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Subaru of America (SOA) has been battling an issue with drained batteries on the Outback and Ascent SUVs. The original lawsuit from 2020 against SOA alleged the SUVs had defective electrical systems causing premature battery failure. A second lawsuit in 2021 against Subaru claimed defective electrical components in the Subaru Forester, Outback, Ascent, Legacy, and WRX vehicles.
According to a new report from Bloomberg Law (by subscription), Subaru of America may be close to settling the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged 2016-2019 Subaru Outback and the 2019-2020 Subaru Ascent SUVs have electrical problems. According to the original filing, the alleged defect may also be present in the 2020 Outback.
The initial court approval in the June hearing will compensate owners for “frequent battery replacement because of an electronics problem.” Subaru Corporation’s lawsuit settlement merits preliminary approval; consumers told a federal court in New Jersey.
The lawsuit contends Subaru has known about the problem since 2017 and issued a technical service bulletin addressing potential battery discharging after repeated periods of short-trip-driving resulting in a dead battery. The lawsuit says if owners of Outback and Ascent models take their vehicle in for diagnosis of the problem, dealers replace the old battery with the same OEM battery “and is thus a temporary fix only.”
The class action against Subaru of America claims the Camden, N.J. automaker issued multiple TSB service bulletins filed with the NHTSA over drained battery issues since 2015. The class actions say Subaru has failed to recall the vehicles and fix the problem under its warranty obligations.
What are the terms of the settlement?
The Bloomberg report says the plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit will receive cash, warranty extensions, and a software fix to remedy the problem. The parties are set to argue in favor of the deal at a hearing in June, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey said in a notice last week.
The terms of the settlement include payments for out-of-pocket repair costs up to 165 percent of the expenditure, warranty extensions, and a software update that improves the on-board computer’s “charging logic,” the consumers told Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
What should 2016-2020 Subaru Outback and 2019-2020 Subaru Ascent owners do if they have experienced the same battery issues? You should first report a problem to the NHTSA, and you can contact attorneys Ahdoot and Wolfson or Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP.
Stay tuned to Torque News via Subaru Report for the latest Subaru drained battery lawsuit updates.
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Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Comments
I bought a new Subaru Outback
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I bought a new Subaru Outback 2017. I have had trouble with the battery about 3 times in 5 years where I have needed a charge in remote places. I camp a lot and have had to be extra careful in closing things up immediately when setting up camp.
I had a 2017 Forester Touring
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I had a 2017 Forester Touring. My battery failed in town. I got a jump that got me home. The vehicle would start in the morning. Putting a volt meter on it after starting, the voltage jumped up to approximately 14 volts, but only for about 3 minutes. The voltage then dropped to 12 volts. This would be too short a time to really replace the starting current drain.
I have a 2018 Forrester.
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I have a 2018 Forrester. Since the 3rd week of new car if it was . not run everyfew days had to jump it. The battery was replaced after second check at agency. Still, if not run every 4th day have to jump. Something is draining battery and service cannot figure it out. It is a beautiful smooth running car but constantly having to jump is exhausting. Had to buy a jumpstart and even tried a trickle charge. Sad car
battery of 2018 forester
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battery of 2018 forester battery failed on date of 03-15-2020 at an oreilly auto parts store we _________need the claim form
Bought my Subaru in 2016 i
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Bought my Subaru in 2016 i have had problems with my battery dying and it has been replace about 4 times now an still does the same thing. leaves me stranded and needing jumps, does not hold its battery. I have owned Subaru vehicles many times and I have never experienced this frustration and problem.
I have a 2017 Outback and
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I have a 2017 Outback and have had multiple problems with my battery being dead, even with a new battery. I now have AAA and a portable battery charger incase it happens again. Every time I would go to the dealership for an oil change, I would comment on the dead battery. They claim it is all the electrical items draining the battery. I am now afraid to even leave the keys in the ignition if I'm not driving it. No more listening to the radio if the car isn't running. I sure hope that now they will address the issue.
My Subaru outback has had the
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My Subaru outback has had the battery replaced twice
Hello I own a 2018 Subaru
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Hello I own a 2018 Subaru Outback. I previously commuted an hour to work everyday, but have changed jobs with a 20 min commute. 4 months into my new job I go to leave for lunch and my car will not start. I had our maintenance guys try to jump me to no avail. I had to tow my car 45 miles to the nearest subaru dealership. The tell me today that the battery was dead and the 120 Amp fuse was blown.
My 2016 2.5 Outback OEM
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My 2016 2.5 Outback OEM battery died the very day (~15April2016) I drove home after purchase; and 3times more first week; 10-times first month; 21-times first year !!! Dealership = USELESS ! They are trained better at blaming owner than fixing anything, most likely by Corp lawyers rather than legit engineers. Subaru electrical “designs” are cobbled together competively bid subcontractor modules, systems integrated by LEGO-MINDED interconnected wiring harnesses. They paid ZERO attention to properly sequencing, they just turn everything ON as soon as you touch “Start”, thus overloading Battery even before engine is running ! Then they turn Alt Reg “OFF” until vehicle has warmed up to 190*-F ; thereby assuring battery never gets charged; this chronically UNDERCHARGED battery then developers SEVERE battery plate “sulfation” coatings which are nearly impossible to remove by their type of “charging” settings ! RESULTS — even good new replacement batteries are quickly damaged & destroyed ... sometimes within days,
I have 2019 Impressa. For the
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I have 2019 Impressa. For the first year I must have had to have my car jumped at least 5 times. I really wanted to dump this car. One Sunday I had to get to a funeral, the car wouldn’t start. The service man sold me a new battery and the car has been fine ever since. I’m sure there was a bad battery in that car. Why isn’t impressa included in the suit?
My 2020 Subaru Forester has
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My 2020 Subaru Forester has had to be jump started 4 times. I brought it into the Subaru dealership 2 times and both times was told it was NOT the battery. I finally had to have it replaced. I lease my Forester and it has VERY low mileage and under warranty.