Welcome to the forum. Do you have any other warning lights on the dash. Usually when there is a problem you get what we call the Christmas Tree of lights on the dash. This disconnects your Eye Sight, Cruise and and every other electronic assistance gadget. The cause can be a simple as a loose gas cap. Get it hooked up to a code reader and see what pops up and report back.

 

Honestly, this post reads like too much internet. You got a car you liked, started reading about Subarus and learned about all the problems people post that you may or may not ever encounter, and now you are worried.

If you must, take the car to a mechanic and have them check it out and tell you what they think. Chances are its a fine car.

 

What does not make sense, I like to do my own repairs, yet Eyesight is something every DYI mechanic has never seen. And their first and only car was a Cadillac Escalade, a very unreliable vehicle.
.

 

Hey everyone

I have always loved Subarus, especially Outbacks. I had been saving up for a while, but after Gen 7 released I knew I wanted to get one soon. Last month I was able to buy a babied '23 Outback Onyx XT for $29k, 20k miles, already tinted, previously leased to an old lady (they left the lease info in the glovebox, they had to have talked her up into it). I drove 2 hours to get it, and brought it back home. I was so happy, I felt like I was on drugs. Very few times in my life, growing up poor, have I been this proud of myself and my car. I even got a heated garage spot.

And yet, I'm starting to get anxious I might have made a mistake. For context, my first, and last car, was a '04 Cadillac Escalade I had for 10 years. Incredibly reliable and trusty car, got me thru nursing school leaking 4 different kinds of fluids and air from the tires. I would fill everything up once a week and kiss the hood praying it would get me through. I did almost everything myself on that car to save money, it was simple to diagnose and fix. Never broke down on me.

I didn't get the extended warranties. Felt like a scam, seemed better to save the money I would've spent then try and argue to get it fixed. Then, a few days after getting the sub, the Eyesight went out. Looking thru the forums: I cleaned the windshield, checked the ebp connections, etc. Couldn't find anything wrong, but I'm told I'm not allowed to touch the system at all. Don't really like that, I like to do my own repairs if I can, plus i've never brought my car to a dealership. I always use local mechanics. Whatever, made an appointment at my local subaru dealership, began to freak out. Then it came back on, then a few days it went out. Etc.

Then I learn Eyesight can see ghosts and trigger emergency brakes and there's a class action against SOA for it. My car isn't on it, but still.

Most of the electronics, infotainment included, are making me nervous at how complicated they are. Higher complexity seems more prone to failure. And also pricey to fix, 1200 for a headlight? I mean, it's cool, but wow. I don't really hate the infotainment system, Android auto works great (takes a bit to connect which is grating). I guess i don't know what a good infotainment system would be coming from a bluetooth to FM 12v. But the perpetual whinging about it doesn't make me feel great.

Scheduled the sub for underbody treatment with woolwax later this month. Then I learn reading thru the forums there's a chance underbody treatment could cause the EBP to glue shut and start a fire, leading to a nightmare between SOA, insurance, and the dealership.

The CVT is sluggish and lurches when accelerating. I know to do the calibration and I'll bring it up to the dealership (is there even anything to be done) but I just don't want it to be a sign that it's a lemon.

If you're still with me this far, sorry for the wall of text. I really love this car, and I want to keep loving it. The first week I brought it home I would just sit and stare at it. I feel cars used to be more affordable to own and maintain and now they're black holes of money i'll always be too poor to afford.

Common sense is not common.

What kind of posts do you think are most common on discussion forums? Complaints! For every complaint post there are hundreds/thousands of people who are happy with their purchase. They are not going to join a forum and sing the praises of their purchase.

If you are all upset with your purchase, trade it in on another vehicle. And guess what, you will find complaints about what ever your next purchase is.

As @ferrante said your post is a symptom of too much Internet and I will add, not enough common sense.

 

Hey everyone

I have always loved Subarus, especially Outbacks. I had been saving up for a while, but after Gen 7 released I knew I wanted to get one soon. Last month I was able to buy a babied '23 Outback Onyx XT for $29k, 20k miles, already tinted, previously leased to an old lady (they left the lease info in the glovebox, they had to have talked her up into it). I drove 2 hours to get it, and brought it back home. I was so happy, I felt like I was on drugs. Very few times in my life, growing up poor, have I been this proud of myself and my car. I even got a heated garage spot.

