Received Old Battery (Mfg. Date 09/23) from Subaru Parts Center – Is This Normal? Should I Be Concerned?

[Cancer Man]

Subject: Received Old Battery (Mfg. Date 09/23) from Subaru Parts Center – Is This Normal? Should I Be Concerned?

Hi everyone,

Car : 2016 Legacy 2.5 Limited with Eye Sight

I recently purchased a new battery (Part Number: SOA821B400) from a Subaru parts center, but after checking the label, I noticed the manufacturing date is September 2023 – which makes it about 21 months old as of now (June 2025).

I have a few concerns and would really appreciate some advice:

1. Is it normal to receive a nearly 2-year-old battery when buying new from a Subaru parts center?

2. Will there be any performance, lifespan, or warranty issues due to its age?

3. Should I ask for a replacement or raise a complaint?

4. If there's an issue, who should I contact – the seller, Subaru directly, or someone else?

Also, when I questioned the staff about the age of the battery, the lady at the counter raised her voice and made me feel uncomfortable. Since I urgently needed a battery, I didn’t return it at the time.

To add to the confusion, they initially tried to sell me a more expensive battery (Part Number: SOA821B950), which costs nearly twice as much as the one I bought (Part Number:SOA821B400). Now I’m wondering if I was pushed into buying the cheaper one just to clear old stock. Also why price difference, is Part Number:SOA821B400 is refurbished? SOA821B400 is only 150+tax

I’m genuinely unsure whether I should return it or just keep it. Has anyone else experienced something similar?

Thanks in advance for any guidance or shared experiences!

[silverton]

The B950 is a start stop battery, think like an AGM; why it's nearly twice as much. B400 is the correct battery for your vehicle.  you shouldn't get any battery that's older than 6 months.  we never had batteries older than two months at my dealership in seattle and we were instructed to grab the oldest ones first.  It may just be that the one you received was in the back and the job tasked to a more diligent person without the foresight of "this is old, we should send it back"

[waldguy]

Her attitude shouldn't have anything to do with the outcome.

Stay with the facts.  Remind them politely they sold you an old battery.  Most batteries are expected to last 60 months.  Either they replace it with a current battery or refund you for two years of age (eg. 40%).  Pay new price, get new battery.  At the minimum you should get the full warranty from the date of purchase.

Hope you get your value out of the outcome.

Edited June 10 by waldguy

[ronemus]

Flooded batteries are generally shipped and stored dry, with electrolyte added at the time of sale; there should be no deterioration unless the acid was added in advance for some reason.  "Sealed" lifetime batteries aren't really, the caps are just a bit more difficult to remove.  My original battery  is going strong at 8 years, in part because I keep the electrolyte topped up.

[MoleMan]

I am gonna mirror what Silverton and add my spin.

If the battery is strong and works then great.

If it was me I would have asked for my money back and went to a dealer parts dept and gotten a fresher one.  Or just went to Sam's, Costco, or Walmart.

I am so sick of parts counter folks with an attitude.  Bottom line of it's genuine Subaru and keeps a charge you should be fine.  If it's that concerning and has issues take it into a dealer and get a replacement on proration under the warranty period.  

 

[Cancer Man]

Hi  @silverton @waldguy @ronemus @MoleMan,

Thank you all for your suggestions and support , I truly appreciate it. I was a bit upset by what happened, as we all know how frustrating it is to find a dead car battery first thing in the morning when heading to work.

As Silverton stated, The B400 is technically the correct battery for my vehicle. However, there have been numerous reports of the B400 failing just a few months after installation, and it's often regarded as unreliable and Junk. In my case, the B400 (Group 25) died two weeks after being installed.

I eventually decided to upgrade to the B950 (Group 35), which required just an additional insulator cover, everything else fit perfectly. I had already been considering a Group 35 AGM battery for my car, and after looking at the B950 specs, I went for it without hesitation. Most customers seem to be satisfied with the B950, and so far, I’m happy with the decision as well.

Again, thank you all for your help and support!

 

 

[Max Capacity]

Sorry to hear, you think you need to have a Subaru battery in your 10y/o car. Sorry if I sound hash.

 

I would never take my car to a dealership for this kind of service. Got to any auto parts store, warehouse club or like I do, go to Walmart, get the largest size battery that will fit in the battery tray. 

 

The group 35 from Walmart is what I put in my 18 3.6R in June 2022, I think the battery was $140. I throw away the blanket thing the OEM battery had, you don't need it. This is the first car I've seen with one of those. How did all my other cars survive without one for the past 50 years.  

For my 86 Ford F150 I measured the space and put the biggest battery I could get from Walmart in there. 

I'm sure I put a photo in this thread back about that time. 

 

https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/gen5-replacing-the-original-battery-with-better.391217/page-116?post_id=6566913#post-6566913

[silverton]

No need to gate keep the dealership for automotive repairs.  If that's what a person is comfortable with, that's what they should do.  I know I don't need a Subaru battery in my car, but I'd prefer one.  I know I don't need a lot of things to be from Subaru, but I would still prefer that they are.

The blanket is up for debate... if I take a part off, I'm putting it back on; but I have also thrown some away that were around excessively leaking batteries.  It obviously serves some purpose or benefit to the battery, or Subaru would not have bothered to have it at all.

[ncted]

Nothing wrong with going to the dealership if you have a good one.  I used to go to a Subie specialty shop, but they moved an hour away, so I tried a few "highly recommended" local shops instead, but I found that they were quite expensive.  So, I tried the Subaru Dealer near my house that a long-time friend works at and spoke highly of.  Not only was it about the same price or less than the independent shops I'd tried, I have had great service and support since I switched.  

[silverton]

My Indy shop was charging within 10-15% of our local dealerships.  at that point, may as well go to the dealer.