2026 Subaru Trailseeker Owner Complaints

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

Vehicle charged to 87% of traction battery capacity on 6/18, early morning. Vehicle only used Saturday morning for about 2 miles. 12V battery dead today, Monday June 20 at 12PM

NHTSA ID

11751542

Incident

Jul 20, 2026

The 2026 Subaru Trailseeker, Subaru Solterra, and the Toyota Equivalents have a parasitic battery drain issue that will leave you stranded. Something causes the DCM to continue to pull from the battery when the car is off and after a few days will completely drain the 12V Battery System. This can damage the 12V Battery system and poses a safety issue as that is the computer system that maintains the traction battery system along with all the safety features.

NHTSA ID

11751432

Incident

Jul 19, 2026

I went to start my 2026 Trailseeker and the 12 volt battery was dead. I contacted Subaru Roadside Assistance to jump the vehicle. After they jump started the vehicle I received the following warnings on the dash.."Brake Override Malfunction..Visit Your Dealer".."Braking Power Low..Visit Your Dealer." "Braking Power Low Stop in a Safe Place See Owners Manual." The car was un-drivable as I was unable to release the brake. I disconnected the battery cables and those warnings went away but the EV malfunction light remains on. The car was towed to the dealership and in their possession, the battery was dead again and had to be jumped by them. They said they found nothing wrong with anything. I requested a new battery and they said it would not be approved by Subaru as they found nothing wrong with the battery. I took the car home and connected a battery monitor and found..if I have the Subaru Connect app connected to the car, it drains the battery overnight. If I disconnect the battery, the battery does not drain. I did get a bad battery notification from my battery charger as I charged the battery because I would not be driving it for a couple of days. Subaru was made aware of the bd battery notification and just instructed me to take the car back to the dealership which I don't want to miss another day of work.

NHTSA ID

11751015

Incident

Jul 5, 2026

12 volt battery dead after 45 hours of the car sitting locked, not in use. Subaru roadside service called and dispatched to jump start the vehicle

NHTSA ID

11750555

Incident

Jul 14, 2026

On 3 occasions my 12v battery has been completely drained by a defect in the DCM/software that causes it to ping for hours at a time. I was able to jump start the car, but this issue may leave drivers who don’t carry a jump pack stranded. The depleted battery state may also affect electrical systems even when the car is started

NHTSA ID

11750530

Incident

Jul 13, 2026

6 week old car had battery die in a remote location without cell service.

NHTSA ID

11750499

Incident

Jul 10, 2026

I purchased my vehicle brand new on June 6, 2026, with only 13 miles on the odometer. After driving home (about 44 miles) and another 10 miles the following day, the vehicle sat for just two days. When I tried to start it, the 12-volt battery was completely dead. The dashboard displayed a Parking Brake Malfunction message, multiple warning lights flashed, and then everything went black. I contacted the dealership, and Subaru Roadside Assistance responded. The driver recommended jump-starting the vehicle instead of towing it because it couldn't be shifted into neutral with a dead 12-volt battery and would need to be dragged. After the jump, he noted the high-voltage battery still had about 70% charge and suggested driving the vehicle to recharge the 12-volt battery. The dealership tested the battery and told me everything checked out fine. About a week later, after moving the vehicle the night before, it was completely dead again the next morning. My brother-in-law jump-started it so I could make my scheduled Subaru Love appointment. Once again, the dealership tested the battery and said everything was normal. Just a few days later, after sitting for only one day, the vehicle was dead for a third time. I've since found numerous reports from other owners experiencing the exact same issue. The recommendation to use a trickle charger is not an acceptable solution for a brand-new vehicle. I've never had to keep a daily-driven vehicle on a battery maintainer just so it would start after sitting for one or two days. I also can't carry a trickle charger with me or plug it in if I'm traveling. I'm asking that the root cause be identified and repaired rather than masking the problem with a battery maintainer. A brand-new vehicle should not repeatedly leave its owner stranded after sitting for only one or two days.

