Car Will Not Start problems of the 2019 Subaru Ascent

I bought my 2019 Ascent brand new in summer of 2018. I was driving yesterday and had my 3 yr old son with me. We stopped to get ice cream and sat in car to eat it. I turned car on enough to put windows down (no more than 3-4 minutes at most) and turned off. When I went to start car when finished ice cream about 10 min later my car wouldn't start and completely locked up. Couldn't even put in neutral or turn the wheel. I called aaa and the came and told my my battery health was only 30% and had a zero charge. He changed the battery for me and we were on our way but we were lucky to be in an area with help. Not always the case for phone reception in some areas. This car is not even 3 yrs old. Had it been summer it could have gotten extremely hot and very dangerous for my self and my son. It shouldn't have happened especially since we did nothing out of the ordinary. I have much less than 30,000 miles on the vehicle and it is well taken care of with regular maintenance and kept in an attached garage.

55 degree sunny day in rural virginia. 2019 Subaru Ascent has 8214 miles. Drove Ascent about 4 miles. Stopped to run quick errand. Two minutes later car would not start. Dash lights on, including check engine, battery. Power windows and rear hatch still worked. Called dealer-followed their instructions to try starting car in park, neutral, etc. They said it sounded like a battery problem, advised me to call Subaru roadside assistance. Spouse came with battery charger. Charged battery for a few minutes and car started. Charged battery overnight. Searched online for Subaru battery problems. Read that a class-action lawsuit was filed against Subaru of America in 2020 relating to outback and Ascent battery issues. These models are reportedly equipped with batteries that drain and die. Lawsuit contends that Subaru has known about these battery problems since 2017, and has issued a technical service bulletin about battery discharging and dying after short trip driving.

On 4 occassions the liftgate of this SUV was left up for 45 minutes to 1. 5 hours while the vehicle was turned off and stationary. On each time the battery discharged to a point the car would not start. Fortunately we had cell service and could summond help, but this could occur where there is no cell service and leave us completely stranded. After the first 3 timnes which happened in rapid succession I took the Subaru Ascent to the dealer and was told the battery had a weak cell and they replaced it without charge. The repair invoice is attached. But they never told me that leaving the liftgate up more than 30 minutes would cause this problem and leave me stranded. Then when the proble occurred again I went online and discovered this is a widely-known defect in the Subaru Ascent and other Subaru models that has stranded thousands of owners. Owners take their suvs on camping or fishing trips and tailgating at events where they leave the liftgate up without realizing the car is unlikely to start when they want to leave. But Subaru is refusing to consider a fix and recall these suvs. I have never heard of another vehicle with this defect or problem. Many owners are spending $250 or more for after-market batteries that are much stronger than the weak batteries that Subaru provides. While this does not correct the problem and such owners can still be stranded, at least with a stronger battery the chances it will start are much better. Supposedly there is a class action lawsuit filed in new jersey against Subaru over this issue, but that will only reward the attorneys involved with millions of dollars and probably net me $20 in 5 years. Please consider forcing Subaru to find a solution to this problem and recall and fix all Subaru Ascents still on the road.

The battery has repeatedly been drained to the point where the car will not start. The cause appears to be leaving the tailgate open with the engine off for an extended period of time, even if I turn off the small cargo light and some light ti avoid battery drain while the tailgate is open. This has happened at least 4 times and required me to jump start the car. The dealership replaced the battery after one of these incidents and told me the battery had been severely depleted, necessitating replacement. The most recent time this happened, after I jump started the car the check engine light stayed on as did all warning lights for the eyesight safety systems the x mode traction control system, and the eyesight system did not function. It has been fortunate that every time this has happened I've been at home where I could jump start the car. If this happens on a trip we would be stranded.

On ot about October 6th of 2019, vehicle(white 2019 Subaru Ascent touring) was parked in the garage and had been driven the day prior. It failed to start prior to a critical pediatric specialty appointment. Subaru sent a mechanic to jumpstart the car and the engine turned over. The apt was missed due to the delay. On or about mid-may of 2020 the vehicle failed to start after being parked in the garage. Attempts to charge the battery did not work. Subaru roadside assistance returned again and jump started the car. It was left to run for over an hour. The following day it would not start again.

Every week or two the car fails to start. When the ignition button is pushed, the vehicle gains power but does not turnover and start. You need to exit the vehicle, lock the vehicle and unlock the vehicle and go through this process up to 7 times before the vehicle will start. Vehicle has been brought back to Subaru service department 3 separate times for up to 2 weeks at a time and they are unable to replicate or fix the problem.