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Quick summary: 2019 Ascent Touring with RPG (rear power gate), now 22 months old; to Dealer 5 times for dead battery issues (including for one week on his computer looking for ghost draws). Examples of my dead battery causes: rear gate open over night; rear rubber mat slid under rear gate; car left in 'accessory on' mode. Dealer replaced OEM battery after several months. I camp in remote areas, so a battery problem is NOT acceptable and I am hoping for a Subaru TSB or recall to resolve issues of bad engineering. For those new to these related electrical issue blogs, this is a summary of my personal experience and what I have learned from others on this forum...
What I've learned and done: (1) Dealer says to be certain when exiting the car the display says "goodbye" to ensure it is NOT in accessory mode. (2) Make sure remote key doesn't accidentally trigger to open rear gate when in my pocket (I bought a silicon cover for the key but not sure that's a total solution). (3) Dealer received a TSB last month with instructions to disable the remote key's "tailgate open/close" function - which I had them do today. Although I lose that functionality, the rear gate will no longer open while key is in my pocket. (4) With NO lights on and the rear gate open, the draw is 3 Amps - certainly enough draw to restrict/limit the open rear gate when camping, tailgating, etc. (5) Dealer confirms that there is no timed-out shutoff for an opened rear gate (as there is for other doors and lights) because it is part of the safety system. (6) Some Ascent owners have installed a battery disconnect switch ($100) or disconnect a battery cable when camping. (7) An appropriate retro-fix would be an override switch for when owner wishes to leave the rear gate open for extended periods. No indication from my dealer that a fix is in the works (TSB or Recall) or whether there will be a fix on 2021 models arriving July, although there have been recall rumors on these ascentforums. (8) It is important to report these electrical issues to SOA and federal authorities.
I hope this helps those who are searching for answers and solutions.
What I've learned and done: (1) Dealer says to be certain when exiting the car the display says "goodbye" to ensure it is NOT in accessory mode. (2) Make sure remote key doesn't accidentally trigger to open rear gate when in my pocket (I bought a silicon cover for the key but not sure that's a total solution). (3) Dealer received a TSB last month with instructions to disable the remote key's "tailgate open/close" function - which I had them do today. Although I lose that functionality, the rear gate will no longer open while key is in my pocket. (4) With NO lights on and the rear gate open, the draw is 3 Amps - certainly enough draw to restrict/limit the open rear gate when camping, tailgating, etc. (5) Dealer confirms that there is no timed-out shutoff for an opened rear gate (as there is for other doors and lights) because it is part of the safety system. (6) Some Ascent owners have installed a battery disconnect switch ($100) or disconnect a battery cable when camping. (7) An appropriate retro-fix would be an override switch for when owner wishes to leave the rear gate open for extended periods. No indication from my dealer that a fix is in the works (TSB or Recall) or whether there will be a fix on 2021 models arriving July, although there have been recall rumors on these ascentforums. (8) It is important to report these electrical issues to SOA and federal authorities.
I hope this helps those who are searching for answers and solutions.