Spoiler: Beautiful Sub

View attachment 617817

And yet, I'm starting to get anxious I might have made a mistake. For context, my first, and last car, was a '04 Cadillac Escalade I had for 10 years. Incredibly reliable and trusty car, got me thru nursing school leaking 4 different kinds of fluids and air from the tires. I would fill everything up once a week and kiss the hood praying it would get me through. I did almost everything myself on that car to save money, it was simple to diagnose and fix. Never broke down on me.

I didn't get the extended warranties. Felt like a scam, seemed better to save the money I would've spent then try and argue to get it fixed. Then, a few days after getting the sub, the Eyesight went out. Looking thru the forums: I cleaned the windshield, checked the ebp connections, etc. Couldn't find anything wrong, but I'm told I'm not allowed to touch the system at all. Don't really like that, I like to do my own repairs if I can, plus i've never brought my car to a dealership. I always use local mechanics. Whatever, made an appointment at my local subaru dealership, began to freak out. Then it came back on, then a few days it went out. Etc.

Then I learn Eyesight can see ghosts and trigger emergency brakes and there's a class action against SOA for it. My car isn't on it, but still.

Most of the electronics, infotainment included, are making me nervous at how complicated they are. Higher complexity seems more prone to failure. And also pricey to fix, 1200 for a headlight? I mean, it's cool, but wow. I don't really hate the infotainment system, Android auto works great (takes a bit to connect which is grating). I guess i don't know what a good infotainment system would be coming from a bluetooth to FM 12v. But the perpetual whinging about it doesn't make me feel great.

Scheduled the sub for underbody treatment with woolwax later this month. Then I learn reading thru the forums there's a chance underbody treatment could cause the EBP to glue shut and start a fire, leading to a nightmare between SOA, insurance, and the dealership.

The CVT is sluggish and lurches when accelerating. I know to do the calibration and I'll bring it up to the dealership (is there even anything to be done) but I just don't want it to be a sign that it's a lemon.

If you're still with me this far, sorry for the wall of text. I really love this car, and I want to keep loving it. The first week I brought it home I would just sit and stare at it. I feel cars used to be more affordable to own and maintain and now they're black holes of money i'll always be too poor to afford.

These types of things are indicative of all new cars today. There is no mechanical simplicity anymore, and everything is basically a computer (or computers) on wheels. As Ferrante pointed out, as soon as you hit the forums all you see is problems, problems, problems. The overwhelming majority of owners aren't having major issues, and no one goes online to say "everything works fine". I bought a 2020 Outback Premium new in 2020 and still have it today (just gave it to my daughter), and there have been very few issues with it. There's been some software issues with the infotainment system that have required updates over the years (some the dealer did, some I took care of myself), a battery that Subaru replaced early on their dime, and a TSB for a window issue that was fixed under my extended warranty. That's about it. Drive it, enjoy it, and if a problem comes up come on by here for help.

 

@Burinski; Since your car is a 2023 and has only 20K miles on it, you should be able to purchase a Subaru Added Security extended warranty. I would NOT purchase an aftermarket third party warranty, as these are generally not worth the paper they're written on. You may have to call around to different Subaru dealerships to get a good price on the warranty, but people have gotten them for as little as $1300 or so, or paid as much as $3000+ for one. Shop carefully. And I would not worry too much about the car in general - - the Outback and the Outback XT are as reliable as other makes of vehicles out there - - perhaps more so.

 

Car jumped. Had to go to an appointment so fingers crossed it'll start again. Got the grandmother posted nearby just in case...

Edit: it did not. Good thing for Grandmas!

Appreciate it a lot, that sounds decent. I'm less skittish about a warranty from Subaru; I'll look into it! When I was at the dealership they laid into me about it pretty hard about getting the warranties and there was a notable change in demeanor when I voiced it would make more sense to take the extra +$270/mo and put it into a bank account, accruing interest, for maintenance than for the warranty (which was a flat fee worth almost as much as the loan after down payment). At any rate, this seems cool.

