[Melissa]

Hi
I went to start my 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Sport this morning (temp is -8 outside, car parked in garage). Put the key into the ignition, park brake on, car in neutral, turned key, waited for the speedometer and engine speed dials to rotate back, then turned the key. I got a click-click-click, with the head lights flickering in sync with the clicking, and then nothing, no engine turning over or anything. The other electronic screens like the media panel also did not light up like normal.
Any ideas?

 

[trekbrat]

Your battery most likely.

 

[Melissa]

Your battery most likely.

Your battery most likely.

Horn is loud and clear. Headlights are bright, interior lights are on. Still think it could be the batery?

 

[trekbrat]

Yes. If you can, get a battery tender when you will leave the car sitting in below zero weather. If not, there are some good li-ion battery jump starters that fit in the glove box. Good luck.

 

[Crunchtrek]

Check the battery posts for corrosion. Clean the terminals just because. The tool is cheap, it's an easy process.

 

[tibadoe]

Battery. Make sure connections are clean and tight. Check electrolyte level. Check voltage. Load test. If no dead cells give battery a good saturation charge.

 

[Subaruplatt]

2018 SUBARU CROSSTREK SW AWD

www.nhtsa.gov

 

[Subaruplatt]

There are 3 recalls for your year.
1. brake hoses
2. Pcv ventilation valve
3. Ignition reprogramming.

 

[Subaruplatt]

Click click does sound like the battery.
if it has discharged and then frozen it may well be pooched and not reliably rechargeable.

 

[d.r.h.]

As others have said .... most likely the battery. Even though it might appear that the battery is fine (because it powers accessories and lights) ... it might not be putting out enough cranking amps to start the vehicle. Not sure about Canadian models .... but here in the states, the "from the factory" OEM batteries have very low ( in my opinion) CCAs. You should have the battery tested to determine it's health. You should definitely invest in a battery tester (not that expensive). It will give you lots of info that will help you determine if a battery needs replaced BEFORE it will no longer start the vehicle. Not sure who makes the Subaru batteries (only a few companies actually make batteries) ... but even the replacement Subaru branded batteries have low CCA ratings. I no longer use them. There are far better battery brands with higher CCAs out there.

Also ... if you change your battery yourself ... invest in a memory saver. They are inexpensive (normally under $20US) and keep you from having to reset things like radio presets, window function and transmission learning. I keep an old battery (which still puts out enough volts, but not enough amps) to use for this purpose.

 

[trekbrat]

As others have said .... most likely the battery. Even though it might appear that the battery is fine (because it powers accessories and lights) ... it might not be putting out enough cranking amps to start the vehicle. Not sure about Canadian models .... but here in the states, the "from the factory" OEM batteries have very low ( in my opinion) CCAs. You should have the battery tested to determine it's health. You should definitely invest in a battery tester (not that expensive). It will give you lots of info that will help you determine if a battery needs replaced BEFORE it will no longer start the vehicle. Not sure who makes the Subaru batteries (only a few companies actually make batteries) ... but even the replacement Subaru branded batteries have low CCA ratings. I no longer use them. There are far better battery brands with higher CCAs out there.

Also ... if you change your battery yourself ... invest in a memory saver. They are inexpensive (normally under $20US) and keep you from having to reset things like radio presets, window function and transmission learning. I keep an old battery (which still puts out enough volts, but not enough amps) to use for this purpose.

Since you can buy many batteries here in the US with the full gamut of CCA, what do you mean? Are you saying the mfrs are exaggerating their claimed ratings?

 

[d.r.h.]

Since you can buy many batteries here in the US with the full gamut of CCA, what do you mean? Are you saying the mfrs are exaggerating their claimed ratings?

The OEM (that comes from the factory on new Subarus) battery is (if I remember correctly) 370 or 390 CCA. If you buy a replacement Subaru branded battery from the dealer, it (I believe) is somewhere around 470 CCA (don't hold me to these numbers ... but believe they are in the ball park, if my memory is working). In my climate here in NW PA ... where winter temps can get well below 0 F at times, I only buy batteries with at least 600 CCA .... and the extra CCA definitely helps with starting in cold temps and the batteries tend have a longer starting use life. Currently, am using Die Hard batteries with 640 CCA. They seem to be working very well for me and tend to vent far less battery acid that the Subaru branded batteries. The acid venting from the Subaru batteries I've used really did a job corroding the hold downs.

 

[trekkie2013]

Your battery most likely.

'click, click, click' indicates not enough power to turn over engine...not a car electrical system expert. A couple suggestions:
o you have have a small battery drain--my wife is fond of checking her make-up before she leaves TK; if you don't shut the sun visor mirror shield the light stays on;
o Go to a car parts dealer and buy a trickle charger, learn how to attach it to battery poles, and it should keep the battery nicely charged up. Works fine with one car I rarely drive in winter;...there's even one which is solar powered;
o There are technical guides for your car's electrical distribution system to measure which components are using power....and shouldn't be; like those for starting system i.e. fuel pump.
o read this: 13 Complaints: 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Electrical System Problems (carcomplaints.com)
o do you have aftermarket gear like a more powerful stereo system?
o when all else fails, park on a hill.

 

[wmoney]

Had this problem myself a couple years ago with my wife's Honda civic at the time. She has since upgraded to the crosstrek, modern vehicles have a voltage meter. If it detects that there is not enough voltage in the battery to start the car it actually disables the starter essentially. Hence in the old day you would get the car trying to turn over but not starting, now it just clicks, or if your voltage is too low it will do nothing. Which also happened to me after a vacation, my wife turned on the overhead light before we left our crosstrek in longterm parking for a week. When we returned nothing worked, including the automatic locks.

The voltage meter is there to protect the battery, it prevents you from trying to start the car over and over and actually draining the battery completely or damaging the battery. Other things will work such as your lights or indicators especially these day since most of them are LEDs and draw barely any voltage.

Not sure about the cold weather issues. I live in Southern Ontario, and although we do get days as cold as -20 Celsius from time to time we have never had an issue with starting our crosstreks in the cold.

Hope that helps and she'd some light.