2026 Subaru Trailseeker Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2026 Subaru Trailseeker, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Electrical2180.8%
- Brakes13.8%
- Driver assistance13.8%
- Fuel system13.8%
- Exterior lighting13.8%
- Powertrain (other)13.8%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
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.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .