To:

All Subaru Retailers

From:

Subaru of America, Inc. – Service Operations

Date:

August 30, 2022

Re:

Battery Class Action Settlement

Subaru of America, Inc. has reached a preliminary settlement in a class action lawsuit regarding
battery drain in certain Subaru vehicles. As part of this settlement, owners of included vehicles
will receive a warranty extension for both original equipment and genuine Subaru replacement
batteries. The following information is being provided to assist you in responding to customer
inquiries.
Affected customers will be notified of the pending settlement in late September. Please ensure that
your service managers and advisors are familiar with this information and that found in Service
Bulletin 07-207-22. Additional information and frequently asked questions will be available in late
September on the settlement website, at cms.www.subarubatterysettlement.com. At that time,
customers will also be able to call SOA at 855-606-2625 with any extension questions.
Q: What vehicles are affected by this proposed class action settlement?
There are an estimated 2.8 million vehicles included, specifically:
MY 2015-2020
Outback
MY 2015-2020
Forester
MY 2015-2020
Legacy
MY 2015-2020
WRX
MY 2019-2020
Ascent
Q: What are the terms of the settlement?
Subaru will extend the New Car Basic Warranty to the class vehicles as follows:
1.

2.

First Battery Replacements (replacement of the original equipment battery), Subaru
will cover:
•

100% of the battery replacement cost up to 5 years of 60,000 miles, whichever
comes first, from the vehicle in-service date of the Settlement Class Vehicle; or

•

50% of the battery replacement cost that have exceeded 5 years or 60,000 on the
class notice date, for a duration of 3 months from the notice date regardless of
mileage or vehicle in-service date.

Subsequent Battery Replacements (replacement of a genuine Subaru replacement
battery), Subaru will cover
•

100% of the battery replacement costs up to five (5) years or 60,000 miles,
whichever comes first, from the vehicle in-service date of the Settlement Class
Vehicle, regardless of the number of battery replacements the Settlement Class
Vehicle has already received.

•
•

80% of the Battery Replacement Costs up to seven (7) years or 84,000 miles,
whichever comes first, from the vehicle in-service date of the Settlement Class
Vehicle; or
60% of the Battery Replacement Costs up to eight (8) years or one hundred
thousand (100,000) miles, whichever comes first, from the vehicle in-service date
of the Settlement Class Vehicle.

The extended warranty battery recharge or replacement coverage will be based on the results
of the retailer’s administration of the Midtronics Protocol as outlined in TSB 07-207-22.
In addition, any class member presenting a class vehicle to a SOA retailer in satisfaction of the
qualification for the Settlement Extended Warranty Repair who has not previously received a
battery logic related reflash (Refer to Service Bulletins: 11-174-17R and 11-176-17R), is
entitled to receive the reflash during the retailer visit, at no cost.
Note that SOA will not repair vehicles that have a salvaged or total loss title, certain
aftermarket parts, a non-Subaru battery in their vehicle, or have owner caused failures are
ineligible for this coverage. Please refer to the FAQs on cms.www.subarubatterysettlement.com
for additional details.
Please refer to Technical Service Bulletin 07-207-22 for complete technical details regarding
warranty coverage and repair procedures. Although the settlement is not finalized, you should
proceed with repairs for any qualifying vehicles in accordance with the bulletin. SOA is in the
process of adding the extension to affected vehicles. Please contact us with any questions
regarding coverage.
Q: For customers who paid for prior repairs, will there be reimbursement?
Customers who paid for prior repairs—and customers who sold a vehicle with a qualifying
failure prior to repair—may, under certain circumstances, submit claims for a cash
reimbursement. Additional information, along with detailed instructions regarding completion
of a claim form and required documentation will be available in late September at
cms.www.subarubatterysettlement.com.
Q: If customers have questions regarding the proposed settlement, what should I tell them?
Customers will receive notification letter of the proposed settlement in late September.
Customers can refer to the settlement website, at cms.www.subarubatterysettlement.com, or call
SOA at 855-606-2625.
Q: What retailer resources are available for this proposed settlement?
TSB 07-207-22 provides specific information regarding the repair process and procedures. In
addition to the TSB, Subaru is currently preparing training for retailers regarding this battery
extension. This training will review the parameters of the extension, customer and retailer
process, coverage review tools, and claim requirements. We will be holding retailer training
specific to this extension the week of September 12. Keep an eye on Subarunet for an
announcement with the details.