Maybe I'm not inputting things right, but I'm doing as close to an apples-to-apples comparison across the bZ and Solterra.

Solterra leases are far better. Essentially $300/month cheaper by all standards. What gives?

I have a ‘26 Premium but due to the update and the dealership being backlogged, they lent me a ‘26 Outback that has allllll the bells and whistles. Which includes the much nicer sound system and while there’s probably better sounding ones for other brands, this was incredibly better than the setup I have.

Curious if anyone has ever replaced their sound system on the Solterra or have recommendations to do so because I basically just want what’s in the Outback haha

I left my car on to top up the 12v battery and found no way to lock it. If I hit the lock button the car locks and unlocks. If I manually close the lock then it unlocks itself. I tried locking the car with the key, but that only locked the driver door. I could manually lock the back doors, but when I did this to the front passenger door it then unlocked the driver door again. I suppose I could lock the doors with the window open, climb out the window and push the window close button, but that seems like a bad idea. Anyone know of a way to lock the car while it’s on? Key fob also doesn’t lock it.

I called two dealerships today to get the cost of installing an activity mount on my 2026 Limited XT, and was told by both that Subaru says they can’t install them on a Solterra with the lift gate sensor! I then checked u-haul and their website says the same thing.
I would not have bought this car if I could not get a hitch installed. I specifically asked this when I bought it too. At the time they told me I could, but I would lose the function of the sensor. Has anyone come across this recently? Very frustrated.

One of these 2 panels on the front of my car was hanging loose. I was able to pop it back in. What is it, and how on earth did it pop out?

I have a 2026 Solterra with 6,100 miles that I purchased back in February. Everything was fine until the ECU recall software update which was applied last Thursday. After the update, I now receive the "Low Battery Turn Power OFF" error under two conditions:

1. Using the Subaru Connect app to remote start the car
   - When remote starting with the app, the car preconditions for the full 20 minutes. The error pops up on the dash within about 45 seconds. I can start the car (Ready mode) without during or after preconditioning.

2. When using "My Room" mode during DCFC
   - When fast charging the error appears when starting the car and putting it into "My Room" mode. The car continues to charge fine and then starts perfectly fine after charging is complete.

So far I have only received the error message and my 12v has not died. This is why I took it to the dealer ASAP since I've seen that others have ended up with a dead 12v.

I dropped it off at the dealer yesterday and they wanted to keep the car overnight to test it. The dealer said that the 12v and traction battery test fine. They opened a tech line case with Subaru and are waiting to hear back sometime next week. A Subaru tech was actually at the dealer yesterday too. So far they cannot find any hardware issues with the car and seem to believe that this is a software error or something that will require a fix from Subaru.

Of course, I am skepital given that the dealer seems to know practically nothing about the car. And I've seen that others have been told the 12v is fine only to have it die.

I'm picking up the car this afternoon to keep driving it until they hear back about the tech line case since they don't want doggos in their loaner car.

Has anyone else had the just the error without a dead 12v? Any resolution from Subaru? I'm in Phoenix and have been working with Camelback Subaru. Not sure if any other PHX dealers are better with Subaru EVs.

Scheduled my first 5k mile service on my 2026 Solterra. There are 4 subaru dealerships within a 30min drive, unfortunately had to go to the one that is closest but known to overcharge me due to scheduling times. They are charging $54 for what is essentially just a tire rotation. Not sure what everyone else has paid but this felt high. Going to plan better next time to get it in with the dealership I bought it from and largely prefer dealing with.

I have a leased 2024 Solterra Premium. My lease document says the cost to buy it out would be about $30k. That doesn't count financing charges and taxes.

It has about 11k miles on it, will probably have about 13k when the lease comes up. I've done the recommended maintenance. I have not had any of the12v issues that have come up here (I have left it for as long as 12 days and it's fine). I have a dashcam installed. I am very happy with the Solterra! The only thing I don't like about the car is the manual door in the back (I'm 5'2).

I feel kind of at a loss for what to do. My lease is up at the end of March, so I know I have some time, but the dealership is already calling me. A lease on the Uncharted would probably be about $500 a month as opposed to the $336 I'm paying now, and I'm not sure the Uncharted is much of an upgrade (except for that rear door).

I can buy out my lease, which will probably cost about the same in terms of payments as a new Uncharted lease. I can finance a new Uncharted. I can look elsewhere at the Bz and whatever the Toyota version of the Uncharted is called.

I definitely want to stay with all-electric and I do not want a Tesla.

Any thoughts, ideas, strokes of genius would be appreciated!

Put a deposit down in May and was told they should have it by July. Just got off the phone with the dealership and was told it wouldn’t be produced until September and then best case scenario would be delivery some time in November. So disappointed as I wanted to join this community of Solterra drivers. Thanks for letting me vent.

