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Dead battery 2016?

128K views 256 replies 94 participants last post by  Kevin 
#1 ·
Several people with 2015 Outbacks have reported a problem with dead batteries if the car is not driven very frequently. I have jumped mine 3 times and the battery tests OK at the dealer.

So, do any 2016 owners have the same problem?
 
#2 ·
No problems here, but I think the longest the car has been left sitting without being run is 7 days once and 5 days three or four times.

If I had experienced any such problems I'd be camped out at the dealer's service department demanding that they not only check the battery condition, but test thoroughly for any ghost battery draw when the car is totally shut off.

And if your battery has now been almost fully discharged three times, that's not good, and I'd be ragging on them in a big way to replace the battery under warranty.
Most auto batteries are not configured to withstand very many deep discharge cycles at all before their reliability becomes quite badly compromised
 
#4 ·
Same issue. I had the radio on waiting for my girlfriend to get out of class for an hour and it died. But the battery test for Subaru and autozone pass. I'm currently looking for a new battery now.

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#5 ·
OK, this is good information. If you guys would not mind, pop the hood an see what the CCA rating is on the battery. It would be interesting to see if they made some changes for 16.

5 days or a few days with several cycles of the power hatch, will do mine in. Dealer has opened a case with Subaru, but tells me they will not replace the battery unless it tests bad. Dark current is Ok. Several here have reported a problem, some have gotten new batteries. All times have been at home. Next time, Subaru road side will get a call. Even if it is my garage.

I believe Subaru got some defective batteries, the battery is a super eco model.

One thing I should have noted, mine is push button start.
 
#6 ·
One thing I should have noted, mine is push button start.
Are you sure you've put the car in 'Park' before hitting the button?
My wife has run her Lexus down a couple of times doing this. Hitting the button before being in park leaves the car in 'Acc' mode, with lots of things left on.

My car came with a 425CCA battery, I believe. I replaced it with a 900CCA Group 34 AGM battery, and don't worry about it any more.
 
#7 ·
On my 2016 3.6 the CCA was 490. I replaced it for greater CCA with a Group 25 Red Top. No problems with the original and it's sitting in my garage.

710 for the Optima and 490 for the original is an easy choice. Group 34 will fit too but it's a heavier battery and I don't know what the tray can comfortably hold.
 
#8 ·
OK, now this is getting interesting. 3.6 with a 490 CCA group 25 battery. Is this a 2016 model? In 2015, the 2.5 were delivered with a group 25 with something like 365 CCA. Just about any standard group 25 has 450 CCA.

Yep, I know about the park thing, also know not to leave the fob in or near the car, I monitored "dark current" for several days and saw little to none.

I still think Subaru got some poor quality cheap batteries. Looks like they may have used a better group 25 in 16. I don't think I have a defective car, just a defective battery. In defense of my dealer, it is an hour, 60 mile drive to his dealership. The battery should have a good charge when I arrive. They suggested I go to a dealer 10 miles from my house and have them test it. I may or may not do this. I purposely when out of town to buy this car.
 
#10 ·
In the years owning cars, I learned to replace the OEM battery right away. Not that they all suck, I just don't want to repeat past incidents.
Better to be safe than sorry...
My battery of choice is the Optima Red top. Some get the yellow top, but unless you're doing ham radio stuff, it's kinda overkill.
 
#12 ·
I had the opportunity to talk to another 2015 limited owner. I asked if she ever had a dead battery. She said she has talked to several Outback owners and the first thing they all ask is about dead batteries. He car was towed to the dealer after one of the several dead batteries, the dealer tested it and found the battery OK. Because Subaru would not replace it, she went to the owner of the dealership and demanded they do something. They installed a new Subaru group 25 battery. But, this battery is rated at 500 CCA with a 100 reserve rating. We all know the original is rated at 365 CCA. This battery was installed about a month ago and so far she is OK.

It would appear that Subaru is now using this 500 CCA battery in the 2016, from some of the posts here.

During all of her problems and the dealer not fixing it prior, she called Subaru. She uses the car at dog shows and she frequently leaves the hatch open for dog crating. All the interior lights are OFF, but the battery goes dead. Subaru told her not to leave the hatch open, it will drain the battery. This does not seem right, I plan to test ours with a clap on amp meter.
I will tell you Subaru in general is a popular brand at dog shows and there are always some Outback models. Open hatch crating in all car brands is common, dead batteries are not. Listen up Subaru......
 
#13 ·
My 2016 Premium still has the 356 CCA Johnson Control (distributed by) battery.
The interior lights go off in 10-15 mins. but opening any door resets the timer. Also the "liftgate open" warning stays on. Not sure why with the ignition off it's needed. Be interested in the current draw found with open hatch.
We've had the OB since Oct 2015 with no fail-to-start issues yet. But I'm fortunate to get 3 yrs battery life in our environment. Last Christmas bought an Amazon Deal-of-the-day LiON battery for emergencies
 
#17 ·
My 2015 2.5 Limited was dead dead dead after sitting two days without driving. Jumped it and tested fine at AutoZone. Took to dealer recently and also tested fine there. AutoZone was surprised at tiny CCA rating.