 

Well, fair enough I guess. I thought I'd come to a forum to have a discussion about it, since it is literally my second car I've ever owned. I kept a 20 year old car on the road with less than $7,000 in maintenance, so I dunno about a deficit of common sense. No need to be mean about it.

Funnily enough though, as I write this, I'm sitting at work with a dead battery. It died yesterday on my way to work too. Common sense would tell me "fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, etc". Probably just needs a new battery, but still chilling away at my confidence.

 

Well, fair enough I guess. I thought I'd come to a forum to have a discussion about it, since it is literally my second car I've ever owned. I kept a 20 year old car on the road with less than $7,000 in maintenance, so I dunno about a deficit of common sense. No need to be mean about it.

Funnily enough though, as I write this, I'm sitting at work with a dead battery. It died yesterday on my way to work too. Common sense would tell me "fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, etc". Probably just needs a new battery, but still chilling away at my confidence.

Regarding the battery. On my 2018 Outback when the battery died, I hadn’t realized that the battery had been replaced and presumably updated by Subaru while the first owner had it. So when I replaced that battery with an Autozone battery, it was what was spec’d for that car, But it appears Subaru upped the size of the battery significantly but it appears the auto parts store didn’t know about the the update. Subaru battery solved the problem. Leading up to this, I did get some weird eyesight warnings/failures probably due to the weak battery. I think you will find a new oem battery will solve all the problems. Low voltsge causes all kinds of wonky problems in newer cars.

 

Welcome to the forum. Good luck with your new car.
I have a '23 Limited and I haven't had any issues with it. It doesn't have a moonroof and it doesn't have a turbo. I had the larger battery option installed because I plan on connecting non-Subaru equipment that needs a reliable 12 volts. I did notice that some of the Subaru electronics did better with the new battery.
The Ford Focus Wagon that I had before the Outback had a 5 speed manual transmission that I drove for about 16 years. So far the Outback has done better than the Focus in every way.

 

Welcome to the Forum, I did not get the extended warranty either, I'll keep my money in the bank drawing interest for me.

The batteries are an issue, read the sticky up top about the large battery. Here's the cheat sheet I made up.

Make sure you drive the car for distance, these cars don't like short drives. I'm on my 7th Subaru. These cars are that good.

Being 70y/o, I have thought about replacing our 18 3.6R, but there doesn't seem to be anything out there with the great safety feature like the Outback has. I love the blind spot warning light on the side of the mirror.

Last week we got back from a 2 week 5000+ road trip with the 24XT, there is a reason Comsumer Reports name these cars a top road trip car. They are that good. My 2005, I put 306,000 miles on.

I'm also a DIY guy. Oh, get yourself a Fumoto oil drain valve. You can thank us later.

Oh, don't bother with that undercoating thing. Just get a monthly car wash, deal from a local place, in the winter time and have the full wash package done. Again, you can thank us later.

 

When the Eyesight went out, was the error message in orange or white? White error is a temporary stop (almost always this means obstructed view, but there are a handful of other things it could be in rare cases such as overheating). If the message is orange, there is a system error. This could be if there is a check engine light on, or if there is some electrical problem.....or if (as I read you experienced below) your battery is dying. A weak battery can cause all sorts of weird electrical gremlins. I'm hoping for you that that's all it is and once you get a new one you'll be good to go!

 

Pretend you bought Brand x instead. Then go on that Brand's most popular forums and read up and you'll feel exactly the same way about that car

It's the nature of too much information.(And predominantly biased towards the negative for discussion and complaints sake)

You're not entirely wrong though, with today's modern electronics and complexity comes more issues that are more expensive to fix and not user serviceable. That sucks but with it come safety features and things like adaptive, cruise control and auto vehicle hold and plenty of other niceties that wouldn't be available otherwise for better or worse

 

As both ferrante & Rick91981 stated, get the battery replaced. Hopefully as stated the selling dealer will make it right (either no cost, or significantly reduced.) I'd venture to say the battery issue caused the Eyesight issues. Hopefully you'll get it sorted out and have a good, solid, safe & reliable Outback for many years to come. If it was indeed "a little old lady from Pasadena" type previous owner that's a good thing. No modding shenanigans have been done. Good. Don't fret all this, it'll get sorted and be on your way. Once you get used to it's slight quirks that we lovingly know as the Infotainment System all is good. I actually like it, even though it could be better. Enjoy the new ride!

