Anyone having battery issues with thei 2017 Forester? Mine has died 6x, with the battery being replaced, since 2/17. The dealer kept telling me to drive it more, which sounds ridiculous, but I did what they said, but it didn’t help probably because it’s a problem with the car and not the customer! Finally, this last time, after I stopped being a doormat, they updated the computer so it doesn’t draw so much power when it’s not running. Just got it back yesterday, but am not feeling real confident that it’s fixed. If it happens again, I’m filing a lemon law claim. Any input would be appreciated. 
Go for it.
But I suspect Subaru is right. You aren’t driving it enough to keep the battery charged and THEY know how many miles a month you drive since they can see the odometer every time you bring it in. We can’t and you didn’t tell us.
perhaps you missed the part where I said I did do what they suggested and drove it more, but it still died. my research on this matter shows this is a common problem with Subarus. It’s a design flaw that they’re not addressing. my 2014 Forester was driven the same way and it never died so it’s clearly not my driving habits to blame. My question was if anyone knew if the computer update would actually help the problem.
It could related to your driving habits, actually. I don’t know if you have more electrical things that draw power down after the car is turned off (or burn more when it’s on) vs your 2014. If you do have more in the 2017 and most of your driving is short distance before the alternator gets a chance to fully recharge the battery, then each time you restart car, the battery isn’t as full. And eventually it gets too weak to put out enough charge to start the car.
Perhaps same or similar problem. Has happened twice in the last 6 months - won’t start, just clicks. Battery showed 12.05V but 10 min of charging at 4 amps is enough to get it up to 12.2V which is enough to start it. With the lights on the charger delivers 6 amps and with the lights off it sits at 4 amps.
Does this car have the wonderful stop/start feature ? If so and you dont drive much then this could be an issue . If it is and you can turn it off , try that for awhile .
There’s 3 tsb’s on the battery draining issue for the 2017 Forester 2.5L, and another battery related tsb, b/c apparently it is a little tricky installing another battery, due to a sensor in the way. The solution to the draining problem seems to involve reprogramming.
My dealership finally figured out the cause with the 2017 Forester battery problems. They “found internal short in the DCM. Replaced the DCM and DCM battery.” There was “internal failure within the DCM module, found parasitic draw in System 14 SMP spec IS.035-0.70A, found that the DCM was staying on and Deaw is 0.035.0”. Parts replaced were SPO 86229SG000 (PB001396 telematics) and SPO 57433SG000 (battery DCM). It means that this DCM thing was zombie-like and kept draining the life out of my battery info system when it should have shut down.
I was only charged $100 deductible on my extended warranty, but since this problem has been ongoing for years, and I paid for another battery last year, I may contact national HQ for Subaru and see if they can make me whole. I’ve also had to take time off work for this problem. This was some sort of defective part or programming from the start. Hope everyone else will check out this possible solution for battery issues.
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Hi, I have a 2017 Forester with battery problems; keeps dying on me. On my third battery.
Did the repairs involving the DCM and DCM battery actually fix the problem you were experiencing? Has the problem cropped up again since those repairs?
Thank you.
Jerry
It totally fixed the problem and there has not been one incident since then. I’m convinced this was the issue. I think there should be a class action lawsuit against Subaru and I would certainly join one. Other than the battery problem I’m happy with the car. I definitely recommend having the dealership addressing the problem as I previously described it. Please post again if this solves the issue. Good Luck.
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Also-if you have complained about this problem while the car was under warranty and they failed to fix it, I’d ask them to fix it now as if it was still under warranty.
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Thanks for your reply. The Forester is in the shop now – they are waiting for the part(s) to arrive. I have conveyed the language you posted about the diagnosis and repairs, and also engaged Subaru of America who has told me they have contacted a field engineer to get involved with the shop. The second new battery is one Subaru installed without my asking around 18 months into the warranty; it apparently had a low reading. The third new battery is one I had installed by AAA during State stay-at-home orders and Subaru of America readily reimbursed me for that cost. So, i feel they are working earnestly to address my situation; can’t complain. Just want the problem fixed! Will post here when I know the outcome after having the car back for a few weeks.
I promised an update pertaining to the dead battery problems i was having with my 2017 Subaru Forester. It has been roughly 5 weeks since it was diagnosed and worked on by the Subaru Service Center I’ve been using. The field engineer called in to guide the diagnosis reportedly said it was neither of the modules cited earlier. Instead, he said it was in need of a software update required to increase the efficiency of the vehicle charging the battery. So far, no issues. I let it go undriven for about 3 days and it started. Then 5 days and it started and finally 7 days and it started. Hope it is actually fixed for the long-term.
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Good to hear, thanks for the update. Gone are the days of ‘put in a new voltage regulator’, I guess…
I had the same issue with my 2017 Forester, the battery died multiple times the first year i purchased the car (new) before finally bringing it to the dealer in Nov 2018. They replaced the battery with a more powerful one and until this week (Oct 2020) I had no issues. This week the battery died once again. My son was driving the car and when parked turned the car off but left the keys in the ignition as i was in the car waitingfor him. The doors were closed, lights all off and nothing plugged into the chargers. The roadside assistance guy that came out to charge the battery noted that even though it recharged, it needed replacing. He also said he carries batteries for Subarus because its a common problem and raised my awareness to a class action lawsuit from a similar issue with the outback. I took the car back to the dealer and they again replaced the battery and also updated the battery charging software. My understanding is that the software update will allow the alternator to kick on sooner than it normally does. I’m hopeful but a little skeptical if this will address my specific issue as we drive on the interstate regularly and throughout the summer have been on long interstate trips just about every weekend so the battery should be recharging regularly…and batteries should last 3 to 5 years. I’ll keep this thread posted if i run into any other issues.
A second update. After all the work done at the Subaru Service Center which I described in a previous post, to my frustration the problem remains. When I didn’t drive the Forester for 7 days, it failed to start. I don’t have the energy or patience right now to go through the entire process again with Subaru of America or the Service Center at the dealership. I bought a portable jump starter which supposedly holds 20 jumps worth of charge. $98 that I should not have had to spend, but needed the confidence that I won’t be stranded if I, say, leave my vehicle parked somewhere (airport or train station) for “too many” days. Meanwhile, to try to keep the battery charged, I’ll continue to drive (wasting my time) when I shouldn’t have to, put miles on the vehicle (reduce trade/resale value) needlessly, burn gas unnecessarily, increase my CO2 footprint unnecessarily and add to the likelihood of having an accident (implications for repair costs and insurance rate hikes).
An Accident: Not to mention someone getting harmed or worse when I’m driving merely to keep an adequate charge on the battery.
Wow!! I had THREE batteries that were dead in 35K miles driving constantly from coast to coast. I thought this was a defective battery problem. That’s what I was told by the Sub dealers. Thankfully all batteries changed under a warrantee.