Subaru Outback electrical problems

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Auto Cruise Control feature failed to function properly. The contact stated that the Auto Cruise Control feature only operated as needed 35% of the time. Additionally, the contact stated that the Lane Keep Assist message was displayed while attempting to use the Cruise Control feature. There was no warning light illuminated. The was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact stated that a software update was completed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while turning off the vehicle, the Data Communication Module (DCM) remained running, causing the battery to become drained twice. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000. The VIN was not available.

On Sunday [XXX] around 10:00 am I stopped to gas up my car while I was going to church with my [XXX] baby in a car seat in the backseat. I closed the car door leaving my car keys and cell phone in the center console and as I went behind the car to gas up it unexpectedly locked. I panicked and ran into the gas station and had them call 911 because I knew my daughter would die if I could not quickly get her out of the car. An off duty Lee County, Florida Deputy happened to be gasing his car and heard the commotion and attempted to assist with a hammer to break the drivers side window but that did not work. The gas station owner came rushing out with a glass breaking safety tool and Deputy Angell (Badge # 21-182) was able to break the window and I safely got my baby out of the car. I took my car to Subaru of Naples where I had purchased the car several months previously. The Service Manager, Victor Hyer and the Service Consultant, Larry Carsi were very helpful and had the window replaced at no cost to me. They researched the problem and told me that was how the car locking system was supposed to work. This does not make sense to me since if the Deputy had not been able to break the window my baby would have died! I'm hoping you can look into this further as I want to prevent this happening to some other mother, who could have a catastrophic outcome. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Infotainment system is not working correctly. Delamination causes the system to malfunction causing a distraction. I took it to a Subaru dealer and was told what the problem was but if I wanted to have it assessed it would cost more than $100 and a replacement would be over $1300. I was also informed that if Subaru was to replace it, it would be with the same system. I was told by the technician there is a class action suit lodged against Subaru for other years for this issue, but not for 2019. There were no warning messages.

We have replaced the battery 3 times now in less than a year. The battery keeps dying, which is so bad it is ruining the battery such that it has to be replaced. My pregnant wife and child have been stranded several times. Subaru sent a class action lawsuit notice, but when we went to the dealer they claimed they knew nothing about it. They tested the battery and said nothing was wrong. Doing some digging it seems that numerous others have had this same issue. It is an issue with the alternator and the DCM causing parasitic battery drain. Subaru is doing nothing to fix the issue.

On multiple occasions, the battery has gone dead after car was garaged for over a week and car would not start. No lights were left on or doors left ajar. There is some hidden drain on the battery. Also, the battery is not charged sufficiently while idling such as when traffic is stopped for an accident or construction and the battery will die leaving the vehicle stranded. The battery has been replaced, same events continue to occur.

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with battery failure. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

The infotainment display on our 2019 Subaru Outback for the past 10 months has been inoperable and poses a distraction to the driver. One time this display distraction caused a near miss incident. Moisture under the display causes the screen to randomly touch buttons and beep continuously as they are being touched. The bubbles below the screen became apparent roughly 2-3 months before the screen became inoperable. The vehicle was brought into the dealership and the parts department claimed the part would be in within a month or so every time we contacted them. It is now 10 months later and the part still has not been replaced. Subaru is aware of this issue yet they have sent no notice or recall advisory to any of its customer about this issue. We have contacted Subaru of America countless times and after three call attempts and multiple emails, we received a call saying the part is shipped but were not given any tracking information. We have been told false information by multiple Subaru representatives and have had extreme difficulty getting help with this matter. There were no warning lights indicating this issue had occurred and no way to correct it other than replacing the display.