not be failing at such low mileage. Could have caused other driveline or suspension problems and poses a safety issue as wheels would be unable to spin freely.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that there was a crack on the windshield. The contact stated that there was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000.

2 June 2022 Incident started with tail gate issues (would not respond when the button was pressed, beeped straight about 3-5 minutes). Took car to the dealership, they did the parasitic drain test, and found that the battery no longer held a charge. Replaced the battery and then tested for a draw. Found that there was draw from the DCM (data communication module). That is scheduled to be replaced as is the back up battery. Of note, the car was purchased new in July of 2017, and returned to dealer with a dead battery 27 February 2019 (7556 miles on the odometer) at which point the battery replaced. The car was taken to the dealership again for battery issues 4 January 2020 (they charged the battery) and 27 March 2020 (battery tested fine, and they jump started the car). All work on the car has been done by either Briggs Subaru in Topeka Kansa, or Gallatin Subaru in Bozeman Montana.

Premature battery draining. This is the 3rd battery purchased for my 2017 Subaru Outback. The most recent battery was purchased on 05/11/2022. Today (05/28/2022) I went to leave for work and the entire system is dead. Not the first time I had this problem and as mentioned this is the 3rd battery purchased in the past 2 years.

The car failed to start after the battery drained when the car was turned off even though no lights, etc. we’re left on. No warning lamps/messages were provided prior.

Purchased vehicle new Dec 2016. Battery being drained on more than one occasion requiring jump to start. Had to call tow truck for jump until purchased charger to have in vehicle. Also corrosion accumulates on battery. Took to dealer first time and had checked out but no problem was identified. Happened again yesterday (05/19/2022). When this occurs there is a clicking sound from the fuse box under the hood. Found many complaints online referencing this problem with no resolutions. Understand there is a class action law suite in progress.

Driving in traffic stop and go and about at 25mph a very small stone smaller then a pea hit the lower passenger side windshield. it cracked immediately from the very bottom up about 5 inches and then towards the driver side about 8 inches. the next two days it cracked about 6 more inches. Safelite fixed it but cost me $200. 1-800-subaru-3 started a claim and told me to go to dealer. dealer looked at it and documented it but did not offer to fix even after I told them this is a issue with Subaru windshields. i took pics of the crack before it was replaced

Battery is going dead after short periods of time. Replaced battery 3x in the last year and a half. After researching, this is a big problem with the 2017 Subaru Outback

After the Second battery gave us a problems I asked for a larger battery with extended warranty. They couldn’t do that so I bought an Interstate battery for $115 plus $125 bracket March 16,2022. We had paid Subaru $160 for the original battery replacement in 10/16/19.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the windshield cracked on the upper driver’s side windshield and extended to the center of the windshield. There was no impact to the windshield to cause the crack. The contact had not informed a dealer of the failure. The windshield had not been replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,062.

The battery has drained on at least 4 occasions, resulting in 3 tow trips to the dealer. I left the vehicle there one time for 2 weeks while on vacation so they could watch for and analyze drain. Nothing was found they said. The dealer replaced the battery at least once and I bought a ‘platinum’-level toe one at at car parts store.

The battery doesn’t last as long as I think it should. The car is 5 years old and I’m on my 3rd battery.that doesn’t seem normal.

Battery unexplainable discharged itself overnight. The vehicle was not running, all doors were closed and locked, and all lights were off.

2017 Subaru Outback windshield breaks when a small rock hits it. This is the 4th times happen to our Vehicle and a very expensive cost to replace it about $1000. We are very upset about it.

My windshield cracked for no apparent reason (no impact) - in the bottom quarter of the passenger side. The crack spread, requiring replacement of the windshield. I had Subaru replace the windshield. Exactly one week later, the new windshield cracked in exactly the same place. It, too will require replacement.

