2017 Subaru Outback complaints

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 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.

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 in this vehicle consistently drains to the point it cannot start the car. It happened with the OME battery and all subsequent replacements. I reported it originally to Subaru on the date below but it has continued to happen and I have had to buy a portable charger along with new batteries to work around the issue. Leaving a door open for 15 mins or radio on for 4 mins without the engine running can be enough to cause the car needing a jump start to operate. Leaving an interior light on will also drain the battery but am less sure how long that needs to happen. I had been searching forms for a solution and saw I should report it here. This doesn't happen in my 2007 sedan so can't imagine this should be happening on this 2017 outback. I am also surprised the company has not addressed a fix for the issue, so much for buying another one. Thank you.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

My battery has died seven times. I have received three battery replacements. Never a full solution. Windshield wipers never work properly either, despite changing brands.

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.

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.

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.

The vehicle has an electrical problem or problems that drain the 12-volt battery leaving us stranded, unable to start the car. The problem or problems also lead to unreasonably short battery lifespans (average lifespan = 19-months). Subaru replaced the original battery under warranty after only 23-months. The Subaru warranty replacement battery (#2) died after only 12-months, and we paid for an emergency replacement through AAA at a cost of $145.88. Today, Subaru informed me that the third battery needs to be replaced after only 21-months at a cost of $198.80. The AAA battery (#3) remains under warranty, but it seems unreasonable for AAA to bear the cost of failures due to a faulty electrical system.

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.

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 rescu

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

2017 Subaru Outback: The vehicle has become completely unreliable due to battery drain issues that result in battery failure. The battery has been replaced and upgraded and it continues to have issues. My children and I have been left stranded many times over the years. The dealer has tested the battery multiple times and the alternator, all tests have come back normal. The dealership has not offered other alternatives or have they been willing to do further investigations on the issue. There seems to be an electrical issue in the vehicle that has not been addressed by Subaru.

Battery prematurely dies. I have replaced it 3 times in the short life of the car. It's especially a problem when I'm running errands and make several stops, turning.off vehicle. It struggles to start and maybe by 4th stop, it doesn't start and I'm left stranded. There is something draining the battery and it's not reliable.

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.

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.

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.

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

Original battery died while away from home, replaced with new battery which then also died 5 months after installation. I do not feel I can safely use the vehicle with my family for fear of battery drain/dying while we are away from home. No warning lights or other indication anything is wrong. No aftermarket parts installed. Took car to Firestone for diagnosis and they said that alternator is working fine, no other issues identified.

The windshield cracked while driving on the freeway in the winter. I had been driving for approximately half an hour when the front windshield cracked from the rearview mirror location downward. I didn't notice a rock or other object hitting the windshield that would have initiated the crack. The crack has continued to spread since then and is to the point where I am having to replace my windshield.

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.

I have to jump-start my vehicle several times a week, sometimes multiple times per day. The battery drains dead in minutes, even after an hour long trip. I have about 42,000 miles on my car and I'm on my third battery - about to purchase a fourth battery. I also had to purchase a jump box to store in my car due to being stranded several times with a car that does not operate. I leave all cabin light switches set to the OFF position, I do not use the trunk lift if the car is not running, I do not leave the headlights on, and I drive roughly 4 days per week. This is unacceptable, and dangerous - Subaru brands these cars as adventurous and outdoorsy, but I have been stranded in dangerous snow storm and I'm sure others have as well. There were never any system or dash warnings - it just fails to start without warning.

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 chipped very easily due to small rock. In cold weather, the chip spread across into a whole crack. Safelite has stated that the windshield needs replacing.

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.

Upon getting in the car parked in the garage, noticed two cracks symmetrically coming from the base of the center of the windshield extending up about 6 inches. These cracks were not there upon parking in the garage the previous night. These cracks within a day kept moving upward and outward in a curvy symmetrical pattern and are slowly moving since. Upon investigation with a flashlight there is a tiny pin size chip under the wiper that should never have caused such dramatic cracking.

The contact owns the 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the front windshield developed a crack starting from the driver’s side to the center of the windshield. The contact stated that neither a rock nor an object hit the windshield for the crack to appear. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,192.

Windshield cracked out of the blue. Very large crack.

AFTER PURCHASING THIS VEHICHLE IN DECEMBER OF 2019 IT HAS REQUIRED 2 NEW BATTERIES UP TO JANUARY OF 2021. THAT MEANS THIS CAR IS ON IT'S THIRD BATTERY. BOTH INSTANCES ENDED UP STRANDING MY SPOUSE. SUBARU COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND JUST REPLACED THE BATTERY IN EACH INSTANCE. EVEN AFTER I COMMUNICATED THAT THE ISSUE IS OUT OF THE ORDINARY AND THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SO REPLACING A BATTERY IS NOT THE SOLUTION. THEY JUST CLAIMED THE CAR NEEDS TO BE DRIVEN MORE FREQUENTLY. THIS SAME PROBLEM JUST OCCURED AGAIN TODAY, 8/26 AND REQUIRED ME TO JUMP START THE CAR. THERE ARE NO OTHER WARNING LIGHTS OR MESSAGES. I'M CONVINCED THERE IS SOME SORT OF ECLECTRICAL DRAW ON THE CAR'S SYSTEM AFTER IT IS TURNED OFF THAT IS CAUSING THIS, BUT SUBARU REFUSES TO ADDRESS IT.

The windshield cracked for no reason while sitting in a Novi, Michigan parking lot on 8/14/2021. The temperature was in the low 80s. No precipitation. This is the second time this has happen on this vehicle. This will be our third windshield since buying the car in 2017.

Our windshield has cracked three times in the past nine months, each time with no impact to it from rock or other object. The crack starts spontaneously and spreads across the windshield. After replacing it in November 2020, we just chalked it up to bad luck, then it happened again in June. Each time, we replaced it with Subaru factory glass and had the Eyesight safety technology calibrated by the certified technician. Now it's happened again (August 2021). I've read of MANY other Subaru owners with similar experiences, and the Subaru service manager in Athens, GA admitted he sees more cracked windshields with Subarus than other makes. Please advise on how we can resolve this issue and safely drive our vehicle. Thank you.

I have had issues with battery drain since purchasing the car. On 6-7 occasions the battery died through no identified cause. Once it was in the mountains where we went skiing for the day and returned to the car and the battery was dead. The other 5-6 occasions, I did not use my car for durations ranging from a few days to 3 weeks and when i went to use it, the battery was dead. It should not lose charge for that short of a duration of non-use. I took it to the dealer for an electrical and battery inspection and they found no issues. They refused to replace the battery since they said it was fine. I decided to replace it on my own dime due to the issues. But even after replacing it with a brand new battery, the issue has persisted. I've had to purchase a portable charger that i carry with me at all times because I am nervous of it dying and being stranded like it did on the mountain especially because I have small children.

The battery have prematurely drained on me twice in the last two years.

Placing car in park and attempt to remove key. Key remains locked in ignition. Car remains in the ON position with steering wheel NOT locked and radio/lights ON. I must re-start the car, put in drive, rock gear shift and slam back into Park. This procedure eeds to be repeated until the key can be removed. It is occurring with increasing frequency, at least once per day at this point.