NHTSA complaint #11500910

Owner complaint summary

My car has a defective battery or a paracytic leak that the manufacturer (Subaru) acknowledges but selectively addresses. The problem is described at subarubatterysettlement.com. I have had to return my 2020 Subaru Outback to the dealer five or six times with a dead battery that has trouble recharging and maintaining a charge. Each time this occurs, I have to have the car towed to the nearest dealer for extensive (like days) testing. Under some magic circumstance, the battery is either returned-recharged or replaced. I have had to return my car with a dead battery to my dealer four or five times. Each time it is the same. "yes, your car battery is warranted (first for 3 years, now for 10 years)," but the reliability of the car's battery is never resolved. Again the catch is I cannot replace the battery myself without voiding a 10-year warranty on the engine, but to keep the contract, I must have my car taken to my Subaru dealer for them to test it to make sure that the car battery is dead...or something. This is a safety problem because the car often doesn't have the cranking amps to start. And the vehicle is designed to shut the engine off at a stop and auto start when your foot is taken off the brake. This means my car could arbitrarily die at an intersection. I have disabled the auto-start feature but I cannot leave my car at the airport for fear that when I return I will have to have it towed to my Subaru dealer for testing.