I started having battery issues with my car. I had my car at the mechanic for a regular state inspection. They told me that I had a bad battery that it had died numerous times. I was shocked because I had never jumpstarted my car in the past. I began to believe the dealership sold me the car with a bad battery. I knew this because I tried to drive the car out of the lot when I first purchased and the battery was dead. They told me to come back the next day and they would have a new battery in it. I guessed then that they never replaced the battery. So I then purchased a new battery from the mechanic. 6 months later my car wouldn't start. I had left nothing running in the car. The next day my car started. Then 2 months later, my husband drove my car to get food. He parked the car for 5 minutes and went in to get the food. When he came back, the car wouldn't start again. We had to jumpstart it. I believe something is wrong with the car overall, causing the battery to drain without the consumer's knowledge, this is a safety concern as it leaves the consumer stranded wherever they are. My husband was left sitting there with my daughter until I could come pick them up. The outback will just die without warning. I tried calling the dealer about it, they didn't return my call. I now scheduled an appointment to have them look at it. I will see what they say, however it seems like other consumers of this car are having the same issues.

Battery drains periodically. Jump gets me back up and running but this is a known Subaru Outback issue.

We have had to replace the battery on our Outback 4 times in 5 years. We have been told that we have so many Bells & Whistles on the Outback that frequently having to replace the battery is a common occurring problem..... The battery just dies with warning. I have been told by the Service Department that they have checked the system and that there is NOTHING wrong with the car. My daughter saw the recalls and problem list online and this is why I am lodging my complaint so others will be aware. This is the 3rd Subaru we have owned and this has never occurred with the two Foresters we owned.This is a SAFETY concern as the battery just dies without warning....anywhere, any time....

A spontaneous crack began at the bottom, center of my windshield about a week ago and began inching up and over. It is continuing to grow while I try to figure out where and when to have it replaced. I live in the mountains and this is not an easy trip to the dealer. While searching for a dealer to replace the windshield, I found the problem with spontaneous cracks in other Outbacks.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the battery drained without warning. Additionally, the liftgate would inadvertently open. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that a battery replacement was needed. An electronic update was completed. The battery had been replaced three times. The manufacturer was contacted but no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

I have a 2017 Subaru Outback that has constant dead battery problems. I have purchased 5 batteries, the last one a month ago and today the car would not start again. Jumped it, drove it 30 min., and now it starts but don’t trust it to start tomorrow morning.

We purchased a new battery on 12/21/21. During the latter part of February thru March 9, 2022 we have kept the car in our garage and twice during this time frame the battery was completely dead. Requiring us to put battery charger on battery, charging for period of time in order to start car. We have had battery tested at service center where battery was purchased and they say there is nothing wrong with the battery and have refused to replace it. We have seen where other Subaru Outback owners have experienced similar problems. There must be some type of electrical issue with these vehicles that causes a drain on the batteries. This appears to be a problem that should be investigated on these vehicles. We should not be stranded knowing car has a brand new battery!

Have replaced the battery on three different occasions in our vehicle. Research shows that Subaru knows that this is an issue for 2015 to 2020 Subaru Outbacks and there is a class action lawsuit regarding this battery drain issue. The defect is called a CAN (controller area network) issue that drains the battery. Reading postings on the internet, numerous individuals who own Subarus with this issue have been stranded. There needs to be a recall regarding this issue that Subaru is well aware.

Vehicle battery drains intermittently for no reason. Subaru claims nothing is wrong but replaced the battery. The problem has not changed.

Battery drains too quickly. Lots of corrosion on battery terminals. Corrosion builds up over very short period of time. Risk of car not starting when needed. No warning lamps, or messages have come up. Battery problem could be related to other electronic issues like automatic windows, and cabin lights problems.

Drove car to appointment, when tried to start just a few minutes later, vehicle was unresponsive anything electtrical would not work, had to be jumped off

I have been impacted by the issue with Subaru batteries. They drain when the car is not running and cause the vehicle to not start. I have replaced my battery multiple times now. This is a known issue with Subaru vehicles and is also the subject of a class action lawsuit against Subaru of North America.

Windshield randomly cracked along bottom edge. Rocks were not heard hitting windshield and extreme temperatures were not occurring at the time of fracture. Crack as extended and branched within days of appearing and has cause visibility issues. Glass repair shop as confirmed the crack and is replacing entire windshield now. Dealership was called originally and they confirmed this is unfortunately an ongoing thing in similar models.

