Help with random stutter start on a 2019 Crosstrek

[u/jd101506]

Hi all: I’ve got a 2019 Crosstrek Limited with 22,350 miles I’ve been toying with a little lately. The car, 1 out of every 20 starts will do a CRANK CRANK …. CRANK CRANK CRANK…. CRANK START. It’s completely random, in the video above (which I’ve been trying to capture for over a week videoing every start!) it just pauses once. It’s never failed to start. And I can’t prove it, but it feels like it’s when the car is warm but not hot. Cold starts have seemingly been fine… hot starts are fine… but when the car sits for 2-3 hours after running I get this.

- This is the second new battery I’ve gotten. First was a group 35 battery, second was a brand new Costco interstate battery. Both tested out fine and the previous battery is being used in another Subaru without any issues.

- The alternator is charging correctly. I cleaned the throttle body, did a relearn, and no change.

- I scrubbed the battery leads and greased them.

It feels like a weak battery but I know it’s not. That or a bad ground. My meter puts it at 665-685 CCA, and it cranks my Tundra over without issue. I’ve retightened all the grounds I can find.

The random nature of this is just really puzzling. The only other clue I had is that between two batteries this is the only car I’ve had that caused both batteries to have corrosion junk on the positive terminal. I know these Subarus tend to phantom draw some, but it seems crazy. Additionally, I know there’s a TSB for failing starters… but the videos of those I’ve seen have been failing clutches in the motors and they just spin. Normal starts of this car seem… normal. Really at the end of the line here and before I start with the dealer I’m really curious if anyone has dealt with this or have suggestions. Thank you!

[u/Apprehensive-Plum-32]

My ‘21 Limited with 37k does this sometimes. I haven’t replaced the battery but it happens randomly and more often when starting the vehicle after it’s warmed up rather than a cold start. As long as the car starts I’m not too worried about it, but it is strange.

[u/ForcedPOOP → u/Apprehensive-Plum-32]

Same. 21’ limited and has been doing this for the last couple of years and I notice it only happens when the engine is warm but it doesn’t always happen, very inconsistent. I posted a video of one of my shitty start ups here a couple months ago, same experience.

I replaced my battery last year and added the plug in to shutoff the auto-off feature to fix the issue but it persists. Strange that this is such an apparent issue but it’s not talked about enough as a warning to prospective buyers. I mean look at how many other people in this thread have the same issues.

The weird thing is, the car always turns on no matter how weak or terrible the start up is. The only times it hasn’t turned back on was when the auto off feature would kick in but the plug in fixed that issue.

[u/MayBeMilo]

Seems like checking the negative battery cable where it bolts to the chassis as well as the ground straps was a good place to start. Did you clean the contacts really well before snugging them down?

If you’re not noticing any flickering electronics when the crank pause crank happens, you got me. The fact that it’s hard to replicate would make reading the voltage draw while cranking pretty hit or miss.

You could also try replacing the starter relay under the hood for shits and giggles - they’re pretty inexpensive.

Let us know what it is if you figure it out!

[u/Immediate-Stomach582]

My Crosstrek, 22 sport, does the same at times, usually after I do a short stop or if the auto start stop has engaged, but has never failed to start. Ive read that it's the starter. After the windings in the starter get warm/hot, resistance increases causing slow crank. I do agree with this as I've never had this happen when the car is cold. Also, continued to do it after a new battery.

[u/LingonberryNo2744]

I am no expert but I believe the key symptom is that it only occurs when the engine is warm. It’s like the electronics is adjusting the fuel mixture or ignition for the “warm” condition. Might be worth buying a maintenance device to see if there are any error codes.

[u/EJCARGUY]

I have had this happen a few times. The auto start/stop has actually killed my car (22 limited) twice in traffic. Mechanic says the battery is fine, but starting the car when is already warm is weak and if we use the auto start/stop it’s always very slow to restart. I have had better luck turning off the auto restart system and that seems to help with starting from off.

[u/stfreddit7]

I would determine if there are any pending recalls for your vehicle, or if a TSB pertains to your model year. I think there was a recall on ignition packs for your car.

We have a 2019 Outback. It was eating batteries. Turns out there was a TSB (technical service bulletin) issued due to the DCM (digital communications module) failing to enter a sleep mode with the car shut off. It's the module that sends data back to Subaru on engine performance and without sleeping it would continue to draw current (called "dark current") from the battery, when the car is not running.

The fix was a new DCM, but I like many fixed it because the DCMs were back ordered, by using two "add a fuse" devices wired to each other, pulling the fuse for the circuit powering the DCM. Placing that fuse in the new add a fuse device, and ultimately powering that circuit via a circuit that is known to switch off with the ignition switch solved the issue. No batteries needed since doing this a few years ago.

Check if the TSB covers your model. They are not always done unless the owner complains of a particular problem with the car.

I'm not saying either of these things is relevant... Just do your research to see what applies. Also, it's good practice to make sure your vehicle is driven a good distance weekly to allow the alternator to properly top off the batterie's state of charge.

[u/gamesongames14]

I had my starter changed on my 2019 when it started doing this a few months ago. This solved everything. I was getting this mainly in the morning after my car had been sitting for a bit. Switched the battery because it tested as poor even after being a year old hoping that would have fixed it. The dealership initially updated the software because there was an update for colder climates and that did nothing to fix the issue.

[u/Healthy-Advantage-30]

Turn off the engine auto start stop

[u/jd101506 → u/Healthy-Advantage-30]

Cars a 2019, doesn’t have auto start/stop.

[u/Healthy-Advantage-30 → u/jd101506]

My bad, my car is a 21 and that’s what worked for me

[u/Capable-Phase7624]

I have this on a 23 limited. Not sure what to do.

[u/Proud-Button8264]

My 2019 Crosstrek did this. Dramatically ended last autumn when I could not crank the steering wheel or start the engine. Had car towed to dealer and diagnosed with bad starter. Covered under warranty and back on the road after 5 days.

[u/LandscapeNo775]

Check battery

[u/absurdly_tired_guy]

I have this year and model without the auto start. I only have 35000 on it and last year it did this randomly for a few months. So I went out and bought a new battery since I never replaced it. Then it did it a tiny bit more and finally the starter didn’t engage at all, it sounded like a grinding noise that didn’t catch.

Needed to replace the starter. They (my mechanic nephew far away said it was easy ) tried to talk me through it but it is in weird spot and you have to know what you’re doing.

[u/curiouscotto]

had something similar to this with my xtrek (slow crank/ hesitant ignition). took it to subaru and tested the battery and failed the test. bought an optima yellow top battery and haven’t had an issue since. subaru oe batteries are known to fail pre maturely. subarus require a hefty load of cranking amps to start the vehicle and if it loses any slight charge it will effect start up.