 

No modding shenanigans have been done.

I take offense to that statement.😝

 

Welcome to the Forum, I did not get the extended warranty either, I'll keep my money in the bank drawing interest for me.

The batteries are an issue, read the sticky up top about the large battery. Here's the cheat sheet I made up.

Make sure you drive the car for distance, these cars don't like short drives. I'm on my 7th Subaru. These cars are that good.

Being 70y/o, I have thought about replacing our 18 3.6R, but there doesn't seem to be anything out there with the great safety feature like the Outback has. I love the blind spot warning light on the side of the mirror.

Last week we got back from a 2 week 5000+ road trip with the 24XT, there is a reason Comsumer Reports name these cars a top road trip car. They are that good. My 2005, I put 306,000 miles on.

I'm also a DIY guy. Oh, get yourself a Fumoto oil drain valve. You can thank us later.

Oh, don't bother with that undercoating thing. Just get a monthly car wash, deal from a local place, in the winter time and have the full wash package done. Again, you can thank us later.

When the Eyesight went out, was the error message in orange or white? White error is a temporary stop (almost always this means obstructed view, but there are a handful of other things it could be in rare cases such as overheating). If the message is orange, there is a system error. This could be if there is a check engine light on, or if there is some electrical problem.....or if (as I read you experienced below) your battery is dying. A weak battery can cause all sorts of weird electrical gremlins. I'm hoping for you that that's all it is and once you get a new one you'll be good to go!

oh man, you're both awesome. It's gotta be the battery, I read thru the eyesight manual and briefly thru the FSM but didn't catch anything about low battery voltage disabling it. The error is white. I was charging it today after the second jump for about an hour and just as I got home eyesight turned back on again. I really wish it came with a battery voltage gauge for the dash, but the scangauge is a decent second best (if I can find it somewhere in my apartment). I just figured eyesight would turn on if the engine was.

I didn't think to check the date on the battery because it looked so clean and had freshly applied grease on the poles. I bet you that's the original battery and they detailed it with the rest of the engine bay. I got a Noco to last me till next week and then I'll order all the stuff from Max's cheat sheet and I'll put it in. I'd really rather not go to the dealership, there's just something about them that grosses me out.

Maybe I'll skip the underbody this year and see how it holds up with regular washes and a heated garage. Although Northern Minnesota is not kind to cars, I managed to do pretty well with my last car.

Still, I'm wondering if there's some sort of power draw, starlink or auto start stop running it down? Or is this flooded batteries really just that bad? Makes you wonder if that's why the old lady traded it in.

God, you all have no idea the sigh I just let out. Now I can just go back to taking pictures of my car instead of roleplaying concerned parent to my wagon

 

Yes, the OEM 620 CCA battery is that bad. It should have been a bigger rating to begin with, but it's easily rectified. Quit the fretting and go take some pics!

 

I have my Outback 2.5NA for 25 months now, from new. There have not been any issues whatsoever, but I still am going to purchase the extended warranty. Why? Just for peace of mind. Statistically, I know I fare better saving the money, but I do not want to worry about a potential big issue.

Since you seem to worry quite a bit yourself, you might want to consider the extended warranty as well.

P.S. My last car broke down nearly on a daily basis, and gosh I wish it came with Subaru‘s warranty…

 

When you replace the battery, I put those felt anti-corrosion washers under the terminals. Here's 2018 3.6, the pads came from Walmart or Tractor Supply has them too, I think they were 99 cents.

Also, these cars are pretty reliable as cars go. They do get top rating in Consumer Reports.

You'll also learn there are some guys on here that know these cars well and can fix just about issue.

