2013 Subaru Crosstrek battery dies when towed

[miller2540]

I replaced a 2004 Saturn Ion as a toad with a 2013 Subaru Crosstrek. When I started towing the Saturn I had the same problem and quickly found that I could avoid it by pulling a particular fuse. What can I do to stop the Crosstrek's battery from draining when it is towed? Is it as easy as pulling a certain fuse or something else? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

[GrampaR123]

Charge line from motorhome to towed vehicle. We've used this for years and once installed, you can forget about doing anything more, ever. Every time you plug in your harness, the motorhome alternator charges the towed vehicle battery wnen you drive. How much more trouble free can it get?

[Grumpy374]

oldkeywest91 wrote:
Tow a 2015 Forester,key in first position to unlock steering wheel.This well keep all power off.The problem with this is the cig.lighter does not work so what I did was make jumper wire with external fuse to power up plug in center console.This powers up BrakeBuddy and has no battery drain other then that.

Definately agree and should have mentioned this.
You should get a direct 12 volt supply for the brake system. You do not want to use a cig. plug or acc plug for the brake system. They may be only 10-15 amp fused, smaller guage wires, and not work without ignition on.
Again, I used the 12 volt Battery Direct kit sold by RVi. Heaver guage wire, 20 amp fuse, and a heavy duty type plug receptical. Runs directly from battery to interior of toad.
Grumpy

[oldkeywest91]

Tow a 2015 Forester,key in first position to unlock steering wheel.This well keep all power off.The problem with this is the cig.lighter does not work so what I did was make jumper wire with external fuse to power up plug in center console.This powers up BrakeBuddy and has no battery drain other then that.

[Grumpy374]

miller, we tow a 2013 Subi Crosstrek, and have almost 10,000 towing miles on it without any problems at all.
The proper and only way to tow a STICK SHIFT Subi 4 down, is...
Ignition to the FIRST position. This unlocks the steering but does not turn on any electronics. If any dash lights come on, you've turned it too far.
Tranny in neutral.
Emergency brake off.
Thats it, no fuses to pull, nothing except to hook up whatever aux brake system you use.
You do need to hook up some type of towed battery charger. I have the RVi brake system along with their Towed Vehicle Battery Charger.
The reason you need a charger is simple. Even though your ignition switch is off, the brake lights will come on everytime you hit the brake in your motor home. That causes your aux brake system to hit the towed veh brake, which activates your Subi's brake light. Over a long day of driving, hitting your brakes numerous times, will slowly drain your Subi's battery. Maybe not a complete drain, but enough to make it hard to start. And, constantly draining the battery day to day is not good for it.
A battery charger like RVi's system will keep your Subi'e battery charged while you drive. Simple system, but needed.
Grumpy

[creeper]

lryrob9301 wrote:
How are you towing the Subaru 4 down or on a dolly??

You can't tow Subarus on a dolly, they have to be towed 4 down due to the AWD system.

IF a tow truck is needed , you need to request a flat bed or you will damage the AWD.


BUT, you shouldn't have to turn the ignition on the subaru, they are a position to unlock the steering wheel or at least on the relatively new models do.

[JR45]

To help on the battery drain I will be installing this by RVibrake on my Ford Edge,
http://www.rvibrake.com/Towed-Battery-Charger-p/tbc-12014.htm
JR

[TX_AG]

I had the same problem with my 2015 Forester. The problem started after I had the car for 11 months, I took it to the dealer and asked them to test the battery. Turned out that the battery was defective and they replaced it under warranty.

[Boxer_Lovers]

I've towed 3 different Subies when we had a coach. 4 down, ignition unlocked but not on accesory. Never had a problem. Clue: none of your dash lights should be on. If so, back ignition one click toward lock postion. You can manually turn steering wheel but there is no battery drain

[tenbear]

I tow my 2010 Subaru sedan, 4 wheels down, with no problem. I hook it up, connect a cable for the brake lights. This uses diodes to isolate the existing wiring when using the MH power for the brake and turn lights.

I set the ignition key to 2, unlocks the steering wheel and supplies power from the Subaru to the brake box via the cigarette lighter connection.

I'm ready to go.

[Hank85713]

Add a charge line to the system, sounds as if none exists now. Make sure all electrics are turned off when key in and on. My elantra has day driving lights and they will suck it down quick. We added a charge line from the tow vehicle and have no issues. Pulling a fuse is basically the same thing it seems, just disconnects everything from the elec system, charge line keeps everything charged from tow vehicle.

[avan]

On my Saturn, it is the 30amp under the hood Ignition fuse

[lryrob9301]

How are you towing the Subaru 4 down or on a dolly? Are you towing it with the key in the off, acc, or on position. Are you using a braking system that requires battery power?

[Old-Biscuit]

DO you remember what the fuse in that Saturn was for?.......pull the same for the Subaru.

OR..........when you stop for rest break/potty break turn Subaru on for 5 mins to check battery charged.

Battery life goes down hill fast everytime you drain voltage down below 12V

[RoyB]

I added a battery switch on my F150 Truck one time when setting for a long period of time...

This reset my on-board computer stuff which would not learn the old settings when I engaged the battery connection again. Mmy truck would die at the stop sign stops unless I would hold down the gas pedal...

I eventually had to take it back to Ford and put on their computer machine to reset the settings which cost me $90 for a 5-minute reset time.

Don't know if this might be an issue for you or not...

Roy Ken