Subaru Gets First Approval of Class Battery-Drain Settlement

An agreement between Subaru Corp. and vehicle owners to settle proposed class claims that Outbacks and other models require frequent battery replacement deserves preliminary approval, a federal court in New Jersey ruled.

The nationwide class settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate, Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez said Thursday for the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.

The plaintiffs—13 residents of New Jersey, New York, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Washington state—allege that the defect affects Outback, Forester, Legacy, WRX, and Ascent vehicles, mostly from model years 2015 to 2020.

All the cars contain a “Controller Area Network” ...