One thing I've learned about the touch screen, nothing is 100% all the time. Don't be surprised when, after starting the car, you think to yourself... I don't recall that setting, when I shut the car off last night. Sometimes, you need to shut it off, open the door, wait a few seconds, start the car again. The 23 Nissan Rogue we had for 18 month's would also do that now and then.

So I learned nothing is 100% all the time.

 

Welcome! We got the same trim/color combo.. But you've got the awesome turbo engine! 🙂 Enjoy!

btw, I paid $2,140 for the Gold Plus warranty, but I'm sure you can probably get it cheaper.

 

Welcome! The tech can be overwhelming and presents a bit of a learning curve, but I am sure you'll get it. In terms of the battery, my current Outback's battery decided to throw a monkey wrench at me after just one year due to a faulty cell. I had it replaced under warranty, but it's unclear how long it will last. My other Subaru's original battery lasted after 3 years of ownership. Both of these Subarus have the same touchscreen. One tends to be more of a pickle than the other one.

I tend to overlook the quirky aspects of these cars in favor of the good, reliable ones.

 

Pretend you bought Brand x instead. Then go on that Brand's most popular forums and read up and you'll feel exactly the same way about that car

It's the nature of too much information.(And predominantly biased towards the negative for discussion and complaints sake)

You're not entirely wrong though, with today's modern electronics and complexity comes more issues that are more expensive to fix and not user serviceable. That sucks but with it come safety features and things like adaptive, cruise control and auto vehicle hold and plenty of other niceties that wouldn't be available otherwise for better or worse

I know there's nuance with discussions, for sure. I always have a grain of salt ready, but on the other hand I wasn't really prepared for how complex the electronics in modern cars would be once I started reading the manual and FSB for my subie. It does kinda irritate me, I should at least be able to pull codes on my handheld OBD2 scanner when eyesight disables. For context though, I think this is the first car above MY..2018? That I have ever been inside, let alone driven. Insane difference when driving though - I had to seem like I was still learning how to drive when I test drove it. The turbo is crazy fun.

Welcome! We got the same trim/color combo.. But you've got the awesome turbo engine! 🙂 Enjoy!

btw, I paid $2,140 for the Gold Plus warranty, but I'm sure you can probably get it cheaper.

It's such a gorgeous car, one of my neighbors has the same car as us but he doesn't wave back at me lmao. I'll probably get the warranty too because I'm a bundle of anxiety, but hopefully I can get it for that price or cheaper. If not, I'll just work more overtime lol. Not like I'm doing anything else

On a side note, the car was dead again this morning, but Eyesight did not disable after jumping it, so I'm thinking eyesight is still a separate issue. The battery is a Clarios 82110AN00B which seems old, can't seem to find a date on it. Just searching the forums pulls up a couple people here who had it replaced/experienced similar failures. Put the multimeter to it and got 11.29V. I've been driving with start stop off and the lights on, it was somewhere between 14.2-14.3V when running. Can't tell if it's just not charging at all, or if there's some parasitic draw eating what little it did charge. I still have my dealership appointment next week for Eyesight/CVT, so i'l maybe bring up the TSB for the charging logic if I can find it.

 

I know there's nuance with discussions, for sure. I always have a grain of salt ready, but on the other hand I wasn't really prepared for how complex the electronics in modern cars would be once I started reading the manual and FSB for my subie. It does kinda irritate me, I should at least be able to pull codes on my handheld OBD2 scanner when eyesight disables.

Well to be fair, that's not a Subaru thing. Eyesight doesn't generate engine codes, which are largely systems/components that may affect emissions.

Engine codes however could disable eyesight I suppose. ABS dtc codes for example.

At any rate, if Eyesight self-disables there's a myriad of reasons listed in your manual that would explain why it might happen temporarily. Heck I turn mine off on purpose in heavy rains....don't trust it to not freak out, despite the fact I have no actual incidents to validate that fear.

