According to automotive experts, “The most common causes that hinders normal starting operation of your Outback are dead key fob battery, dead 12v battery, corrosion on battery terminals, bad alternator, clogged fuel filter, broken starter, blown fuse, empty gas tank, immobilizer error or any fault in the electrical system.”
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Since introduced in 1994, the Subaru Outback is a superb vehicle attracting tons of buyers every year. Subaru Outback is now one of the most popular vehicles and the best-selling cars on the road.
While many amazing features come with several Outback every year, customers still report starting this vehicle.
Many reasons might prevent your Subaru Outback from starting. Going through a list of potential reasons can be overwhelming for many drivers, especially inexperienced ones.
When your Subaru Outback won't start, the short and simplest solution is to inspect the car's battery and the battery connections. When you jumpstart your Subaru Outback, you will immediately determine whether the problem is related to the batter or not. If the car failed to start after the jumpstarts, you need to immediately tow his vehicle to a professional mechanic to resolve the issue.
When your Subaru Outback won't start, it will be associated with other symptoms that can help you pinpoint the actual root of the problem.
For example, your Subaru Outback won't start lights flashing, Subaru Outback won't start clunking noise, several Outback won't start in park, Subaru Outback won't start in cold, silver Outback won't start no power, Subaru Outback won't start security and more.
This article walks you through every possible scenario and all types of symptoms you might experience when your silver Outback won't start. We will provide you a detailed solution and some workaround tips and tricks to temporarily resolve the problem to get to the repair shop.
We will also list some rough estimates of replacement costs for standard faulty components.
Subaru Outback won't start
When your Subaru Outback won't start, you need to check the battery and the battery connections because those components produce the initial electrical current to your vehicle’s components.
Symptoms of a bad Subaru Outback battery and battery connections
In a previous article, we discussed in detail the different symptoms you might face when your battery or battery connection fails: “If you notice the dim headlights, a key clicking sound, backfiring, and slow cranking, then your battery is at fault. If you notice loud noises and an alternator voltage leak, then you could be looking at a necessary repair or replacement for your damaged alternator.”
Simple workaround
If you are Subaru Outback battery was determined to be faulty, you can perform a quick jumpstart and get the vehicle going. Once the jumpstart kicks in the vehicle, leave the car for a couple of minutes to charge before taking it to the nearest repair shop.
Automotive experts never suggest using jumpstart as a permanent solution for your Subaru Outback. This is because jumpstart can be an odd action that might disturb and damage all sensitive electrical components, especially if you're driving a modern Subaru Outback.
If the problem is coming from bad connections, you can inspect these connections and see any corrosion or lose connections. You can tighten the connections and clean up the emotion to get these connections working back again.
If the connections are broken or damaged, the only solution is to replace them.
How much does it cost to replace a Subaru Outback battery?
Whenever it should, replacing your Subaru Outback battery costs about $250. This number does not include dealership or labor costs.
Subaru Outback won't start lights flashing
Another common situation is when your Subaru Outback won't start and lights flashing or dashboard lights flashing. If that's the case, the problem is most likely related to a drained battery.
It indicates that your battery still has some slow charge to start the lights but not get the vehicle started.
If you don't already know, your engine requires a massive amount of electrical current to get started, and that's the starter's job. The starter is responsible for converting the small electrical current from the battery into a larger one to get the vehicle started.
If the battery cannot send a good amount of electrical current to the starter, you will notice that the engine one starts and the lights are flashing.
Subaru Outback won't start clicking noise
When your Subaru Outback won't start, and you still hear some quick emerges, the problem is most likely related to bad connections or burnt wires.
We discussed this also in detail in a previous article “The clicking sound could happen when the starter motor isn't receiving enough power due to corroded battery terminals…. The clicking sound could also be due to a frayed wire or loose battery cable ends. Loose battery ends can interfere with the connection, preventing the vehicle from starting.”
If you already inspected your vehicle's battery connections or the wires, clicking noise also happens when you have a bad or faulty starter motor.
While the starter motor is expected to last for a long time, it is not rare to deal with situations where you're bad start her cause your Subaru Outback not to start while making some clicking noises.
Symptoms of a bad Subaru Outback starter motor
Luckily, when your starter motor goes back in your Subaru Outback, you will notice some of the following symptoms :
- Strange clicking noises coming from your vehicle after turning the key
- Your vehicle's lights will work, but the vehicle will not start
- Engine cranking but not revving
- Smoke out of your Subaru Outback exhaust system
- Your Subaru Outback starter might be soaked with oil
In the most common scenarios, one unmistakable symptom of a bad starter are “a distinctive clicking noise when you turn the key or push the start button in your car. Unfortunately, a starter can also die without any sound at all, or it may announce its death with some whirring and grinding, which can show the faulty starter symptoms.”