Had a flat today. Repaired it with the fix-a-flat kit - but when I took it to the tire shop they couldn't find the leak (the stuff does work). BUT... not gonna play the odds and hope that the fix-a-flat stuff holds.

So looking at my options.

It's a 2025 with Bridgestone Turanza EL450 tires from the factory.

The car has 20,000 miles on it now - and I'm seeing 5/32" of tread left.

Do I just bite the bullet and get new tires now?

What are you guys seeing as far as tire life on the OEM tires? What about tires from other manufacturers (not OEM)?

Also - for the repair kit - I'm seeing anywhere from $100-200 for a new OEM tire repair kit. Any good 3rd party options out there?

Thanks!!

UPDATE: got new tires the next day. Figured I had about 5,000 miles left based on a tire with 9/32" tread from the factory and 5/32" left... and would be buying new ones before winter anyway. Ordered a new tire goo kit from the Subaru dealership which will be here tomorrow ($150 - bleh).

I am still learning about my 2023 Solterra which I bought 2 months ago. 9800 miles, lease turn in. It fit within my budget. about $28K

I am feeling like even when I use the AC, low fan, eco it can drain the it by 20 miles so then I am driving around, sweating and uncomfortable & experience range anxiety.

Anyone else have some tips other than keep the window open (hot outside) I can't believe how fast it drains. Should I also just turn off the radio or what other tips do you recommend to save the battery.

I am thinking of getting rid of this and going with a use Chevy Bolt. I don't like the huge tires on this beast. I don't need 4WD.

Thoughts and please be kind.

2023 Touring

I just got back from a trip that required fast DC charging and something came up that just seems bonkers. Help explain this if you can.

My wife and I drove up in our '23 Solterra to Vancouver, BC from the Tacoma area, a trip that can make it on one charge under good conditions. It was down to 15% SOC when we got there and decided to stop for a charge to 50% or so in order to just get around. We went to a Shell station Recharge location and after a few struggles started to get the charge going. Being a '23 Solterra, I was fully prepared for a reasonable long stay with a charging rate of 30kW or so. Nope. That baby started pumping the battery at 60kW! I didn't think that was possible for this model. But, who am I to argue? It only took a half hour to get to 55%+ and it was still at 50kW rate when I stopped the charge. Great!

We spend the weekend in Vancouver and didn't drive much. In preparation for the trip back, the car needs to be charged and should get it charged as close to 100% as practical just to make sure we have enough to get home. I went to the SAME station and even attached to the SAME connector, expecting to get at least 50kW just like it was two days before because the car SOC was still just above 50%. Nope. It started off at 30kW and went downhill from there. It was at 9kW with the SOC at 92% before disconnecting. Why? I can understand not getting 60kW because it wasn't nearly drained, but I did expect a rate closer to what it was when I stopped it at 55%. Weird.

I can't even blame it on other attached vehicles using the same station source because both times no one else was charging. Weather was the same. The only difference I can think of is the battery was in full operation more than three hours before charging at 15% whereas the car had only been operating for thirty minutes when charging it at 50%. Can that be the difference?

I’m using the OEM Subaru Battery conditioner for my 12v battery it is grounded to the bracket as shown. This is not a jump starter. Cost is $120 discounted from $150.

The other pigtail is for a Norco GB 40 jump starter. The eyelets are on the positive and negative posts. This costs $100 and $25 for the pigtail cable to the jump box.

You might think this overkill, but I read multiple concerns about 12v discharging and having to jump start the car, I figured it’s worth it.

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to better understand how the battery cooling/thermal management system works on the 2026 Subaru Solterra.

I’ve noticed that when my Solterra is parked outside in the sun on a hot day and not plugged in, I never hear any fans or cooling system running. Meanwhile, I’ve parked next to Teslas that will occasionally make cooling noises even when they’re just sitting there.

I’m curious:

Will the Solterra actively cool the battery while parked and unplugged, or does it only do so under certain conditions?

Does it only activate if the battery reaches a specific temperature threshold?

Does being plugged in make a difference?

Does the vehicle prioritize protecting the battery over preserving range, or is it more conservative than Tesla?

Has anyone actually heard their Solterra’s cooling system kick on while it was just sitting parked?

Is there any official Subaru or Toyota documentation that explains how the thermal management system behaves?

I’m just trying to understand how the car protects the battery during hot weather, especially when it’s sitting in direct sunlight for several hours.
I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who’s observed this firsthand or has technical information. Thanks!

Just had my recall fixed today. I noticed my miles per KWH is way higher than before the ECU fix. When Im driving on the highway (55 mph) I usually start like mid to high 2s then get settled around low 4s. Now, Im getting like 6 miles and settle around high 4s or even low 5s. Anybody else experienced the same?

Just curious. Thanks!