Car question Subaru Forester

[superjohn]

I'm in CT with my mom who is in serious pain and can't even really get around the house with a walker. So she isn't using her car every day or at all right now. She has a one year old Forester under lease and there is a design flaw with these cars where the car has to be started basically every day. If it sits for even a few days the car is completely dead. She's had to call service 3 or 4 times for them to come to the house and give her a jump. Talked to the guy who came out today and he's said he's had to jump these cars 40 times and the battery is completely dead just if people don't start the car every 2 or 3 days. He thinks they may be working on some sort of recall but they aren't admitting to the public there is a something wrong with the cars.

How the hell can she get out of this lease and get a new different car?

 

[tykurez]

I'm in CT with my mom who is in serious pain and can't even really get around the house with a walker. So she isn't using her car every day or at all right now. She has a one year old Forester under lease and there is a design flaw with these cars where the car has to be started basically every day. If it sits for even a few days the car is completely dead. She's had to call service 3 or 4 times for them to come to the house and give her a jump. Talked to the guy who came out today and he's said he's had to jump these cars 40 times and the battery is completely dead just if people don't start the car every 2 or 3 days. He thinks they may be working on some sort of recall but they aren't admitting to the public there is a something wrong with the cars.

How the hell can she get out of this lease and get a new different car?

I don’t know if she has any recourse unless there’s a way to trigger the lemon law. This is a known issue though with the recent Subaru’s … my friends would consistently get stranded in their Ascent.

I assume she has a ‘22 or a ‘23? In which case I would have thought it’d be fixed:

Updated Subaru Drained Battery Lawsuit Settlement - What Owners Need To Know

There is updated information on the Settlement in the Subaru drained battery lawsuit. Here is what Outback, Forester, Ascent, WRX, and Legacy customers need to know.

www.torquenews.com

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Have you talked to the dealership that leased her the car? May qualify for lemon law depending on age (not a lawyer). I would also reach out to Subaru of America about the issue if not getting help from dealership. They’re generally very responsive to concerns.

 

[auror]

If she can't get rid of it or lemon it, maybe install a remote starter so she can start and then shutoff the car from inside once a day.

 

[superjohn]

I don’t know if she has any recourse unless there’s a way to trigger the lemon law. This is a known issue though with the recent Subaru’s … my friends would consistently get stranded in their Ascent.

I assume she has a ‘22 or a ‘23? In which case I would have thought it’d be fixed:

Updated Subaru Drained Battery Lawsuit Settlement - What Owners Need To Know

There is updated information on the Settlement in the Subaru drained battery lawsuit. Here is what Outback, Forester, Ascent, WRX, and Legacy customers need to know.

www.torquenews.com

I didn't even know this was going on until I got to Connecticut. They sent a guy out here and all he had was jumper cables and it didn't start up right away. Finally got it started and he told me to keep it running for 45 minutes. I need to go to the dealership and find out what's going on. She leased it in September of '22, 2022 model Forester.

 

[willie99]

Maybe a new starter or a new battery will help. Unusual problem

Problem with leases, they usually want the lease buyout plus all remaining lease payments to get out. Not financially sound unless you're near the end of the term

Maybe Subaru will help if she buys another Subaru. My friends and their entire families are Subaru fanatics. The brand has a good reputation

 

[Kolumbo]

In the meantime, can you use a battery trickler charger to keep it charged, or do they not provide enough juice?

 

[Greedo]

Maybe Subaru will help if she buys another Subaru. My friends and their entire families are Subaru fanatics. The brand has a good reputation

This is honestly potentially your best option. I leased my current car before buying it at the end of the lease (2016 Subaru Impreza) and while I was still leasing it they would call me almost once a month asking if I wanted to upgrade to a newer model.

 

[NJHusky]

I don’t know if she has any recourse unless there’s a way to trigger the lemon law. This is a known issue though with the recent Subaru’s … my friends would consistently get stranded in their Ascent.

I assume she has a ‘22 or a ‘23? In which case I would have thought it’d be fixed:

Updated Subaru Drained Battery Lawsuit Settlement - What Owners Need To Know

There is updated information on the Settlement in the Subaru drained battery lawsuit. Here is what Outback, Forester, Ascent, WRX, and Legacy customers need to know.

www.torquenews.com

Even this settlement is stupid...doesn't solve the problem...just compensates you for a new battery/starting costs.

