2,277 distinct owner reports with an electrical-system component in this snapshot.
Includes the electrical-system component and its detailed subcategories. Related recalls and investigations must also name this component; they are not linked by narrative keyword alone.
Battery drain, if you don't drive the car everyday, car will not start due to electrical parasite. My wife works overnight at a hospital and found car's battery dead after working late shifts. Frequent needs a jump after shift. Dangerous area where she works. Dealer indicated nothing wrong with car and blamed car started for …
Read full complaint
Battery drain, if you don't drive the car everyday, car will not start due to electrical parasite. My wife works overnight at a hospital and found car's battery dead after working late shifts. Frequent needs a jump after shift. Dangerous area where she works. Dealer indicated nothing wrong with car and blamed car started for discharge. Looking onsite, many experiencing same unsafe issue. Just purchased new battery and still discharge.
Oil consumption issues. The oil is burning more then it should. Oil light would come after 2 to 3 more after an oil change. The dealership has been notified and is working on ordering new parts for the engine. Replacing the small block of the engine. Had less the 100k miles when this problem accured. Electrical issues. The …
Read full complaint
Oil consumption issues. The oil is burning more then it should. Oil light would come after 2 to 3 more after an oil change. The dealership has been notified and is working on ordering new parts for the engine. Replacing the small block of the engine. Had less the 100k miles when this problem accured. Electrical issues. The battery is being drained after the car is turned off. Car would not start in the morning and need to be jumped. Additionally, battery eventually dies and needs to be replaced. Dealership has been notified.
In the past 6 months, the electrical system of my 2018 Outback has completely shut down on at least 4 occasions. I required several jump starts with the car parked in the garage, no doors left open, and no lights left on. I took it to the dealership where I was basically accused of lying because I “must have left something on”.…
Read full complaint
In the past 6 months, the electrical system of my 2018 Outback has completely shut down on at least 4 occasions. I required several jump starts with the car parked in the garage, no doors left open, and no lights left on. I took it to the dealership where I was basically accused of lying because I “must have left something on”. I tried to assure the staff that I did not. They gave me a new battery and 4 weeks later I walked out to a dead car again today. I started searching online and found that Subaru is well aware that this problem has been a frequent occurrence with Outbacks dated 2016-2020, and there is a class action lawsuit against the company because they have failed to issue a recall. After my husband figured out that something must be pulling on the battery, we turned off all the safety features of the car. Within 7 days of turning them back on, the battery was dead. I specifically bought this car for safety reasons. What good is it if I can’t use the safety features?
Battery - Subaru battery failed. Purchased a new aftermarket battery that failed after 5 months. No warning. Completely dead. Taking to dealership for "diagnostic" test on March 20, 2022. This is a known issue with a class action settlement. I was told I did not qualify for reimbursement of any kind. Subaru does not have …
Read full complaint
Battery - Subaru battery failed. Purchased a new aftermarket battery that failed after 5 months. No warning. Completely dead. Taking to dealership for "diagnostic" test on March 20, 2022. This is a known issue with a class action settlement. I was told I did not qualify for reimbursement of any kind. Subaru does not have any "fix" for this problem and numerous owners of these vehicles are having battery drain problems throughout the US and Canada.
My 2019 Subaru Outback is used primarily for short-interval driving within my village. On the initial instance during the summer of 2022, the car would not start and did not have enough battery voltage to crank the engine. Lights and electrical components were non-responsive. After recharging the battery, the condition resolve…
Read full complaint
My 2019 Subaru Outback is used primarily for short-interval driving within my village. On the initial instance during the summer of 2022, the car would not start and did not have enough battery voltage to crank the engine. Lights and electrical components were non-responsive. After recharging the battery, the condition resolved. On January 2nd of 2023 the car was once again experiencing a dead battery condition. My assumption was that the battery was approaching end of life and I replaced the battery with a new one. Once again the condition resolved. On February 27th 2023 the car again experienced a dead battery condition and would not start. The battery was less than 2 months old. After recharging the battery the condition resolved. I took the battery to the place of purchase for testing, and the battery tests normal. The car is available for inspection upon request. The safety of my family members that drive the car are at risk of being stranded at any moment if the car will not start. I have not had a dealer or independent service center perform a diagnosis. However, an independent service center informed me that this was a common problem with Subaru vehicles ranging from model years 2016 to 2019 and was related to a Subaru technical service bulletin (#11-174-17R) addressing potential battery discharging after repeated periods of short-trip-driving resulting in a dead battery. The newly purchased battery has been inspected by the place of purchase and deemed as functioning properly. There was no indication or symptoms prior to failure.
Coming to a stop, not super hard at a turn light. the engine just died! all the lights started flashing so I put the car in park and tried to not freak out. Turned the key off and tried to restart right away and it didn't work, gave it another minute then it started up again, no light on or flashing what the heck. Like nothing j…
Read full complaint
Coming to a stop, not super hard at a turn light. the engine just died! all the lights started flashing so I put the car in park and tried to not freak out. Turned the key off and tried to restart right away and it didn't work, gave it another minute then it started up again, no light on or flashing what the heck. Like nothing just happened, omg my heart was beating and I was shaken up. They need to fix this! this is very dangerous and nerve racking I'm afraid to drive it now because you don't know when this is happing again or not.