Simple workaround
Unfortunately, when your Subaru Outback starter goes bad, there is no clear workaround to the problem. All you can do is request a towing company and deliver your vehicle to the nearest repair shop. The faulty starter must be replaced immediately to get your Subaru Outback on the road back.
How much does it cost to replace a Subaru Outback starter motor?
Depending on your vehicle's model year, replacing a Subaru Outback starter can range from $100 to $500.
Subaru Outback won't start in the park
Several owners reported having some issues with their Subaru Outback starting after they parked the vehicle. In most scenarios, the problem is related to something in the electrical system or the key fob battery.
Simple workaround
While it's hard to provide a simple workaround when your Subaru Outback won't start in park, you can test and try starting your vehicle with a different key or using the physical key.
If you determine that the problem is coming from the key fob, then you must bring a new key fob battery because the battery might be the main culprit.
In some situations, issues with the security system might prevent your vehicle from starting after parking. Thus, you might need to reach a dealership and inspect the vehicle's computer to confirm the problem.
How much does a Subaru Outback key fob battery cost?
Purchasing a new key fob battery is not very expensive, depending on your vehicle's brand. According to automotive experts, the price to replace the Subaru Outback key fob battery is about $5.
Subaru Outback won't start in cold
Driving in cold weather can affect your vehicle significantly, and it most likely affects the fluid component in your car. When the weather is very cold, the fuel might get frozen in the fuel lines, and the oil might not be lubricated enough to flow properly around the engine.
Your Subaru Outback better you will not provide the same amount of electricity when you are driving in cold weather versus in normal weather condition. The battery is more susceptible to provide less current than usual. Thus, your vehicle will be experiencing some challenging getting started.
Simple workaround
The best solution here for you is to reduce the amount of pressure on your battery as much as possible. For example, you can turn off unnecessary electrical components like the radio, the automatic windows, etc.
If you failed to get the vehicle started by reducing the pressure, you might need to use a simple jumpstart.
Unfortunately, if your car did not work after the jump stars, you might need to visit the nearest repair shop and check other components that might be the culprits.
Subaru Outback won't start no power
When your Subaru Outback won't start, and you realized there is no power, the problem can be related to anything associated with the combustion system.
The engine cannot receive the required fuel or the necessary electrical current or spark plug to get started.
Thus, a good Chuck would be to look at either the fuel filter, the fuel pump, the battery terminal connections, the carburetor, the cap and dampness inside the vehicle, and other components included in the starting system.
When the fuel filter is clogged, the engine will not receive any fuel, and the vehicle will act like there is no fuel in your fuel system. Similarly, if the fuel pump is bad, it will not send any fuel to the engine; therefore, your vehicle won't produce any power.
Also, the engine requires a certain frequency of spark at the right time with the right amount to burn the air-fuel mixture. When the spark plug does not work properly, the engine will not produce any power; therefore, you might deal with Subaru Outback one start in no power situations.
Subaru Outback won't jumpstart
When your Subaru Outback doesn't start after the jumpstart, some situations indicate that issue Is not related to the battery.
The main purpose of the jumpstart is to get your vehicle going without needing the battery. Thus, the jumpstart skips that step and provides the necessary initial power to your starter to get the vehicle going.
When the jumpstart does not work, this indicates that the problem is down the list of but components participating in your vehicles starting the process.
If you don't know, your vehicle's starting process involves a good number of components, including the battery, the battery connections, the starter motor, the alternator, the fuel system, and more.
Any of the mention components might be the culprit.
Keep in mind that when your jumpstart does not work, this does not necessarily mean that the battery is not also another culprit. It could be a combination of multiple potential faulty components.
Thus, visiting a professional mechanic can provide you with a detailed list of potential components affecting your Subaru Outback starting issue.
In some scenarios, if you have an OBD 2 scanner, you can scan the vehicle and see whether you're getting any information about faulty components. Some advanced scanners might list the potential faulty components along with common repairs and repair costs.
Subaru Outback won't start: the bottom line
When your Subaru Outback won't start, the situation can be very frustrating, especially if you are heading to an important meeting or appointment.
As a driver of a Subaru Outback, you need to be prepared and ready to deal with such a situation by familiarizing yourself with all potential tips and tricks to resolve the problem temporarily so you can get your vehicle to the nearest dealership.
While there is not a tip and trick for resolving your several Outback starting issues, knowing the different causes for your Subaru Outback not to start can help you determine when is the right time to tow your vehicle to the nearest repair shop versus trying to fix it yourself.
According to automotive experts, “The most common causes that hinders normal starting operation of your Outback are dead key fob battery, dead 12v battery, corrosion on battery terminals, bad alternator, clogged fuel filter, broken starter, blown fuse, empty gas tank, immobilizer error or any fault in the electrical system.”
If you are Subaru Outback requires very high repair costs, it might be the right time to sell this car to someone willing to deal with any major mechanical problem.
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