2018 Subaru Outback

PURCHASED THIS CAR IN FEB 2018. DESPITE THE PANDEMIC OF 2020, MILEAGE IS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR, DRIVING TRIPS ARE SIMILAR SINCE GETTING THE CAR. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN DYING OVER AND OVER SINCE EARLIER THIS YEAR (FEB/MARCH 2020) FOR NO APPARENT REASON. ON MANY OCCASIONS, AFTER SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY FOR A FEW DAYS, A WEEK, A DAY - THE BATTERY WOULD BE DEAD. BROUGHT IT TO SUBARU AND THEY TOLD ME SOME CRAP ABOUT NOT DRIVING IT FOR PERIODS OF TIME COULD CAUSE THIS (A WEEK?!). THEY TESTED MY BATTERY AND SAID IT WAS BETTER THAN PERFECT. NOW IT'S GOING BACK IN TO THEM BECAUSE IT IS STILL HAPPENING AND NOW THEY ARE CLAIMING IT'S DUE TO LOW MILEAGE. THEY KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS THAN THEY ARE LEADING ON AND ARE BLAMING THE VEHICLE OWNERS' DRIVING HABITS INSTEAD OF GETTING TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.

2018 SUBARU OUTBACK DEVEOLPED A CRACK IN THE WINDSHIELD THAT ORIGINATED ON THE LOWER LEFT CORNER IN THE DE-ICER REGION. THE CURIOUS LOCATION OF THIS CRACK LED ME TO SEEK OUT WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. I FOUND A SERVICE BULLETIN FROM SUBARU IN 2015 SUBARUS THAT SPECIFICALLY STATE "THESE TYPES OF DAMAGE WOULD ONLY BE COVERED BY THIS WARRANTY EXTENSION IF THE WINDSHIELD IS IDENTIFIED AS HAVING THE ABOVE OUTLINED CONDITION AND THE DAMAGE ORIGINATES IN THE AFFECTED WIPER DEICER AREA. OTHER FORUMS AGAIN AND AGAIN MENTION RECURRING PROBLEMS ORIGINATING IN THIS DE-ICER AREA AND QUICKLY PROPAGATING THE REST OF THE WINDSHIELD. CRACKS IN SUBARU WINDSHIELDS OFTEN RENDER EYESIGHT UNUSABLE. ADDITIONALLY THE COST TO REPLACE THESE WINDSHIELDS IS VERY HIGH AS YOU HAVE TO FACTOR IN RECALIBRATING THE EYESIGHT EQUIPMENT. I SPOKE TO SUBARU OF AMERICA AND THEY STATED THAT "THIS WAS FROM OUTSIDE INFLUENCES/IMPACT AND THERE ARE OTHER IMPACT AREAS ON OTHER SPOTS ON THE WINDSHIELD." THE REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THIS SERVICE BULLETIN/NUMEROUS OTHER SUBAR OWNERS FORUMS/UNUSUAL ARE FOR A ROCK TO HIT OR CRACK TO FORM. ALSO, THE VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS SAFETY HAZARD AS OCCURRED AND SUBARU NOT ONLY REFUSES TO AUTHORIZE REPLACEMENT, BUT THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELDS CRACKING.

TL* THE CONTACT'S WIFE OWNS A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT'S WIFE HAD NOTICED AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE, WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HUGHES SUBARU (3010 ATLANTA HWY, ATHENS, GA 30606) TO HAVE THE BRAKES INSPECTED AND THE DEALER FOUND NO FAULTS WITH THE BRAKES. AS THE FAILURE PERSISTED, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE SAME DEALER WHERE THEY DISCOVERED A FAILURE WITH THE TWO FRONT TIRE WHEEL BEARINGS AND THEY REPLACED THE TWO FRONT BEARINGS UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER ALSO SUGGESTED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE WHEEL BEARINGS. THE CONTACT THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE HE INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES WERE CHOPPED. HE STATED THAT THE TWO FRONT TIRES WERE WORSE THEN THE REAR TIRES. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE COULD LEAD TO SUSPENSION ISSUES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 26,000. *DT CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO HUGHES SUBARU TO ADDRESS CONCERNS ABOUT THE CHOPPED TIRES AND POTENTIAL SUSPENSION ISSUES. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT THE CHOPPING ON THE TIRES WERE NOT A RESULT OF FAILURE OF THE WHEEL BEARING HUBS. HE ALSO SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE NO SUSPENSION ISSUES BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE. HE SAID THAT THE TIRES DID NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THERE WAS 6+ TREAD STILL REMAINING ON THE TIRES. *DL

BATTERY DOESN'T HOLD CHARGED WHEN PARKED OVER NIGHT. CAN'T START THE ENGINE AFTER A FEW HOUR DRIVE AND PARK OVER NIGHT. NOW I HAVE TO LET THE CAR ENGINE RUNNING FOR A FEW HOUR EVERYDAY TO KEEP THE BATTERY CHARGED UP ENOUGH TO START THE ENGINE. HAS TO JUMP THE CAR MANY TIMES ALREADY. GONNA CALL THE DEALER AND ASK WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS TOMORROW.

THE WINDSHIELD MYSTERIOUSLY CRACKED ON THE LOWER THIRD OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AND IMMEDIATELY SPIDERED OUT IN ALL DIRECTIONS LIKE A STARBURST EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS SITTING BY ITSELF IN BROAD DAYLIGHT IN A LOWE'S PARKING LOT. THERE ARE NO CHIPS/GOUGES ON THE GLASS SURFACE ON EITHER THE INTERIOR OR THE EXTERIOR OF THE WINDSHIELD (WHICH MIGHT SUGGEST AN IMPACT). THE GLASS APPEARS TO HAVE CRACKED ON THE INSIDE OF THE DOUBLE PANE WINDSHIELD FOR NO APPARENT REASON OTHER THAN MANUFACTURING OR DESIGN DEFECT.

VEHICLE HAS 17,000 MILES, BATTERY HAS DIED AT LEAST 6 TIMES. BATTERY HAS BEEN FOUND DRAINED IN THE AM AFTER BEING PARKED IN GARAGE. DEALER REPLACED BATTERY AT 16,000 MILES. BATTERY PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. SUBARU TRIES TO EXPLAIN PROBLEM BY STATING INTERIOR LIGHTS ARE LEFT ON OR KEY WAS LEFT TO CLOSE TO CAR. TESTS SHOW THERE WAS NO PARASITIC DRAIN ON BATTERY. SUBARU DOES NOT WANT TO FIX OR ADMIT THE PROBLEM.

THE ACCELERATION RESPONSE IS DECOUPLED FROM THE THROTTLE. I HAD COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT A STOP SIGN. I TRIED TO MOVE AHEAD WITH A SLIGHT ACCELERATION TO GET A VIEW OF CROSS TRAFFIC, UNFORTUNATELY THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TOO HIGH AND T BONED INTO ANOTHER CAR THAT WAS GOING ACROSS. THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED. THE PROBLEM IS MORE EVIDENT WHILE ACCELERATING FROM SLOWER SPEEDS OR FROM A STOP.