2016 Subaru Outback owner complaints

I purchased a replacement battery in 2023. In August of 2025, the battery died, requiring a jump start. A local auto parts store checked the battery and it tested within acceptable limits, showing around 513 amps. A private shop confirmed this, and cleaned the battery terminals and cables. The battery functioned well until around November 2025, when it again died requiring a jump start. The battery again died in December 2025, about one month later, requiring a jump start.

The battery has gone dead at least 3 times, even after fresh replacement. The first time was due to rear inside light being switched on (according to the Subaru service technician). The second time was while out running errands. The third time was after being parked for two days. The battery is less than a year old and should not be drained from power like this.

Have had to replace the battery 2 times in the last 4 years. And currently have an app that shows the strength of the battery in addition to its cells. If the car is not driven in two to three days then the battery depletes energy. There has to be something going on from the numerous times that this has occurred in the last few years. It is not only a very huge risk when this can happen in unfamiliar locations, nto only mechanically but also personally. Works after charging but charging is not always an option. Should not have to rely on this either. I believe replacing the battery by the company should not be our option and should be further investigated...Please! Thank you!

Replacement battery in under 35,000 mile Subaru discharged while sitting in garage for several weeks. There have been zero earlier problems with electrical system other than the original battery dying after about three years. When jump started the charging system seemed to work and the car started after sitting overnight. We are in a very cold northern environment and if the vehicle will not start it could strand us in an unsafe setting. Coming back to a parked car that may have been left at an airport parking lot to find it would not start would be very inconvenient and expensive to remedy.

Battery dies when parked for a few days or not driven enough. Needs to be jumped several times per week.

Electronic parking brake engaged automatically due to switch assembly module failure while car was in motion at between 25-30mph. Car stopped instantly, passengers thrown forward, all-power died. Cars in rear stopped short. Failed to restart after initial attempts (10 min). Weather clear, about 45 degrees f. 2.5 year old car, ~40,000 miles.

At about 71,000 miles, there is an intermittent problem with removing the ignition key from the lock. The vehicle is always stationary when this problem is noticed.

Battery drain issue when the vehicle sits for more than three days will have a weak start. Battery will drain if radio is on with car not running in between 15-30 minutes. My second battery is ready for replacement in 4 years. Two year battery life is unacceptable. Attaching picture of when this happened to two Subaru outback at the same time. Upon research many Subaru owners have this problem

Car repeatedly stopped working because of dead battery. Car was purchased new in 2016. First instance was when lift gate was left open over night in garage, 2 years after purchase. Second instance was when overhead lamp was left on overnight in garage. Third the same as second in a parking lot. Last instance was today when I drove a few miles, parked car for an hour and the battery was dead after that. Lift gate was opened 10 minutes before attempting to start the car. Aaa restarted the car in all four instances.

On November 15, 2021 my car was in the garage as normal. I started my car and I heard a "pop" I was headed out my driveway is when I notice a crack at the bottom of the windshield that is about 3" high and then curves for about 4".

Our windshield has had 3 chips/cracks in it since new. The first one was a chip that was repaired by safelight. The second was a crack/chip where the entire windshield was replaced by safelight. Both of these happened while the vehicle was on-highway. Both were in different spots, but were located on the drivers side. The third one was a large crack on the driver side we noticed yesterday (12/26/18) with no apparent chip associated. We're not sure if this happened while vehicle was moving or stationary. Dates for the initial cracks are estimates, but first one we estimate to be 8/2017. The second one where the windshield was replaced is estimated may 2018. We noticed others were having similar issues after doing a search 12/26/18. It also appears that Subaru had acknowledged there was a pr

Numerous windshield cracks, seems to occur spontaneously.

1.Windshield crack in the deicing area. Driving on a highway heard a loud boom as if a very big rock hit the car. 30-40 second later there was another boom of normal loudness. At this moment windshield crack has been noticed. The windshield will not be available, replacing it on 12/22/2025 2. Visibility has been affected 3. No, problem was not reproduced. Dealer representative said that the problem is not covered by Subaru. 4. Windshield was visually inspected by the dealership representative. I will try to collect more data at the windshield replacement shop. 5. There were no symptoms of the problem. N.B - the crack outside is flat, as if no rock hit happened. - I have camera's MP4, where sounds can be heard, 1GB

Can not remove key when in park!! Leaves me stranded..have to keep trying various methods to turn car off and remove key!! This should be a recall.. Have seen many complaints as well on line.

The car after 6 months has been making an intermittent rattle noise that I brought into Subaru to investigate. I share the video but they stated they need to recreate the noise to know what was wrong. After several months, they finally heard the noise and without testing stated the evaporator pump needed to be replaced. After replacing the pump the issue was still there. I then pushed the issue further and Subaru america only recommended that I bring the car to another dealership. I did this where they planed to drive the car to and from their top mechanics home hooked up to the diagnostic Subaru computer. When we picked the car up with no resolve, they only drove the car for 1 mile which means it never when between milford, ct to monroe, ct. At this point my family is poised to lose thous

Cracked windshield. Starting @ bottom center up 8" then 6" to right.

The CVT transmission failed at 79k miles at highway speeds causing the car to violently stall. We barely avoided hitting the cars around us trying to pull over. Luckily there was no car to rear end us. We were very lucky the traffic was light. These transmissions are defective and when they fail, they fail in a spectacular manner causing the vehicle to violently jerk and stall, a traumatic event equivalent to jumping on the breaks at highway speeds. It is extremely dangerous and will cause people to die in crashes. Subaru needs to recall every single CVT and stop putting them in new cars. Extending the warranty is insufficient.

This issue is a safety enhancement request affecting top of the line Subaru outback 2016 limited/premium models equipped with keyless ignition systems. This issue is similar to that reported in NHTSA id number:10881286. Issue: it is possible for a driver to inadvertently turn off the engine (we are only human) using the start/stop button when the vehicle is in drive, park or neutral. If vehicle is on a slope, the vehicle will roll forwards or backwards on it's own. This presents a serious risk of grave bodily harm to people in the path of the unattended moving vehicle. This already happened with my vehicle, luckily it happened inside my garage on a very slight slope and my closed garage door stopped the vehicle. If my children had been behind the vehicle, removing their school bag

The contact called on behalf of his mother who owns a 2016 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there were abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that he was informed at a State Inspection that the vehicle was included in Subaru Campaign Numbers: WUJ95 and WTH68. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine intake manifold was fractured. The contact stated that he informed the dealer that he would not pay a fee for the maintenance of the vehicle and the dealer informed him that the parts to repair the vehicle under Subaru Campaign Number: WUJ95 were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The a

Ignition key gets stuck everytime and I have to jam it into park to ge it out