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#18 ·
OK, I just ran a test on the rear hatch current draw. With the hatch open and all interior lights turned off, there is about a 1 amp draw from the battery. I ran the test for about 20 minutes. The current did not change. Close the hatch and the load goes away. This is interesting to know the power hatch design requires a constant power load to keep it open. Not the best design if you plan on a tailgate picnic.

More info; current during the open cycle is 10 amps, current during the close cycle is 5 amps. The 1 amp constant load while open does not change if the hatch is stopped at any intermediate position. The Cars with all the features; nav, eyesight, power hatch, push button start, etc need a battery with a high reserve capacity. Maybe the base models can get by with the Eco battery Subaru installed. But, not the full featured cars.
 
#19 ·
Here is the recommended Optima replacement. They are great batteries.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batteries-8025-160-Starting-Battery/dp/B000MSBU9U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461592952&sr=8-1&keywords=+8025-160+25+REDTOP[/ame]
 
#20 ·
#23 ·
No, I can not find a RC spec on the stock battery. In general, the higher CCA ratings, the higher the RC. So, you can only guess the RC for the stock with a CCA of 365.

Like all things, I can make an engineering project out of this. After my second dead battery, I started looking for a "better" battery. The Red Top came up as
a good candidate. Then I started reading about the Red Top. It seems the people that have bought them in the past, have found the quality of these batteries has declined since manufacturing was moved to Mexico. One guy reported he had to buy 4 to get one good one. Like all things you read on the Internet, who knows.
 
#28 ·
I find the Optima line really good for those who play their stereo a lot without the vehicle on. Gel batteries are more forgiving. I have also used the Walmart EverStart Maxx line. Consumer Reports ranks them very good. They are made by Johnson Controls. Diehard Gold series seems to top many ratings too.
 
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#29 ·
I started this thread to see if 2016 Subaru Outback have a different battery than the 2015. One person replied the 2.5 prem still has the 365 CCA used in 2015. No one has replied with cars fully equipped with nav, eyesight, power hatch, etc. So, I don't know if Subaru has made any changes for cars full featured. But, I think like others have indicated, there are much better batteries aviable than the ones Subaru is shipping in the Outbacks.

Battery specs are interesting to read. Optima red is spec at 90 min RC and the yellow top is rated at 155. The interesting numbers is the 100% charge numbers of 12.8 v for the red and 13.1 for the yellow. This compares to the typical 12.6 v for standard batteries. Battery chemistry can be changed to increase open circuit voltage at 100% charge, but the charging circuit must be adjusted to a higher voltage to achieve this level of charge. If all these batteries are discharged to the same voltage, the ones with the higher starting voltage will yield higher numbers. Is this specmanship?
 
#30 ·
I think this thread has also shown how cheap the factory battery is. I will upgrade before long because there are times during the year when I leave for a week or two. I used to get over 30 days in my Lexus with the smart-key enabled. It had a Lexus branded Interstate battery then a Everstart Max.
 
#31 ·
Interesting. Should I be concerned? I'll be away for 3 weeks, no one else available to start it for me...
 
#32 ·
Will you be out of range for Subaru roadside help? The short answer about being concerned is Maybe. Many here have experienced a problem. I would have to think that not all Outback owners are having this problem. If they were, Subaru would step up to it. But, sometimes it takes the car manufactures longer than we like to do something.

In my case the problem started after the car was 6 mos old. The first 2 times was after the car sat for about one week. The third time was after two days with several cycles of the power hatch.

There are several tips in this forum. Do not leave the fob in or near the car. Verify no interior lights are on. Make sure the car is in park before turning the car off.

Another area that I want to investigate is the electric parking brake. I would not set it. It was interesting to note the power hatch draws 1 amp when the hatch is up.

EDIT.... Ok, just checked the ebrake, no current draw noted after it sets.
 
#34 ·
Interesting, all this feedback. FYI I have a '16 Outback LTD 2.5, push button start which is fully loaded with stuff. Just went out and checked the battery and it is a group 25 with a CCA of 365. Took delivery late Dec and have had no problems to date. Thanks for the info, I'll keep an eye on it.
 
#35 ·
Interesting, all this feedback. FYI I have a '16 Outback LTD which is fully loaded with stuff. Just went out and checked the battery and it is a group 25 with a CCA of 365. Took delivery late Dec and have had no problems to date. Thanks for the info, I'll keep an eye on it.
Thanks for the data point.

So, I conclude Subaru is still using the same battery in 2016 that was used in 2015's. So, if the performance is better, what changed?
 
#36 ·
With the smart-key systems you will have more draw as it constantly looks for the fob. I think having the backup jump pack is great idea. A bigger battery will obviously help as well. This issue affects those who park / travel for extended periods of time.
 
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