 

hope this helps...I recall SilverOnyx posted one of these but can't recall which thread it's in...your battery definitely needs replacement...

edit: Here it is https://www.subaruoutback.org/threa...uestion-enhanced-flood-battery-recall-item.577750/?post_id=6588227#post-6588227

https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/t_share/MTk1MDI4MjM1MzI5NzQyMDIz/car-battery-voltage.png

Bill

 

Yes, looks like it time to replace it.
I’ve heard many people say Walmart EverStart batteries are the best today. And they still have a 3 year warranty, 90 days money back guaranteed if you change your mind.
Don’t go to Costco. They no longer replace it within 3 years. Ask me how I know.

Next time I have to replace mine, I’ll probably do what MaxCapacity suggested to go with a bigger one, more CCAs.

 

so your Costco didn't do a full replacement Interstate battery within 3 years?...I know they went to the lesser warranty but yours is the first actual case I've seen/heard of/read that they are in fact following a pro-rated schedule rather than replacing a battery within 3 years...(I know they have a pro-rated warranty but Costco has had a reputation of going above and beyond...)

the last Costco Interstate I bought was 1 day before they changed the warranty to the current pro-rate...around ChicagoLand and in my experience the Costco Interstate and the Walmart Everstart Maxx were the same battery with different stickers applied to them...I had bought from either store depending on their price but I guess I won't be buying from Costco anymore...

thanks for sharing your experience...

Bill

 

I'm betting it's all about the battery, too.

I got the same color / trim level in a '24 (brand new). The Onyx XT is the best, IMHO! Of course, black is the best color for the ONYX XT, too! Get you a new battery and enjoy it in good health!

 

Such a nice looking car. I was looking at mine today and was thinking some orange, possibly yellow/greenish accents (similar to the Onyx seat color stitching) outside by the roof cladding (something subtle of course), would probably look very good to contrast with the CBS color.
But it may be difficult to find a material that wouldn’t fade easily in the hot South FL sun.

 

Already bought the car why would you worry about something that hasn't happened. you would worry if you got it from Carmax lol. Skip the forum and come back only if you have problems with the car.

 

@Max Capacity I'm pleased to report success. Got the parts from the local dealership (TSB 07-213-22R), I was a little worried coming off as a snooty car guy carrying the printed TSB but the service tech was actually pleased I had it. Went to Walmart and got the 24F 750cca. Thought about going to Batteries+ for the X2 24F 840CCA, but let's not get carried away, right? Pretty routine install, the only caveat for future readers is that the positive lead is incredibly stiff and has very little play. I held it back with a bungee cable to keep it clear. Thought it was the zip ties, but after taking out the old battery I noticed it was the pretty short cables from the fusebox. It's also an incredibly tight fit to get a 24F in there. I got it in by tilting the positive pole in towards the engine, then seating the terminal down; I was not feeling comfortable trying to force it up and over the pole. And as always, clean up the detritus loitering in the sacred bay of the engine while you're down there.

Spoiler: + terminal

Kinda bummed at myself I didn't realize the obvious problem, but in my defense, I did not expect to be swapping a battery so quickly and I'm better with mechanics than I am with electronics. I'm afraid to even look at the Eyesight cameras in case it voids the warranty on them (kidding).

@SubiAficionado I'm gonna do light amounts of red trim on mine. I ordered Her Necklace with red backplates, Red pinstripe for the grille, Red caliper paint and maybe a tiny red pinstripe for the sides. Oh, and red emblems for the front and back. I wanted to do lime green like the seat stitching, or maybe orange like wilderness, but the red feels better to me. I've got ideas, stay tuned. I'll be here for a while I think, I've even started using all the acronyms like TSB lmao

 

I'm gonna do light amounts of red trim on mine. I ordered Her Necklace with red backplates, Red pinstripe for the grille, Red caliper paint and maybe a tiny red pinstripe for the sides. Oh, and red emblems for the front and back. I wanted to do lime green like the seat stitching, or maybe orange like wilderness, but the red feels better to me.

Oh yeah! Another red enthusiast! For those that know, know.😆 (Oh, the weird colored marks in photo were done to point things out in the photo in previous use.)

 

So is it safe to assume that if the eye sight is disabled and/or the whole infotainment system goes kaput, the ignition/fuel system along with power train will keep working as usual?