2020 Subaru Outback

TWO OEM WINDSHIELDS CRACKED (INCLUDING THE ORIGINAL) WITHIN 1 WEEK OF EITHER BUYING THE CAR OR REPLACING THEM. BOTH WINDSHIELDS' CRACK STARTED FROM THE MIDDLE OF EITHER THE SUPPORTING LEFT OR RIGHT BARS, GO IN FOR ABOUT 6 INCHES, AND THEN CURVED DOWNWARD. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, NO CAR IN FRONT OF US TO KICK UP GRAVEL, NO IMPACT POINT ON GLASS.

AFTER BATTERY DIED 2 TIMES THIS WEEK AND I HAD TO JUMP START IT, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH CAR OR BATTERY. THEY CHARGED THE BATTERY AND TOLD ME TO DRIVE IT MORE. THE NEXT DAY (TODAY 7/11/2020) I MADE A SHORT TRIP WITH IT AND IT WAS FINE. SEVERAL HOURS LATER I WANTED TO USE THE CAR AGAIN AND IT WOULD NOT START UNTIL I JUMPED IT. I WILL BE CONTACTING THE DEALER AGAIN ON MONDAY.

5 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THIS NEW VEHICLE, THE BATTERY HAS DIED THREE TIMES. ON TWO OCCASION IT WAS SITTING IN MY GARAGE HAVING BEEN DRIVEN A SHORT DISTANCE WITHIN THE PAST 72 HRS. ON ONE OCCASIONS IT WAS DEAD 48 HRS AFTER BEING JUMPED AND DRIVE. TODAY IT WAS JUMPED AGAIN AND DRIVEN TO MAITA SUBARU IN SACRAMENTO, CA. AFTER WAITING FOR 15 MINUTES IN THE SERVICE DRIVEWAY, WAITING TO BE SERVED, THE CAR BATTERY WAS FOUND TO BE DEAD BY SERVICE TECHS.

WITH SLIGHTLY MORE THAN 1300 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, AND AFTER THE CAR WAS SITTING FOR ABOUT A WEEK, THE BATTERY WAS DRAINED SO THAT NOTHING APPEARED ON THE SCREENS, THE REAR GATE WOULD NOT FUNCTION, AND NO GREEN LIGHT APPEARED TO SHOW THAT THE CAR WAS READY TO START. WHEN THE IGNITION BUTTON WAS PRESSED, NOTHING HAPPENED. USING A BRAND NEW 5 AMP BATTERY CHARGER, AFTER 20 HOURS IT SHOWS THE BATTERY TO BE ONLY 25% CHARGED.

FOR 2 WEEKS IN A ROW, OUR 2020 SUBARU (MILEAGE 2,845) FAILED TO START, AFTER NOT HAVING BEEN DRIVEN FOR 40+ HOURS, BECAUSE THE BATTERY HAD DRAINED. IN BOTH INSTANCES, THE CAR WAS STATIONARY, PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY, MORE OR LESS ON LEVEL GROUND. EACH TIME WE HAD TO CALL FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO CHARGE THE BATTERY. LAST MONDAY (6/29/2020), WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE WE HAD PURCHASED THE CAR, AUTONATION HUNT VALLEY SUBARU (COCKEYSVILLE, MARYLAND). WHILE THERE, THE TECHNICIAN TOLD US, "NOT THAT WE LIKE TO BLAME THE VICTIM, BUT..." HE INDICATED THAT WE HAD PROBABLY LEFT A DOOR AJAR OR MADE SOME OTHER HUMAN ERROR. THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE GARAGE TESTED THE BATTERY AND IT WAS HEALTHY (PLEASE SEE ATTACHED BATTERY AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM ANALYSIS). WE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE CAR THERE FOR ITS 6-MONTH SERVICING, AND DROVE IT AWAY THAT EVENING, EXPECTING THAT THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED. THE INVOICE AND FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE CHECK UP SERVICE IS ATTACHED. TO OUR SURPRISE, THIS MORNING (07/06/2020) WE ENCOUNTERED THE VERY SAME ISSUE AGAIN, AND AGAIN WE HAD TO CALL UP A ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE SERVICE TO CHARGE THE BATTERY FOR US. AT THIS POINT, WE ARE UNSURE HOW TO PROCEED, AND WOULD APPRECIATE ANY GUIDANCE FROM THE NHTSA.

WE PURCHASED A 2020 OUTBACK LIMITED 4/28/2020. THE SALESMAN, [XXX], DELIVERED THE CAR TO OUR HOME ON 5/1/2020. THE SECOND TIME WE DROVE THE VEHICLE, 5/6/2020, A CRACK SUDDENLY APPEARED ON THE LOWER PASSENGER SIDE OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD AS WE WERE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. (MY HUSBAND IS AN ATK AMPUTEE AND WANTED TO PRACTICE DRIVING THE CAR WITH HIS PROSTHETIC LEG BEFORE DRIVING 30+ MILES TO A DOCTOR APPOINTMENT.) THERE WAS NO APPARENT REASON FOR THE CRACK AS THERE WERE NO AUTOMOBILES AROUND US. WE ALREADY HAD AN APPT TO RETURN THE CAR TO THE DEALER THAT WEEK TO INSTALL OPTIONS WE HAD PURCHASED AT SALE. AT THAT TIME WE LEARNED THE WINDSHIELD WAS NOT PART OF THE WARRANTY AGREEMENT WE HAD SIGNED AND THE FINANCE AGENT IN NO WAY ENCOURAGED US TO SIGN THAT PORTION OF THE AGREEMENT. NOR DID HE INFORM US OF THE HIGH COST OF WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT AND ELECTRONICS RE-CALIBRATION. WE PAID $1143.34 TO REPLACE THE FRONT WINDSHIELD AND RE-CALIBRATE THE ELECTRONICS. OUR INSURANCE WAS A $1000 DEDUCTIBLE WOULD WOULD NOT ALLOW FILINGS FROM DEALERSHIPS AS THEY ARE NOT APPROVED REPAIR SITES. AT THAT TIME WE ALSO PAID AN ADDITIONAL $500 TO PURCHASE THE WINDSHIELD WARRANTY. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).