2018 Subaru Outback

MY 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK HAS BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE BATTERY AND THE CAR NOT STARTING. IT SEEMED TO HAVE STEMMED FROM THE LIFTGATE WORKING IMPROPERLY AND DRAINING THE BATTERY. IT HAPPENED ABOUT A YEAR AGO, BUT SELF-RESOLVED AFTER RESETTING LIFTGATE AND JUMP STARTING CAR. RECENTLY, ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO, IT STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH THE LIFTGATE AND BATTERY AGAIN AND WAS LEFT STUCK AT A SHOPPING CENTER PARKING LOT UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO GET ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WITH A JUMPSTART. I BROUGHT IT TO SUBARU IN FAIRFIELD, CA, WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS A LIFTGATE ISSUE THAT WAS DRAINING THE BATTERY. THEY RESET THE LIFTGATE AND THEN CHARGED THE BATTERY AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. TODAY 6/6/2020, MY CAR HAD DIFFICULTY STARTING AGAIN, TOOK A FEW TRIES TO START, THOUGH THERE WERE NO ISSUES WITH THE LIFTGATE. I BROUGHT IT TO SUBARU FAIRFIELD, CA AGAIN, WHERE THEY SAID THERE WAS A BATTERY FAILURE, I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY FOR A REPLACEMENT, AND WOULD BE CHARGED FOR A NEW BATTERY EVEN THOUGH THEY SAID THAT THEY KNOW THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH A NUMBER OF RECENT SUBARU OWNERS WITH BATTERY ISSUES. DOING RESEARCH ONLINE, IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE, LEAVING OWNERS STRANDED RANDOMLY AND NEEDING A JUMP START, AND THAT BATTERY REPLACEMENTS ARE NOT FIXING THE PROBLEM, AS THE ELECTRICAL DRAINING ISSUE IS STILL THERE.

LIKE MANY OTHERS, MY WINDSHIELD STARTED CRACKING IN 2 SEPARATE PLACES. ONE LONG CRACK FROM JUST ABOVE THE WIPER BLADE SPANNING 18 INCHES, AND ANOTHER ONE THAT STARTS FROM MIDWAY UP ON THE PASSENGER SIDE ABOUT 2 FEET LONG THAT ALMOST LINKS UP WITH THE OTHER ONE. WINDSHIELD WAS NOT STRUCK AND JUST OCCURRED WHILE IN MY DRIVEWAY AND GARAGE IN FLORIDA.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE UPPER RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE GLASS WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE CRACK WAS APPROXIMATELY 5 INCHES LONG AND WAS LOCATED ON THE INTERIOR SECTION OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

I HAVE BEEN SUFFERING FROM REPEATED WINDSHIELD CRACKS, IN A VARIETY OF ROAD CONDITIONS, WITH THIS VEHICLE. BETWEEN MY OWN CAR, AND LOANER VEHICLES OF THE SAME YEAR/MODEL, I HAVE HAD 5 WINDSHIELDS CRACK IN LESS THAN 30,000 MILES. MOST INSTANCES I DID NOT SEE ANY DEBRIS IMPACT THE VEHICLE. ON ONE OCCASION I WAS TRAVELLING UNDER 10 MPH, WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES ON THE STREET, WHICH RESULTED IN THE LARGEST 'BULLSEYE' I'VE EXPERIENCED, NEARLY 3" ACROSS. I DID NOT SEE ANY OBJECT IMPACT THE CAR, AND EVEN STOPPED TO INSPECT THE ROAD FOR DEBRIS THAT I DID NOT FIND. MY CURRENT VEHICLE HAS THREE DISTINCTLY SEPARATE CRACKED SECTIONS THAT OCCURRED ON SEPARATE OCCASIONS. ONE ONE INSTANCE, THE NEAREST VEHICLE WAS ALMOST 1/4 MILE AHEAD OF ME AS WE WERE BOTH TRAVELLING STRAIGHT AT ABOUT 65MPH. THE LATEST WAS WHILE ON AN INTERSTATE ENTRANCE RAMP, WITH LIGHT TRAFFIC, AND UNDER 50MPH AT THE TIME OF THE CRACK. I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING IMPACT THE VEHICLE.

WINDSHIELD CRACKED DRIVERS SIDE VERY LOW. IT DOES NOT IMPEDE VISION DRIVING AND I HAVE NOT HAD IT REPLACED. I DON'T KNOW WHEN IT HAPPENED. I WAS DRIVING MY OUTBACK. I STOPPED FOR AN ERRAND AND CAME OUT AND NOTICED THE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED. I HAD USED MY DEFROST ON THE TRIP AS THE WINDSHIELD WAS FOGGING. PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN ON MY 2015 OUTBACK TOO. *TR

CAR WOULD NOT START, CLICKING NOISES CAME FROM THE FUSE PANEL LOCATED INSIDE VEHICLE TO THE LEFT OF THE STEERING WHEEL WHICH WE NEVER HAD HEARD BEFORE, NO PRIOR INDICATION OF LOW VOLTAGE OR BATTERY DISCHARGE. EVENTUALLY RED BATTERY ICON DISPLAYED BRIEFLY ON INSTRUMENT PANEL. UNABLE TO START, HAD TO GET A TOW, JUMP UNSUCCESSFUL.FORTUNATELY CAR WASPARKED AT HOME IN THE GARAGE. LIGHTS WERE NOT LEFT ON NOR WERE DOORS OR LIFTGATE AJAR.

I BELIEVE A DEFECT IN THE MATERIAL OR ASSEMBLY CAUSED MY FRONT WINDSHIELD TO CRACK. THIS CRACK WAS INITIALLY NOTED AS I PREPARED TO DRIVE MY CAR OUT OF MY GARAGE AND ON TO WORK, WITH A NEARLY IMPERCEPTIBLE CRACK IN THE VERY LOWER LEFT CORNER. THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHIN MONTHS OF PURCHASE. THE CRACK STARTED IN THE LOWER LEFT CORNER OF THE WINDSHIELD, UP AGAINST THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE A PILLAR. THERE WAS NO PITTING ANYWHERE NEAR THE CRACK. IT APPEARED TO BE CAUSED BY THE METAL FRAME FOR THE WINDSHIELD. THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALER REFUSED TO EVEN LOOK AT IT. I PAID THE TOTAL COST FOR REPAIR, $867.06, OUT-OF-POCKET. *TR