NHTSA complaint #11398819

Owner complaint summary

I PURCHASED A NEW 2020 OUTBACK ONYX XT IN FALL 2019. IT GENERALLY HAD NO ISSUES AND RAN FINE WITH NORMAL DRIVING (EG DRIVING TO WORK AND ERRANDS EVERY DAY OR TWO). FALL OF 2020 (CAR AROUND 10,000 MILES) THE CAR RANDOMLY WAS FULLY DEAD (COULDN'T UNLOCK DOORS OR START THE ENGINE) ONE MORNING AFTER HAVING BEEN DRIVEN NORMALLY ONE OR TWO DAYS BEFORE. I JUMP STARTED THE CAR, DROVE IT FOR AN HOUR, AND THE BATTERY SEEMINGLY DID NOT CHARGE - THE CAR DIED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND IT COULD NOT BE LOCKED/UNLOCKED/STARTED/ETC. THE CAR WAS JUMP STARTED AGAIN AND BROUGHT TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED A FAULTY BATTERY UNIT WHICH WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR THEN WORKED NORMALLY UNTIL EARLY 2021, WHEN THE ISSUE REPEATED ITSELF - FOR NO APPARENT REASON, THE CAR DIED, AFTER HAVING WORKED FINE THE DAY OR TWO BEFORE (I.E. IT WASN'T LEFT UNDRIVEN FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME). IT WAS JUMP STARTED, BROUGHT INTO THE DEALER, AND SAME DIAGNOSIS/FIX - BATTERY REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. ONE WEEK LATER, THE ISSUE REPEATED ITSELF. THE CAR WAS BROUGHT IN AND THE DEALER DID MORE DIAGNOSES AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS AN INTERIOR LIGHT SWITCH THAT WAS IN AN ON POSITION (ALTHOUGH THE LIGHT ITSELF WAS OFF) - THEY TRIED TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE WITH LEAVING THE LIGHT ON CAUSING THE CAR TO DIE OVERNIGHT. THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY AGAIN UNDER WARRANTY. MOST RECENTLY, AROUND ONE WEEK LATER - MARCH 1 2021 - THIS ISSUE REPEATED FOR A FOURTH TIME. I WAS SPECIFICALLY CAREFUL THAT NO LIGHT SWITCHES WERE EVER LEFT ON AND THE CAR HAD WORKED FINE THE DAY PRIOR TO IT HAVING BEEN UNABLE TO START, AND AM AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS FROM SUBARU FOR NEXT STEPS. CLEARLY IT IS NOT SIMPLY A "BAD BATTERY" AS THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO FIX THE CAR (WHICH IS UNDER WARRANTY) AND MAKE IT USEABLE FOR NORMAL DRIVING.