System does not recognize the car is in park mode correctly. The side effect of this is ignition key gets locked in the key hole and cannot be pulled out. Repeated problem in all weather situation once the failure started to show symptom. This issue is common enough across multiple product line of Subaru vehicles with a service bulletin reference 16-112-18R with google search. Plenty of website postings and you tube videos showed different work around to resolve the issue. Dealer charges parts and labor cost to repair each vehicle request for service that could possible is a design or sensor defect issue from production quality issue. The trigger point of my vehicle having this problem could be due to recent cold weather, but this issue does not go away even after the temperature gets warmer. Trying to fix the car key situation with a young child in the back seat wanting to get out daily makes this a repeated challenge. Reference link below to share and please consider this is a case for possible safety and manufactuer defects problem that impacts a good group of Subaru fans. https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/key-stuck-in-ignition.495265/

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that upon approaching the vehicle that was parked in the driveway under the shade of a tree, he noticed that the driver's side of the windshield was cracked. The contact stated that the crack was irregular and was a foot long. The contact stated that he looked around but could not determine the cause of the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the windshield would be replaced at his own expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.

The car battery gets completely drained after up to 24 hours of non use. this has happened repeatedly over the last couple months. replaced the battery and the same issue occurs with the new battery, completely drained after less then 2 days of not being used.

After replacing my battery today, I am on the third battery in 4 years. There is an apparent problem with parasitic battery drain with this vintage Outback. My car died at a gas station after getting gas. I work in an area with no cell coverage, so had this happened at work, I could have been remotely stranded. I had a local service center (not the dealer) confirm the battery drain. I had no warning message indicating an impending failure, but research shows that this is a known issue. I have contacted Subaru USA regarding potential software updates and/or component replacement and am awaiting their reply.

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.

Battery drains very fast. Sometimes the electrical system won't work properly; the trunk gate won't open, the auto up and down on the drivers side window controls may or may not work. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to this. There are no notifications that say there are any problems. Will have to replace battery soon.

On 2/13/22 I started my vehicle to move it back into the garage. Upon putting it into 'Drive' the engine unexpectedly started to ramp up the RPMs accelerating the vehicle forward. Fortunately I had my foot on the break slowing the progression and I was able to switch the gear to 'Neutral'. At that point the engine began to continue to ramp up the RPMs. I tried depressing and releasing the accelerator to see if the engine would respond and decrease the RPMS, it did not. I then switched off the engine to keep it from accelerating/increasing the RPMs. About five minutes after the initial incident I started the vehicle. Immediately upon startup the vehicle RPMs starting to ramp up. I tired depressing and releasing the accelerator to see if the engine would respond and decrease the RPMS, it did not. I then switched off the engine to keep it from accelerating/increasing the RPMs. After another five minutes I started the vehicle again. This time I let the car warmup for a minute before placing it into gear. During this time I did not experience another incident.

The battery has started draining while sitting in a garage overnight. I had the battery replaced on 01/27/2022 at a reputable repair shop since the 2 year old battery was dead. This is the 3rd battery placed in this vehicle since I purchased it new in August, 2017. The charging and electrical system were checked every time and found to be working OK. The new battery drains overnight while the vehicle is sitting in a garage. I have placed a trickle charger to maintain the battery. However, I removed the charger and monitoring the voltage with the vehicle just sitting in the garage I see the voltage steadily dropping. Measurements as follows: Immediately after driving over 50 miles (11:25 AM)- 13.30 volts (13:20 PM) - 13.20 volts (16:00 PM) - 12.84 volts (18:00 PM) - 12.74 volts (20:00 OM) - 12.64 volts (05:30 AM) - 12.25 volts I have verified that there are no lights left on and everything is turned off while parked in a garage.

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

The battery drained suddenly and unexpectedly overnight. The last it was driven was during the day and I'm certain that no lights had been left on. This easily could have stranded me somewhere unsafe if the drain had not happened at home.

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.

The battery drains prematurely due to defective electrical system.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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).

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 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.