Screen of Harman Kardon stereo developed bubbling that at first only impaired visibility of the display. Visibility of the backup camera video became reduced as the bubbling progressed. Soon the unit began experiencing electrical issues like not responding when the screen was pressed or acting like it had been pressed when it ha…
Read full complaint
Screen of Harman Kardon stereo developed bubbling that at first only impaired visibility of the display. Visibility of the backup camera video became reduced as the bubbling progressed. Soon the unit began experiencing electrical issues like not responding when the screen was pressed or acting like it had been pressed when it had not. Trying to use Apple CarPlay will occasionally result in the entire system freezing the rebooting. Audio using Bluetooth connections will skip. I took the car to the dealership and they confirmed they have seen this issue multiple times before and the screen may be overheating and shorting out.
I own a 2019 Subaru Outback Touring. This is the second Subaru Outback I have owned. In Aug of 2022, my windshield cracked out of nowhere. The crack came up from the center and spread out across the windshield. I had it replaced at the Subaru dealership in which I bought the car. Everything seemed fine until 12/23/22, when we go…
Read full complaint
I own a 2019 Subaru Outback Touring. This is the second Subaru Outback I have owned. In Aug of 2022, my windshield cracked out of nowhere. The crack came up from the center and spread out across the windshield. I had it replaced at the Subaru dealership in which I bought the car. Everything seemed fine until 12/23/22, when we got some heavy rain and I get in my car only to see water steadily dripping inside via the vehicle the left A-pillar on the front drivers side. I return to the dealer where it turns out that there was a problem with the brand new factory-brand windshield that was replaced in August, and it had been slowly leaking water into my car over those 4 months, resulting in massive damage to the airbag system, electrical system, among other things. These damages came to over $10,500. The water had gathered under my carpets and padding and started growing mold. All of this needed to be replaced. This was the third time I had to replace a windshield on the two Subarus that I have owned. Due to this, I have been without a vehicle for over 60 days now. It has caused me incredible stress, time out of work, and money. I am a caretaker for my paraplegic father who has also suffered due to my being without a vehicle to care for him, run errands, and food shop for him. Throughout my research, I have come to learn that this is a known problem in the Subaru brand vehicles yet they choose to ignore it and do nothing about it. I am not comfortable driving my car any longer, which still has electrical issues and unfortunately, I am losing trust in Subaru as a brand. It is unfortunate that they will not address this and fix this issue because I believe it is damaging their reputation. I have not been left in a good position here, with a junked car that is only 3 years old, 40k miles, and that I owe $15,000 on still, and I now need to find a new vehicle.
I purchased my 2017 outback in 2018. Since owning the vehicle I have had to replace the battery 5 times in 5 years. It is about to be the 6th time as my battery is giving me problems already. I have been stranded twice because of the battery and both time were when I lived in a rural part of NV. I have brought this to the atten…
Read full complaint
I purchased my 2017 outback in 2018. Since owning the vehicle I have had to replace the battery 5 times in 5 years. It is about to be the 6th time as my battery is giving me problems already. I have been stranded twice because of the battery and both time were when I lived in a rural part of NV. I have brought this to the attention of Subaru in Henderson, NV and they said everything is fine. However, online there are a number of blogs and sites all with the same complaint and all say the same thing. Subaru does nothing.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:engine Control Module (ecu/ecm)
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
Electrical System:wiring
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2022 Outback vehicles. The engine wiring harness may have been damaged, resulting in a loose electrical connection to the engine control unit (ECU).
Consequence: A loose electrical connection to the ECU may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine wiring harness and ECU, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-22.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles. Due to a software error, the low fuel warning light may not illuminate at the intended remaining fuel level and the miles-to-empty display may incorrectly indicate a positive number despite the tank being empty.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The inaccurate fuel display may cause a driver to unexpectedly run out of fuel and the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the combination meter software, free of charge. The recall began February 20, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTW-82.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System:software
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles. Due to a software error, the low fuel warning light may not illuminate at the intended remaining fuel level and the miles-to-empty display may incorrectly indicate a positive number despite the tank being empty.
Consequence: The inaccurate fuel display may cause a driver to unexpectedly run out of fuel and the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the combination meter software, free of charge. The recall began February 20, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTW-82.
Fuel System, Gasoline
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback vehicles. Due to a software error, the low fuel warning light may not illuminate at the intended remaining fuel level and the miles-to-empty display may incorrectly indicate a positive number despite the tank being empty.
Consequence: The inaccurate fuel display may cause a driver to unexpectedly run out of fuel and the vehicle to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the combination meter software, free of charge. The recall began February 20, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTW-82.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Equipment
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
Electrical System
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Legacy and Outback vehicles equipped with an automatic or CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, certain model year 2012-2013 Impreza vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory, and certain model year 2013 XV Crosstrek vehicles equipped with a CVT transmission and an Audiovox remote engine starter (RES) accessory. Additionally included are certain model year 2013 Legacy and Outback vehicles that may have received replacement RES fobs. If the RES fob is dropped, the fob may malfunction and randomly transmit an engine start request without pressing the button.
Consequence: The engine may inadvertently start and run for up to fifteen minutes. The engine may continue to start and stop until the fob battery is depleted, or until the vehicle runs out of fuel. If the vehicle is parked in an enclosed area, there is a risk of carbon monoxide build-up which may cause headaches, dizziness or, in extreme cases, unconsciousness and/or asphyxiation.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RES key fobs, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783 for more information.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
Related NHTSA investigations
0
No component-matched exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
Subaru Outback Electrical Problems | Skip That Year