2016 Subaru Outback: Drained battery
Common wear/failure (not a recall)
Symptoms
Owners of the 2016 Outback report: drained battery. CarComplaints.com lists 28 owner complaints, average mileage 46,450 miles.
NHTSA has 309 owner complaints for the 2016 Outback in this area. Examples:
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11758212 (filed 08/20/2026): “Odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2016 subaru outback. the contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a private sale, but the contact discovered the seller was associated with…”
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11747584 (filed 07/01/2026): “The reporting citizen was driving legally on [xxx] going forward towards the parking lot next to the round about when an uncrewed, autonomous commercial vehicle operated by waymo suffered a catastrophic software/hardware failure. the 6,000-pound driverless rob…”
Likely causes
Sources do not establish a single root cause; diagnosis is needed. Owner-reported fixes are listed below.
Fix, in plain English
Most common owner-reported solutions on CarComplaints.com: keep a charged gooloo or similar device in the car (1 reports). Check for open recalls and extended warranty coverage with a dealer before paying out of pocket.
DIY difficulty: Moderate
Finding and splicing chewed wiring is doable with a multimeter and patience but can be time-consuming; harness replacement is pro work. (Our assessment.)
Cost
CarComplaints.com owners report a typical repair cost of about $790 (owner-reported average, not a quote).
Typical parts (search links, no affiliate codes)
AutoZone · O'Reilly · Advance · RockAuto
Sources
Page last updated .