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2021 Crosstrek limited with battery issues

Model Years 2018 to 2023 
10K views 37 replies 10 participants last post by  AceConrad 
#1 ·
Purchased a new 2021 Limited about a year ago (during the pandemic). - I love it.
I am retired, so coupled with pandemic, I have only driven the Crosstrek 4700 miles (in 1 year).
(As an aside, I had the oil changed at 1,800 miles and recent tire rotation).

Yesterday I took the car in for yearly State inspection, as required. Passed - of course.

But the multi-point inspection revealed that the battery is cranking at 301 when it should be at 620.
Car is alway garaged.
I am concerned about getting stranded this winter.

What steps/actions do you all suggest I take - car is still under warranty.

Thanking in advance!!!
 
#6 ·
I believe I will contact the dealership and see what they have to say and what they might suggest. Do you think that the lack of driving on a regular basis contributed to this, or might it be all the extra electronic components that are now on the new cars (I have had so many many cars and never had an issue with shortened battery life).
 
#7 ·
I've noticed with ours by checking the voltage regularly that the car doesn't keep the battery charged up much, especially with infrequent short runs. And leaving it for extended periods at a low state of charge is not good for lead acid batteries. The Odyssey is an AGM and takes up charge faster, and also is more tolerant of abuse.
 
#8 ·
Purchased a new 2021 Limited about a year ago (during the pandemic). - I love it.
I am retired, so coupled with pandemic, I have only driven the Crosstrek 4700 miles (in 1 year).
(As an aside, I had the oil changed at 1,800 miles and recent tire rotation).

Yesterday I took the car in for yearly State inspection, as required. Passed - of course.

But the multi-point inspection revealed that the battery is cranking at 301 when it should be at 620.
Car is alway garaged.
I am concerned about getting stranded this winter.

What steps/actions do you all suggest I take - car is still under warranty.

Thanking in advance!!!
you're not driving enough and your new battery may also die a slow death. get one of these.....

Amazon.com: NOCO GENIUS1, 1-Amp Fully-Automatic Smart Charger, 6V and 12V Battery Charger, Battery Maintainer, Trickle Charger, and Battery Desulfator with Temperature Compensation : Automotive
 
#9 ·
I'm sure that the fuel pump running sometimes when the car is parked doesn't help if you don't drive regularly. I often go a week without driving the car, but when I drive, it's usually over a half hour at a time, so the battery gets charged fully. I haven't had any battery problems so far - owned for 20 months and 12K miles.
 
#13 ·
Was it a Subaru dealer that did your state inspection, and multi-point inspection? If an indy, then take it to your Subaru dealer and have it checked out, as recommended in several replies above. You may be surprised to hear that your battery is just fine. Separately, you would most likely notice poor battery performance when cranking on a day to day basis. Did you notice anything atypical yourself prior to the multipoint inspection? It might also be a good idea to invest in a Noco GB40 or GBX45. These are compact boosters, that can help if you get stranded due to an undercharged battery.
 
#14 ·
Was it a Subaru dealer that did your state inspection, and multi-point inspection? If an indy, then take it to your Subaru dealer and have it checked out, as recommended in several replies above. You may be surprised to hear that your battery is just fine. Separately, you would most likely notice poor battery performance when cranking on a day to day basis. Did you notice anything atypical yourself prior to the multipoint inspection? It might also be a good idea to invest in a Noco GB40 or GBX45. These are compact boosters, that can help if you get stranded due to an undercharged battery.
yes - subaru dealer - They provided a colored printout of the multipoint inspection
 
#15 ·
Ok, thanks for the update. You are covered either way. Noco also makes good battery chargers. If you park in a garage, you could consider putting the battery on a charger once a month or so. I have their 10 amp charger and boosters GB40 and GBX45. I typically top charge the battery during oil changes.
 
#16 ·
Purchased a new 2021 Limited about a year ago (during the pandemic). - I love it.
I am retired, so coupled with pandemic, I have only driven the Crosstrek 4700 miles (in 1 year).
(As an aside, I had the oil changed at 1,800 miles and recent tire rotation).

Yesterday I took the car in for yearly State inspection, as required. Passed - of course.

But the multi-point inspection revealed that the battery is cranking at 301 when it should be at 620.
Car is alway garaged.
I am concerned about getting stranded this winter.

What steps/actions do you all suggest I take - car is still under warranty.

Thanking in advance!!!
UPDATE
Took the Ctrek back to the dealer where I purchased it and showed the printout from my inspection. Service guy stated he would check it out - preform a battery test and if low might recharge it (which would take about an hour).
He returned in a bit and stated the battery was not sufficient and failed to meed industry standards. Thus they replaced the battery.
Happy with the outcome - not so happy that battery failed so quickly. Tech suggested that I drive the car more often, which I will try to do (as I do love the way it handles/drives).
 
#25 ·
I have decided to no longer use the auto start/stop feature as I believe it contributed to the quick demise of my battery.
It is so very simple to disengage - requires no more effort than turning on the lights. I must say that I did get used to it (after the initial "break in" period) and thought it useful - not so much for the gas savings, which was minimal, but for the reduced emissions.
So, we will see.
 
#35 ·
I'm pretty sure a standard lead-acid replacement battery from your local auto parts store is still $100 or less with trade-in. The most important thing is to check the date code of any battery you buy.
 
#36 ·
Out of curiosity, I tried a search on ODYSSEY® Battery - Official Manufacturer's Site and there was no available battery listed for the 21 Crosstrek Sport. It has the same engine as the 21 Forester and there was no available battery listed for that either. Does Odyssey still make one for the Crosstrek or are people installing a different size than OEM?
 
#37 ·
Out of curiosity, I tried a search on ODYSSEY® Battery - Official Manufacturer's Site and there was no available battery listed for the 21 Crosstrek Sport. It has the same engine as the 21 Forester and there was no available battery listed for that either. Does Odyssey still make one for the Crosstrek or are people installing a different size than OEM?
You can contact them directly and they're very responsive and helpful. It's just a 12V battery so if you can get it to fit in the compartment it will work. They're very dense and I recall how much heavier it was than the OEM battery I took out.

As for the snipes about the cost, we had just bought a new $30K off road vehicle and nearly got stranded in snowy mountains due to a crappy OEM battery. It was a no-brainer to me to get a good quality replacement. How much do y'all spend on mods? That was my mod...
 
#38 ·
I too have pretty basic 'mods". Paint protection film on the front, upgraded front speakers, trailer hitch and a new AGM battery. Most recent is a set of new Nokian All Weather tires. Try to contain your excitement people!
 
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