NHTSA ID

11749458

Incident

Jun 10, 2026

The 12v Lead Acid Battery is draining prematurely solely due to the first party Subaru Connected services application. My vehicle does not have any 3rd party applications, and yet every night there is a sawtooth drain occurring on the battery bringing it from 12.4v down to 11.7v. The vehicle is pinging/uploading or transmitting data at an excessive rate every night - [XXX] It is further evidenced by the driver monitor alert activating multiple times in the middle of the night. With this rate of drain, the 12v battery would die within 48-72 hours without being recharged by the traction battery when the vehicle is operating. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11748410

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

Hi. Simply went out to start my 2 week old Trailseeker and the battery was dead. This is a major safety concern to me. What if the battery randomly dies while I am driving or what if I am in an area that I want/need to leave but my car won’t start.We are high fire danger here in [XXX] . I am a single older woman and this really concerns me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11748380

Incident

Jul 5, 2026

The day before that all these issues started popping up my battery was completely dead, and I had to jumpstart the 12 V battery the next day while I was driving down the highway I started getting all these error messages and also the video from the Ford camera started glitching with my navigation.

NHTSA ID

11748377

Incident

Jul 2, 2026

I purchased this vehicle in April 2026. Using it vehicle normally results in the 12V battery becoming discharged leaving the car unable to start with me stranded. This has happened 3 times. Jump starts are successful and keeping the car active partially recharges the 12V battery. A dealer has replaced the 12V battery under warranty, but this has not fixed the problem. I'm now taking steps to keep my 12V battery charged by using a trickle charger most nights. This should not be needed with a new vehicle!

NHTSA ID

11748298

Incident

May 24, 2026

Car bought new April 2026. At 1700 miles the 12v battery drained completely overnight after having been driven not 8 hours earlier. Car parked in garage, windows down and car left unlocked. Car was charged to 95% and did NOT have the charging cable on. Woke up to drive it and it wouldn’t start. Totally dead. Had to have it towed. Jumping the car did by tow truck did start the car to allow me to get windows up and car in neitral

NHTSA ID

11746487

Incident

Jun 21, 2026

2026 Subaru Trailseeker, purchased new May 19, 2026. The 12V auxiliary battery failed completely after 3 days parked on June 17, 2026. Traction battery was at 65% charge at time of failure. All vehicle systems were unresponsive. Couldn't open doors, do anything. When the 12V drains fully on this platform, the wheels lock and the vehicle cannot be moved by a standard tow truck, creating a stranding risk in any location where jump-starting is not possible. Since the incident, I have installed a Bluetooth battery monitor. Data collected June 22, 2026 shows consistent parasitic drain throughout the day, with voltage declining from ~12.2V at rest and recovering only briefly when the DC-DC converter cycles (~14V spikes). The battery does not hold charge between cycles. No warning lamps appeared before or during the failure. This issue is documented across the shared Toyota/Subaru EV platform. The 2023-2025 Solterra and bZ4X are currently subject to class action litigation (Wade v. Toyota Motor North America, E.D. Cal., filed June 2025) alleging defective 12V charging systems. Warranty battery replacements do not resolve the problem because the parasitic drain continues. In October 2025, Subaru issued a service bulletin on parasitic drain testing, confirming the issue is systemic. Multiple 2026 Trailseeker owners report the same failure within weeks of purchase on trailseekerforum.com. Dealer inspection has not yet occurred. Battery and monitoring data are available for inspection. Requesting investigation into whether a safety defect exists in the 2026 Trailseeker 12V battery management system

NHTSA ID

11745797

Incident

Jun 17, 2026

Vehicle has an excessive headlight unit shaking which causes light beam to oscillate at night time while driving, very distracting and dangerous for upcoming traffic.

NHTSA ID

11743953

Incident

Jun 14, 2026