general problems of the 2019 Subaru Outback - part 1

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the touch screen on the radio failed to properly operate. The screen was delaminated, causing unintended operation of the radio, distracting the driver. This failure caused the back over prevention to become inoperable, and the hvac defroster options were inoperable. The touch screen and the functions were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with an electrical system failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.

Battery completely dead after 4 days of not driving; this is after I purchased a $210 brand new batteyr from autozone. Looks like there is potential class action lawsuit based on the parasitic draw by the dcm unit. I need this repaired at Subaru's expense.

The car repeatedly drains the battery after being left for a short time (a day or 2). This has now happened at least four times and has destroyed multiple batteries. I have taken it to the dealer and complained multiple times. They check for software updates and sell me a new battery and then the same thing happens again. Because of this, the car is essentially unusable because I can't trust it to run. The problem seems to come and go, though that may simply be due to having a new battery for a while. There doesn't seem to be any indication before this problem occurs.

Repeated battery drain within 48 hours use of the vehicle, to the point the battery will no longer start the car. I believe this has come to be known as a parasitic battery drain, and has been traced to the data communications module in these Subarus.

Purchased 2019 Subaru Outback June 2019. Have had multiple batteries replaced. Approximately every year at least the battery fails and I am left stranded. January 2021 the fuel pump was not working properly and they said that was from low drain on the battery but that when the car went to sleep, the draw was normal so they didn’t do anything. February 5, 2025 I was in for an oil change and everything was working well. March 17, 2025 battery going dead again. I got a jump and drove to the dealership. They said that they replaced the dcm and installed the new battery. It is now may 27, 2025 and my car will not start again not even with the jump. Called the dealership and they said I have to pay for a tow which is 45 miles away and I am not under warranty any longer so I will have to pay for it. He also suggested that I call my local tow company and get them to try to jump it.

Battery draining fast. Installed new battery last month. Car is dead and had to be towed to dealer. Dcm issues. System prematurely drains battery because system is trying to connect to 3g even when car is off. There should be a recall. Not just an extended warranty that Subaru may not accept for rebuilt titled cars.

Every few days of car not being used battery is being completely drained. We replaced 3 new batteries with a span of a 1 year.

I am on my third battery for this car. It apparently has a known software issue of a parasitic battery drain that destroys the battery, leaving me stranded.

Car will lane correct when it's not needed. And all warning lights will come on in car when it's very hot. Cannot access touchscreen - because it constantly glitches as if it's being touched passenger side window continues to roll up and down when you click auto control on window and will not stop. I am afraid to drive because of these electrical issues.

Car screen is malfunctioning. Starts doing own things and can cause huge distraction to the driver. Beeping noise, blinking, calling and dialing phone numbers, raising volume. Becomes unresponsive and impossible to operate.

Subaru settled a class action lawsuit regarding faulty battery and dmc component that drains the battery continuously. My dealer just replaced my battery and dcm under warranty (I'm assuming the warranty is a result of the lawsuit). However, this does not ultimately remedy the problem. The new dmc will continue to draw on the battery causing future reoccurring issues. Subaru needs to make good on this problem in a permanent way.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to start the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact inspected the battery and determined that the battery needed to be charged. The contact stated that the battery needed to be recharged every three days due to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. Additionally, the contact stated the failure was persistent. The contact stated that the dealer had replaced the battery with a genuine Subaru battery three months prior to the failure. However, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,879.

Parasitic battery drain when vehicle is turned off. The dcm module in these vehicles will not shut off properly and continue to drain the battery. Subaru has firmware on the vehicle that will not fully charge the battery when driving to save fuel. The vehicle has had 6 or more instances over the past two weeks where the car was undriveable unless jumped from another vehicle or a boost device is used.

Parasitic battery draw - when left completely unattended for about 10 days, the battery is drained, leaving driver stranded and in need of a car jump. Has occurred twice on a new battery installed in late Nov.