If you can't get Subaru to fix the problem (which is doubtful as they won't admit it) I like the idea of putting in a remote start. Check the lemon law in Ct. Don't most of them require a issue to be repetitive without being fixed? bring it to the dealer enough times while you are here to get it on record to trigger the lemon law.

 

[Taco]

I’ve heard of this on CrossTreks but not Foresters. If you have a trickle charger, you can hook up and it should keep enough juice to turn over.

 

[uconn13]

Wife drives a 2020 Outback, same issue, purchased car brand new back then, battery needed jumping less than 2 years into owning. Bought the best Interstate cold crank rated battery to replace the junk batteries that Subaru puts in their vehicles. Problem solved.
However, dealership where she bought it offered only to replace with another identical OEM battery and not reimburse us for the $160 Interstate that my mechanic recommended and I installed. Why would we want the same inferior battery put in and keep having the same problem, we asked. Clown at the Subaru service center just shrugged and said take it or leave it. Got nowhere with Subaru America, either. That outfit are a bunch of gangsters themselves.

 

[temery]

I'm in CT with my mom who is in serious pain and can't even really get around the house with a walker. So she isn't using her car every day or at all right now. She has a one year old Forester under lease and there is a design flaw with these cars where the car has to be started basically every day. If it sits for even a few days the car is completely dead. She's had to call service 3 or 4 times for them to come to the house and give her a jump. Talked to the guy who came out today and he's said he's had to jump these cars 40 times and the battery is completely dead just if people don't start the car every 2 or 3 days. He thinks they may be working on some sort of recall but they aren't admitting to the public there is a something wrong with the cars.

How the hell can she get out of this lease and get a new different car?

check the driver's side door to make sure the contact thing is in place. I had this problem with my truck and it turned out the sensor in the door jam that meets the door when closed was broken. The truck thought the door was open, or someone was in the car.

turn the radio and windshield wipers on, then turn the car off and get out of the car and shut the door - If they're still on, that's the problem.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

In the meantime, can you use a battery trickler charger to keep it charged, or do they not provide enough juice?

If you go this route, get one with a quick connect. If the car is parked inside, you could even just leave the connect dangling out of the hood just a bit. Would almost certainly reduce the life of the cable, but presumably your mom isn’t going to be opening and closing the hood every time she wants to drive somewhere. This makes it a really simple push connection.

 

[Olaf]

I had this problem with my 2019 Outback. It’s the DCM. The Starlink system searches for a signal even when car is off. Battery goes dead. Mine did after 19,000 miles. I pulled the DCM fuse (#9) & the problem stopped. Subaru will not fix, they only extend the battery warranty.
I had to have the DCM replaced for $900. I couldn’t leave the fuse pulled as the phone mic and front speakers were also associated with that fuse. Subaru manager said it’s “not a safety issue” so Subaru probably will not recall. According to my research this affects all Subaru models from 2015-2020.
I do believe leaving a customer stranded with a dead battery is a safety issue. Duh?

 

[superjohn]

Wife drives a 2020 Outback, same issue, purchased car brand new back then, battery needed jumping less than 2 years into owning. Bought the best Interstate cold crank rated battery to replace the junk batteries that Subaru puts in their vehicles. Problem solved.
However, dealership where she bought it offered only to replace with another identical OEM battery and not reimburse us for the $160 Interstate that my mechanic recommended and I installed. Why would we want the same inferior battery put in and keep having the same problem, we asked. Clown at the Subaru service center just shrugged and said take it or leave it. Got nowhere with Subaru America, either. That outfit are a bunch of gangsters themselves.

Subaru is no help. They said to get a trickle charger or to bring it back to them and pay $5,600 to break the lease and give them back the car. She has another 15 months under lease so she's just going to make a point of driving the car a couple times a week when she's able to move around better and then if she goes away for any extended time she'll just call Subaru to send someone out and start it for free. It's all pretty ridiculous.

