RoadVitals

2026 Subaru Solterra

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
17
+1 complaint in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
1
Latest Jun 18, 2026
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 17 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2026 Subaru Solterra, most frequently naming the electrical, exterior lighting and driver assistance categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 48 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Exterior lighting317.6%
  • Driver assistance211.8%
  • Brakes15.9%
  • Engine15.9%
  • Fuel system15.9%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM

Jun 18, 2026
20,991 units potentially affected
The defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2026 Toyota BZ, Lexus RZ, and Subaru Solterra battery electric vehicles. The electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the high voltage battery may experience a fault, resulting in a loss of drive power.
The risk: An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will update the battery ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 17, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26LA07 and 26TA11. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG26.
Toyota Motor Engineering & ManufacturingManufacturer number 26LA07 26TA11 WRG26View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Electrical
Filed Sep 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Subaru Solterra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V393000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available and informed the contact that many of the dealers were experiencing software system issues and were unable to complete the software update. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID
11761277
Incident
Sep 1, 2026
Exterior lighting
Filed Aug 15, 2026

When driving at night over most roads, a slight bump will cause the headlights to jitter appearing to turn-off momentarily. This is a re-occurring incident

NHTSA ID
11757177
Incident
Aug 15, 2026
ElectricalEngine
Filed Aug 14, 2026

A1. 12 v Battery fail. A2 . Unable to use the car at 9:30 pm when I discovered it my safety was in risk not car to use, Subaru assistance never shows up calling them for two days. Dealer have to town truck the car A3.Dealer found the battery dead recharge the battery but not solution from the drain yet. A4. Yes vehicle inspected for the dealer A5. No no indication of the drainage before happening

NHTSA ID
11756903
Incident
Jul 24, 2026
Electrical
Filed Aug 8, 2026

New vehicle, only 900 miles on it had to get it jumped twice so far. The 12v battery has parasitic draining.

NHTSA ID
11755674
Incident
Aug 8, 2026
Electrical
Filed Aug 5, 2026

Brand new Subaru Solterra died after only a month on the road Root cause is parasitic power drain from 12V battery which completely ran dry Car has been in shop for a week without any possible root cause and repair Problem is prevalent on this particular model as reported by owners of 2023 till 2026 and also from towing companies I'm afraid if not fixed at the root, car will die again after a short while Here are a few links related to the problem : [XXX] From Subaru itself : [XXX] They blame of 3rd party apps, but most users don't use them, me included This is certainly a lemon issue since car cannot be driven without a healthy 12V battery INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11755128
Incident
Jul 30, 2026
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Jul 27, 2026

On June 23rd, 2026, while driving my 2026 Subaru Solterra at approximately 35 mph on a clear, sunny day with no road obstructions or vehicles ahead, the vehicle suddenly and severely applied the brakes on its own. This unprompted, autonomous braking event brought the vehicle to an abrupt, unsafe slowdown, creating an immediate risk of a rear-end collision. No dashboard warning lights or error codes appeared prior to or during the event. The vehicle had recently been brought in for a safety recall related to the vehicle electronics/ECU. The vehicle was driven to the dealership, where it is currently undergoing diagnostic evaluation for automated pre-collision braking and sensor malfunctions.

NHTSA ID
11752968
Incident
Jul 23, 2026
ElectricalFuel system
Filed Jul 17, 2026

On XXX at approximately 1:20 PM, my 2026 Subaru Solterra (approx. 4,761 miles) experienced a sudden loss of motive power while I was driving on a 4 lane trunk highway at approximately 40mph. The vehicle's drive system shut down without warning and the instrument cluster displayed "EV system malfunction – Visit Your Dealer." The vehicle would not deliver any propulsion. I was able to coast to a safe location and park. After shutting the vehicle off and restarting it, it drove normally. The warning message remained on the dashboard and cleared on its own after 4–5 additional ignition cycles. No collision occurred, but the sudden power loss in traffic created a significant crash risk. After the incident, I read the diagnostic trouble codes with an OBD-II scanner. The vehicle had stored: U0111-87 (Lost Communication With Battery Energy Control Module "A"), P0A1F-94 (Battery Energy Control Module "A"), and two instances of U117B-87 (manufacturer defined). These codes indicate the battery ECU dropped off the vehicle's communication network at the time of the shutdown. This failure appears consistent with NHTSA Recall 26V393, which covers 2026 Toyota bZ, Lexus RZ, and Subaru Solterra vehicles for a battery ECU software fault that can shut down the electric drive system and cause loss of motive power while driving. I am reporting this as a real-world occurrence of the failure described in that recall. I have scheduled service with my Subaru dealer, White Bear Subaru ([XXX]), regarding the recall remedy. Photos of the dashboard warning and stored trouble codes are available. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11751170
Incident
Jul 17, 2026
Exterior lighting
Filed Jul 8, 2026

There is a major design flaw with the car. The headlights are mounted on the bumper which is plastic. Because there is not enough rigidity in the plastic bumper and the sharp cutoff of the LEDs, the headlights appear to flicker and strobe when going over small bumps or imperfections in the roads. Drivers on the imposing lane will sometimes flash their high beams as they think I'm flashing them.

NHTSA ID
11749038
Incident
Mar 15, 2026

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

WRG-26R

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) has initiated a safety recall for certain 2026 model year Solterra vehicles to update the software of the battery ECU. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

15-308-23R

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts.This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

SubaruNet Announcement (W

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This announcement provides updates on the WRG-26 Solterra battery ECU reprogramming safety recall.

19-04-26

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This Bulletin provided diagnostic procedure information to be followed when addressing Dark Current / Parasitic Draw concerns on Subaru EV vehicles.

15-304-22R

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)

15-309-23R

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This Service Information Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Subaru Solterra by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026Viewing171045.0
2025420—
2024142056.1
2023424060.2

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.