2026 Subaru Trailseeker

Since buying the vehicle, the 12-volt battery has been consistently losing charge unless I connect it to a trickle charger. I took the vehicle to the dealer for evaluation, but after testing they told me they found nothing wrong with the charging system. Despite that, the problem continues. At present, the battery state of charge is below 20 percent, which is very concerning on a newly purchased vehicle. I am worried about the reliability of the vehicle and the risk of the 12-volt battery failing unexpectedly. I would appreciate it if Subaru could open a case, review this issue, and advise me on the next steps. If needed, I can provide additional details such as dealer visit information, dates, and battery monitoring data.

NHTSA ID

11756432

Incident

Aug 11, 2026

The vehicle auxiliary battery keeps discharging and has to be jumped all the time. First time the car was towed to the dealership at 800 miles on it and on August 7th had to jump the car after getting off work and on August 8th had to jump the car after getting off work to get home. First time the battery had 89% charge on August 7th it had 73% charge and August 8th it had 68% charge. Total miles on the car 2475 miles and the car was purchased on May 19th 2026.

NHTSA ID

11755651

Incident

Aug 8, 2026

We purchased the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker Limited in April, 2026. We have used it regularly (every few days since purchase). I experienced a display of "Low Battery", on the heads up display prior to charging. Once the traction battery recharged I did not see the warning. I subsequently installed a ANCEL BM200 battery monitor after hearing of parasitic drain on the 12 volt battery resulting in inability to start. Since monitoring, I have measured said drain and continued to operate the vehicle almost daily to recharge the 12 volt battery and compensate for the drain. I have no third-party apps interfacing with the DCM that I am aware of. I have to leave the car unattended for two weeks, and have installed a trickle charger to minimize permanent damage to the undersized 12 volt battery. This is unacceptable.

NHTSA ID

11755196

Incident

Jul 10, 2026

2026 Trailseeker 12-volt battery totally dead upon entering vehicle. I was stranded for 2 hours in a remote place. Very unsafe. This is a new vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11755014

Incident

Aug 2, 2026

ELECTRCAL SYSTEM - Low Battery; DEAD Battery. My Subaru Trailseeker was purchased on 1st June 2026. During the first two months I noticed the comment "Low Battery" as I started the vehicle. (It is possible that I missed some "Low Battery" alerts as these flash on the dash screen momentarily as I press the Start Button). Then on 2nd August 2026 I could not start the vehicle at all and my battery tested DEAD. I jump started the vehicle and recharged the 12V DC Lead battery to 99%. Next morning the battery had drained to 26%. Besides being a pain and a cost, the low battery could cause problems with the various safety alerts in the vehicle. I would not know if the various safety alerts are working or not. I have read many accounts of Trailseeker owners having similar problems so its highly probable that this is a manufactures problem – most likely a parasitic electrical draw.

NHTSA ID

11754468

Incident

Aug 1, 2026

I went out to start my car after work and the 12V battery was dead again. This is the 3rd time. I feel unsafe with this happening.

NHTSA ID

11754066

Incident

Jul 31, 2026

I purchased my Subaru Trailseeker on July 11, 2026. This past week while on a work trip, I parked my vehicle on Tuesday evening, July 21 at approximately 7 pm and on Friday, July 24 at approximately noon when I attempted to unlock the vehicle with either the Subaru App or the key fob, nothing happened. The doors would not open. I opened the passenger door by using the emergency mechanical key located in the key fob. When I entered the vehicle all screens were black, and the car would not turn on. The vehicle would not function and it was basically a brick. To load my luggage I had to physically crawl around and manually unlock each door. We called our Subaru sales person and he contacted their service department and I was instructed to call for Road Side Assistance. This is our 6th EV and the first time we have had issues of this type with the 12v battery. The road side assistance tech successfully jumped the 12 volt battery and I was able to drive the vehicle. I drove the vehicle around for a couple of miles hoping this would recharge the 12v battery before parking again. I believe Subaru and Toyota are aware of the issue with the 12v batteries in their EVs discharging. This is alarming, and makes the car unreliable. Subaru must address this for safety reasons. This is unacceptable in a brand new vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11752944

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

On multiple occasions, my vehicle's 12v battery has completely discharged presumably from parasitic drain from connected services communications. The first time the 12v was completely discharged was on 6/10/26 following between 24-48 hours of sitting idle without being driven. It was recharged and the following day had discharged almost completely, giving a warning that it needed to be charged back up. This was after ~24 hours without being driven. I ultimately brought it to the dealership on 6/17/26 where they were unable to replicate the issue initially and cleared the vehicle to be picked up on 6/19/26. Upon my arrival to pick up the car the following day (6/20/26), the 12v battery was dead on the lot. My vehicle then remained at the dealership for continued investigation before ultimately being returned to me after resetting the vehicle software and recharging the battery. At the point that I picked the car back up on 7/15/26, I installed a battery monitor device (Ancel BM200) and since then I have observed a cyclic pattern of voltage decline in a sawtooth pattern that begins 3 hours after turning the vehicle off and continues until the vehicle is driven again. I have also observed - via an outdoor security camera with IR capability at my home - a corresponding constantly repeating cycle during the sawtooth draining pattern where there is an IR light (presumed the driver monitoring camera) that turns on and off every 65 seconds. Although it has not fully discharged again, it is only because I have monitored the voltage and recharged or driven it every time I note the voltage getting too low (<12.0V). I am confident that if I were to allow the vehicle to sit for >24 hours without recharging it, the battery would completely discharge again. My safety and the safety of my family have been put at risk due to the risk of being stranded without the ability to operate the vehicle due to a fully discharged 12v battery in the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11751649

Incident

Jul 18, 2026

This Bulletin outlines the diagnostic procedures to be followed when identifying dark current/parasitic draw concerns caused by third-party mobile applications on Solterra, Trailseeker, and Uncharted vehicles. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)

This Bulletin provides best practices for troubleshooting and resolving Subaru Connect telematics concerns on 2026MY Solterra, Trailseeker, and Uncharted vehicles, primarily when the customer’s driver profile is not designated as the primary profile or when Subaru Connect activation is unsuccessful.

This Bulletin outlines the diagnostic procedures to be followed when identifying dark current/parasitic draw concerns caused by third-party mobile applications on Solterra vehicles. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)

This announcement is requesting retailer staff to retain the EyeSight protective hood covers from Generation 4 EyeSight cameras.

This bulletin provides information on how to identify which high voltage battery repairs can be performed at the retailer level.

This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models.