 

[uconn13]

Subaru is no help. They said to get a trickle charger or to bring it back to them and pay $5,600 to break the lease and give them back the car. She has another 15 months under lease so she's just going to make a point of driving the car a couple times a week when she's able to move around better and then if she goes away for any extended time she'll just call Subaru to send someone out and start it for free. It's all pretty ridiculous.

It's criminal, in my opinion. Sell cars with faulty batteries that Subaru is aware of, but they are allowed to continue the charade. No accountability, zero. But hey, Subaru helps pets get adopted, so there is that.....but you expect your car to reliably start when you get inside? Roll of the dice! $33k and you expect it to turn over after 2 years, shame on us.
Just imagine these larger, barrier size, batteries that they are putting in these newer electric models and the consequences in store for their functionality. Better get George Jetson on speed dial!
All jokes aside, best wishes to your mothers health.

 

[uconnfan68]

Daughter had an issue with a different car and I got her a small solar charger that worked for her. It’s just a small foldable array that plugged into the lighter.

 

[superjohn]

Daughter had an issue with a different car and I got her a small solar charger that worked for her. It’s just a small foldable array that plugged into the lighter.

That's interesting. I'll look into that for her.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I had this problem with my 2019 Outback. It’s the DCM. The Starlink system searches for a signal even when car is off. Battery goes dead. Mine did after 19,000 miles. I pulled the DCM fuse (#9) & the problem stopped. Subaru will not fix, they only extend the battery warranty.
I had to have the DCM replaced for $900. I couldn’t leave the fuse pulled as the phone mic and front speakers were also associated with that fuse. Subaru manager said it’s “not a safety issue” so Subaru probably will not recall. According to my research this affects all Subaru models from 2015-2020.
I do believe leaving a customer stranded with a dead battery is a safety issue. Duh?

So unfortunately the Starlink system will continue to search for a signal without a subscription, just not receiving its benefit?

 

[HuskyHawk]

I had this problem with my 2019 Outback. It’s the DCM. The Starlink system searches for a signal even when car is off. Battery goes dead. Mine did after 19,000 miles. I pulled the DCM fuse (#9) & the problem stopped. Subaru will not fix, they only extend the battery warranty.
I had to have the DCM replaced for $900. I couldn’t leave the fuse pulled as the phone mic and front speakers were also associated with that fuse. Subaru manager said it’s “not a safety issue” so Subaru probably will not recall. According to my research this affects all Subaru models from 2015-2020.
I do believe leaving a customer stranded with a dead battery is a safety issue. Duh?

If this really the cause, then I'd suggest @superjohn find the fuse that connects to Starlink and pull it.

Meanwhile, there is a website where people get other people to take over their leases on cars. Car Lease or Get Out of a Lease: LeaseTrader.com

 

[superjohn]

If this really the cause, then I'd suggest @superjohn find the fuse that connects to Starlink and pull it.

Meanwhile, there is a website where people get other people to take over their leases on cars. Car Lease or Get Out of a Lease: LeaseTrader.com

She loves the car other than this problem so she's going to keep it and will get back to driving it often once we figure out her health. Subaru sends someone out for free to start it if she leaves town for any extended trips. It's not that big of a deal, more of an annoyance.

 

[Fishy]

She loves the car other than this problem so she's going to keep it and will get back to driving it often once we figure out her health. Subaru sends someone out for free to start it if she leaves town for any extended trips. It's not that big of a deal, more of an annoyance.

Constant issue for Subaru.

The inlaws have a relatively new Outback and the thing is dead as a door nail if it sits for any period of time. It’s not StarLink related and Subaru has replaced the battery a few times.

I have a BMW that’s the same way. Annoying as hell.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Mrs. Diesel has a 2022 Outback we got in March 2022. Never has had any issues with battery drain or anything else.

 

[Olaf]

Constant issue for Subaru.

The inlaws have a relatively new Outback and the thing is dead as a door nail if it sits for any period of time. It’s not StarLink related and Subaru has replaced the battery a few times.

I have a BMW that’s the same way. Annoying as hell.

It is Starlink related for the Subaru. Known issue.

 

[billybud]

I have learned about “parasitic draws” with an older car we keep (Lexus sc 430). Owners swap info on forums and one must turn the headlights off from the automatic position. I keep a battery tender on mine if I am not going to drive it for a couple of weeks.