2024 Subaru Outback Electrical Problems

My battery prematurely drained and it caused my car to not start at all. It's a new car and was checked at the dealership and was confirmed to be in perfect working order when I bought it. Not even six months of owning it and then battery died, I had to pay out of pocket for a replacement battery. I can't imagine what could've happened, had I been actively driving it. It has not been taking to a dealership to officially confirm the issue but I've seen the recent lawsuits and know my vehicle falls within the affected vehicles. There was absolutely NO warnings. My car just would not turn on. All the dash lights would just quickly flash at me and then go dark, I'd get an "Ignition on" message but couldn't do anything at all. Car would even try turning on.

NHTSA ID

11754295

Incident

Jul 14, 2026

Before I begin my commute, I’m greeted by a persistent message within the center infotainment display from the satellite radio service provider SirusXM. The message will not go away until manually closed out, as the exit button is farther away from the drivers reach (more accessible from the passenger side). This can lead to distracted driving, especially if you’ve already expressed no interest in the service, prior to its other attempts. It also doesn’t help that the center console is frustratingly non responsive for the first few minutes during every vehicle startup. There’s also a number displayed on the screen to call SirusXM to opt out of the messages but the attempt is useless as they will corner you into purchasing subscription. I shouldn’t have to do this for a vehicle I own and the monopoly that service presents as the only satellite provider is anti competition.

NHTSA ID

11741653

Incident

Jun 2, 2026

Many controls are integrated within the main infotainment screen on the 2024 Outback. Every month or so, a SiriusXM advertisement will randomly pop-up on the screen, taking up the entire screen, rendering all screen controls/buttons useless. This is a safety concern, as not only screen controls are blocked when this ad appears, but air and comfort controls are blocked until the ad pop-up is closed.

NHTSA ID

11741644

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

Sunroof exploded outwards while driving.

NHTSA ID

11735533

Incident

Apr 30, 2026

My 2024 Subaru Outback has twice become inoperable while stopped at a traffic signal. In both incidents, the engine was off while stopped, but the vehicle remained powered on and would not restart. The vehicle also would not properly power down. The car could not be safely driven or moved and required towing both times. This created a serious safety hazard because the vehicle became disabled in active traffic and could not be restarted or properly shut down. After the first incident (on [XXX]), the Subaru dealership replaced the battery. Approximately 4 weeks ([XXX]) later, the exact same failure occurred again. The dealership has now had the vehicle for approximately three weeks and states they cannot replicate the issue. No cause has been identified and no repair has been made. During one of these incidents, my [XXX] child was in the vehicle while we were stranded in traffic. This appears to be a repeat electrical / ignition / operability failure affecting the vehicle’s ability to restart or properly shut down after stopping in traffic. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11729500

Incident

Feb 5, 2026

Was doing 55-60 mph in left lane of highway. Suddenly and without warning the car is decelerating, cannot accelerate any more, all warning lights suddenly flashing on dashboard. I was able to get over to the far right emergency lane, turn car off and put on hazards and started calling Subaru roadside assistance. While doing so I suddenly saw smoke coming out from under the hood. I got out of the car and continued my talk when the smoke suddenly turned to flames from under the hood and I called 911. Within 3 minutes of dialing for assistance, my car was completely engulfed in flames and it was burned to a crisp by the time the fire trucks put it out. My insurance company retrieved the car from wherever it was towed and has assigned it to someone to investigate.

NHTSA ID

11724586

Incident

Mar 11, 2026

Sirus XM advertisements, whilst driving, taking over display, despite opting out of all possible options, disablement and NEVER purchasing the satellite radio service or wanting it in vehicle. I paid for the car, now I have to be subject to distracting advertising that requires user input even though I already have carplay open with driving directions. Advertising should be optional and there MUST be a way to opt out and it should not be forced or require interaction while car is operational (assuming it is opt in, which it most certainly was not in my case). Everywhere else in the world you can buy a car free of in-vehicle advertising, without being pushed to get satellite radio from a monopoly.. why is USA different?

NHTSA ID

11703105

Incident

Dec 3, 2025

Sirius XM Ads are popping up on infotainment screen caused me to become distracted while operating my vehicle. I had to remove my eyes from the road to find the button to close the ad, then click on the ad to remove it from my screen. It has popped up twice in the last two weeks.

