We have a 2017 Outback 3.6R. It has only 30k miles and change. My wife is the primary driver. So far, we have replaced two main batteries and are now on our third. Just recently, the passenger window switch on the driver's side has become inactive. The one on the passenger side works, so I can rule out a window motor. It seems that there are these nagging problems that can nickel and dime one to the point of frustration. Are Outbacks (Subarus in general) reliable? Or, are they destined to be the result of poor workmanship and cheap parts? PS, we both love the car and enjoy driving it. I'm in the market for another car for myself and am strongly considering an Outback XT or a Forester.
I know quite a few people that have bought Subarus (Outbacks and others) over the last few years and in general they have not had much in the way of problems. They are not Toyota-level in reliability but are a heck of a lot better than many other makes. Unfortunately the H6 engine tends to become a money pit but with only 30K miles it should be OK for quite a while.
The window switch sounds like a relatively minor random defect. I would be a lot more concerned about the car eating batteries. Is the alternator voltage too high? (I've seen batteries boil due to faulty regulators and with many of today's batteries it is difficult or impossible to check the acid level.) On a lot of cars high underhood temperature can make for short battery life but what you're reporting is a bit extreme.
The weakest part of Subarus is the CVT. Not as bad as the terrible Jatco CVTs in Nissans but still they can fail and are very expensive (like $8000 to $9000) to replace. The new ones seem to be good for about 150K miles but they can fail earlier especially if abused and/or the fluid never changed.