Screen is delaminating. Becoming unresponsive at times. Making ghost touches, phone calls, opening apps, messing with gps. Seems unsafe when it could be going haywire and especially using gps trying to navigate traffic.

The radio has what looks like water spots under the screen, this causes the infotainment system to go crazy, no hands free and I’m afraid it won’t show the backup screen while it is like this.

First battery --original to the car lasted about 3. 5 yrs. Replacement lasted less than 2 yrs and was particularly weak in cold weather conditions. Third battery purchased in June 2024 and it was totally dead by oct 2024 and was replaced. The oct 2024 battery began to start slowly in Jan 2025 and today, Jan 12, 2025 failed to start. It was totally dead but was restarted with an emergency starter. I don't drive long distances often and most trips are short --3-5 miles almost every day. This seems to fit in with the electrical problems described for 2016-2020 Outbacks.

Battery not charging. Battery from 09/2024. Unable to turn vehicle over. After charging battery, it has happened again.

The head unit on the vehicle has an issue where it bubbles and it’s causing the touch screen to spaz out, change sources, etc creating a terribly distracting driving experience and you are unable to turn it of. The screen flashes, the radio changes stations, it messes with the navigation rendering it useless, etc. It’s a known issue and Subaru settled a class an action lawsuit related to it for 2018 models but has not issued recalls to for any year models. They should fix the issue on all models. It has been going on for months.

The battery drained within a year. Battery functioning issues.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The computer control system showed low tire pressures. While the passenger’s seat was occupied, there was an abnormal dinging sound detected. The message that the seat not activated message was displayed. The contact stated that the battery drained, and the vehicle failed to start. The starting system had drained battery. The contact had triple aaa check the vehicle, and the dcm made an abnormal popping sound. The abs, radio, and cd warning lights were flashing. The transmission, gps, and undercarriage message were illuminated. The computer screen had burned out and was inoperable. The contact stated while driving 60-65 mph, the vehicle abruptly stopped without driver input. The steering wheel became inoperable and was uncontrollable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the dcm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000. The VIN was not available.

Battery drainage, I’ve had to replace my battery 3 times within 1 year time frame (10/13/23, 10/15/14 & 11/24/24). This is making my vehicle inoperable and unable to drive.

Parasitic battery drain. I just bought this used Subaru Outback in July 2024. Since then, (within 8 months) the car has had a dead battery twice, in 11/24 and 2/25. I had to have the car jumped started by aaa services. This is more than an inconvenience now. It has become a safety issue if my car won't start in an emergency situation. I have taken this to the dealer where I bought it and they diagnosed a 6 day battery drain time. See uploaded invoice. This is a known fault regarding the data communications module (dcm) previous settlement agreements only reimbursed for costs of battery replacements, diagnosis up until 2023. The underlying problem is not fixed.

Infotainment unit failed. Battery died and was replaced with a larger capacity battery. Shortly after, the infotainment head unit became inoperable with ghosting of buttons. Then, the car would not hold a charge again and a bypass box for the digital communication center is being installed today under a recall. The ghosting/inoperable infotainment center remains non-functional and is apparently a separate issue? it randomly beeps and selects buttons, which is distracting. Unit has to be shut off to avoid this.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the control panel failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the control panel independently blinked on and off. Additionally, the contact stated that there were bubbles on the outer surface around the control panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. In addition, the contact stated that in March 2024, the control panel was replaced due to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,500.

Battery goes dead after not using car for 4 days. Subaru said the battery that came with the car was not strong enough. There was a lawsuit, but I missed the date to buy a new battery. I bought a strong battery, but problem happed again. Based on many forum messages, there is a parasitic battery drain while car is off. Problem is tied to starlink fuse. Also saw a new lawsuit on the fact that starlink is trying to connect to 3g network, which no longer exists. Subaru is not fixing this problem. Google Subaru 2019 starlink battery, it is all over the place.