NHTSA ID

11701126

Incident

Nov 22, 2025

The malfunction I am concerned with is the battery and the battery charging system (alternator, engine control module). I purchased this car new in July of 2024. However, last month the battery drained to a point where I had to jump it to start it. I drove with the hope that the alternator would charge the battery. Yet, it did not. Within the last four weeks, I proceeded to have to jump the car almost every time I started the car, including every stop when running errands around town. This is a safety concern for me because if I didn't have a jump box for the car I would have been stuck or stranded. This could have been in 110 degree weather with my niece in the back seat. Or if the auto start/stop system was engaged, I could have been stuck with a dead car on the freeway in stop/start traffic in Los Angeles. I have seen multiple Outbacks on the freeway with dead batteries. When I took it to the dealer last week they confirmed the battery had gone bad, but were unable to find a parasitic drain or another reason why a year old battery would go bad. They acknowledged that older model Outbacks have the same battery drain issue and there is a current class action lawsuit for older model Outbacks (2015-2020) with this issue. They did not acknowledge that newer Outbacks had the same issue. No warnings appeared before this issue. There has been electronic issues with the vehicle since I took possession of it last year. After the battery issue presented itself, I did receive warning through my car there were issues with the backup breaking system and the collision control system. The dealer found an update for the Media Center, which they say may have been the cause of the battery drain. The two notifications have been cleared after the update. A simple search online revealed hundreds of complaints about the battery on the Outback, including people stating the manufacturer set the alternator to not charge the battery so they could market better gas mileage for the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11680258

Incident

Jul 14, 2025

Subaru accessory QI Wireless phone charger (H671SAN202) consistently overheats phone causing it to shut down. Dealer acknowledged the part can be specific in the way it operates. I followed guidance to remove case and try reorienting which still produced the same results.

NHTSA ID

11655362

Incident

Nov 12, 2024

My car is a lemon and has been unsafe to drive . They aren’t doing anything about it but lowball offers outside of ca lemon law provisions

NHTSA ID

11646571

Incident

Jan 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the ABS, All-Wheel Drive, Auto Start/Stop, Auto Vehicle Hold, Brake System, Traction Control, Parking Brake, and CTA warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the steering wheel became firm, making it difficult to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800.

NHTSA ID

11617734

Incident

Sep 16, 2024

Mileage

2,800 mi

When Apple Carplay is utilized the operator's phone is muted all though they are unaware of this until notified whereas to correct the call must be disconnected then reconnected. This happens continuously and dealer denied any problem and blamed all kinds of other culprits. Upon contacting Apple then Subaru Corporation Headquarters we have discovered that this a problem for many of these models. Subaru said they are trying to resolve this issue yet no one is notifying car owners of this problem and worse denying it exists. This is a grave safety concern as when this happens it distracts the driver trying to correct and if in an emergency the receiver (911) of the call isn't being informed with vital information.

NHTSA ID

11604125

Incident

Jul 23, 2024

On Sunday [XXX] around 10:00 am I stopped to gas up my car while I was going to church with my [XXX] baby in a car seat in the backseat. I closed the car door leaving my car keys and cell phone in the center console and as I went behind the car to gas up it unexpectedly locked. I panicked and ran into the gas station and had them call 911 because I knew my daughter would die if I could not quickly get her out of the car. An off duty Lee County, Florida Deputy happened to be gasing his car and heard the commotion and attempted to assist with a hammer to break the drivers side window but that did not work. The gas station owner came rushing out with a glass breaking safety tool and Deputy Angell (Badge # 21-182) was able to break the window and I safely got my baby out of the car. I took my car to Subaru of Naples where I had purchased the car several months previously. The Service Manager, Victor Hyer and the Service Consultant, Larry Carsi were very helpful and had the window replaced at no cost to me. They researched the problem and told me that was how the car locking system was supposed to work. This does not make sense to me since if the Deputy had not been able to break the window my baby would have died! I'm hoping you can look into this further as I want to prevent this happening to some other mother, who could have a catastrophic outcome. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11596140

Incident

Jun 9, 2024

When backing up at night in the dark, the backup camera is useless as the display is too dark to tell where I am going. There have been several times when I almost backed into the ditch or into a pond. My 2017 Subaru Outback backup camera was quite clear even on a dark night, so I never had an issue with backing up at night. My new Outback is dangerous when reversing at night. This needs to be fixed!!!

NHTSA ID

11588119

Incident

Apr 12, 2024

My issue is that my 2024 outback wilderness has a idling problem when starting cold or hot engine the RPM’s are at 1800 rpm for 1 to 5 minutes .. I feel this is a hazard to public safety in cold weather conditions because it stays at high idle and therefore stopping on slick roads is a problem.. I’ve had this at just one dealership a they said car is normal I do not feel it is safe .. I am a [XXX] male and have had many new automobiles and never had a real complaint this is a very serious complaint I hope someone inquires about it asap . Subaru corp has to technical issues reported but this is a very serious complaint INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11546993

Incident

Aug 8, 2023