Dcm battery drain and bad head unit display. The class action law suit does not cover the fix for the battery drain problem. Just a new battery. My is the battery continues to drain. I cannot afford to replace the problem dcm. I had to pull that fuse as a fix. I now do not have fro t speakers or bluetooth. My carplay maps no longer tell me where I need to turn. Causing me to looks at the display more frequently. This is not good in busy areas. The other issue is with the head unit. When it gets warm and humid, the display doesn’t work. It clicks all over causing issues with carplay, bluetooth and the radio. This is due to moisture getting in the display. Again causing problems and distractions. This will cause accidents if it hasn’t already. There are a lot of complaints out there for this as well as the dcm battery drain.

Battery dies multiple times per week. I have already had the battery replaced under the Subaru battery settlement, but it is still dying regularly. This is absolutely a safety issue.

Battery failures and being stranded due to parasitic loads from dcm.

Parasitic drain cause by the can system, which causes the battery to randomly die, batter has been replaced, alternator and starter have been tested. When the battery has low voltage this also shuts down the cars safety features like forward collision and cruise control. The head unit in the car is also malfunctioning, causing it randomly turn on and off while driving, button s being pressed on their own which is a huge distraction while driving. Subaru has not been willing to assist.

The infotainment system on my 2019 Subaru Outback has failed. The problem arose suddenly. The system is randomly cycling through radio stations, the touch screen has stopped responding to being touched, the gps apps stopped working properly and across the board the unit no longer works. The touchscreen also appears to have bubbling under the surface of the screen, which may be contributing to the problem. This failure has deprived me of access to important apps -- gps, vehicle maintenance records, bluetooth phone calls. The constant beeping and cycling is an unwanted distraction. For now, the rear back up camera still seems to be working, but if I'm forced to turn off the touch screen, it obviously won't be of any help. I am bringing the car to the dealership tomorrow.

Ongoing for several months. Battery will have parasitic drain that is causing me to have to jump start the car frequently. There are no warning lamps or light. I have not gone to dealer as I read on the internet it is a dcm module that costs several hundreds to fix. Apparently this is a widespread issue and this should be covered by Subaru because of defective equipment. Thank you.

The head unit is delaminating making navigation, bluetooth connection, radio inoperable. The screen flashes through different screens which is a safety hazard. I filed a claim with Subaru care and they offered only $500 assistance on a $1600 repair for a 2019 with about 78,000 miles.

Battery drains where car will not start. Apparently connected with Subaru starlink system and apparently has been a continual problem with Subaru without recall action. People could be stranded without any assistance available. Real safety issue to families. Experience a non-start situation 4 times within the past month.

We had dealt with a parasitic battery drain issue related to the dcm, which was improperly addressed by johnson Subaru of cary. The dealership bypassed the problem, which was not what we requested or expected. While they have stated they will replace the dcm once parts become available, this is unacceptable, given that we paid for this part with the initial purchase. If they follow through with the replacement, that would resolve one issue, but their initial response seemed like an attempt to avoid responsibility. After the dcm was replaced, a new issue arose: the radio head unit became inoperable, experiencing severe malfunctions. The seems like it could also be related to the replacement of the dcm bypass. The head unit changes radio stations and screens on its own, making it inoperable to control or even shut off. This is clearly a safety concern, particularly since the delamination and malfunctioning unit registers random touches, which could cause changes to any of the settings. The head unit serves as the primary control interface, and this unpredictability is highly distracting—especially with a [xxx] using the vehicle. Subaru of America has offered $1,000 towards the replacement, but this is insufficient, considering the widespread nature of this issue across many models. The quote from the dealer is 1415. 00 and the 1000. 00 will not cover the cost. This problem should be addressed through a recall, as safety is a major concern. Additionally, we incurred unrecovered battery costs from the dcm issue and had to purchase a jump-start kit after being stranded multiple times. Subaru's delay in addressing these issues with a recall is troubling, and their offer of $1,000 suggests they acknowledge responsibility, but this issue requires a formal recall rather than piecemeal compensation. The head unit failure has been diagnosed as the specific issue with my 2019 Subaru Outback and must be added to the recall list. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).